[arteom]

Was a great meet. For the amount of people present, I was surprised to see such great gear present. It also gave everyone a quiet space to listen, and we all got to know each other and become friends by the end. Thanks to @Allanmarcus for taking photos, and bringing those goddamn glorious set of Focals!

Speaking of the Focals, I really enjoyed them. We got to comparing them later on with the LCD-4's. I found them to be very much complimentary with each other. The Utopias have a subtle forward sound to them, have this finely granular air/ether quality to them. A fairly engaging, expressive, headphone. I found it very pleasant to listen to. I wouldn't describe them as harsh, that thought just didn't cross my mind when I was listening to them. @ChaseM did say that he wasn't sure that he could listen to them for an extended period, and I could see how there could be some truth to that, but that didn't really cross my mind either while I was listening to them. Alan had also brought this Wolf Ear Audio Makoyi amp, which sounded really great, very holographic and highly resolving. It's kind of what I think a DNA Stratus would sound like, from little I've read about it. The LCD4's were no slouch, too me they sounded very highly textured, highly resolving. Could see the point that their signature lends itself well to long listening sessions.

Thanks to Steven for bringing the Sony MDR-Z1R. I was really hoping someone would show up with those, and there you were! I really enjoyed them. Their design is very much striking in person, and very well executed as far construction. They are light and would describe their fit and luxurious. Their sound is very well put together, on the warmer side. Musical but yet very well resolving. I would very much like to spend some time with these to get a better idea of their sound characteristics that set them aside from competitors. There was something there, I just couldn't put my finger on it in the time I had with them.

We had a very unique set of electrostats present, thanks to @Sonoma-Gus for bringing the Sonoma M1 Electrostats. I found them to have this very much present full bodied sound to them. That effortless detail resolution you hear from the high end electrostats is definitely there as well.

Finally got to listen to the Cavalli Liquid Carbon, thanks to @mhpsd. I had though it would be slightly physically bigger and heftier. It's sound did not disappoint, for it's size, it delivers big sound!! More importantly, I did not get that straining quality that can encountered with some amps in this price range. There was also a few portable amps/dacs floating around, they all sounded pretty good for their size.

oh, and thanks @sharktopus for the plastic rings for the hifiman earpad plastic rings!!

Thanks to all who attended. These meets are setup based on interest, so speak up in the future if you want to do a meet .

 

[bixby]

is there an impressions thread, I couldn't find one.

 

[mandrake50]

is there an impressions thread, I couldn't find one.

I was wondering too.. but having missed it I did not think It would be appropriate to start one.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Here are my impressions.

First off, thanks to all who attended! It's always cool to hear stuff I don't own or haven't heard. It's also great to put faces to names and to meet new people.

It was treat to get to listen to the Sonoma Model 1. Thanks Gus. Here are my impressions.

• Tight clamp
• Very impactful bass (might be a result of that tight clamp)
• Good sub bass
• Extremely clear
• Gus had a recording of mailers 3rd symphony, which I just hear the previous night live by the Colorado Symphony, but it seemed just a little rolled off in treble to me.
• Might be the recording.
• The Sonoma is very clear, but perhaps a tad polite. Very probably makes it less fatiguing.
• Seems like a great headphone/amp/DAC combination if you want something all in one and don't want to do the research to really fine tune a system. A Stax 007mk2 ($2100), stax SRM-007tll Amp ($1730), and Gumby DAC ($1249) is also $5000, so that's a good comparison.
• I did have to turn the volume up in the 2-3:00 range, and felt there wasn't a lot of headroom left, but I don't feel the sound was distorted or clipped. I probably would not have it that high for very long.

Another TOTL headphone I heard was the LCD-4. I tried to compare it to the Utopia. LCD through the Taurus Mk2 and Utopia through the MJ2. Both driven by a Bimby DAC through a Niles switch box.

