[bhd812]

Well? I'm just sitting here listening to my new 400's...i am kind of liking these planar things..

 

[Audio Addict]

Quote:

Well? I'm just sitting here listening to my new 400's...i am kind of liking these planar things..

 
You would not be doing that if it were not for the generous support from of friends.  I just wanted to say thanks to those vendors that supported our 7th annual ChiUniFi event.
 
Here is the link to our friends:
 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vQ5bOaQSYcLyg7VKTblebkFebFf3Rb5Q3AE1xhIUDZU/edit?usp=sharing

 

[dBel84]

You sure cleaned up the raffle B , but very generous of both of you to return things into the pot for another round and thanks again for putting all the effort into the organization of it. 
 
I took a few pictures but not as many as I had intended. 
 
corner room shot

 
Dan sampling a few vintage planar magnetics

 
serious listening on the BA

 
C. with the new cardas iems - much improvement over the early prototypes that Tyll had at RMAF
 

 
The gear I brought along - I got the sense that people liked the stats and high end planars a lot

That little black box in the lower section is the cavalli portable prototype - I had to rig up that makeshift psu as the portable version I hacked was , well a hack. 
 
 
..dB

 

[Joedotcom]

Another awesome event, thanks! (And I can't figure out how to subscribe via mobile, so this should do the trick)

 

[mrspeakers]

Great meet, and the Blackhawks won, too!
 
Big thanks to dBel84 for lugging all his amazing vintage orthos along!  That was a real treat.

 

[slytown]

Thanks Steve and Billy for setting things up again. You guys are great. Another successful Chiunifi.
 
PS: Did anyone find a digital camera lying around? I can't seem to find it in my pack or my car.

 

[dBel84]

re camera
 
 
Quote:

PS: Did anyone find a digital camera lying around? I can't seem to find it in my pack or my car.

 

Someone left their camera. Kind of a teal/light colored Kodak. I have it now. PM me if you'd like it back.

 

 

[Seamless Sounds]

It was great meeting you all! My burned CDs didn't seem to work on many laptops and cd players. I'll have to get to the bottom of this before the next meet. Despite the cd problems, I still had my usb drive on me.
 
I've listened extensively to LCD-3, HD800, HD650, HD600, and HE-500. I've also listened extensively through Ray's balanced Intruder amps, Balanced Act, and Bottlehead Crack amps, and the 3-tube amp (I don't know what it's called) in the corner.
I've listened to dBel's setup and the Stax SR-009 just blows me away.
 
My least favorite that I've listened through is the HE-500 and 3-tube amp setup in the corner. They sound out of phase to my ears.
 
HD600 has the best price/performance ratio for me. They're also very comfortable.
 
My M3 amp and y1/y2 DAC is still build-in-progress unfortunately. It's something I wish I can bring to the meet to show you guys, but I don't have a chassis and the right soldering tools to finish it (SMD chips are a pain in the ass without a controlled soldering iron and the right tip, and I dont want to risk it).

 

[Audio Addict]

My least favorite that I've listened through is the HE-500 and 3-tube amp setup in the corner. They sound out of phase to my ears.

The amp was the Raptor and it turns out I had some tubes going south so you should not make any judgement from that setup.

 

[Audio Addict]

I did not spend too much time listening as was trying to be sure the meet was going well. However, I spent a little time at MrSpeakers' table listening to the balanced MadDogs and was impressed with their sound and comfort. They were tempting even though I was not looking for another headphone.


I also spent a little time talking with CEntrance. Their new product that is fully compatible with all of Apple's idevices is quite the accomplishment. I did learn that there really isn't any standard for the Android devices USB when it comes to passing the audio signal. Bummer for sure since I have an Android phone and tablet.

 

[moodyrn]

Did you get a chance to listen to it?

 

[Brian Hunter]

Hey guys, I got my impressions and a good number of pictures up on the site.  Thanks to all who attended, I had a great time.
 
http://audio-head.com/chiunifi-head-fi-meet-2013/

 

[fateicon]

Expanding on what I said in the other thread. The biggest impression I walked away with was just how extremely detailed and smooth the SR-009 were(although I have very little idea how amps come into play with electrostats). Not my ideal phone, but, I think it is ideal when it comes to the aformentioned detail and smoothness. Now that I've rested I can readjust to my Amperiors a little better. I primarily listened to Alan Parson's Don't Let it Show on the SR-009 and I don't think it's a song that caters to the Amperior's horizontal, narrower sound stage. The Amperior is weird because some songs sound real airy, clear, and spacious while having great impact and others sound boxed in or too aggressive(and not just over-compressed stuff made after 1993). The impression I got at Canjam 2010 and this year's meet is that a lot of open phones are about getting the technical details right and not about the impact of drums or making heavy metal guitars sound heavy. There tends to be a thinner sound with open phones regarded as reference and whatnot. I've read numerous things saying closed phones have the advantage in bass, and I'd tend to agree. Maybe the closed objective these days is to have more quantity than an open phone while retaining as much quality as possible. I went and listened to the Yamaha 500s at Fry's again today. Was able to do the whole demo uninterrupted. First off, the comfort was awful. They tend to clamp hard and the earpads don't give you much room. The sound is definitely a closed phone attempting to pull off an audiophile experience. In their demo, it's very clear, if slightly sterile sounding. The layers in complex music are all easily distinguished. It's slightly upfront but not as aggressive as an Amperior and seems even less so when compared to the more aggressive Grado phones. The bass and kick drums sound very real and have a lot of impact. I don't feel like there's a bunch of extra sound bouncing back in these phones. The bass comes across as tight, not bleeding. Best closed phones I've heard and best phones I've heard that have real impact with the drums. The timbre of the piano and sax sounded pretty dead on again. I've heard some people say Ultrasones are better. I really didn't like whatever Ultrasones were at Can jam 2010. I think it was ALO who had them. Just found them kinda dark and dull, maybe a tad hollow if I recall. 
 
