[bahamaman]

Just got back home from today's meet. I will mainly leave it to others to discuss the arrangements and logistics.

As to the gear itself, there were a couple of no shows. gsferrari - I understand completely your not coming, given that your package from goredwings19 only came today and you wouldn't have had more than an hour or two in Ft. Worth after driving up from Austin. Also, pmillett's Headroom package was a no-show.

But to say that we lacked a wide assortment of headphones and amps (and ICs and sources) would be incorrect in the extreme.

To all the guys and girls who were able to attend, it was a pleasure to meet you! I'll be back later to offer more specifics - I just wanted to get the thread started.

 

[bahamaman]

It's likely that the impressions will begin to roll in later, given that many are having to travel back home (and the rest my still be at the post-meet dinner).

What really impressed me:

1. Consistent with what I've read from other meet impression threads, I was really bowled over by Ray Samuels' Hornet. The temptation would be to say something like "well, for its size, it's really quite nice". But forget its size. This would be an amazing sounding amp if it came in an enclosure the size of the planet Jupiter. As compared to the SR-71, it is a touch brighter (though just a touch) and a bit more forward in the mids. I do need a portable amp, and the only two on my list of possibles are Ray's two portables.

And thanks to Ray for flying down on short notice and being an all around great guy. Don't worry Ray, we'll get you your big breakfast tomorrow morning

2. pabbi1s Pete Millett hybrid was likewise a real eye opener. I'll let others who spent more time with it make more detailed comments.

3. virometal - I must say that I fell in love with the SA5Ks! From things I'd read on head-fi, I expected a bright, maybe harsh headphone that was just too insanely detailed to be a contender. Forget that. To my ears, there wasn't a thing in the world about them that was too bright or harsh. And the detail very nice, very involving, very exciting. And yes, these impressions mainly stemmed from my using them with the DAC1. I would be proud to have them as my "go to" headphone, except maybe for the fact that, on my large head, there is a bit of a fit/comfort issue.

4. I was also particularly impressed with the Cable Pro stuff, so much so that I've already spoken to Ted Paisley about getting the 1/8 to 1/8 to go with whichever of Ray's portables I might get. The build quality is just amazing and the enhancement in sound quite palpable.

5. Thanks finally to [AK]Zip's really terrific RCA to RCA he built for me. Excellent work indeed.

I'll let someone else chime in. And yes, we should have tons of pics coming on line either later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Enjoyed meeting you & seeing a few new faces from Head-Fi. I recognized most of the gear at the show, though I was only able to sample about half of it due to my late arrival, a casualty of working 3rd shift. Normally, I spend *much* more time reviewing audio gear, so take these preliminary impressions with a grain of salt (perhaps 1/2 teaspoon):

This was my first experience with Ray Samuels gear (and meeting the gregarious Mr. Samuels himself), and I must say that I liked what I heard. Mr. Samuels offers so many amps at different price/performance points that he could be fairly considered "the other Headroom". Whether tubed or SS, plug-in or portable, he has an amp that can fit your needs and budget. I only wish I hadn't missed his funny story about visiting Grado Labs!

The Hornet is the best battery powered 9v mini-portable amp I've plugged a pair of headphones into. I can hardly explain why, considering how few components are inside. In this case, the old audiophile adage rings true: Less is more. It's a fine little amp. No doubt the high-quality Meridian 508.24 source helped it shine.

Stealth and Raptor had similar characteristics: Both were detailed like a good SS amp, but with that pleasant harmonic sparkle. The Stealth is better in every way, of course, with its primary advantage in the bass region. Bass was deep and authoritative. Good bass resolution is highly important in any rig, headphone or speaker-based, because a lack of contrast between high and low will rob the sonic image of depth, and thus, realism. I thought the Raptor did well at its price point, but after hearing the Stealth I was spoiled!

I wasn't as taken with the SA5K's. I found them to be edgy, almost aggressive, even when fed from the Meridian to the Benchmark DAC1. They are odd-looking headphones. The head "band" is actually a flexible diaphragm that flops across the top of your head like a large pancake. I need to spend more time getting acquainted with this 'phone, because my first impression was not the best. Keep in mind I'm not a fan of the Grado RS-325 either, as it is too metallic for my tastes. However, the RS-1, in my opinion, is one of the best headphones EVAH.

The custom Headphile "woodyfusion" of HP1 drivers and Sony SD-3000 chassis sounded very good... so good I wished for a faceoff against a Sony R-10. However, comfort was an issue. The drivers pressed against my ears disproportionately with the weight of the headphone itself. Ah, but for $1000, it has few peers that can compete with it. Proof of the HP1's solid design and interesting execution in this mod.

And then *poof* it was over. We will have to have another local meet, and soon. Looks like I've got the Head-Fi bug again.

 

[Publius]

This was an excellent, excellent experience. This was my first Head-Fi meet and I hadn't met anybody in person before, but by the end of the night we were all good pals. I'd definitely go to one of these again, although to be honest I really would prefer an Austin meet. (and wow, gsferrari read my mind!)