• The LCD was defiantly mellower. I purposely drove the LCD through a SS and the Utopia through Tubes to try for some amp/headphone synergy.
• The LCD had great stage; more so than the Utopia
• The mids and bass were such and impactful on the LCD
• Eric Clapton's (Tear in Heaven unplugged) voice was different not he two headphones. The LCD sound a tad rolled off and the Utopia sounded a tad harsh. Next time I have Eric over for beers, I'll have him sing a little and see which is closer to reality
• Over all, the LCD-4's were wonderful, and I would be very happy with them. I think a strong SS amp, or less lush tube amp would be needed, which is just the opposite for the Utopia.

Yet another newer TOTL headphones at the meet was the Sony ZR1

• Very light.
• Very comfortable
• Good isolation
• No sound leakage to speak of
• A little exaggerated bass
• A very polite, rolled off treble.
• Probably great for HD650 lovers, but too polite for me.

The last headphones to make an impression on me were the Monoprice M1060, unmodified.

• Ears got a little warm, quickly
• Comfortable on ears, but horrible, unforgivable, headband. The crown/point of my head was hurting after just a few minutes.
• Polite, but impactful.
• Not as resolving as I would like, maybe even a little warm
• Reminiscent of the LCD2/3 sound signature
• Very nice impact with Hell Freezes Over: Hotel California
• I can see the allure of these headphones. The 2nd version of the headphones make some good progress. If Monoprice can do something about the headband, I would recommend these headphones stock, and they get even better with a few mods.

Other quick impressions:

• Art's analog setup was wonderful, as always. smooth vinyl Pink Floyd is always fun.
• The Trinity Audio Vyrus V2 was a surprise. For under $100, this is also most a no brainer for anyone in the market for budget IEMs.
  • note: 20% OFF FOR ALL HEAD-FI MEMBERS , JUST ENTER CODE HEADFIMEMBERS01 AT CHECKOUT.

That's it for me. I had a blast.

 

[mandrake50]

Here are my impressions.

First off, thanks to all who attended! It's always cool to hear stuff I don't own or haven't heard. It's also great to put faces to names and to meet new people.

It was treat to get to listen to the Sonoma Model 1. Thanks Gus. Here are my impressions.

• Tight clamp
• Very impactful bass (might be a result of that tight clamp)
• Good sub bass
• Extremely clear
• Gus had a recording of mailers 3rd symphony, which I just hear the previous night live by the Colorado Symphony, but it seemed just a little rolled off in treble to me.
• Might be the recording.
• The Sonoma is very clear, but perhaps a tad polite. Very probably makes it less fatiguing.
• Seems like a great headphone/amp/DAC combination if you want something all in one and don't want to do the research to really fine tune a system. A Stax 007mk2 ($2100), stax SRM-007tll Amp ($1730), and Gumby DAC ($1249) is also $5000, so that's a good comparison.
• I did have to turn the volume up in the 2-3:00 range, and felt there wasn't a lot of headroom left, but I don't feel the sound was distorted or clipped. I probably would not have it that high for very long.

Another TOTL headphone I heard was the LCD-4. I tried to compare it to the Utopia. LCD through the Taurus Mk2 and Utopia through the MJ2. Both driven by a Bimby DAC through a Niles switch box.

• The LCD was defiantly mellower. I purposely drove the LCD through a SS and the Utopia through Tubes to try for some amp/headphone synergy.
• The LCD had great stage; more so than the Utopia
• The mids and bass were such and impactful on the LCD
• Eric Clapton's (Tear in Heaven unplugged) voice was different not he two headphones. The LCD sound a tad rolled off and the Utopia sounded a tad harsh. Next time I have Eric over for beers, I'll have him sing a little and see which is closer to reality
• Over all, the LCD-4's were wonderful, and I would be very happy with them. I think a strong SS amp, or less lush tube amp would be needed, which is just the opposite for the Utopia.

Yet another newer TOTL headphones at the meet was the Sony ZR1

• Very light.
• Very comfortable
• Good isolation
• No sound leakage to speak of
• A little exaggerated bass
• A very polite, rolled off treble.
• Probably great for HD650 lovers, but too polite for me.

The last headphones to make an impression on me were the Monoprice M1060, unmodified.

