[Psalmanazar]

I might not be able to make it. I'm going to play it by ear. 

 

[GrindingThud]

Great meet today! Got to hear the Jotunheim...meaty amp, I like it.

 

[TimeLord]

@Barry S, thanks for making the reservation; all went well.
 
During the final clean up of the room, I found a "The North Face" gray jacket that was left behind. If anyone is missing it, let me know and we can figure out how to get it back to you.
 
No one can complain that the metro DC folks aren't bringing an eclectic array of awesome gear. Nearly everything that may be on someone's wish list was represented. Even the newest hard to spot gear like the Ether Flow made an appearance.
 
I finally got to hear the Elear and I can certainly see why it is getting good press. At its price point, it is very competitive; however, some of the folks on the Focal threads that think simply swapping the pads with the Utopia will make the two headphones equal are in for a rude awakening.The Elear is good, but it's priced where it is for a good reason.
 
The modified WA3 that I heard was a nice surprise. It's like getting an ice cream sundae when you didn't even know you wanted a dessert. I listened to it on the Oppo PM-1 and it brought up the bass response nicely and made the PM-1 a more even can. I can see many bass-shy headphones benefiting from this pairing.
 
I mentioned the Ether Flow earlier... I must say that I was disappointed in what I heard. Compared to the Ether, MrSpeakers has added the much needed bass response to the Flow. However, the bass was not tight and it was bleeding all over the sound spectrum. I found the Ether Flow to be warm in general and instrument separation was not good. On my test track that I have heard hundreds, if not thousands, of times, it was woefully apparent that this was no where close to a TOTL headphone. It is disappointing because all of the reviews so far were fairly positive and I had hoped the Ether Flow C may be an option for me, but if they are similar to their open brother, then I would not be interested.
 
I somehow did not get to hear the Liquid Carbon, so it'll have to be next time...
 
Thanks everyone for coming out.

 

[sheldaze]

Great meet today! Got to hear the Jotunheim...meaty amp, I like it.

Glad to hear it!
 
I'm hoping people will post more impressions. I got to speak with a lot of people, during the meet, regarding their impressions of various headphones and gear, but there are many others, particularly a lot of the new faces, where I did not get a chance to learn from.
 
And to me, that's definitely what it's about! Seeing the old familiar faces. Meeting the new people. And getting a little offline time just to talk about gear - what we like, what we dislike, and what we disagree on, which is so much easier to do, face to face.
 
I too was glad to hear the Ether Flow, but was highly disappointed with its sound. I've never heard anything for which the Liquid Gold was untruthful or unfair with (well, maybe the HE-6). But I also tried it on my own gear, and was similarly unhappy with the highest frequencies. I was not focused on the bass sound, because I could not bypass the highs. As soon as the guitars started to play, I became very unhappy with its sound.
 
The Elear though was not a disappointment, at all! I quite enjoyed its sound. I can appreciate its owner (Dan?) and his thoughts regarding it. I did not get a lot of time to listen, but in quick repeated A/B comparison with the HD650, I can understand how some people who think this is an upgrade. But I personally found the upgrade to be very, very slight. So my issue is still with the price, not in relation to the Utopia - it is a bargain in relation to that headphone. But in relation to the street price of the HD650, which is $200 - $300, depending on the quality of the headphone. In that 3 - 4 times price comparison, it in no way surpassed the HD650. And in some ways, I thought I could still peer deeper into the music through the HD650.
 
I'll have to think about other things I heard and post back later. I'll definitely comment later about the wowie-zowie, overall excellent on-ear Audeze Sine. But would really love to hear from more people!

 

[yage]

   
I'll definitely comment later about the wowie-zowie, overall excellent on-ear Audeze Sine. But would really love to hear from more people!

 
That Audeze Sine was a knockout. I felt the bass could've been a smidge tighter, but otherwise it sounded quite good. I listened to this headphone the most since I have a friend who's in the market and wanted to know what I thought of them.
 
The Jotunheim was ok through my LCD-XC's and I got the impression that the balanced out sounded more refined with better spatial resolution than single-ended. I'm still not enamored with the sound I hear from an all-Schiit stack, no matter how hard I try. The end result is slightly aggressive and lean in the midrange for my taste. I did feel, however, that the Sonett 2 / Utopia was a dynamite pairing with the Yggy - close to life-like vocal and instrumental timbres and excellent clarity.
 
Liquid Carbon... meh. I know it's not broken in yet. It was a little lifeless and boring. I liked the Moon 230HAD much better.
 
Had a lot of fun, even with my gimpy foot.

 

[sheldaze]

  Liquid Carbon... meh. I know it's not broken in yet. It was a little lifeless and boring. I liked the Moon 230HAD much better.

I understand, I think.
 
I actually understand better this go round what the Liquid Carbon is doing. But I only understand this because of the Moon 230HAD and DNA Sonett 2. Without these, I'd probably still be unhappy with the house sound that the Carbon is definitely pushing. No question I will bring it to the next meet, fully burned in, so we can all hear how the single-ended sounds.

