[drubrew]

Let the Pictures begin.

Top Left of TV. SET 2A3 tube headphone amp.
Top Right of TV. Luna Prototype headphone amp. Standard Model.

The Room.

From left to right.
Luna XL Headphone amp on top of Original Audio CD-2008 MKII
Single Power MPX3 High Power Version
HeadRoom Desktop (Home Amp/Max Dac/External Power) on top of
Olive Musica Music Server
AKG Headphones/Beyerdynamic Headphones
Modified Pioneer DV-414 DVD player with DIY amp on top.
http://www.moon-audio.com/HeadFi1/moonaudio003.jpg
Same line up different angle.

Good tunes Dude.....
Hey who dares put there headphones on my speaker

Woops i think those are one of mine....

Lots of headphone studs...

A Sony SA5000, AKG K1000 and Grado GS-1000 with Black Dragon Recabled being reviewed....

Looks like me with Senn HD600 with Blue Dragon Recable compairing the 3 DIY Amps that Aphex944 built. Jeff Checking out GS-1000 on some Chinese Gear...

Close up of me and Jeff.

Jeff is deep in thought....

Setting up a DIY solid state amp to run the AKG K1000. we used it and my heavily modified Assembledge ST40 Tube amp.

Let me Crank this before Drew notices

I noticed....

MMMMMMM MPX33333333

Music Hall CD25.2 with Creek OBH21SE and Creek OBH21 on top of Sub.

Ipod 60G Video with Black D Pocket Dock, Headamp AE-1 prototype, Cardas cabled Ipod Base station and Senn HD600 with Blue Dragon Recable

 

[mysticaldodo]

Why is there a picture of someone smiling? They all look so serious

On the other hand, its nice to see the AKG 501 and Creek amps again.

 

[drubrew]

Headphone listening is serious business

 

[jpelg]

Great pics, Drew. Awesome HT room.

Would love to read some impressions!

 

[aphex944]

Just a note to avoid confusion, the Pioneer players we brought were the DV-563 and DV-578.

Moved impressions from original meet thread:

I'm really glad I attended because I finally got to listen to some headphones I've been dying to hear, and really should have auditioned by now. I also got to listen to higher end CDPs than what I'm used to, as well as many different types of amps.

Sennheiser HD 600 and HD 650: I found these headphones, at least with the cables that were on them, to sound very different from one another. The HD 600 had a slightly bloated midrange and incoherent presentation, while the HD 650 was -very- warm and heavy sounding. The HD 650 was a bit too much for me to take, but I liked it more than the HD 600. I found the soundstage of the HD 600 to be surprisingly very small, especially compared to the HD 650 and the DT 880. Hearing these finally put my curiousity to rest, I'm just not a Sennheiser guy. They present a detail level on par with other headphones in the price range, but the frequency balance is what I have issues with.

Music Hall CD25 + Creek OBH21/SE + DT 880: I thought this was the perfect casual listening combo. Both amps have a very dark background, but the SE sounds more coherent and focused. Although it lacked slightly in detail, the smoothness and relaxed nature of the sound was very pleasant.

Sony MDR-SA5000: These seem to be pretty picky about amp synergy. I tried these on a variety of amps, and found that on my amp(listed in sig), they sounded way too honky. On one of the other amps my friend Sol brought along, they had an extreme level of detail I've never heard. The bass was a bit shy, but the detail was just amazing. I didn't find them to be harsh on this amp either. They reminded me of my past MDR-CD1700s actually, but with loads more detail.

Eastsound CD-E5 + PsychoZX's Tube/Mosfet Hybrid + DT 990: This amp is a bass monster, and the DT 990s came to life on it. The sound had so much power behind it, and was pretty lively to listen to without being too fatiguing. I think I tried my K 240s on this amp as well, but it wasn't as impressive. Just good synergy with the DT 990 I suppose.

Original CD2800 MKII + Singlepower MPX3 + DT 880: This is the first time I've tried my DT 880s on a tube amp, and I can definitely see why people like that combo. It was a bit dark, but very warm as well which made it very easy to take. Detail level was great, and the soundstaging and imaging was top notch from what I remember. Great setup.

Olive Musica Server + Headroom Desktop + DT 880: Unfortunately I didn't really dig on this setup at all. I had issues with the lifeless presentation. The midrange seemed exaggerated with a fatiguing high end, something that definitely does not jive well with the DT 880s. I reckon it might not sound so bad on the HD 650s, but I didn't bother trying out any other headphones.

Other stuff I liked: I thought the SR325i was neat sounding, but there's no way I could wear those for more than 10 minutes with those pads. I finally got to hear an Alessandro headphone, and it was great! I really dug the C-padded MS2i's(at least I think they were the "i" version). Very neutral sound with comfort to boot.

I didn't listen to the GS1000 much, but from what I heard I was impressed. I wouldn't say it was revolutionary or anywhere near worth $1000, but I enjoyed what I listened to. The K 601 sounds exactly like the K 501, with a bit more bass. Wish I could have compared them to K 701s.

For anyone that listened to our setups with the homemade amps + Pioneer players, please comment! My amp(photo in sig link) was next to the Tube/Mosfet hybrid. The other amp was to the right of mine, with a silver chassis + blue LED.

