[moviedave]

As this was my first headphone meet, I just have to say I had a great time!  It was great meeting those of you who came, and to those that couldn't make it, I hope to meet you soon!

 

[adamaley]

I was great to meet all the new faces as well as the old faces. Everyone had well thought out rigs that were a pleasure to listen to. Attendance wasn't the best, but it allowed for really checking out everything that was on hand. Thanks to everyone that came, and special thanks to @ZekeAdebayo and @DisCHORDDubstep for helping me move gear and close down at the end.

 

[520RanchBro]

I was hoping to hear more people's impressions of all the gear!
 
What was your favorite setup? What surprised you? Any disappointments?
 
Definitely would like to be at the next one!

 

[Greggo]

pics and write up coming in the next 12 hrs...

 

[Greggo]

I guess I will just post here since this is a long running thread and we are essentially a smaller group compared to many other meet ups.
 
I can't remember the equipment specifics but I will make my best guess. Those of you who are the owners, please chime in with the details. Those of you who gave it a listen, please chime in with your impressions. I am just throwing the pics in for now, will edit this post throughout the day with some details based on what I remember and what make/model information was indicated earlier in this thread during the planning stages.
 
Some context - these are all crappy cell phone pics, the best I could do. These were all taken by my 17yr old son who has the focus and attention span of a gnat... he didn't take any pics of my own table for some reason, and he didn't quite capture everything else either but for the most part he got most of it. There were only 8 tables in total and around 14-16 people in attendance at the peak of our event. Despite the small numbers however, this was a great experience with a nice variety of equipment and some great sharing and conversation.
 
Here we go:
 

 
Pic 01 - Stax set up, not sure of the DAC and what looks like a small amp to the right.
 

 
Pic 02 - Stax SR-009 on stand
 

 
Pic 03 - nice close up showing the Stax stator (?)
 

 
Pic 04 - KGSSHV Carbon (electrostatic amp) and Stax 009 (electrostatic headphones)
 

 
Pic 05 - Koss KSC-75, which most everyone agreed were super amazing value for $15
 

 
Pic 06 - Soundmagic HP150
 

 
Pic 07 - Dragonfly Red with JVC 

 

[Greggo]

...continued
 
 

 
 
Pic 08 - Sine
 
 

 
Pic 09 - Sennheiser HD630vb
 

 
Pic 10 - iFi
 
 

 
Pic 11 - PM2 (or 3?)
 

 
Pic 12 - iBasso DX90 on the table and a Onkyo DP-X1 in hand.
 

 
Pic 13 - HE560 with Magni & Modi 2 Uber
 
 

 
Pic 14 - more HE560
 
 
 

 
Pic 15 - Momentum wireless, Fiio E17K Alpen 2
 

 
Pic 16 - HD800S
 

 
Pic 17 - Valhalla 2 sitting on top of the Bifrost Multibit (Bimby)

 

[Greggo]

last section for the most over the top rig at the meet, thank you adamaley:
 

 
Pic 18 - behind the scenes components... power conditioner, usb filter, usb converter... ???
 

 
Pic 19 - ?
 

 
Pic 20 - Yggy and ?
 

 
Pic 21 - DNA Stratus
 

 
Pic 22 - HE1000 (HEK)
 

 
Pic 23 - HEK fashion show
 

 
Pic 24 - HEK side view
 
 
Some quick comments and listening impressions:
 
This will be very limited as I really did not do a very good job of checking everything out and spent more time chatting it up and just picking a few moments for some serious listening. There was some great equipment there that I was already familiar with, such as ZekeAdebayo's HE560 and moviedave's HD650. But here are the highlights for me... 
 
First off I have to praise Adamaley, not just for the TOTL rig, but for the care and effort to get that all transported and set up. To illustrate his dedication to the hobby, he plugged his Yggy into a car battery pack/charger thing to keep the Yggy warmed up during transport to the event. I was very anxious to hear the HEK after reading so much about it and was expecting a very laid back and polite sound. That is not what I heard as in this rig and even in my own Gustard X12/H10 stack, they sounded dynamic, full range and full bodied. I have very little listening experience at this level so I imagine most descriptions have been based on more subtle differences than I had imagined. They were quite comfortable and exceeded my expectations in this regard despite their size (very large) and weight (very moderate). The next goal for me was the HD800S, and it also exceeded my expectations, actually sounding more different to me than the HD800 I remembered from long ago. To be fair, I am very very sensitive to any high frequency boost, thinness, or harshness. I was also surprised by the bass coming out of the HD800S. These are definitely my next (and first) truly high end headphone purchase. The biggest surprise at the meet for me was comzee's Stax setup. Given my stated fear of treble focus and everything I had read, I had little interest in spending any time with this set up. Boy am I glad I took the time to give them a chance... Yes, mid treble focused for sure, but nothing uncomfortable to my ears and the speed and articulation was just incredible. I could easily see myself grabbing an SR-007 someday and doing the bass mod... or maybe checking out whatever Mr Speakers is working on for their new electrostat. Needing 4-6k amp to go along with 2-3 headphones is a major investment for what is mostly a one trick pony, but I can see myself taking the plunge down the road should I be lucky enough to have that kind of cash available. I was also impressed with Oppo PM2 and PM3, liking both of them quite a bit more than I thought I would (though I guess it makes sense that I find them much more honest than most others do since I am now a big Nighthawk fan/owner). The Sine is indeed better than my EL-8 Open, but I just can't do on-ear headphones. And finally, the HE400i was a big surprise to me, had I any idea just how good those are when shopping a year ago and mostly just grabbing mid priced stuff to give it a try, I would have definitely grabbed those and they would have ended up seeing a lot of head time in my house.
 