 

[Billheiser]

Enjoyed the meet, and glad to see some new faces too.  I liked the Ether Flow with unfamiliar music, but then put on the HE-6 and was more impressed.  Always enjoy the LCD-2 on Grinding Thud's Woo.  Was fascinating to hear the A/B between Mimby and Yggy, via Jotenheim.
I dug the Elear a lot.  Clear and musical and detailed without glare.  When comparing the Purple Heart and Mahogany versions of the TH-X00, I was surprised that there was an identifiable difference between the 2 woods, at both ends of the spectrum.  I think Sheldaze heard even more difference between them.
Glad people liked the Sine w/ its Cipher cable out of the lightning port of an iPhone.  It's my new portable standard.
I saw these Skullcandy's the other day; not sure about the sound but liked how they looked.

 

[yage]

  I saw these Skullcandy's the other day; not sure about the sound but liked how they looked...

 
Is that Billy Bush hiding in the corner with an Access Hollywood camera crew?

 

[gandhisfist]

Hey guys, just wanted to give everyone a heads up.  As some of you may know, I've been working with the folks that put on the Capital Audio Fest to try to get more vendor turnout to events in the area.  John Gatski, one of the fellows that's been involved, has recently organized and is starting the DC Hi-Fi Group, a local club of sorts for audiophiles of all kinds to join.  The group does collect dues to help put on events and attract more vendors to give us demonstrations and talks, as well as access to live music and other events.  I think this is a great way to show just how much interest we have in audio as a community in this area and hope it will help the industry recognize the opportunities they've missed by largely ignoring this area for so long.  The group meets monthly and you can find a copy of the membership form with the fees and terms here: https://goo.gl/GXpeyO
 
Please contact John if you have any questions, his information is at the bottom of the form.

 

[Barry S]

  Hey guys, just wanted to give everyone a heads up.  As some of you may know, I've been working with the folks that put on the Capital Audio Fest to try to get more vendor turnout to events in the area.  John Gatski, one of the fellows that's been involved, has recently organized and is starting the DC Hi-Fi Group, a local club of sorts for audiophiles of all kinds to join.  The group does collect dues to help put on events and attract more vendors to give us demonstrations and talks, as well as access to live music and other events.  I think this is a great way to show just how much interest we have in audio as a community in this area and hope it will help the industry recognize the opportunities they've missed by largely ignoring this area for so long.  The group meets monthly and you can find a copy of the membership form with the fees and terms here: https://goo.gl/GXpeyO
 
Please contact John if you have any questions, his information is at the bottom of the form.

Charging dues from the beginning with no track history, may discourage membership. I love that anyone can attend our meets--that's an important principle for me.  Oddly, the payment form states: By signing this membership form, I agree to abide by all rules and procedures of the DC Hi-Fi Group. a non-profit membership association. Are there any rules and procedures?

 

[yage]

The first rule of DC Hi-Fi Group is that you don't talk about DC Hi-Fi.... oh, forget it.
 
I stopped by their table at the CAF this past summer. I like the idea, but the paying of dues, I admit, was a little off-putting. Especially since there wasn't a schedule of events to help me determine whether or not I'd get my money's worth. If John can put something like that together (I realize it's sort of a chicken/egg problem) then I'd be more inclined to join.

 

[gandhisfist]

I think it's certainly fair to wait and see, I just believe that putting the money together helps show more serious interest.  I certainly don't want our meets absorbed by a group like this, but I think there could be a decent amount of crossover, shared interest and the possibility for more events with the support of a group like this in the future.

 

[TimeLord]

I think it's certainly fair to wait and see, I just believe that putting the money together helps show more serious interest.  I certainly don't want our meets absorbed by a group like this, but I think there could be a decent amount of crossover, shared interest and the possibility for more events with the support of a group like this in the future.

I think it's an opportunity unify. Cross pollination and the growth of both groups will be beneficial to all.

 

[sheldaze]

Cross-pollination is fine...
 
I just don't get the sense of an orientation or trial period from any of the literature, in either the membership form or their Facebook page information. What does the fee cover? Meeting space? Food? Having run into meeting space issues recently, I completely understand the need for fees. I'd just be more open to the option of a trial meet or two, and then pay fees. It's how I got into AES years ago. There was definitely a show up first, and meet with us, attitude. Then the regulars paid the yearly fee.
 
It sure would be interesting to let them hear something a little more HiFi than a portable Oppo (great box - just saying) and AKG headphones - once at the forefront of technology, these have grown a little stated. Also volunteer - does that count for something? If it is a pay your fees event, I tend to do that and kick back. But anyplace I've been where I've volunteered, I've also gotten some form of a discount - even if were just a better place at the banquet table that evening.

 

[jp11801]

taking a long shot here, sometime in the past 2 weeks or so I misplaced a black GoRuck bag that contained my JH13s and Ibasso DX90 - anyone recover this at the meet? Hadn't dawned on me that I lost them until I started packing for a trip last Friday am. 
 
Anyway thanks for a great meet I really enjoyed being able to hear the Focal Utopia and HD800s.