I had a great time, and I hope next time isn't too far off. Big thanks to Drew for hosting!

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drubrew Let me Crank this before Drew notices I noticed....

LOL.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drubrew Headphone listening is serious business

Sure is.

I had a great time at this meet. Even though I got there like an hour late because I kept getting lost.

It was great meeting everyone and getting to listen to some fine equipment. Drew your home theater setup is fantastic. Although you need to get a pair of K1000s to complete it.

Eastsound CD-E5 + FEEL HP200SE + GS1000 w/ Black Dragon Cable - I was not very impressed with these. Bloated mid-bass, dry and slightly recessed midrange, and shrill highs. Very large soundstage (nowhere near as large as the K1000s though) and pretty good detail though. I noticed the same problems with other setups as well.

Eastsound CD-E5 + FEEL HP200SE + AKG K240s - I did not like these headphones at all. A lot of bloated boomy bass. I guess these might be good for gaming but not for music IMO.

Music Hall CD25 + Creek OBH21/SE + DT 880 (2006 Model) - I was fairly impressed with this fairly low priced setup. I agree it that it would make a perfect casual listening setup. It didn't really seem to do anything special but it also did pretty much nothing to offend.

Music Hall CD25 + Creek OBH21/SE + SA5000 - Wow, way to bright and shrill. Not a good combo at all.

Original CD2800 MKII + Singlepower MPX3 + SA5000 - Much better. Excellent detail and suprisingly good bass impact. The soundstage wasn't very big though.

Original CD2800 MKII + Moon Audio Luna + Grado RS1 w/ Black Dragon Cable (Flat Pads) - Very fun setup to listen to. Very punchy sound with bucket loads of bass impact. Excellent midrange. Although they did have a compressed soundstage I'd take these over the GS1000 any day.

Original CD2800 MKII + Moon Audio Luna + K1000 - Very enjoyable combo although the soundstage wasn't quite as large as with Drew's Highly modded Sonic Frontiers Assemblage ST40.

Onkyo DV-SP1000 + Heavily Moded Sonic Frontiers Assemblage ST40 + AKG K1000 - Wow this was the best setup at the meet IMO. Very pleasing warm sound with tons of resolution and absolutely gigantic soundstage. I now want one for my K1000s. Any chance of selling yours Drew?

Onkyo DV-SP1000 + A DIY Solid State speaker amp + AKG K1000 - Another nice combo and although it lacked the fullness of the ST40 it had a little more detail and speed. The soundstage wasn't quite as large though. This comparison has confirmed for me that tubes are the way to go with the K1000.

Modded Pioneer players with several DIY amps - I enjoyed the sound out of these setups unfortunatly I didn't spend enough time with them to form any opinion about them beyond that.

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aphex944 I didn't listen to the GS1000 much, but from what I heard I was impressed. I wouldn't say it was revolutionary or anywhere near worth $1000, but I enjoyed what I listened to. The K 601 sounds exactly like the K 501, with a bit more bass. Wish I could have compared them to K 701s.

Pfft! Well fine, we won't make you a GS1000 Official Revolution T-Shirt.

That's a pretty awesome collection of gear, guys! Man, seeing all that goodness in one place... the NY meet can't come soon enough!

 

[jp11801]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio Pfft! Well fine, we won't make you a GS1000 Official Revolution T-Shirt.

put me down for one of these!!

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio Pfft! Well fine, we won't make you a GS1000 Official Revolution T-Shirt.

Big loss.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

How is it that almost every meet thread has at least one picture of someone wearing the SA5000 incorrectly (i.e. headband not tilted back so as not to have the metal bars hitting the head)? It has always seemed to me that a good deal of mis-impressions of the SA and Qualias is due to this problem of improper fit.

BTW great looking room there!

Did I spot a K270S above the TV in one of those pics, or is it another older AKG?

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer It has always seemed to me that a good deal of mis-impressions of the SA and Qualias is due to this problem of improper fit.

I doubt it. I know how to wear the Qualias and they still sound crappy to me.

 

[Jahn]

MS2i with Cpads making a showing, nice! More impressions please!

 

[saturnine]

Impressions of the Luna & GS1K please

Sorry I couldn't make it this this one

Looks like you guys had a lot of fun.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer How is it that almost every meet thread has at least one picture of someone wearing the SA5000 incorrectly (i.e. headband not tilted back so as not to have the metal bars hitting the head)? It has always seemed to me that a good deal of mis-impressions of the SA and Qualias is due to this problem of improper fit.

Can't speak for the Qualias, but doing that with the SA5ks doesn't affect the sound much, just comfort.

 

[aphex944]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer How is it that almost every meet thread has at least one picture of someone wearing the SA5000 incorrectly (i.e. headband not tilted back so as not to have the metal bars hitting the head)? It has always seemed to me that a good deal of mis-impressions of the SA and Qualias is due to this problem of improper fit. BTW great looking room there! Did I spot a K270S above the TV in one of those pics, or is it another older AKG?

The SA5000 headband does not extend long enough for me to wear them properly. With the headband tilted back like it should be, the earcups were only about halfway down my ear. Not very comfortable, but it's the only way I could listen to the damn things

And yes, those are K270s, but I don't know if anyone listened to them.