[lord_tris]

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Welp, I confirmed that the left channel of my 006tA is broken. No output, and just static fuzz noises. The problem occurred late in the meet, and it seems like the tube for the left channel has gone bad. My amp was being run at much higher output levels than I normally run it at, and these tubes are likely some 15 years old. Press F to pay respects.

It's fortunate that I also brought along my SRM-D10, because it allowed a few people to listen to the electrostats for a bit more after the 006t failed. On the bright side, this means I can dive into the world of tube rolling and acquire a few NOS tubes to swap them out with. There's always something new to learn, and while I studied some electrical engineering in college, I'm young enough that my education didn't include anything about tube electronics.

Sorry it happened! Hopefully a simple tube swap gets it sorted out.

 

[First Gen Hun]

This was overall such a wonderful meet. Thank you for hosting today's event! I really enjoyed the new variety of equipment I got to take a listen through and the Autumn ride there and back was a delight!

 

[bevanc]

So, I just want to thank everyone for coming, it went so well, beyond my expectations. A special thanks to Meyer and Sam, both worked late last night to make this a success.

Thanks also to @SolarCetacean, who came to our rescue with his Stax amp. Such a shame that the tube failed.

Thanks to Audeze, dCS and iFi for their support.

Finally, a big thank you to Michael Klein for being such a great host. Stereo Stereo is a great store and was the perfect place to host this. And thanks also for all the m&ms!

Already thinking about doing this again next year!

 

[XGeneX88]

This was an absolute blast! It was so nice to meet everyone.. lots of good conversations around audio, many amazing products to try and impressions to mull over for some time to come. Huge thank you to Mike @ Stereo Stereo and the organizer for putting this together. So glad I could make this one!

@SolarCetacean So sorry that your tube went out.. I am extremely thankful for that last listen you allowed me to get in prior to me having go. That Shangri'La Jr. is going to haunt me for at least a few weeks to come .. what a gem.

 

[Evshrug]

Welp, I confirmed that the left channel of my 006tA is broken. No output, and just static fuzz noises. The problem occurred late in the meet, and it seems like the tube for the left channel has gone bad. My amp was being run at much higher output levels than I normally run it at, and these tubes are likely some 15 years old. Press F to pay respects.

It's fortunate that I also brought along my SRM-D10, because it allowed a few people to listen to the electrostats for a bit more after the 006t failed. On the bright side, this means I can dive into the world of tube rolling and acquire a few NOS tubes to swap them out with. There's always something new to learn, and while I studied some electrical engineering in college, I'm young enough that my education didn't include anything about tube electronics.

 

[vcoheda]

the lina stack makes the bartok look small. the lina is not really a desktop system.

love the pic of the utopias side by side.

 

[adrianm]

the lina stack makes the bartok look small. the lina is not really a desktop system.

love the pic of the utopias side by side.

Any impressions on it?

 

[SalR406]

the lina stack makes the bartok look small. the lina is not really a desktop system.

That was my impression, as well. I talked about it a bit in this post - 4th bullet "Form Factor".

I did not attend this event. I've been living in the suburbs of New York for 20+ years. I did live in Pittsburgh while attending CMU 1989-1992. Beautiful city. Would love to go back and visit one day.

 

[bevanc]

Any impressions on it?

From a sound perspective, glorious. Everything seemed right. For some reason, running around trying to be a good host, I never sat down and tried the Bartok to compare it. Fortunately, I might be able to go back up this week and do that!

I do agree that the form factor is a little weird and we possibly should have tried it without the clock as well as I believe that is possible.

 

[adrianm]

From a sound perspective, glorious. Everything seemed right. For some reason, running around trying to be a good host, I never sat down and tried the Bartok to compare it. Fortunately, I might be able to go back up this week and do that!

I do agree that the form factor is a little weird and we possibly should have tried it without the clock as well as I believe that is possible.

That mirrors my impressions ,but i’m always curious for more opinions. it’s possible to not use the clock, but there is a downgrade in all areas

 

[buke9]

Looks like a great time I’m so bummed I couldn’t make it but if you have one again count me in I’ll definitely make time for it.

 

[Evshrug]

That was my impression, as well. I talked about it a bit in this post - 4th bullet "Form Factor".

I did not attend this event. I've been living in the suburbs of New York for 20+ years. I did live in Pittsburgh while attending CMU 1989-1992. Beautiful city. Would love to go back and visit one day.

Some things have become older, obviously… but you left before much of the beautification projects and renovating the waterfronts. There are nicer streets, strips of park, and it’s a pleasant city to go for a walk now Of course shady side still lives up to its name with those nice oaks, but Tech money (Google, AI car driver companies, etc) has also prettied up (and gentrified) the area around CMU/UPMC. So, some old places, but also a lot of sushi and boba tea places (and hey, I love sushi). CMU and Lawrenceville are like our little silicon boroughs, lol! Downtown has also gotten SWFT scooters. Andy Warhol Museum and some of the Strip District shops like DeLuca’s and Wholey’s market are still there, though I haven’t been to Carson Street and the south side since the Pandemic. Further south, Century III mall is pretty much gone though, some of the old “miner’s homes” neighborhoods haven’t gotten better.

 

[SolarCetacean]

I got a shot of the electrostatic headphone setup, with the CRBN on the left and my Shangri-La Jr on the right with the amp in the middle. While the Mjolnir Carbon CC would have been a better fit for the power-hungry CRBN had it worked (and I was looking forward to trying the Jr on a summit-tier amp), I'm glad that people were able to enjoy the CRBN even on my amp.

 

[bevanc]

So, what were your highlights? I'll start with mine.

First, the number of people who turned up, getting to meet a lot of people who were all as nuts about audio as I am and the way the whole thing went. We were all part of that, so thank you.

Second, I discovered peanut butter m&m's. Where had they been all my life?

Third, being able to try out the Lina. I'll never be able to afford it and if I could, I'd probably spend it on other things, like a car or a house. But it was amazing with the Utopia.

Fourth, @L0rdGwyn's diy dac and tube amp. Genuinely impressed by how good that was with the ZMF Atrium.

Finally, finding that the Hifiman Arya paired so well with my Jotunheim 2 amp. That one is tempting.