[Romanee]

[size=medium]FINALLY! [/size]

Thanks to Oski graciously offering his beautiful, airy, sunny apartment, the first 2005 NYC Minis-Mini-Meet convened Sunday 6/25, just a week after the splendid NYC Metro Area meet.

Just a small, friendly, impromptu portables and transportables study -- and a few nice phones. Great way to spend a blazing hot Manhattan afternoon.

I'm breaking tradition by starting the thread with......

[size=medium]THE PICTURES!!!!![/size]

[size=medium]YEP..... He's Serious.[/size]

[size=medium]Wired for sound.[/size]

[size=medium]Workbench 1.[/size]

[size=medium]Teerawit preps ER4Cs with foamies.[/size]

[size=medium]Happy Man.[/size]

[size=medium]What? B&W Speakers? This is Headfi! [Comparing phono stages via Oski's Rega w/some fine vinyl and some Redbook CDs ... and soundstage vs headstage.[/size]

[size=medium]Sunny Sound Enviro[/size]

[size=medium]Icy Aqua iPod Mini[/size]

[size=medium]Music Fidelity X-Ray Redbook CD Playeri[/size]

[size=medium]Teerawit gets serious[/size]

[size=medium]Lan goes retro -- an antique curiosity (brought decrepit V600 and boostaroo just for perspective ... never actually connected boostaroo... you'll have to ask Lan about the V600s.[/size]

[size=medium]HOT day ... musical water, but of course.[/size]

[size=medium]Teerawit-n-Romanee ... yep ... vinyl & B&Ws again.[/size]

[size=medium]Aftermath...[/size]

[size=medium]Oski - Tabled.[/size]

[size=medium]Casting Couch[/size]

[size=medium]Romanee - STILL plugging!!! (How does bozebuttons do it? LOL)[/size]

[size=medium]SR-71 participates.[/size]

[size=medium]Everyone likes MS2i!1![/size]

[size=medium]Channel Islands Audio VHP-1 + VAC-1 (Thanks, Dusty! You'll see it soon.)[/size]

[size=medium]Phono Stage Tete-a-Tete: VPP-1/VAC-1 and Gram Slee GramAmp[/size]

[size=medium]Packing it in with TLC.[/size]

[size=medium]Whew... it fits. Bye Oski! Thanks a bunch! Now... when the Hornet comes out... and the AE1 comes out, and, and....[/size]

[size=medium]No connection ... it's just so pretty.[/size]

 

[RnB180]

I thought cable looked familiar, I was trippin out since it looked just like the ones I use at home.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 I thought cable looked familiar, I was trippin out since it looked just like the ones I use at home.

Why... what an amazing coincidence!

Perhaps after they've had a nap, one of the other 3 guys may have something to say about our little rendezvous.

...and, yes... you're handiwork did come up in conversation. We also got into discussion about my considerations for possible cables if I re-cable my K501s. BTW, I've been a fan of your creations and your great photographs of your work!

 

[Jahn]

dammit i broke my consecutive meet streak! looked like fun!

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn dammit i broke my consecutive meet streak! looked like fun!

Hey, J... I thought I'm the only Nu Yawkuh (semi-) awake and posting at this ridiculous hour... oh yeah... you and Lan are on the same time loop as me.

It was lots-o-fun... lots of engaging conversation, some good study, and a few revelations (good and also not-so-good...). M-u-s-t... S-l-e-e-e-e-ppppp.

 

[Oski]

Wait, what are you NYC guys doing up at this hour still? I was so tired I actually fell asleep right after dinner and just got up and saw this thread up already, so I figure I might as well post my impression too.

Romanee is a dedicated student of audiophilia and true equipment junkie, looking like he’s packed for a week sojourn in the south of France, he came instead with suitcases of audio toys…he’s really pushed the boundaries of portables and transportables. It took him an hour to set everything up and the equipment was splayed all over the apartment as the pictures above indicate. Thanks for bringing everything for us to play with and orchestrating the mini meet.

Teerawit stood at the ready to provide another set of critical ears and fresh perspective on all the equipment. Armed with an iPod Mini and a set of ER-6i, he showed great resolve amidst all the alluring gadgets and will continue in his careful research before he strikes with his credit card to earn his Head-Fi stripes.

While lan showed up later, he launched right in with his keen insights into all the equipment we’ve been listening to. Lan has a definite vision for what he likes and astutely discerns the strengths and weaknesses of the offerings of the day. It was also good to lean about some of the ways he’s elevated the listening experience, from the resampling and re-engineering of redbook music on his computer, modding of equipment, and other tweaks.

Oh, you mean you guys actually want impressions of the equipment too?

Okay, the Portaphile continues to impress with the development of the V2^2. With the various mini switches on the board (these switches are TINY), this may be the most versatile portable amp yet. With the class A biasing, this unit really sings with even better soundstage, clarity, and air. The good news is existing Portaphile V2 owners can get the biasing done free of charge (along with gain adjustments) from Cesar, how’s that for aftermarket service?

The Channel Island equipment is a collection of nicely conceived components, all in uniform aluminum heat-sinked enclosures with and brushed faceplates. This new venture is the resurrection of Dusty Vawter’s popular Audio Alchemy from a decade ago. The VHP-1 headphone amp and accompanying power supply provided for a light and transparent listening with a slightly forward mid which I believe would couple perfectly with a set of DT 770 or similarly charactered headphones. The VPP-1 phono pre didn’t sound like it was fully burned in so we didn’t spend very much time with it, but again, aesthetically it’s in the same enclosures as the headphone amp and power supply and is a nice statement in clean, uniform design and industrial elegance. Lined up, these four cubes would make a great looking desk or bedroom setup. But careful headphone selection will be key to getting good sound, more so than with other amps in the market.

