[Duggeh]

You'll all be wanting to see pictures, so I'll just post all the ones I took. I didnt really take many or try to get a lot of gratuitous gear pictures, I was too busy with the K701 and the KSC75

The real winners for me were the KSC75, I'd never heard them before and had always doubted their giant killer status, they really do deserve it, I will definitely be getting a pair.

Comparing them with the PX100 was a tough call, and one that I'd give to the KSC75 purely on the difference in price, because they offer the same sound for a third of the money. They sound great from an iPod and spectacular from the Hornet or the Ergo amp.

I was keen to compare the K701 with the Ergo 2, also with the recabled HD600. This really was a difficult three way decision. The K701 and HD600 are like the bigger versions of the PX100 and the Ergo 2 like the KSC75. All of them performed so well and the differences in sound (when run from the same amp) were so small as to make the price and looks the biggest factor. When doing comparisons, it was always the pair running from the Ergo amp rather than the Hornet or the NAD that sounded best. If I were to pick an absolute victor I would probably just give it to the Ergo 2, which didn't have the small clouding to the midrange that the other two had. Id have liked to have spent a few days with them all for some better impressions. I spent more than 20 minutes with my eyes closed listening to Mike Oldfield - Crises on the HD600, vunderbar!

I tried my first IEMs (were they the Shures?) and compared them to the B&O A8 earbuds. Better highs, cleaner sound and the outside noise attenuation was great (once we found me some tips that fit well) but lacked the yummy bass I like in the A8 and after only 1 song all I wanted was to get the wretched thigns out of my ears. I could grow to really like the sound, but I just couldnt keep them in, I guess I'm really not an IEM person.

The Stax seemed to go down very well with everyone, but sadly not much love for the Jecklin Floats (you philistines

)

After a little cajoling I also wired up the Phonodome to the AMT connector. If you like the kind of bass that makes your brains dribble out of your nostrils, then it might maybe be the set-up for you.

The Surrounder got a few laughs too, and honestly, its the first time Ive ever given it a serious listen myself. It actually does do surround really well (Kamkiriad DVD-A) but its the cooling effect of the wind generated by the bass that is the most striking feature about it.

Now that the meet is over, I can finally sell off some of this collection. I really don't need it all.

Thanks for coming guys.

 

[jjcha]

I can't believe you didn't take a photo of anyone wearing BOTH the floats and this thing

Best,

-Jason

 

[milkpowder]

Haha... the surrounders were hideous enough on their own LOL!

I really enjoyed listening to Duggeh's Stax 202/717 and 007(O2)/717 combos. It was my first listen ever and it now makes me ache for a pair.

K701 vs HD600: The K701 and the HD600 sound so similar! I thought the HD600 would have more of a HD650 sound, but I was wrong.

I liked the K701 more because they are more comfortable and IMHO technically superior. Although the two headphones do sound similar, the K701 had the slight edge. The sound is slightly more refined and I liked it more. I can't really put it into words - it's just one of those things

Floats vs All: I didn't like the Floats. They sounded slightly muddy/coloured compared to other headphones like the Stax (both 202 and 007), K701, HD600, the Ergo AMT and the Ergo 2. Then again, the colouration is relative. In general, the sound signature just wasn't to my liking. I didn't spend much time with them though...

PX100 vs KSC75: Like Duggeh said, PX100 vs KSC75 was difficult. PX100 has the classic Senn sound. The KSC75 has a more neutral AKG K701 sound. Both are amazing, but I'd give the edge to the KSC75 because of its lower price. They don't stay on too well on my ears though, which is sometimes pretty frustrating.

007(O2)/717: OMG!! Amazing! Excellent detail. Everything was so crisp and clear. The bass extension was great and the mids are so sweet. I really want a pair, but I really don't have the money

Also, I didn't find them lacking in bass or bass impact for classical music. I would understand why some might find it slightly too neutral for music with heavy bass.

007(O2)/717 vs 202/717: The difference was surprisingly small, although definitely appreciable. The O2 had a significantly greater bass output but not at the expense of any definition. The O2 was also more refined and less congested in extremely complex passages.

Hornet vs Hornet "M": This was when a LOT of confusion occurred. To be quite frank with everyone who's reading this, I didn't notice a lot of differences between the two. I thought the Hornet had more bass. ~noober thought that the "M" had more bass and TooNice couldn't make out any differences. In general, we concluded that the difference was small enough to be attributed to placebo effect!

Either that, or we all had defective ears. I personally used the E500, HD600 and the KSC75 for testing.

The HF-1s were well received by everyone except Duggeh

, who thought that they were too uninteresting.

