[jodgey4]

Barry Thornton was awesome, as was his gear... the Black Swan is probably the perfect phono pre-amp! A great piece to learn from as well!

 

[radiofrog]

Thanks, Chris, for another fantastic meet! And you too, Dan, for that great venue. And thanks to everyone else who brought awesome gear, or who just joined in to partake in our minor insanity. (You know you want some 6' speakers, Tom)

Unlike jodgey and gopanthersgo, I unfortunely found that I'm not satisfied with my gear. So, business as usual.

 

[goropeza]

Yeah the meet was so fun Im glad we're not waiting another two years to do it again. I wanna thanks Chris for organizing and Dan for being so hospitable and really helping people feel comfortable and welcome guests in Dropbox offices. Thanks to Sathyam, Gerald, Scott, team Headamp, Zach from ZMF Headphones and Hardbop for the great company and conversations. Im sorry if I forgot to mention anyone, but it was a long day and I met lots of new, great folks! As most of yall know, I just could not shut up about the Abyss and that was the star of the show for me. Its got electrostat-like decay while still maintaining that rich, textured bass response planars are known for. It may not be as neutral as an HD 800 or SR 009, but its such a fun listen that I could really care less. That headphone just really hit the sweet spot for me. Im really worried about my wallet now! Noisyscotts HD 800 setup was really nice and spent a good deal of time with it. Hes gonna have to remind me again what that tube amp was, I'll have to keep it in mind. I also really liked the SR 007s, more so than actually the SR 009, but the 009 is still always a pleasure to listen to. The HD 800 through the GSX mkII was really impressive as well. The Fostex TH-X00 is an incredible value for its price tag. I have to say im really impressed the quality sound $400 will buy you these days. Knowing Fostex, it probably sounds just fine out of a smartphone too. The comfort of the ZMF Omni was really impressive too and the sound is impressive for its price range. The bass was absolutely perfect. Kudos to Zach for being so vigilant in keeping the standards he wanted. For the few minutes I got to actually listen to it, the Questyle CMA 800r didnt disappoint through my LA 900. Might make a move for that sometime soon...

 

[zilch0md]

  What a great way to spend a day, and what a great space!  Thanks Chris for organizing everything and to Dan for hosting.  I truly had a blast!  So much variety and so many flagships all in one place, plus the opportunity to meet up with the passionate and friendly folks who make this hobby so rewarding.  Can't believe it took me so long to make it to my first official meet up.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

My impressions:
 
Sathyam's Enigma + WA5-LE v2 = O.M.G. DAT BASS!  I kept having to pick up my jaw from the floor and put it back into a stupid grin the whole time I had them on.  Here's a pic me mid jaw-rearrangement:
 

 
Sathyam took me on a personal tour through his library and we had a nice moment.  Binaural tunes, some stanky rap, sweet and lovingly recorded acoustic indie, etc. I finally asked to swap phones with him, come to find that the LCD-3's he was wearing turned out to house the new LCD-4 drivers, on loan from Peter of Double Helix Cables.  (sneaky!) Good-lord, another total revelation.  Sweetest and smoothest treble I have ever heard.  I've never found Audeze cans comfortable (at all) and never considered owning a pair, but that new driver was so phenomenal that they are now on my radar.  I'll have to listen to them side-by-side one day, but my initial impression was even more favorable than the HE-1000s (!)
 
Pic below is Sathyam the man listening to the stealth LCD-4s. (And just an aside, good-lord those tubes are $weet!)
 

 
Stax 009 + HeadAmp's Blue Hawaii.  Another complete stunner.  Holographic imaging.  Detail for days.  Smooth and effortless experience every time I put them on and listened.  I returned to listen to this rig many, many times (I am sure Peter from HeadAmp got tired of seeing my silly mug) and was rewarded each time with a deeper sense of why someone would spend such stupid money on a headphone rig. If I had it to spend, I'd have ordered that setup right then and there.  Pic of the amp below -- I was too involved in the experience to dimly see anything other than the 3 feet in front of me.  The rest of the world just melted away...ahhh....
 

 
Austin Audiowork's Barry Thornton showed off his prototype but soon-to-be-real products; the "Black Swam" phono pre-amp and the "Sounami" headphone amp (which I reviewed an early prototype before here).  The immediacy and control of the all-analog rig (look, vinyl!) was very impressive.  There was a robustness and speedy control of his gear that kept everyone who listened hooked, plus it was a great way for people who may have never even heard vinyl to get a taste of what they're missing in this predominantly digital age.  Also, chatting with Barry is a blast.  His attitude, experience, exuberance, and overwhelming intellect always make for great conversation.  Finally, he's an incredible engineer to boot.  His gear sounds baller and offers a unique circuit; he's doing things his way and I'm looking forward to seeing his products take shape and flight.
 

 
Maxvla's (Chris) Uber Schiit stack (Yggy+Raggy) was a revelation.  I too have HD800s but have never heard them so lovingly controlled as with that setup.  Whoo-boy I may have to start saving up for some upgrades if I stick with the Sennheisers.  It was of course even better to have a chance to thank him in person for putting this whole show together.  Cheers Chris!
 

