[FallenAngel]

I'll just start with the fact that I had an awesome time! As one would expect from a Head-Fi meet, especially one hosted by another scotch-loving Russian.
 
As always, it's great to see the familiar faces of CharlieX, Zida, Monoglycer and others. Of course it's nice to see new faces like Nephilim32 and his percussion system. Even though I initially went in thinking this was a gimmick, it was actually quite interesting.
 
I had a chance to spend a little time at my favourite headphones so a little impression is as follows:
 
HeadAmp Gilmore Electrostatic (KGSS) -> STAX SR-007 : My favourite electrostatic system, hands down. I've spent time with the Orpheus HE-90 and most other headphones in the world and still I think the SR-007 driven by the KGSS is simply of the the absolute best combinations in the world, period!
 
HeadRoom Maxed Out -> Grado RS1 : Such a lovely sound that I can't help but dance around while listening. The RS1 is just so much fun and great that you are immersed completely in the music. The HeadRoom amp is a treasure from the days where amps were heavy, big, beefy and build like tanks. It lives up to that standard by bringing a full and enveloping sound with warmth and detail to the listening experience. It's just a great combination.
 
Beta22 -> Grado HP2 : Come on, what can you even say about this? It's a match made in heaven and damn is it good! Grado HP2 is my absolutely favourite Grado headphone and the Beta22 is at the top of my list of solid-state dynamic amplifiers. Enough said, it's just amazing. Get it, listen to it, enjoy life.
 
I didn't spend much time with other systems as I was so interested in my favourites, but the rest of the equipment was cool too!
 
Thanks Max for hosting, it was fun!

 

[charliex]

Another terrific meet, hosted by Funkehed–great room, plenty of tables and chairs and a Scotch laden kitchen to retreat to between listening sessions - thanks Max.  Lots of familiar faces – my good Russian audiophile friend FallenAngel, friend and talented builder Ambchang, Zida Monoglycer and many others.  Great seeing new faces such as nephilim32 who introduced us all to the new and impressive bass augmentation device SUBPAC where “feeling IS believing”!
Nothing truly new for me at this meet, which was good for the wallet … however I actually get more enjoyment from sharing my gear with others, listening to their reviews and seeing the potential damage I may inadvertently inflict on their wallets.  Ambchang‘s three board Beta 22 was impressive (until a catastrophic channel failure – been there done that myself). Being a dedicated open headphone enthusiast, I was pleasantly surprised by Sony‘s new flagship closed phones the MDR-Z7 brought by Nick (Nephilim32). Connected to the SUBPAC you won‘t ‘experience‘ a deeper, tighter and intense bass.  Without the SUBPAC you‘re still getting detailed bass and excellent imaging.  They are very well made, have angled drivers, are lightweight and very comfortable to wear.  The heavy bass and thin mids can take away from some recordings.
I look forward to reading other attendees meet remarks, and hopefully some pictures, and the mandatory Jecklin Floats pics as required by all new members.

 

[ambchang]

Thanks for organizing this, and it was great to see so many familiar faces and some new faces.
 
The Bryston stack with the LCD-2 was phenomenal, and the Sony MDR-Z7 is a nice headphone.  I am looking for a closed headphone/iem for office use .... so .......
 
Some work on the beta22 coming up, but I am not sure if I have the time or expertise for that.  Thank goodness I can always reach out to Pavel ...

 

[jrham]

First off, thanks to Max for hosting this. It was a blast to meet such a nice group of like-minded audiophiles and talk shop for a few hours. I really enjoyed working my way through charliex's collection of AKG's, Grado's and the like. 
 
The generous spirit of everyone who attended was fantastic. In an area where people can be pretty judgmental (audio preferences), you guys were all open to listen with fresh ears to whatever came around. 
 
I had a lot of fun A/B testing the sound of numerous cans vs. my own AKG 240's. I'm happy to report at least to these old ears, the 240's performed pretty well! 
 
