[EddieE]

There was a middle-range lambda there as well (can't remember the exact model) and while it might have been a bit overlooked sitting between the SR507 and O2s, it was actually extremely good and I'd have still taken it over anything else in the room. The difference between them and the higher end ones was not really that monumental.
 
Maybe starting with saving up for a second hand lower end stax system might be the thing for me if I'm this taken by them, rather than being defeatest and saying I'll never be able to get into Stax...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Glad to see the Fiio E7/E9 combo getting the credit it rightly deserves. People here are quick to dismiss it based on price alone, when they don't realize what a game changer the E9 could be if they got their heads out of their ass and tried something that wasn't worth 3 times the price of their headphones. Fiio is doing something unheard of: giving us access to high quality equipment, without skyrocketing the price mostly off their name.

 

[MrQ]

I'd just like to say thanks to EddieE for organising the meet.

 

[damianryan]

Also thanks to Eddie for organising things.
I felt like a Dinosaur as the only person having brought a CD player.....and a geriatric one at that as I forgot the power lead!  That really damaged the night for me as it put pay to all my plans for balanced comparisons while simultaneously making me acknowledge my organisational abilities...mental note,   one less whisky before bed.     More sources would have been good but there was a fine array of headphones on display.
Unsurprisingly the Stax stuff was the show stopper although I didn't spend too much time listening as I'd driven myself into a frenzy of unrequited lust at Whittlesbury earlier in the year where Electromod had an even more extensive display.   These out-of- body dreamweavers coupled with their energisers really do make everything else pale into insignificance,    from their lowest end to their highest,   sonically and financially,  they really are awesome  (and I try not to use that word too often...)
On a more mundane level I was very impressed with the low outlay AKJ702's which I hadn't heard previously,    lovely sound and soft on the head.   I thought they were a considerable improvement on my 650's  (which have to go soon...)     I couldn't hear much difference between Eddies modded pair and the others,    although the room was very noisy with animated conversation.    Trying them with different cables seemed to alter volume but I couldn't make that better or worse?
One thing that stopped me in my tracks were Eddies modded Grado's which I really liked and felt had lots of the qualities of the Stax.     I'll definitely be looking for the MS1 modification thread.
Other highs of the evening were Zen Punks Westone3's which I'd like to hear more of in the search for the definative IEM .  Also liked his woody things....Panasonic?   haven't seen them before?
Anadins Thin Film in-ears were frighteningly good for what he suggested was not much money.    So easy to insert which is crucial.    A quick easy seal can be worth more than a triple driver if you've only got 3 tube stops to travel?    Also thanks to Anadin for helping me carry my table/CD support   (for the silent CD player) until we eventually found a taxi back to South London.
All in all a very educational evening.

 

[EddieE]

Here's that MS1000 thread damian - http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/323271/alessandro-ms1000-and-ms-ultimate-diy-modding-56k-warning/1935#post_7088850
 
Full credit's got to go to NickChen, Noxter, ApatN and all those on that thread for those mods and their development, and Bilavideo of course for releasing the bass with the hole-punching. Another nice point of the night for me was periodically returning to those MS1000 and realising that despite all the high end stuff around me, I still just loved them to bits.
 
Zen Punks woody IEMs were the JVC FX-500 by the way.
 
Well - I decided to pull the trigger and my E9+E7 (E16 I've decided I'll call it) arrived today - for some reason can't get it to work with WASAPI and not sure why... bat ear considerations aside - I hadn't realised my Yamaha HP-1 were underpowered until now, and now I can't stop listening to them!

 

[Oddworld]

EddieE,
Would you mind comparing the Fiio set to other amplifiers?
The E7+E9 was my first desktop amp, so I'm not really sure how it compares to everything else.
Enjoy!

 

[EddieE]

Odd world, I'll do some comparisons over the next week and post something up before too long.

 

[Oddworld]

Thanks, I appreciate it