Some notes:

1. Bringing a G5 to a meet rocks. Too bad we didn't have the opportunity to put that bad boy through its paces.
2. Ted and Ray were awesome. Well, everybody was awesome, but they brought tons of gear and contributed a lot and basically went above and beyond the call of duty as MOTT. Alas, I did not have time to demo the Raptor but I did try the Stealth, SR71 and Hornet.
3. Ironically enough the system I brought in had never been fully assembled before. I've had my HD841 for 8 months and my amp/headphones/cables for well more than that, but I had never used the 841 as a source before.
4. Shockingly enough, people were listening to my stuff.

 

[vphill]

It was a great meet (though I had nothing to compare it to).

I enjoyed meeting everyone, the room was great.. clean, tons of power, great desks to put gear on, easy to move around and plenty of room.

Bahamaman did a wonderful job of setting everything up and making all the connection. thank you thank you thank you. (I think I still owe you 5 dollars so don't let me forget)

I got to try out some gear that I have wanted to for quite a while. Found the headphones that I think I am going to get next (Grado 325's don't know about the 325i's thought) as well as a power cord that I think I can't pass up (that CablePro stuff looks and sounds really great).

Ray was amazing, I had a blast talking to him about what he does.. very interesting guy. I am glad that he took the time to come down and show off his stuff.. I know he will be getting a call from me when his hornet gets released, and in about a year and another few listens maybe a call about the Raptor...both nice pieces.

Good times, good stories, good discussion, good location, good people, and some interesting listening levels...

so when is the next one....

 

[ReDVsion]

First of all, thanks to Bahamaman for hosting an awesome meet. I had a great time and I hope I'll be able to go to more events like this in the future.

Although some things (like the HP3000) I didn't spend enough time with to get a good impression of them, I felt I did listen to a good majority of what was there, at least a little bit.

Fist of all, the K340, which is really what I came to the meet to hear... didn't impress me as much as I thought. I'm not sure if it was the fact that there was cotton inside one earpiece, or if I didn't adjust to the sound enough, but they didn't exactly make me want to throw away my K271s like I thought they would. The first time I listened to them I thought the mids were very nice, but I just wasn't impressed with the rest of the freq. range. Comfort was also an issue, and I don't think I could ever get used to the way those things sit on my ears/head.

The K1000s, however, just blew me away. I spent a fair amount of time with these, and while I thought they were a bit finicky with positioning, a bit uncomfortable at times and a tad bright out of... whatever amp they were plugged into (I forget), the presentation of the music I got was incredible. They were probably my favorite piece of gear at the meet, if only because the presentation was so different from both speakers and headphones. They are quite the unique item.

SA5000: I didn't spend a lot of time with these since they didn't impress me all that much (didn't offend me, either). I would say these are incredibly uncomfortable for being the price that they are. Was I wearing them wrong?

The Hornet: I can't get past this nagging suspicion that the Raptor is still superior, although as Mr. Samuels proved to me I certainly couldn't A-B them. I'm going to have a very hard time choosing between it and the AE-1 after hearing what it can do.

That's all I can write for now, I'm off to work.

 

[vphill]

There are a few pics that I took up on my site.

http://vphill.com/photodatabase/publ...?ID=2005-07-23

 

[vranswer]

Yup. Kudos to Bahamaman, and Ray is amazing. To see the array of gear all in one place and move from amp to headphone to ...the next was incredible. Rob had everything rolling along smooth as silk, complete with pizza and Cokes. My purpose, other than to meet some of the members in person, was to have a look/listen to the Hornet as well.

I think everyone's running out of words trying to describe the thing. But suffice it to say it's downright remarkable. With the benefits of internal charging and ultimate pee-wee size, this one's a winner. Wouldn't be surprised if it outsells McDonald's cheeseburgers in a year and a half.

Great job, let's do it again!

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vranswer Yup. Kudos to Bahamaman, and Ray is amazing. To see the array of gear all in one place and move from amp to headphone to ...the next was incredible. Rob had everything rolling along smooth as silk, complete with pizza and Cokes. My purpose, other than to meet some of the members in person, was to have a look/listen to the Hornet as well. I think everyone's running out of words trying to describe the thing. But suffice it to say it's downright remarkable. With the benefits of internal charging and ultimate pee-wee size, this one's a winner. Wouldn't be surprised if it outsells McDonald's cheeseburgers in a year and a half. Great job, let's do it again!

The Hornet didn't have a case yet, did it?

 

[vranswer]

No, Ray says it could still be a few weeks. He outsources the cases.

 

[pabbi1]

Where to start, other than to thank our most gracious host, Rob, aka Bahamaman, and the generosity of TCU for the use of a well powered lab. Mayhaps the tiered desk arrangement hindered mixing a bit, but gear, ideas, and opinions were mixed well, and in a civil manner - well, except for the absence of the gear being brought by GS...

Everything here is my opinion, and what I like (or don't).

I'll be brief in my opinions and bias. I now have thoroughly dismissed Grado as a player in my world, though I'll still recable my 225s just for a change of presentation, but not for serious musical joy.

