[drubrew]

A quote from the meet.
"Now this is a heard of headphones"

I'll add descriptions as I get time to the pics below.

Special Thanks to my friend Doug for taking the great pics....

 

[drubrew]

 

[drubrew]

 

[aphex944]

Who can name all the headphones on the table?

This was a great meet, and I had a lot of fun. Started out with a fairly small number of people, but it gradually grew. Big up to Drew for the hospitality and the Smithfield's BBQ. I got a ton of listening done, and had plenty of time to form opinions on all the equipment.

Sony MDR-CD3000-- Thanks Jeff for bringing these along! I'm really glad I got to try these out. They just so happen to have the exact sound signature I've been looking for. I thought they were extremely dynamic in their presentation, and reached to each far end of the spectrum. As a previous owner of the CD1700, they definitely shared a similar sound, but the CD3000s are in a completely higher league. They avoided sounding too bloated, and the detail level was very good. What really sold me was the high end sparkle they had, it was great! Ultra comfy as well.. just an all around great headphone. I will probably pick one up in the future.

Sennheiser HD 595-- I listened to these for a bit, and they really do sound different from most other Senns. Their detail reproduction was a bit lacking compared to the higher end phones, but they definitely have a very pleasing balance. I suspect these would be good for almost any type of music.

AKG K 701-- These were a pleasant surprise, and definitely compete for top honors in my opinion. If I didn't own the DT 880s, I'd own these for sure. Much better bottom end than the K 501, and good bit more detail in the high end. They were more detailed than my DT 880s, but I still prefer the 880s balance. Great headphone.

Grado RS1-- I think I listened to these at the last meet, but I got a chance this time to really critically audition them. The low-to-mid midrange is so organic on these, and reproduced some cello I was listening to the best out of any headphone. Very warm and rich, and what I consider the pinnacle of classic Grado sound. I couldn't live with them on a daily basis, mainly because of the upper midrange, but for some musical selections they are hard to beat.

Grado GS1000-- Also got a chance to listen to these more, and the more I listened the more I liked. I don't think they are anywhere near worth what they cost, but the balance is very unique. They lost most of the upper mid harshness or honk the classic Grados have, and are almost recessed really. Soundstaging was phenomenal. I'd probably own a pair if they weren't so expensive.

Sennheiser HD 580 + HD 650-- I'm probably going to be flamed for this, but I really cannot see the mass appeal in these at all. The HD 650s aren't bad by any means, but they have a "stuffed up" sound to them. Their warmth is overpowering and can sound sloppy at times. I really felt like I wasn't getting the full spectrum of the music. The HD 580s had all the same faults, except much more apparent. Smooth, yes, but not my style at all.

This was mainly a headphone critique meet for me, and I didn't try out many different amps or sources this time around. I'm very curious to hear everyones likes/dislikes on Sol's amps, and also the modified Pioneer & Toshiba players.

Thanks to everyone that made it, and I hope to see everyone at the next one!

 

[JunktionFET]

Here are my impressions from the other thread:


Quote:

I had a lot of fun, thanks for hosting this Drew! I got a chance to listen to some Sony CD3000s finally. I really enjoyed these headphones. Not only are they very comfortable (my ears have multiple piercings, so comfort is a big concern for me), but they hit all the right spots for me sonically. I found their presentation very clean while delivering a nicely weighted midrange. Soundstage was very nice for a closed headphone. I also got a chance to listen to a pair of Electrostatic headphones--for the first time I might add. Clear and smooth are the two adjectives I would use to describe these headphones. Though they were connected to multiple sources, I only heard them on the "X1" amplifier--the 1.5 watt/ch speaker-headphone amp that Sol designed. I found their bass reproduction to be fairly honest and tidy. The headphones were being connected to a tube amp as we were leaving. I'd be interested in hearing the impressions from that. I listened to the Senn HD650s for the second time--and again, these headphones just aren't my thing. I find their presentation a bit dull and difficult to really believe. There were some HD595s floating around, and these would probably be my favorite Senns. Their presentation is a little more forward and not as stuffy sounding. Still, when it comes to "presence", I'm an AKG and Beyer man. The MPX was a nice treat, once again. It is a very natural sounding amplifier--very easy to take. I listened to it using some Grado RS1s as well as the CD3000s. That amp really helps takes the edge off of the Grados. Oh, almost forgot--I spent some time listening to some K701s. I really liked these. They retain a lot of the midrange warmth I love in my K501s, but the bottom and top end has been opened up a bit--just to enough to make them really enjoyable. Though it was a close comparison and both headphones are top notch performers, I enjoy the K701s more than my brother's DT880s. Drew also had two Original CD/HDCD players set up--one was stock and the other was heavily modified. A few of us did some A/B tests without any knowledge which was which. I think all of us picked the modified version over the stock one. Though we each heard different things, I found them to be remarkably different. The stock version was very sizzly sounding whereas the modified version was much easier to take and more weighty in the lower midrange.

