Well I just got back home, and got my gear unpacked and setup.
This was another great meet. Not as many people, but the people that were there were great, as was the gear. Probably my favorite meet to date.
Great pics wquiles! I didn't even bother after seeing your awesome camera.
I came away with some new revelations.
The first is that the Omega II is not my favorite headphone any longer. I thoroughly enjoyed Marc's Koss stats, and they even toppled the O II's in my mind. They were more up front and engauging than the Stax IMO. Of coarse Marc had his special Kevin Gilmore tweak of running them at a higher voltage, and they were driven by his uber cool hot rodded KGSS.
The second revelation is that the L3000 is now off of my wish list. While there is no denying that it is an amazing headphone, and it was just spectacular driven by the balanced β22, I found it just too genre specific to warrant the price for me. While I loved it for rock and blues, I didn't care for the immense bass on other genres like jazz and heavy vocal music. The balanced pair that were at the meet were absolutely stunning though, and those Furutech XLR jacks were dead sexy!
The last and most shocking revelation of all is that I'm a Sennheiser guy.
I had wanted to give Senns another chance now that my gear is at another level completely since the last time I briefly owned some 650s. I have heard over and over how well the Senns scale, and while I was admittedly sceptical, I tried my best to have an open mind.
Well guess what?... You Senn guys were right, and I admit I was wrong about them. I felt like I was listening to a completely different headphone when balanced and driven from the β22. I know I haven't been all that kind in my impressions of Senns before now, but Brothers and Sisters that has changed in a major way. I'm a convert! I first tried some 650s balanced and plugged into my rig, and my jaw dropped! No veil whatsoever, in fact they were forward and involving like I never believed possible.
Next I tried Al's 600s with balanced cables, and I found I preferred them to the 650, although I liked them both. And finally I tried some 580s with Alex's mod, and that was my favorite of all. The 580 is basically identical to the 600 sound wise, but I prefer the mat Black to the granite Blue. Alex's foam removal mods added a sparkle that I really enjoyed, and I preferred the modded version to stock in every way.
I liked the Senns so much in fact that I bought a pair of 580s on the spot. Tomorrow I'll order 600 grills and new pads, and I'll remove the paint from the headband ala Kramer. They just look all business in mat Black IMO.
Alex's V3 cables were incredible, and are on the wish list now that soft Nylon sleeving is an option (I just don't like the noise I get from TechFlex rubbing against my shirt).
Michael Buble was just spectacular on the balanced 580 through my "Epic Opus" and β22, and I think these will see a lot of use in my system.
Other uber lovely goodies included Marc's absolutely stunning vinyl spinner. I had a chance to hear his TT rig at his house the day before the meet, while it was in it's normal environment and the setup was tweaked to perfection. Not only is the Nottingham drool worthy, but his self built phono stage was equally spectacular. Marc's entire rig really impressed me, and his audio savvy is remarkable.
We've met before at an Austin meet, but this time I had the pleasure of meeting his lovely family, and it really brought a sense of joy to my heart to watch him interact with his very inquisitive young son, and realize that there still are some people in the world that take parenting very seriously. His level of patience and devoted interest in his children is inspiring.
The other Mark's new Eddie Current amp was just gorgeous to behold, but sadly I didn't get over to the table to listen to it. I'm kicking myself for that. As usual at these meets I spend too much time talking.
The prototype Grado RS-1 that Alex brought was really cool. I definitely enjoyed the sound. I'm always left wondering how I'd feel about long session comfort with Grado's, and I may have to explore that soon.
Al always has something stop working at these meets, and this time it was the Blue Hawaii, before I got the chance to listen. The Millet Monster Maxx amp/DAC and Senn 600 rig was a real kick though, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! His new CD player was fantastic! I'm not usually as happy with CD players vs. separate transport/DAC rigs, but I could be very happy with the Azure 840C. It was very detailed with fantastic bass. Tight and fast, just like I like it.
More to come after I gather my thoughts.
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