Hearing the Yamaha a second time really helped. I would definitely like to be able to check out phones a couple times closer together. The repetition after a short break enables me to get a better feel for stuff. 1st impressions aren't always the most accurate way to decide if you're gonna like something long-term. That's probably true for more than just headphones. I've definitely thought about why people who've attended past meets have dropped off. I didn't participate much in head-fi for a couple years because I honestly didn't like any of the phones at Can Jam 2010 better than my RS-1s and I didn't like any of the sources I plugged my RS-1s into better than what I already owned. The K701 and DT990 were phones I liked at Can Jam on the various setups they were available on, so I got em a few months later. Eventually I started using the Dt990 as my main phone until I decided I liked the 701 better. I didn't think that was how it'd turn out the first time I heard them. I'm not sure what expectations people have of meets. Initially I thought of Can Jam as sort of an end all be all for figuring stuff out. A meet is really more of a preview, I think. The best way for me to sort things out is to have the stuff available and see if I have the urge to go back to it later. Although to have that option you almost always have to buy the item.
 
My guess is some people walk away because they either feel too underwhelmed and frustrated by the current phones/amps/etc out there, or they find something they really like and end their buying of anything else. One reason I really wanted to hear the SR-009 was because of it's place on Tyll's wall of fame. I kept wondering why he'd even bother listening to these other phones if he could listen to something like that. What I think I've figured out is that most phones have some type of relevance. They are all so different and it's tough to find a one size fits all. And a lot of phones that are inexpensive can provide very impressive performance, especially if you're not looking for an ultra-analytical experience. A lot of these expensive phones don't seem to be big on toe-tapping, head-banging, dancing energy. After years of listening to the RS-1 and 701, I began to really miss getting that out of my listening experience. The DT990 had impact, but really lacked clarity compared to those two, so I didn't end up using it a ton. 
 
Anyone ever thought of doing questionaires for people who are new to all this? Just to get an idea what everyone likes and what to recommend they give special attention to. Like if someone puts down they want an amp to warm up their Grados, stuff like that. 
 
thanks again to everyone involved, I'm looking forward to the next one and in seeing this event grow.

 

[Seamless Sounds]

Quote:

My burned CDs didn't seem to work on many laptops and cd players.

I found out why. They have lower reflection so much of the laser beam isn't reflected to the optical reader. I don't know if you guys remember receiving LFF remaster disc back in 2010, but those also don't work on my laptop and CD players; their composition is the same as mine. The CD-R in question were Verbatim Digital Vinyl CD-R. Avoid those.

 

[fateicon]

I went through and switched through most of my different phones using the sansa and O2 while letting the IAE 2012 edition of the Empire Strikes Back play. I enjoyed all of them, and to a pretty similar degree. If impressions of my own stuff can vary so much, I think it's best for me to give stuff I heard at meets or stores several chances before deciding I don't like it. Could be that I was using good source material instead of Metal or Dance music. I never really noticed how exceptionally clean and smooth the UE6000 was til I heard it amongst the others. I'm thinking the FR is part of that but it doesn't just seem like a lack of treble causing the clarity. The 701 was back to sounding real good instead of being way too trebly and thin with whatever I played the other day. Amperior still stands out a lot for how full-bodied and resolute it makes instruments sound(that may be a byproduct of the more horizontalish soundstage). I just wish it were a tad more open. We'll see what phone I end up listening to most this week. I think this hobby is perhaps a lot easier for people who don't listen to a bunch of different genres. A phone that does orchestras well can also magnify flaws in other genres. What I'll do from now on is try to collect a good number of headphones under $300 and consider buying something $1000 and up if I either become rich or find a phone that I feel would never make me want to listen to my other ones again. Hopefully next year I'll have 2 or 3 new ones I can bring. The DT1350, MDR-1R, and a couple others were next on my list after the Yamaha. My wife and I both liked the Woo Audio amps in 2010 and this year, so we'll probably get one when the money situation makes sense. We must've spent about an hour or two in their room 3 years ago. My goal for next year is to get there a bit earlier and find a way to organize my stuff so people can listen to it easier and maybe workout a system with the wife so she can handle things if I want to take a half hour or so to listen to stuff. I had a great time hosting my little gear table, definitely.