[roy_jones]

What was the take of the people at the meet between the 325i and the HF-1? Was there a clear cut preference amongst most of the party goers?


Wish I could've made it.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roy_jones What was the take of the people at the meet between the 325i and the HF-1? Was there a clear cut preference amongst most of the party goers?

The 325i's never made it... I guess something must have came up and ji_howa had to cancel as well. I think for Grado's we had HP-2/SR-125/SR-225/MS-1/HF-1 at the meet.

 

[Rhydon]

Such an awesome time. Im really sorry i havnt posted my impressions yet guys. I will write up a post tonight.

 

[omendelovitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xand1x Excellent, ty philodox. I will definitely take you up on that offer

count me in too!

I'll bring my new K701's if they come in time... YEE HAH!!

I think they're beautiful to boot... a little too ipodish for me, but nice nonetheless.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhydon Such an awesome time. Im really sorry i havnt posted my impressions yet guys. I will write up a post tonight.

You'd better man... this has just been a big let down.

Ori - so you pulled the trigger eh? Can't wait to hear them.

 

[aerius]

Moving on to the CD3k. This is yet another headphone with so many conflicting opinions that it's not even funny. The short version is I like it more than the SA5000, it doesn't cymbal happy, but I think I'm spoiled by the speed of the K340 and bass on the CD3k is just too slow. I was informed by greyhorse that the pair is pretty new and hadn't reached the performance of his old set.

Anyway, despite being a closed headphone it manages to have an open sounding soundstage, more open than my K340 but not quite at the level of Phil's (ha-ha!

) new pair. However it doesn't image quite as well, sounds don't lock down in space like on the K340 or HP-2, they float around more like on the 580's, especially noticeable from the midrange on down. For instance early Tori Amos albums can be rather sibilant, on the S sounds I can clearly tell where her voice is coming from, but otherwise it gets a bit indistinct and I have some difficulty placing her voice.

It's definitely warmer sounding than I expected, though I think much of that comes from the bass, there was a lot more of that than I thought there would be. Problem is it just doesn't keep up and notes get slurred together down there, especially when the music gets busy. On some Tea Party songs where there's like 10 instruments going at once, it gets confused and the bass & drums start blending together. Mind you pretty much everything short of the top-tier 'phones (HP-2, PS-1, Stax) do this so it's not a big deal, but like I said, I'm spoiled.

The midrange does not have the weird resonance issues which my K340 suffers from on some instruments, for a closed headphone this is a remarkable achievement. No problems, but at the same time nothing remarkable other than the lack of resonance/echo issues. Reminds me of the Senn 595, nice, but my preference leans towards the Grado midrange.

Treble was definitely nicer than the Senn 580 or SA5000. It's not veiled like the former nor unrealistically emphasized like the latter. However it was still on the sharp side for me, though this may be due to lack of break-in. Overall I'm a lot happier with the CD3k than I thought I would be, I'd definitely take it over the Senn 580/600. Wouldn't mind having a pair to mod the crap out of, there's definitely potential in there.

 

[Skipinder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Sounds good... you live in Hamilton right now anyways right?

Yep, I'm only like a 15 min bus ride + a 10 min walk away.

 

[philodox]

Ok, this Phil thing is getting out of hand.

Nice impressions man... I think I might just not post impressions at the meets that we attend any more as you do it so much better than I. Besides, I'm mainly there for comic relief anyways right?

...lambskin...

PS. I swapped out the elastics for some new red hair elastics and the bass increased a LOT. I freaked out and thought I was going mental, but Renato talked me down from the ledge. We figure it must have something to do with the earcups pressing up against my ears tighter. I think them might have as much bass as your pair now Eaphan.

Skip

- Great, we can hook up some time and maybe have a chance to chat and listen to some music.

 

[aerius]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Ok, this Phil thing is getting out of hand.

At least no one's called you Dr. Phil yet...well, until now that is...

Quote:

Nice impressions man... I think I might just not post impressions at the meets that we attend any more as you do it so much better than I.

Thanks. But I still encourage you and everyone else to post impressions, the more you post, the better you get.

Quote:

Besides, I'm mainly there for comic relief anyways right?

I wouldn't say that, then again I left early (if 11:15pm can be called early) and missed the drunken fun I'm hearing about.

