DC Area Head-Fi meet at Glen Echo Town Hall on April 30, 2022
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Apr 30, 2022 at 5:51 PM Post #76 of 90
We’re excited to see everyone tomorrow morning, as of now we will bringing the following:

Sources
Headphones
Amplifiers:


thanks for letting us try your many gears...I certainly have some deciding to do between my ZMF verite and DCA stealth...
 
Apr 30, 2022 at 5:53 PM Post #77 of 90
Interested in linking with local DC head-fi enthusiasts in the near future. Hope to make next event.
 
May 1, 2022 at 12:24 PM Post #79 of 90
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We had a blast at the meet yesterday! It was awesome to see everyone again in DC after not being able to attend for quite some time. We enjoyed this intimate and quiet event which was perfect for listening!
 

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May 8, 2022 at 1:53 PM Post #83 of 90
Below are brief impressions of a number of headphones I listened to while at the meet:

Aurorus Australis

Peachtree Audio XI> Dangerous CONVERT-2 > Bryston BHA-1
_DSC0736-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg


The Australis is a very “live” sounding headphone. There is an overabundance of upper treble which creates a tinselly quality to cymbals. Male vocals sounded almost echoey, though they were presented with plenty of grit and body, and bass guitars had an aggressive growl. Electric guitars sounded a little muffled.

Aurorus Borealis

Peachtree Audio XI> Dangerous CONVERT-2 > Bryston BHA-1
_DSC0743-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg


The Borealis sounded brighter in the upper midrange than the Australis, which results in greater presence and a more appropriate level of emphasis for electric guitars. The treble also sounded less tinselly. Overall, the Borealis sounded more natural than the Australis while still conveying a “live” quality to music playback. It seemed to have better microdynamics as well. Of the two, I much prefer the Borealis.

_DSC0731-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

Fiio M11 Plus

The M11 is a very heavy, well-built digital audio player (DAP). It had a much more fluid and responsive user interface than I am used to from Android-based DAPs, which was pleasantly surprising. I was not familiar with any of the music on the device, so I cannot comment on sound quality.

Sennheiser HD580

The HD580 is an excellent all-rounder over-ear headphone. It sounds tonally correct throughout its frequency response, though its technicalities are a step behind more recent and expensive headphones. The soundstage in particular was squashed into three semi-distinct blobs. Drums also sounded slightly limp.

Denon 5200 (Modded)

Chord Hugo > RAAL Requisite

Fostex biodynamic drivers are capable of producing blissful levels of slam. There is nothing else quite like them on the market. Hearing the 5200 reminded me of how much I regret selling my E-MU Teak. Female vocals sounded very clean, but there was too much lower treble for my tastes.

Quad ERA-1

E1DA 9038D > Micro ZOTL
_DSC0784-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

The ERA-1 is a slightly bright headphone with very good detail retrieval. It had limited bass texture, body, and dynamics, especially with respect to a lot of percussion. The overall presentation seemed flattened, with little contrast.

Meze Advar

E1DA 9038D

The Advar are a very bass-heavy set of IEMs, with an impressive but potentially fatiguing amount of slam. They seemed to have an appropriate amount of upper mids, but more lower mids than I am used to. They were adequately detailed for the price point, but seemed to be lacking upper treble extension. They had very natural timbre.

64 Audio U12t​

E1DA 9038D

The U12t is a hyper-resolving IEM with excellent treble microdetail. The bass was also very good, having excellent body and great dynamics for an all-BA design. The clarity of the midrange was less impressive to me.

Dan Clark Audio Stealth

_DSC0790-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (75).jpg

Despite my love of Harman-ish targets, the Stealth earns the unique title of “too Harman-ish.” It had a very bright, thin-sounding upper midrange. It also lacked impact in the bass and body in the lower midrange. What bass it did have was very agile, but there was too little of it to convey texture. It also had flattened, anemic dynamics. Not recommended for the price point.

Stax SRX-9000

HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition
_DSC0805-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg


This was the highlight of the meet for me. The SRX-9000 is a next-level listening experience. They had a neutral bright tuning, but what really made them special was the unbelievable instrument separation and detail retrieval. While listening to the song “Pure Hatred” by Chimaira, I discovered that the pick slide at the beginning of the track has a slight phaser effect applied to it. I have been listening to this song for well over a decade. There is tremendous insight into guitar note on these headphones. The SRX-9000 presents both rapid bass drum hits and the chugging of electric guitars overtop of them with perfect clarity.