• Ears got a little warm, quickly
• Comfortable on ears, but horrible, unforgivable, headband. The crown/point of my head was hurting after just a few minutes.
• Polite, but impactful.
• Not as resolving as I would like, maybe even a little warm
• Reminiscent of the LCD2/3 sound signature
• Very nice impact with Hell Freezes Over: Hotel California
• I can see the allure of these headphones. The 2nd version of the headphones make some good progress. If Monoprice can do something about the headband, I would recommend these headphones stock, and they get even better with a few mods.

Other quick impressions:

• Art's analog setup was wonderful, as always. smooth vinyl Pink Floyd is always fun.
• The Trinity Audio Vyrus V2 was a surprise. For under $100, this is also most a no brainer for anyone in the market for budget IEMs.
  • note: 20% OFF FOR ALL HEAD-FI MEMBERS , JUST ENTER CODE HEADFIMEMBERS01 AT CHECKOUT.

That's it for me. I had a blast.

Nice account. Very nice, somewhat allows me to live it vicariously. I have not heard the LCD 4. A bit rich for my budget, I have avoided the Audeze based on my previous listening to others in the line.
The Sonoma also sounds very interesting.

The 1060, I have a pair but have not listened critically yet. I let them cook for a week (not a burn in devotee, but I always do so I can rule that piece out of the comparison discussion). For their price I think that they are very nice. They are not displacing the HEK, not even the PM-3 but still! I have not yet modded them, though I have the Audeze pads and pre-cut paper towels to do it when I get the time. I have not had problems with the headband in short (maybe one hour) listening sessions. Of course, that part is very personal.

Thanks again for the recap.

 

[poto]

Sorry, late to the gathering and late to post.
Thanks to everyone that helped put this gathering together in the first place.
Also thanks for the generous donor/s that had the cost of the room covered before I got there.
Loved the LCD-4s and really loved the rig, I believe it was the Sonoma, that Sonoma-gus brought.
It was a pleasure for a noob to get a chance to meet you all and perform a little personal comparison of some of the equipment I have only read about.
Wish I had had more time.

Art, I believe you were the one that had a chance to play with the xDuoo XD-05 DAC/Amp I had brought and was wondering your thoughts.
I was, unfortunately, rushing to get out of there to pick up my kid and didn't get a chance to pay attention to your thoughts properly (forgive?)

Anyways, had fun,

-poto

 

[arteom]

@poto I liked the xDuoo, sounded clean and smooth. Didn't effect the sound characteristics of the headphones much, just did its job. While not in the same league as desktop amps, as expected, I was pretty impressed with how well it performed as a portable amp. Made me think that there has been some gain in the quality of portable products in recent years. Thanks for making the meet!!

@bixby where were you at, man?? I remember you were big into the HiFiMan headphones the last time I saw you. I finally have one in possession, an HE-500. Would have been cool to get your impressions. Was actually pretty interesting, me and @sharktopus had similarly modded HE-500's. Mine just has a headband upgrade (from an HE-400i) and his had a whole new housing (from an HE-560, if I remember right). The two sets were drastically different in sound!

Hope to see you all sometime soon.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Maybe we can do a "night before RMAF" mini meet on oct 5. If there is interest, I'll look into hotel conference rooms. Heck, maybe just use the can jam area since it won't be set up by vendors then.

 

[arteom]

I would be up for it!

 

[bixby]

@bixby where were you at, man?? I remember you were big into the HiFiMan headphones the last time I saw you. I finally have one in possession, an HE-500. Would have been cool to get your impressions. Was actually pretty interesting, me and @sharktopus had similarly modded HE-500's. Mine just has a headband upgrade (from an HE-400i) and his had a whole new housing (from an HE-560, if I remember right). The two sets were drastically different in sound!

Hope to see you all sometime soon.[/QUOTE]

I was missing in action unfortunately, hope to see you guys next time. Great to hear you trying he 500s. my friend in Boulder has a pair and they are modded and sound great, one of my faves in the line.

Now I have moved to a relic the Beyer DT-150 and love them, not for everyone but I likey!

FYI- If anyone is into vinyl I have about 200 lps up for sale tomorrow in Longmont. 80s new wave, rock, electronic, jazz. Anyone can pm me for location and price list.