Quote:

PS. I swapped out the elastics for some new red hair elastics and the bass increased a LOT. I freaked out and thought I was going mental, but Renato talked me down from the ledge. We figure it must have something to do with the earcups pressing up against my ears tighter. I think them might have as much bass as your pair now Eaphan.

I've found black elastics to be best. It gives darker space between notes and a quieter background. Also, they should be replaced every couple months or else the sound starts getting a bit loose.

 

[looser101]

So what did you guys think of my humble rig? Especially the Amp and the HF-1's.

- R -

 

[EdipisReks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aerius It's definitely warmer sounding than I expected, though I think much of that comes from the bass, there was a lot more of that than I thought there would be. Problem is it just doesn't keep up and notes get slurred together down there, especially when the music gets busy. On some Tea Party songs where there's like 10 instruments going at once, it gets confused and the bass & drums start blending together. Mind you pretty much everything short of the top-tier 'phones (HP-2, PS-1, Stax) do this so it's not a big deal, but like I said, I'm spoiled.

the muddy nature of the bass robs it of impact, which really becomes noticeable, in my opinion, when you can hear lots of bass but not feel anything.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by looser101 Borat, That is indeed my humble rig. Asmo was kind enough to let us connect his VDA-1 VAC-1 combo to my Toshiba. As good as I felt the Toshiba sounded after hearing the VDA-1 it was apparent that it was indeed an improvement. The most notable difference was the VDA-1's ability to resolve detail. While the Toshiba seemed to smooth over detail, the Channel Islands DAC presented it in great quantity across the entire spectrum. A track I was listening to with a nice bass line (electric bass), was particularly impressive. The little minute details of how a string was being "plucked" were readily apparent. Congratulations on having purchased this fine DAC and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks for taking the time to share your impressions of the DAC for me. Actually before setting it up on my PC, the first transport I tried it with was my Tosh SD-3950. Not sure how close this would be to your Swenson modded SD-412V as a transport though. I'm indeed getting more detail than ever before, but I'm also getting maybe a little too much warmth and bass out of this DAC in the early stages. But for the price I think I will be pretty happy with it.

 

[Rhydon]

Like everyones said, it was a frikin sweet party. Jason, again, you pulled it off with ease, your meets are incredible. It was good to see some newcomers and familiar faces from the last Hamilton showdown.

This time, i came prepared. The PPX3 SLAM being the latest and most interesting addition. I also was able to get both sets of HP-2's to the meet. Since one has been with Joe for the last 4 months, i was VERY excited to receive them the day before the meet.

Equipment impressions:

Alessandro MS-1- sweet deal. I preferred it over the HF-1, which isn't surprising considering which way i sway in grado land. HiWires' and Renato's (loser101) MS-1's had a lot of use in my SLAM. I found it hard to give them up to listen to other gear. How could such a cheap phone sound so good!? I dont know how they do it, but the MS-1 has to be the best deal out their for those looking to enter the mid-fi arena. Really enjoyed this can.

"Phil's" (lol) AKG Headphile modded K340's: A big surprise with these. Me and Jason had numerous shootouts between my HP-2's and his new K340's. To say the least, they came very close. I found i preferred the slightly open treble extension of the HP-2. Jason preferred the accurate imaging of the AKG- but hey, gotta justify your own investment! lol. I was very impressed by the new addition to Jason's fam, thats one nice can.

Renato's (loser101) CLASS-A SHA amp: Got a chance to listen with the HP-2, it was very impressive. Tho i remember being burnt by touching it more then i remember its sound signature..... It ran, well, warm. Renato used the tinny little case as a heatsinc for the Class-A circuitry... in otherwords, it was a solid-state heater. Loved Renatos setup tho.

HiWire's headsave w/ sony portable CDP: To me this was the most interesting of all the equipment at the meet. It had the most unique sound. The low-budget sony CDP seemed to have a sound signature, that when fed thru the Headsave, made the HP-2's sound ways i never thought possible. It was a treat to listen to Terrance Blanchard's 25th hour thru this rig. Goosebump quality presentation.