 

[mrarroyo]

Sounds like you guys had a great time, nice gear! What is kind of funny for a Florida boy is to see so many of you with jackets and long pants, then it dawned on me that just because it is 77 degrees Fahrenheit as I type this it is getting mighty cold in other parts of the country.

 

[jpr703]

Wow, great meet! Thanks to Drew for sharing his home and thanks to everyone who participated--we sure had a lot of gear to check out. Here’s my impressions to the best of my recollection:

Sony CD 3000—I really enjoyed these, especially with tubes. They had a very liquid presentation that sucked you right into the rhythm of the music and they were fantastic with acoustic guitar and vocals. They don’t handle hard rock quite as well as Grados, but they do everything else extremely well. It’s honestly the first headphone I’ve heard that might tempt me to stray from my beloved RS-1.

AKG 701—They didn’t do anything wrong, but they didn’t do anything extremely well either. Overall a very balanced, but very middle-of-the-road presentation. After listening to a couple other AKG headphones, I found that their house sound just isn’t my cup of tea.

Grado RS2—These were surprising. They’re not quite as good as the RS-1s, but they’re not far off. They’re a nice step up from the SR-225 and they offer a whole lot of bang for the buck.

Grado GS100—Quite comfortable to wear, but no threat to the RS-1. It might be a Grado for people that don’t like Grados, but it just wasn’t as involving as some of their other headphones.

Sennheiser 580—Yawn….

Beyerdynamic DT 880—Another involving and enjoyable listen. I really liked the pads on these and they were lighter than they looked. Overall, one of the most comfortable set of cans I’ve ever had on my head. The sound was a little more polite than Grado but they didn’t have quite the range or the slam. Still, they were a lot of fun and I think they’d be great for people who want a lively sound but are concerned about fatigue.

I also got the chance to listen to the RSA Hornet and the Headamp AE-1. Both seemed very well built and offered surprisingly good sound for portable amps. I wound up switching back and forth several times to discern the differences. Of the two, the AE-1 sounded cleaner with a little more “air.” The Hornet was a little more organic and although not as immediately as impressive as the AE-1, it sounded more natural and had a very pleasant midrange. It was also almost unbelievably small. If I had to pick one over the other, I’d go for the Hornet, but they were both capable amps.

There were also some good “home-brewed” amps that another member brought along with a couple of modded DVD players. I can’t remember the specifics of each one, but they were all enjoyable. One of the amps in particular struck me as being quite musical for a solid-state design. Nice work!

Again, thanks to everyone for making it a good time. Let’s do it again sometime soon.

 

[gates_2]

wow


I can't believe I had to miss this. Soo many phones....

Oh well....studying hard=making more money so I can buy more headphones some day :-D

 

[jjcha]

Wow, what a fantastic looking meet. Great size and looks like y'er all having fun at Drew's again.

So, no SR-X impressions?!?

Best,

-Jason

 

[milkpowder]

That's a LOT of headphones! Did you get a chance to hear the speakers? They're quite serious-looking

 

[JunktionFET]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder That's a LOT of headphones! Did you get a chance to hear the speakers? They're quite serious-looking

Unfortunately we did not have a chance to listen to the speakers this time, though we watched a few chapters of Stop making sense the last time on that setup. Ahh, the Talking Heads...

 

[purk]

Nice impression.

Vic,
Sorry man, I wish I can be there and have some fun with you guys. Look likes it has been a great meet. Please keep the impression coming guys. Vic, how about your impression?

Purk

 

[johnmatrix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Wow, what a fantastic looking meet. Great size and looks like y'er all having fun at Drew's again. So, no SR-X impressions?!? Best, -Jason

Thanks to Drew for putting on the meet and answering all my questions about DIY. I enjoyed the company very much; it's nice to be around people who don't think you're nuts for spending what we do on headphones.

Some impressions on my Sr-x with different equipment. First off, I learned the value of decent cables. I had been using some free cables that came with a $60 dvd player. When I switched to the Cardas, I noticed an improved sound and a clearer presentation. Another lesson I learned is power is not everything. We hooked up the stax to Sol's 1.5W/ch amp and it bested my Behringer(180W/Ch) with better soundstaging, bass, and air. Hearing the Sr-x out of that amp gave me impetus to build a KGSS I had been planning.

As for the dynamic cans, I am solidly an e-stat guy. The only phone that held much interest for me was the CD3000. I loved the midrange and toetapping sound that reminded me of its bigger brother.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Does anyone have some thoughts on the Moon Audio balanced amp?

 

[noseallinit]

Bbq, the Bbq! what I want to know about is the Bbq. any close up pictures of it and detail about it? was it good and what all did ya get to eat? q:O)>

looks like yawl had a good time! wish me could have been there!