I was impressed by lan’s modded power supply for the Overture. Lan cannot leave anything alone, not a piece of equipment is spared in his incessant quest to tweak and experiment. Whatever he did inside the plastic enclosure sharpened up the imaging and provided for better treatment of fine details and layering of sound…can’t wait to see what he will do inside the actual Overture soon.

All in all, it was a very relaxed 7 hours! of listening and just hanging out with a great group of guys. Unlike the massive regional meets, this really afforded us more time with each equipment and a quieter background to listen to music. We will hopefully do it again in a few months when the next generation of portable equipment hits the market.

 

[lan]

I don't see how you stayed up Romanee because we both had like 3-4 hours of sleep that day. INTENSE!

I'm still waking up so I'll write more later

It was a lot of fun though.

 

[ProleArtThreat]

Looks like it was loads of fun. Sorry I missed it, but my plans were derailed by an unexpected visit from a friend from Boston. Missed another chance to listen to the MS2i! I'll definitely be there next time.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProleArtThreat Looks like it was loads of fun. Sorry I missed it, but my plans were derailed by an unexpected visit from a friend from Boston. Missed another chance to listen to the MS2i! I'll definitely be there next time.

Sorry from our end! This was fast and impromptu.

Next time we'll (hopefully) plan well ahead and try to adjust to as many schedules as possible.

I'm sure you had a great time visiting with your friend.

Cheers,
Peter

 

[Romanee]

[size=small]Sorry about the poor, grainy quality of the pics ... my Canon EOS Rebel is about to croak!!! Time to contact Canon.[/size]

 

[SiBurning]

Gosh, darn. I missed it. Didn't realize you were actually doing it. When's the next one?

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiBurning Gosh, darn. I missed it. Didn't realize you were actually doing it. When's the next one?

As soon as we get some of the currently new, and yet-to-be-released toys!

 

[Teerawit]

This mini-meet was alot more relaxed and quieter than the huge NY meet last week. So I realized that my ears aren't as bad as I thought they were...I can actually tell the differences between different amps! So i'm not a total newbie!

Etymotic ER-6i vs. Shure E4c: The etys excel in treble. the highs are crispy detailed compared to the shures; in fact i sensed a slight treble roll-off from the shures. The etys also have clearer highs; the shures seemed to be "holding back" in the highs and preventing me from hearing with the fullest clarity. etys are also faster and more detailed in this region of the spectrum. However, the shures really delivered in the bass. they simply just give you more impact in the bass! many describe the etys as thin and lacking in the bass, and I can see why they say this. because of the bass, the shures beat the etys in the fun department; since the er-6i and e4c were designed to be driven out of portable players, I think the e4c would be a better deal, especially with its solid build construction. Amped through an SR-71, the etys do recover more bass, but similarly, the bass increases when the shures are amped as well. I really appreciated what shure has brewed in the e4c, but I don't think it's worth $180 to upgrade from my er-6i. I think that the er-6i is fun as well, but not as fun as the e4c.

Etymotic canalphones, IMO, are analytical for a reason; they were designed primarily for music professionals and not necessarily for "enjoying music." From my aural recollections of the ER-4, that canalphone was designed to analyze the sound rather than relax and drink wine to the music. the shures seem to be a better candidate for an IEM to enjoy music. however, I would personally like to have a canalphone that has the speed and detail of the etys and the bass of the shures. But the UE-10 is way out of my price range

The portaphile v2-squared seems to be a very capable amp that can hold its own vs. more expensive offerings like the SR-71. however, at a price point of ~$230 or so, it's entering competitive territory in the world of portables (like the supermacro-3), so I don't know how it will turn out. The channel islands headphone amp also is a capable amp, but at a price of $300 i dont think it's a viable choice especially with the popular gilmore lite at the same price.

Lan, oski, Romanee and I had nice discussions on how build quality and aesthetic detail affect general impressions of an audio product. I must say, the Channel Islands pieces are very sleek and sexy! I was deciding whether to purchase the VDA-1 DAC by Channel Islands, and actually seeing the headphone amp and power supply (which has the same case as the DAC) is really making me want to purchase the DAC asap! Also we had informative discussions on interconnects and power cords/supplies and how they can noticeably shape the sound of the system overall.

I'm also fortunate that I was able to listen to the SA5000 and MS-2i. Don't get me wrong, they are very nice headphones, but just not my cup of tea

I say "fortunate" because i was seriously thinking about purchasing the MS-2i as a complement to my HD600, but alas my wallet is saved and I'm content with what I have

Now, my quest for a HOME-based amplifier continues...

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit This mini-meet was alot more relaxed and quieter than the huge NY meet last week. So I realized that my ears aren't as bad as I thought they were...I can actually tell the differences between different amps! So i'm not a total newbie!

Great notes, Teerawit! Astute, observant ... and you have a solid sense of what you like. Thanks for joining our little study and for adding your well-considered observations.

 

[RnB180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee Why... what an amazing coincidence! Perhaps after they've had a nap, one of the other 3 guys may have something to say about our little rendezvous. ...and, yes... you're handiwork did come up in conversation. We also got into discussion about my considerations for possible cables if I re-cable my K501s. BTW, I've been a fan of your creations and your great photographs of your work!

Thanks for the kind words