Shure E4C's: I never liked shure. I owned the E3c's with my ipod and hated ever day between the time i bought them to the time they sold. After being instructed by Jason and Renato on how to insert the Shure E4c's, i really wasnt expecting anything special. On an interesting note, Jason said something i would never forget "when you fit these, its like making love for the first time..." LMAO! im sorry, that was genius. It was a rather 'personal' experience inserting the E4's, becoming "one" with them if you will. Anyway, after they were shoved halfway down my canal, i experienced a sound so personal, so emotional, so involving, i couldn't speak. I LOVED the E4! I donno if i never got quite the probed seal with the e3's as i did with the E4's- but whatever it was, i was in heaven. Now i know why theres all the talk around these.

Jason's Keyboard: Ok, i know its not head-fi equipment, but i think it should be mentioned. I mean, this poor guy, forced by the wife to match his computer system to the room decor, left with some keyboard that frankly, well, should not be used as anything with practical use. LOL, i mean this one we really gave it to Jason for, the guy types 7.89 posts a day, on something that requires you to 'reprogram' when the "o" letter key is somehow confused internally with the zero number key. We couldn't stand the sight of such sacrifice to aesthetics, Renato pleaded Jason to accept his 20$ and buy himself something more along the lines of a keyboard.... LOL it was gold. Jason, man that was the funniest thing ive ever seen.

After the keyboard dispute, and a couple of drinks, we then proceeded to order some sort of pizza-like solution. This took about 2 hours. Leaving someone who had 5 shots of crown-royal to select pizza toppings isn't exactly the best idea. In the end, none of us could decide on the toppings, i believe there was some debate over "original pepperoni", "NY pepperoni" and "original green olives"..... It was touch and go for a minute there. lol. Again, this was one of the highlights of the night. Leaving at 4am, i can easily say this meet is one thats going down in the books. Jason, Renato, Hiwire, good times.

Renato, send me your paypal address, i owe you 10$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Rhydon.

 

[BigBadWolf]

First off, thanks Jay for being such a super host and offering chips to munch on!

loser101- I very MUCH enjoyed your setup. The HF-1s are God-sends, they sound that good! These were my favourite cans of the meet by FAR. BTW, thanks for allowing me to connect my KSC75s.... they allowed me to see how one-dimensional they are stacked up against the HF-1s, though the mid-range was suprisingly almost on-par with them (!). The bass, on the other hand, sounded flabby and dull, and the highs rolled-off too soon. Bah! I'm comparing a $20 headphone with one that costs more that 10x that! BTW, let me know what you though about my KSC75s, an objective critique would be helpful!

Philodux- Your K340s sounded great; I especially found rewarding the ease with which the instruments were presented, being effortless and very quick. You might laugh, but I actually found your HD201s REALLY impressive

They even blew my PX100s out of the proverbial water! (for me, anyway)

Aerius- Your setup was incredible! Just find a plant in Asia willing to produce your amp and soon every head-fiers household will have a signature Aerius amp up for serious business. No seriously, listening to your modded K340s through it left an impression. It left me wanting to mod! Although I don't even know what the hell I'm doing yet!

Omendelovitz- Thanks for the insights and such, you always had such a wealth of knowledge to contribute. Good input sir! Sometimes I found it hard to keep up with you 'cause you were on a r-r-r-r-roll!

Rhydon- HP2s For some reason, I didn't get the same impressions everyone else got. Dunno why, but I wasn't greatly impressed with them. Maybe I needed more time to try out my CDs with them to get a better feel.

Sorry if I missed anyone, though I really appreciate you bringing your cans along: the HD595s, the HD580s, ER4p, SA5000s, et al. If you noticed during the meet I was very busy scurrying across Philodux's condo trying to find 1/4"-1/2" adapters and vice-versa just so I could hook up "the next can". It was great!

MS1s. There were like 3 pairs, and the only one I remember was loser101s. Can't forget these cans even if I wanted to: they were absolutely stunning (even the price is stunning!). Wow, talk about transparent! The treble being neither too bright, or too recessed, the bass was delicious and made me want to dance!

Another favourable impression: I will make it my mission to get a good iRiver player. I've always heard good things about iRiver and now understand why they can be so expensive comparing to others. The quality is definitely there.

Anyway, there you have it! Great meet, even greater people.

 

[RedLeader]

after hearing that ppx3 at the meet, this is mighty tempting