[stereth]

Yes, the good-looking DIY amps (SDS and META) are IMEP's. The naked protoboard is mine. I was actually hoping there'd be more DIY amps to check out, but as I found out, almost all of them there sounded better than what I have. The SDS would be perfect if that punchy bass gets a little deeper with burn-in.

That's me checking out my DT770s on Ray Samuels' equipment. The HR-2 and XP-7 sounded very similar to my ears, though the HR-2 has an edge overall.

I can now say I've heard a $10,000 headphone setup: Meridian -> The Stealth -> R10s. The midrange on those things is amazing - piano sounded as transparent as I ever want to hear.

I have mixed impressions of the HD600s/650s, which I heard for the first time yesterday. They are definitely nice headphones. I could hear the room in a violin solo. On the same equipment, I prefer my DT770s for rock. The HD600s have nice, even bass, but they don't have the impact of the 770s. And the highs don't have the same aggressive edge.

The K1000s are the strangest things I've ever worn. They're also the most effortless headphones I've ever heard. I might have to save up for some of those. I can see why people listen to them with a subwoofer - they have some nice bass, except the bottom octave or two.

Thanks again to Ebonyks for setting everything up, to Ray and Fred and everyone else who brought equipment. There was a great spirit in that room - everyone knew why they were there and were more than willing to let people check out their equipment.

 

[ChenaynayC]

Quote:

...It is too bad ChenaynayC couldn't make this one, maybe next time. You do know there is a one case of Sprechers Root Beer (on ice) penalty for being absent? [/B]

I accept my penance, and I shall return. - with Sprecher! Reads like I missed a nice meet, too.

...... Nice pics, Tube!
...... And those DIY amps are gorgeous! I would have loved to be able to listen to them. I admire the handiwork on those cases. I've got parts for a meta I never completed - 'cause punching those cases just scare me! I love that Hammond case with the wood front and back - very sexy.
...... Good to see rando made it, too!
...... I would have loved to listen to Rays amps again too! I still have the XP-7 on my short-list.


I'll catch you all next time

 

[Tuberoller]

I need to pont out that having a meet where you don't have to borrow and return gear is always easiest. Ebonyks was free from this hassle and I'm sure that's why this meet went off so trouble- free. I would encourage all the young guys thinking of doing a meet to consider this.

I have owned four Melos,spanding nearly the entire model line and have never heard one that I liked,including the Carlos modded units I have heard in NYC. They are just not my flavor but I can understand why some folks like them. The prices folks are paying for these and HP1000 are a joke. Nostalgia and curiosty is driving this market ,cause it sure ain't about the best sound.

The R10/Stealth combo is killing me. Why do they have to sound so damn good together but cost so stinkin' much? With the Esoteric DV-50, this combo is forcing me to make some tough choices. When I add my best vinyl rig to the mix(about $8500 worth) I find myself justifying spending this kind of money on a headphone rig.

I'm really,really liking Hajime's HD600 cable so far. The kid has some skills.

The memory of the RKV/K1000 combo is fresh in my mind,since I just heard it about a week ago at my Dad's house. I think the RKV is good amp but I have never liked the treble detail and extension. Driving the K1000 the treble is not as distracting but I'm still not a fan. I think this combo is best suited for vocal music as the midrange is very good and bass is pretty good too. The Sophia Baby is a bit more coherent and capable. The bass is much deeper and tighter and the treble is much more extended and focus. The midrange is not as expansive but the overall sound is more balanced with the Sophia/K1000 combo.

I see each of the meets in the various areas of the counrty taking on distinct flavors and I think it's great to see this. It's a very good time to be a headphone fan. There will be future Chicago meets but we do need to get the perspective of the younger guys involved and even if I am the guy hosting,I will seek the input of younger members. This will only help as has been made obvious with the success of the Milwaukee meet.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Fred, thanks for your comments concerning the RKV and Sophia Baby with the K-1000's.

I really like the looks of the 'new' Baby (there have been at least 4 different cosmetic looks, and the one I like best has the cherry wood on the sides - well, maybe it's not cherry, but it's definitely on the sides - see www.sophiaaudio.com). They told me that they are too busy with production at the moment to do any mods on their demo units (which can be bought for less). This means, especially, that they would not be willing to drill any holes in the front panel to add a hedphone jack. I suppose there may be folks here who would do it for me... hum, what to do?

The reason I figured the Baby would work well with the K-1000's is that it puts out 10 clean watts of Class A. That should provide ample headroom, should it not? The RKV puts out what, maybe 4 watts? Not sure - but it's got plenty of room to spare.

 

[Ebonyks]

Quote:

I need to pont out that having a meet where you don't have to borrow and return gear is always easiest. Ebonyks was free from this hassle and I'm sure that's why this meet went off so trouble- free. I would encourage all the young guys thinking of doing a meet to consider this.

Tuberoller is completely right. I'm sure that's most of the hassle and expense of hosting a meet. When tuberoller gave me a number about what the chicago meets cost, i couldn't believe it. Trust me guys, tuberoller really loves the comunity

And, while having gear like the stealth and the R-10's, and HP's at a meet is nice, it's just plain cruel at the same time. I've got a budget here people

 

[Wmcmanus]

Ebonyks, I'm sure you're right that Fred spends some dough putting on the Chicago meets. I've not talked to him about it, but there are facility costs (no small matter, I'm sure), as well as costs of shipping gear back and forth to dealers who agree to help (and I don't know the arrangement, but he may offer to pay shpping both ways out of courtesy).