 
And of course, the best thing was to see all the happy faces and tapping toes.  This solitary and isolating pursuit can really bring people joy and, yes, even togetherness.
 

 
Just look at how much this little girl loves those HE1000s!!!
 

 
Shout outs to Al, Gio, Zack and anyone else I chatted with that I didn't take pics or mention here.  It was all a little overwhelming and exhausting, but I'm already looking forward to the next one.

 

 
I really enjoyed reading both your impressions of the gear and of the people you met, giving praise where praise is due - so graciously. 
 

 

[zilch0md]

Hey Chris,
 
I wasn't even there and I appreciate your efforts in putting this together.  Thanks!
 
Quote:

  [snip]
 
Maxvla's (Chris) Uber Schiit stack (Yggy+Raggy) was a revelation.  I too have HD800s but have never heard them so lovingly controlled as with that setup.  Whoo-boy I may have to start saving up for some upgrades if I stick with the Sennheisers.  It was of course even better to have a chance to thank him in person for putting this whole show together.  Cheers Chris!
 

 
[snip]

 
Looking at this photo by noisyscott...
 
I don't recognize your source.
 

 
Thanks,
 
Mike

 

[MonumentSquare]

Thanks everyone, for hanging out at my office with me all day ! hahaha
 
I had a great time and it sounds like everyone else did as well! I'm so happy that the space ended up being such a great fit for such a cool meet up. I can't wait for the next one!!
 
Thank you so much @Maxvla for organizing!!!
 
See y'all next time!!

 

[Maxvla]

Looking at this photo by noisyscott...

I don't recognize your source.




Thanks,

Mike

Acer Iconia W700 full Windows tablet updated to Win10. Basically it's an ultrabook in tablet form sitting in a dock for more USB ports.

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

Just wanted to say that I had a lot of fun, and thanks to everyone involved in organization/hosting!
 
Here are my quick thoughts:
 
GOLD MEDAL: Stax SR-009 + Blue Hawaii. My ideal sound is natural and realistic, and I don't know that anything could ever match these in sheer realism, decay, extension, etc. The speed, man, my god the speed... so now I know what "perfect" sounds like and that's cool.
 
SILVER MEDAL: ZMF Blackwood. These were super impressive to me, very clear and engaging, especially for a closed headphone. If I'm ever in the market for a closed over-ear, the Blackwood is going to be my go-to. These easily bested the new Massdrop/Fostex.
 
BRONZE MEDAL: modded HD800 + Ragnarok + Yggdrasil. Still imo some of the best headphones in the world. Razor sharp detail, crazy soundstage, A+ comfort.
 
Runner up: LCD-X (I listened for a while plugged into my audio-GD NFB2/C2 stack). It's hard for me to describe the sound signature of these... things were just as they should be, so I'll just leave it at this: Whoa. Awesome.
 
IMO the HE1000, which I was super excited to hear initially, was very very good but not worth the $3k price tag. It was, as some have described it, polite. Personally, I would rather have a HD800. They were stupid comfy though.
 
Thanks to those who had praise for my audio-GD NFB2/C2 Class A stack. It's definitely a killer combo.

 

[Maxvla]

I agree about the HE1000. Also, of you are referring to my rig, the HD800 is stock,no mods other than custom paint.

 

[zilch0md]

I agree about the HE1000. Also, of you are referring to my rig, the HD800 is stock,no mods other than custom paint.

 
All the HD800 needs is a great NOS DAC (not to mention a great amp).  

 

[bbophead]

 

I agree about the HE1000. Also, of you are referring to my rig, the HD800 is stock,no mods other than custom paint.

 
All the HD800 needs is a great NOS DAC (not to mention a great amp).  

Like.

 

[HeadAmpTeam]

Big thanks to everyone that came out and made this a great meet, and particularly to @Maxvla and @MonumentSquare for putting together a great event in a fabulous venue!

 

[Frostillicus]

Thanks, Chris, for another fantastic meet! And you too, Dan, for that great venue. And thanks to everyone else who brought awesome gear, or who just joined in to partake in our minor insanity. (You know you want some 6' speakers, Tom)

Unlike jodgey and gopanthersgo, I unfortunely found that I'm not satisfied with my gear. So, business as usual.

Haha, I know, I've been glaring at my living room sound bar ever since we got back...

 

[awsanderson]

got to try some great gear and pick some new stuff, now just waiting for Schiit (Rag is a week or two out) and FedEx is supposed to deliver my new cans on Friday.  

 

[austinpop]

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but I'm hoping enough Austin folk are still subscribed to it where this will pop up for them.
 
I'm looking for any head-fi'ers in Austin who have the Cavalli Liquid Gold (or Glass or Crimson) amp who would be willing to let me have a listen with my DAC and headphones. If you are, just PM me and we can arrange something.
 
Thanks much!