_DSC0804-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg


Additional Images:

_DSC0752-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
_DSC0768-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
_DSC0770-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
_DSC0796-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
_DSC0810-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
_DSC0811-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
_DSC0812-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
_DSC0819-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

 
May 11, 2022 at 11:31 AM Post #86 of 90
Below are brief impressions of a number of headphones I listened to while at the meet:

Aurorus Australis

Peachtree Audio XI> Dangerous CONVERT-2 > Bryston BHA-1
_DSC0736-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

The Australis is a very “live” sounding headphone. There is an overabundance of upper treble which creates a tinselly quality to cymbals. Male vocals sounded almost echoey, though they were presented with plenty of grit and body, and bass guitars had an aggressive growl. Electric guitars sounded a little muffled.

Aurorus Borealis

Peachtree Audio XI> Dangerous CONVERT-2 > Bryston BHA-1
_DSC0743-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

The Borealis sounded brighter in the upper midrange than the Australis, which results in greater presence and a more appropriate level of emphasis for electric guitars. The treble also sounded less tinselly. Overall, the Borealis sounded more natural than the Australis while still conveying a “live” quality to music playback. It seemed to have better microdynamics as well. Of the two, I much prefer the Borealis.

_DSC0731-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

Fiio M11 Plus

The M11 is a very heavy, well-built digital audio player (DAP). It had a much more fluid and responsive user interface than I am used to from Android-based DAPs, which was pleasantly surprising. I was not familiar with any of the music on the device, so I cannot comment on sound quality.

Sennheiser HD580

The HD580 is an excellent all-rounder over-ear headphone. It sounds tonally correct throughout its frequency response, though its technicalities are a step behind more recent and expensive headphones. The soundstage in particular was squashed into three semi-distinct blobs. Drums also sounded slightly limp.

Denon 5200 (Modded)

Chord Hugo > RAAL Requisite

Fostex biodynamic drivers are capable of producing blissful levels of slam. There is nothing else quite like them on the market. Hearing the 5200 reminded me of how much I regret selling my E-MU Teak. Female vocals sounded very clean, but there was too much lower treble for my tastes.

Quad ERA-1

E1DA 9038D > Micro ZOTL
_DSC0784-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg
The ERA-1 is a slightly bright headphone with very good detail retrieval. It had limited bass texture, body, and dynamics, especially with respect to a lot of percussion. The overall presentation seemed flattened, with little contrast.

Meze Advar

E1DA 9038D

The Advar are a very bass-heavy set of IEMs, with an impressive but potentially fatiguing amount of slam. They seemed to have an appropriate amount of upper mids, but more lower mids than I am used to. They were adequately detailed for the price point, but seemed to be lacking upper treble extension. They had very natural timbre.

64 Audio U12t​

E1DA 9038D

The U12t is a hyper-resolving IEM with excellent treble microdetail. The bass was also very good, having excellent body and great dynamics for an all-BA design. The clarity of the midrange was less impressive to me.

Dan Clark Audio Stealth

_DSC0790-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (75).jpg
Despite my love of Harman-ish targets, the Stealth earns the unique title of “too Harman-ish.” It had a very bright, thin-sounding upper midrange. It also lacked impact in the bass and body in the lower midrange. What bass it did have was very agile, but there was too little of it to convey texture. It also had flattened, anemic dynamics. Not recommended for the price point.

Stax SRX-9000

HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition
_DSC0805-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

This was the highlight of the meet for me. The SRX-9000 is a next-level listening experience. They had a neutral bright tuning, but what really made them special was the unbelievable instrument separation and detail retrieval. While listening to the song “Pure Hatred” by Chimaira, I discovered that the pick slide at the beginning of the track has a slight phaser effect applied to it. I have been listening to this song for well over a decade. There is tremendous insight into guitar note on these headphones. The SRX-9000 presents both rapid bass drum hits and the chugging of electric guitars overtop of them with perfect clarity.

_DSC0804-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

Additional Images:

_DSC0752-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg_DSC0768-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg_DSC0770-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg_DSC0796-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg_DSC0810-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg_DSC0811-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg_DSC0812-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg_DSC0819-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME (90).jpg

CRBN versus Stax?
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 1:12 PM Post #88 of 90
Hoping I can make one of these events someday. I’m free this summer through early august. Anything on the horizon this summer?

I’m Dan’s Audio Reviews on YouTube by the way. I would love to meet up with people at a local library or what have you.
 
Feb 8, 2023 at 2:34 PM Post #90 of 90
Hey Everyone - I know this thread is DC-area focused, but I'm organizing a headphone meetup in Richmond, VA on February 25. Please let me know if anyone is interested in joining! Should have some cool gear to try out, thanks!
 
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