This brings me to 2 important points.

1) Fred is a cool guy who goes out of his way for the headphone community, but we all knew this already. Thus, the cool smiley face in Tubey's honor.

2) More importantly, this should not deter those young folks who may be thinking about putting a meet together (as Fred implores they should). If there are costs involved (and there usually are), you could still help to organize the event. Many alternatives will present themselves as to how to deal with the costs, not the least of which would be to ask the attendees to contrbibute. I've seen this recently (a $15 admission charge for one of the upcoming meets) and it makes a lot of sense.

Either that, or call Fred and ask him to pay for it!

 

[Tuberoller]

Let me clarify that most of my costs are for the rooms we use and shipping. Most manufacturers offer to pay for one-way shipping and that's all we can expect. I usually decline these offers of free shipping and pay for shipping both ways.

This should not discourage you guys at all. Libraries usually supply rooms for no cost to local citizens but usually have a full open-door policy,meaning you can't turn anyone away even if they walk up. Most of us would'nt do that anyway so it's not a problem. I called around and most Colleges and Universities have facilities available for student use for little or no cost. If you declare that your group is a non-profit or a non-profit applicant(you can make up a name) you can usually get rooms in a some local govenment buildings with full assitance and stuff like free parking passes. You might have to allow some political types to sponsor the meet to get their name on something but the last time I asked I was told that they would print materials such as posters and door signs for me at no cost. Again,I was told that it had to be an open-door event and that it could be promoted by that office. I backed out when I thought they might run an ad in the Local papers,including the Gay and Lesbian papers. Do not host a meet anywhere alcohol is served. I checked into this and the ramifications are very serious,especially if a minor is served. Most of the places that allow you to host an event for free usually restrict any sales.

I have turned away a few requests by audio journalists asking to cover our meets because I think these are more personal and friendly than typical audio club meetings, which tend to attract the snobs. I think that kind of coverage is a very bad idea and have found the smaller meets much,much more enjoyable.

You should be reasonable when making requests for gear and should'nt get upset when your requests are declined. I have been declined a few times and I almost understand why after reading some of the comments from some of the meets. I do suggest that we support those companies that support our community by loaning gear,sending reps and sponsoring head-fi.

 

[Tuberoller]

I absolutely forgot to thank Kieran Comito for allowing us all to use his R10s for the meet. He sent them to me for a shootout review and was very generous when I asked him if we could use them at the meet.

A huge,huge thanks to Kieran. You are most certainly The Man .

 

[minya]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller Nostalgia and curiosty is driving this market ,cause it sure ain't about the best sound.

Kinda like...

...

... Vinyl?

Tee hee...

- Chris

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller I need to pont out that having a meet where you don't have to borrow and return gear is always easiest. Ebonyks was free from this hassle and I'm sure that's why this meet went off so trouble- free. I would encourage all the young guys thinking of doing a meet to consider this.

I've got to agree with this (and must admit I'm no longer one of the young guys

) I've done some minimal borrowing from manufacturers, and paid shipping costs at some I've hosted, but I've come to prefer hosting meets where people simply bring what they own. These meets may appear smaller, but there's always plenty to listen to. It also tends to lend a more personal feel to the whole thing. Just a group of friends spending an afternoon listening to music on each others' gear. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

as the guys at the meet know i have a fractured finger so it makes it a big pain in my ass to type, so i'll post my impressions later.....

 

[minya]

Quote:

Originally posted by fyrfytrhoges as the guys at the meet know i have a fractured finger so it makes it a big pain in my ass to type, so i'll post my impressions later.....

Man, voice recognition.

If anything, your impressions would be EXTRA-entertaining, since all the misspelled and incorrectly-interpreted words would be the icing on the cake.

- Chris

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

it probably would be. it took me five minutes just to type those few lines because of all the errors.

 

[Edwood]

thes ees a grate meat. Eye thoroughly enjoy the pictures, Tube Roller. Eye like the grate.....

Argh. OK, no more voice recognition.

-Ed

 

[rando]

I want to again thank Todd the Vinyl Junkie for donating his equipment for this meet. He was kind enough to send the much discussed HD 650s with Cardas that we could compare directly with the 600 / Cardas combo. The Sophia Baby also came from him as well. That is a very special amp especially on my Straight 8 loud speakers. We did get to do a bit of a shoot out with some different AKG k1000 cable. The Equinox was on hand ( again, thanks Todd ) and some home brew Berktech T1 Cable and Canare Starquad. The home brew stuff won this battle for the few that tried it out. The berktech is what we mostly used and it really smooths out that peakiness. The Canare can be cooked up for about $15 from Full Compass. Highly recommended. For more details just ask.

BTW the Waffle Iron looking amp is mine. It is a Triode mode SE EL 84 International Audio Group amp. Bought from Horace Atkins. It cooks with the K1000s. It only puts out about 2 watts so match your speakers carefully. Works fine with the Triangle Titus but not the Straight 8's. High quality build and components through out.

That Philly amp looked sweet but didn't deliver the good. Not even close. That was a bummer. The DIY stuff was very good. Good job on that Don.