Thanks again to everyone who showed up, helped out, shared and supported each other with respectful opinions, interesting stories about their journey, and  ideas about where to go next. It was a great time. The rest of you northerners and midwesterners need to do your best to make the next one!

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

 

 
Pic 06 - headphones to be identified?

 
Those would be the Soundmagic HP150, which I quite liked. They're my new go to recommendation for under 200$ or maybe even 300$ closed cans, actually.

 

[adamaley]

PIC-04 - Those Koss (porta pros?) that @DisCHORDDubstep put me on were shockingly good for $15. Must. Get. Some!

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

  PIC-04 - Those Koss (porta pros?) that @DisCHORDDubstep put me on were shockingly good for $15. Must. Get. Some!

 
Koss KSC-75 is the model I had. The Porta Pro costs considerably more, being 40$ (sonically the Porta Pro and KSC-75 are a bit different, Porta Pro having less energy above 4k or so). Though still definitely worth the price tag. Also, Koss lifetime warranty is awesome. Ship them to Koss if they break, and they'll send back a new pair... Though, as they are 15$, you are only saving ~8$ or so for the KSC-75. Definitely worth it for the Porta Pro, though.
 
As a bonus there is a rather simple mod for the KSC-75 that involves transplanting a headband onto them. The hooks that are on the KSC-75 are actually removable. Just pull outward and they snap off, and then buy a Parts Express headphone for the headband, which, oddly enough, has the exact same size groove and fits the KSC-75 perfectly.
 
http://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-mini-stereo-lightweight-headphones-with-4-ft-cord--240-015

 

[Greggo]

New pics and comments from our meet this past Saturday. Check out posts 515-517 and comments from others that follow....

 

[howdy]

  New pics and comments from our meet this past Saturday. Check out posts 515-517 and comments from others that follow....

Great job on all the Pics! One little edit is Pic 12, there is a iBasso DX90 there but the one I'm holding is a Onkyo DP-X1.
 
Thanks for helping in this Head fi mini meet and thanks to Adamaley as well!!!

 

[Greggo]

  Great job on all the Pics! One little edit is Pic 12, there is a iBasso DX90 there but the one I'm holding is a Onkyo DP-X1.
 
Thanks for helping in this Head fi mini meet and thanks to Adamaley as well!!!

Thanks @howdy, it was great to see you again and to meet your wife, she was super cool. I really appreciated the chance to try on the PM3 and PM2 and really wish I had gone back for some extended listening but I guess I was just too distracted much of the time. If I had to make a snap judgement, I would say the PM2 is both more comfortable and better sounding than my EL-8 Open but I should have spent just a little more time to know for sure. Loved the DX90 sound and I am keeping an eye on their new DX200 effort.

 

[howdy]

Thanks @howdy
, it was great to see you again and to meet your wife, she was super cool. I really appreciated the chance to try on the PM3 and PM2 and really wish I had gone back for some extended listening but I guess I was just too distracted much of the time. If I had to make a snap judgement, I would say the PM2 is both more comfortable and better sounding than my EL-8 Open but I should have spent just a little more time to know for sure. Loved the DX90 sound and I am keeping an eye on their new DX200 effort.

You have a great Family as well.

You should keep an eye on the Onkyo DP-X1 to. The Onkyo I think will be better if iBasso holds true, they have yet to bring a competent device to the market. I have the DX90 and DX80 and will keep them I have just learned to accept them for what they are. I should say I'm referring to there UI. I've had the Onkyo for about a month or so and have had zero issues. I'll keep my eye on the DX200 and to see if they have issues before even considering it. My next purchase will be another set of CIEMs from Alclair, they have a few new ones coming out.

 

[howdy]

Hello All,
 
When cleaning up did anyone come across a white CCK adapter cord 6 inches in length? I went to use it today and noticed it was missing. Thanks for your help!