I think the biggest surprise for me were Nick's (Nephilim32) Sony MDR-Z7's. They were super balanced in tone, comfortable to wear and really not anything I was expecting from Sony. The Blue's he brought had a pretty silly bottom end with an optional boost of (I think) +6dB. Luckily, my dental work is all still in place.  
 
Nick's SUBPAC was also a trip to "listen" to - if that's the right term for the experience.
 
I have to opine that it seemed more appropriate for EDM/electronica than rock or pop. And the Skinny Puppy track he demoed for me with it was great. What I liked best about that was that as the audible spectrum dissolved and subsonic tones took over, the SUBPAC rumbled through your body as an extension of the song. I think it would be a cool addition to a broader range of applications if you were able to tune the frequency response (boost and cut). The constant rumble of a lot of the midrange frequencies got a little tiring and distracting from the music.
 
Of the crazy $ystem$, the HeadAmp Gilmore Electrostatic (KGSS) with STAX SR-007 cans was beautiful sounding, rich and round and clear. Sort of a toss up to my ears between the system and the Hifiman's I got a listen to.     
 
Other favourites were some of the Sennheiser's; the Bottlehead Crack tube amp, and too many sweet DACs to mention.  
 
Thanks to everyone for their generosity in bringing gear and letting me check it all out. I hope my modest contributions were equally enjoyed.
 
For anyone who missed it, I would encourage you to attend in the future. Basically the meet was a great time, great learning experience and a chance to hang out with some nice people. Well done, everyone and thank you for everything. Cheers until next time! 

 

[JAG87]

Great meet! I had a great time and it was awesome to see both new and familiar faces again, even though I am terrible with names hehe.
 
My quick take aways: 
Dat subpack.... I wish I still had time to play first person shooters. Bah
The Sony Z7s sounded promising out of Nick's CD + Fiio source, I regret not trying them with my own music... next time
The HD800 is still the most comfortable headphone
I still have a soft spot for the HD650... thanks Bryan for bringing it!
The AKG240s obviously deliver a huge bang for the buck, I was really impressed
The LCD2, excruciating to wear but sound damn good. I'm a big fan of that sound signature
The SR007... the less said, the better. I may talk myself into doing something divorce-worthy...

 
 
Let's do this again real soon!

 

[AudioAw2015]

First time to at a meet and I had a really good time. Felt a little intimidated at first, especially with all the expensive equipment laying around, but quickly learned to enjoy the time I had with them. Everyone was helpful and friendly, and I learned a lot just from listening to you guys talk.

My favourites,

The LCD 2 - incredible with the piano tracks, I really want to listen to them again.

The Sony Z7 - Sounded like two subwoofers strapped to my head

The Bottlehead with the HD600 very enjoyable

Impressive AKG 240 setup. It was simple yet effective and easy on the wallet (pretty much the only thing I can afford there haha). So much so that I went home and bought a pair.

I didnt get a chance to listen to everything, so I'm really looking forward to the next meet

 

[FallenAngel]

Photos required!
 
AudioAw2015 - Ah, so I assume you were the quiet one that I saw but never spoke to until you were heading out the door.
 
If nobody minds, I had so much fun that I'd like to offer to host the next meet in 2-3 months, maybe close to the end of January.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

  Photos required!
 
AudioAw2015 - Ah, so I assume you were the quiet one that I saw but never spoke to until you were heading out the door.
 
If nobody minds, I had so much fun that I'd like to offer to host the next meet in 2-3 months, maybe close to the end of January.

 
Yes!  Pictures are required for those of us that couldn't make it
 
The end of January would work for me (at least it does right now haha).  We usually run away from winter in Feb/March but are here for Jan.

 

[ambchang]

End of Jan would be awesome.  I will bring my Stax combo as well, and hopefully would have my Beta22 fixed by then.  Will see if I have another DAC in place of the moon audio DAC.
 
Would also like to fix the Magnum v4s, take some of the shrill out, and it would be a good for me.