Headphones:

Grado RS-1: No, but I see the attraction to the presentation.
Grado PS-1: Just no. Simply not for me, and, surprisingly not better than RS-1.
Beyer 880: Surprisingly hard to drive, but probably the closest to the Senns (and my liking).
AT900 - had a high frequency ceiling, and really bright
AT1000 - close, but just a tad too bright - but I could learn to like it
Sony SA5K - this is a contender, especially on an amp with a bass boost
AKG K1000 - interesting, and my first exposure to electrostatics - but, alas, the m³ simply would not drive them with any authority
Senn HD650 - Yes. Even with the stock cable, but better with a Dragon.
HP3000 - Joe Grado HP drivers, enclosed in a Sony MDR-CD3000 shell, recabled and woodied - YES. Very sweet.

DAC:

Ok, this is something I am just not onboard with just yet - maybe it's that the C222ES has an acceptable DAC, or I'm just lagging (known to happen), but I listened to 2 for sure:

Benchmarkl DAC1 - smooth, refined, but better than the dac in the Sony C222ES or the Meridian 508? Not sure.
CIAudio VDA-1 (with VAC-1 Power Supply) - Wow! I liked this DAC a LOT. More of everything, but I can't say whether it is any less defined. If I go external DAC, this is the way I go, given these two options.

Source:

I'll only go with the Meridian 508, since it is the only one that I paid attention to - my next source upgrade (though that is gonna be a while).

Amps (what we all really came for anyway - except the R10):

Disclaimer: I need amps - measured in horsepower - others will clarify.

I wanted to shoot it out on a Dynahi, which no-showed. Life goes on.

m³ - Others will have to comment

Millett Hybrid - ditto

Wheatfield 4 (warning: full Senate filibuster coming) - guys, seriously, I'll just quote Ray Samuels: "With this amp, what else does anyone need?". As impressed (and I spent easily 2 hours with this amp) as I was, there are no better words to describe it. It was designed 6 years ago, and can use some tweaks, but the sound - the toys (potted 4-13db EQ in low-mid-high, 3 position crossfeed, and a defeat switch) - pardon me, but G_d Almighty, this is THE amp that needs resurrecting. Only 5 were built, and it absolutely ROCKS. This is the amp pete built - and the professionals have been seperated from the taxpayers. Period.

Ray Samuels Stealth - OK, it was clean, and nice, but wimpy for me. Not enough output.

RS Hornet - Ah, Ray requested I take on the Hornet, but, alas, I was not stung. I'm not a portable guy, and found it, again, lacking power. I took it to 10, but needed about 15. It will be awesome for probably the entire balance of the population, and is a wild bit of microelectronics. But, again, I need juice coming out of the wall, with no warts between it and me.

RS Raptor: Ray is quite a charming man, who is a giant in headphone design stature. Know what? Call me Prometheus, because the Raptor picked my bones and left my body parts strewn all over the rock. Un freaking believable. I was able to crank the Raptor to no further than a little over 1 o'clock, and thought the HD600 would literally shake apart. The entire room could but look on in horror, point, gasp, and had cell phones predialed to 911, just waiting to punch the call button. Never, ever, have I heard bass like that - secondary bass vibration from the earpads literally vibrating off of my head. Nothing I have ever experiended was that LOUD / great / controlled in energy and FURY. That is what the headphone experience is about. Thank you Ray - THAT is the only thing the HA4 didn't have - blind, blasting fury. My wife hates you already - and I'll gladly sign the waiver form before buying one.


I spent approximately 7 hours in the room in Ft Worth, mingling, chatting, listening, and celebrating what we all share as a hobby. Odd, is it not, that we would have a fellowship to do as a group what we each, by definition, pursue as a solitary passtime? Nonetheless, a great time was had by most, if not all, and I'm sure many were entertained (or annoyed) at the VOLUMES in which I was enjoying everyone else's toys.

Mayhaps, next time, we DO get a seperate room for the more obnoxious among us - and hopefully, I won't be the only one in there.

To everyone, thanks, I really dug it, and if we didn't talk enough, we'll make it a point to do better in that regard next time. The most fun, to me, other than shaking the building with a _little_ volume, was talking design with Ray Samuels AND Pete Millett, at the same time. Those are the things that just don't happen every day, and thank you both for being lucid, open minded, and giving of your time.

Again, Rob, it was a blast. Literally - the ringing is almost gone.

 

[pabbi1]

 

[some1x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabbi1 AKG K1000 - interesting, and my first exposure to electrostatics - but, alas, the m³ simply would not drive them with any authority

K1000s are not electrostatics

Only electrostatic amps can be used to drive electrostatic phones.

 

[TURBO]

Guys. By the photos, the Hornet looks like it needs some extension adapter. The input and outputs are so close, together. Any comments?. Thanks for your inputs.

 

[some1x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TURBO Guys. By the photos, the Hornet looks like it needs some extension adapter. The input and outputs are so close, together. Any comments?. Thanks for your inputs.

It should be fine if you aren't using big adaptors like the ones in the picture.