Hi guys,
(I'm the guy who came w/ the SR60's and was looking to upgrade)
Just wanted to say I really enjoyed meeting everyone and trying out the gear. It's really nice to be able to audition some of the higher end stuff that you can't normally find.
Ctemkin - Thanks for the info on the Art Tatum CD - definitely going to order this as a christmas gift to myself.
Overall I realized that I'll probably never get into the really high-end gear, as there's just not a major jump for me, but I definitely think it's worth jumping up maybe one more level.
Some impressions from the meet:
Sennheiser HD595's - Maybe my little amp just didn't have enough oomph, but I feel like the sennheiser sound, while nice, is just a little too neutral for me.
Sennheiser HD448 - For $100, I think these hidden gems are a great bargain. Just a bit uncomfortable for me.
Grado SR225 / 325i's - Nicer than my SR60's, but not drastically different. I particularly liked how smooth the highs were on the 325i's compared to the normal grado sound.
AKG k701 - Really really liked the sound of these. I should probably demo these with some more bass-heavy music though because a few people warned that they are on the light side. The few jazz tracks I listened too sounded fine to me, but I should probably try some top40/rap type stuff as well.
AKG k601 - Very similar to the 701, but IMO the treble was a little "tinny" and bass wasn't as extended. Seems like it's definitely worth spending a few more bucks for the 701. Regardless, a very good headphone.
A few questions:
- Any suggestions for an inexpensive DAC/Amp? A few people on the board have been recommending this little guy for under $100:
HA NG27 USB Sound Card + Mini Headphone Amp - eBay (item 350240031937 end time Dec-12-09 03:42:35 PST)
Looks like it uses the PCM2702E DAC chip and the old OPA2134 chips for the amp ( seems like it's a standard META42 setup ).
- Any plans for another small meetup soon? I'd love to hear the following headphones: Denon AH-D2000, Beyer DT770 & DT880 and compare them to the k701 to ultimately decide on my next purchase.