It was a great meet that left me wanting a Stax System. They were by far the most impressive headphones at the meet. Perhaps the entry-level SRS-2050 Basic System MkII or the midrange SRS-3030 Classic System MkII for me!

I was especially chuffed with my massive portion of fish 'n chips though... yummy! Oh, and thanks to Duggeh for selling me his banana stand! My K701 have finally found its home!

 

[Voltron]

Congrats on the mini-meet doods. Looks like you had some fun with Duggeh's collection of oddments. Did somebody actually put that thing covered with dirty stockings on his head? Where are TooNice's impressions!? Inquiring minds want to know!

Cheers.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron Congrats on the mini-meet doods. Looks like you had some fun with Duggeh's collection of oddments. Did somebody actually put that thing covered with dirty stockings on his head? Where are TooNice's impressions!? Inquiring minds want to know! Cheers.

Damnit Duggeh's got me wanting some Stax! Sad to say, I'd have to sell a lot of stuff to be able to afford it atm!

 

[~n00beR]

This was my first head-fi meet and it was great

The cans of the meet for me were the KSC75's. I have always wondered why so much hype surrounded these cheap clip ons, but i am now a convert.
These things are amazing for the size never mind the cost (or the lack of it).
If you do nothing else today buy some KSC75's. I did :KSC75smile:

I was completely blown away by the omega 2's and spent the rest of they day avoiding them out of complete jealousy.
It was like trying not too look at your best friends girlfriend/wife but catching yourself having an ogle, lol.

Grado (HF-1) V's Senn (HD600)

Well this will ignite more debate (lol), but i will try to be unbiased.

I can certinaley see the appeal of the grados. There is plenty of bass, and for me they were very comfortable.
The bass is tight ,punchy and controlled, however I feel while listening to something like aphex twin, this maybe a downfall of the grados.
There is so much going on within the music, that your ears can not distinguish the bass, from everything else.
I believe this not the fault of the grados but of my ears.

The sennheisers cert inlay have less bass, but this time i think this is the advantage of the 600's.
The bass is well presented, but not over powering. Leaving pleant of room for you to hear all the nuances, that are there to be revealed.

AKG (K701) V's Senn (HD600)

Not much to say here, I would have to spend more time with the K701's to make a definative decision.
As milkpowder said they are both very similar in sound, clear and uncolored.
It may have been easier to tell the difference if both had a well matched amp.
But alas this will have to be left for another day

Quote:

Did somebody actually put that thing covered with dirty stockings on his head?

Yes that would have been me

, i can say that duggeh had washed the socks before they graced the phonodome.
I had to laugh because they actually sounded quite good, and they double as speakers, when your brains stop dribbling out your ear.


Amps
I had a good listen to both the hornet and the hornet M.
We all agreed that were was not much of a difference between the 2.
Maybe the M had a better bass performance, but this would be the only difference in my opinnion.

Duggehs ergo amp was another sterling performer, and even better when coupled with the Ergo cans.

Not going to mention the Stax amp , as i said before i'm just jealous xD.


Well I enjoyed myself and was well worth the trip

Thx for being our host duggeh, and thanks milkpowder and toonice for bringing your gear

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~n00beR Yes that would have been me , i can say that duggeh had washed the socks before they graced the phonodome. I had to laugh because they actually sounded quite good, and they double as speakers, when your brains stop dribbling out your ear.

25W per channel!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~n00beR Duggehs ergo amp was another sterling performer, and even better when coupled with the Ergo cans.

Yup. They worked well for almost all the headphones that was plugged into it. I have to say that it is a very coloured amp though. According to Duggeh, they were EQ'ed for the Ergos.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh

You're the first man I've seen that makes the K701 look normal and non-ugly, Doug. You've set the bar too high!

 

[nichifanlema]

that reminds me of some kind of a dark lord....

now only if you can get one of those Darth Vader masks...

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl You're the first man I've seen that makes the K701 look normal and non-ugly, Doug. You've set the bar too high!

Given how much time he spends practicing with the floats and surrounder, the K701s are a walk in the park.

Looks like a great fun meet though, I'd love to hear how the floats actually sound one day.

 

[Duggeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl You're the first man I've seen that makes the K701 look normal and non-ugly, Doug. You've set the bar too high!

Its that whole "the earpads match my shirt" look that does it. Plus my award winning visage. ;D

And yeah, really must get around to recabling the phonodome and terminating it with 4 pin xlr, likewise the amt retermination. That little bridging block is most unprofessional.

 

[Jahn]

holdon.

i just realized something - couldn't Pinkie have made it down for this one from yon bonny dell? you coulda connect the phonodome to one of his alien glue gun amps!