BTW, loved that HD600.  With the beta22, I actually have the following preference 600 > 650 >= 800.  I just have tin ear ...

 

[monoglycer]

Will post pictures and impressions in the near future...

 

[FallenAngel]

Ok, I couldn't resist so I started a new meet thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/788121/kicking-off-2016-with-a-toronto-gta-meet-in-january

 

[jrham]

Impressive AKG 240 setup. It was simple yet effective and easy on the wallet (pretty much the only thing I can afford there haha). So much so that I went home and bought a pair.
 

 
Exactly what drew me to the rig in the first place - the Wolfson DAC in the Audinist HUD-MX1 had great reviews and I had a lot of direct experience with the AKG240s. I also have a personal bias for neutrality - I'm happiest when I'm listening to just what the engineer recorded and what the producer intended. The AKG's have a nice flat response that addresses that requirement of mine. I hope you enjoy your AKGs! - J

 

[Shotgunz]

Did someone say pictures?

 

[Funkehed]

Thank you guys for showing up. There were so many people that I was not able to settle down and discuss the eternal things again.
 
Nick's goodies surprised me the most.
Seems like the SUBPAC is what was holding from completely enjoying headphone sound as compared to full size stereo setups. It will be a mustbuy if they come up with a front chest version of it, or complete torso system.
MDR Z7 was also a surprise. It was warm enough and well controlled by BHA-1, which was a problem with other warm sounding cans. Should have listened to some EDM/Hip-Hop in them not just my test tracks.

 

[nephilim32]

Hello to all my new friends!! I can't even begin to describe how much of a joy it was meeting all of you. I am very happy that I was able to stir the pot with some new, innovative audio products and it was such a joy to showcase and explain it to all of you. I mean that sincerely. Audio and audio tech/synergies is my first love right now in life...has bee. For years now actually. .
Anyhow, I'm happy to bring it all again come January to see all of you loose some teeth from massive low-end frequency responses. Lol nice comment (Jr HAM! ) . Also, I shall bring a few different goodies as well like the ARCAM irDAC and you guys can throw it into your headphone/amp synergies to hear and see what you think. I feel it's an absolute steal for the money.

Meanwhile, I did take into account a few wonderful listening experiences that a few of you brought.

(Mr. HAM) very surprised by the dead neutral sounding AKG 240's and they were a accompanied very nicely with that AZSUS DAC/AMP you had (I believe that is what it was called?) anyway, listening to Adele's 'Rumor has it' gave me that sense of realism that I ultimately crave and love in a music listening experience. Well done sir! And great for the money. And it was so lovely meeting you. What a nice man you are!!

Mr. Funkehead's LCD 2's with the BHA 1 by Bryston really showcased nicely how lush and full sounding a headphone can sound in the low end of things without loosing much midrange. A great set up. I really loved it and those LCD's remind me very much of my z7's!! I thought that was kinda a trip.

And the ultimate. The stax 007 with the Gilmore. Simply wow!
Mr. Albert, you've got one hell of a good set up there. It gave my HD 800 set up at home a serious run for its money in terms of overall soundstage space/air/separation.
There was a big reason as to why I could absolutely crank the living daylights of this system into my wonderful and blessed ears is because of how clean and smooth the sound was. I think the treble roll off is as good as it gets for a high end neutral sounding system. Thank you so much, Albert for bringing that. Sorry your other amp fried on ya. I think it happened while I had my Z7's hooked into it. .
I turned down the volume quite a bit because my z7's impedance is only that of 70ohms. Sorry brother.
That could have fried the switch? Anyway, really lovely meeting ya of course.

Another big thanks to fallen Angel (what a sweet dude you area and you are incredibly knowledgable in terms of how electronics generally work. Love it.
Charlie X. (Bryan) it was so great to meet you as well. I can't wait to give those 009's you had to kill someone for a listen. .

And to everyone else. Wonderful people you are. See ya January!!