Sorry, I'm so late to this thread...been quite busy, in fact, still at work right now. But I'd like to first thank Jaybar for graciously offering his place for our get together, and what a view of the Brooklyn/Manhattan Bridges and the downtown skyline!
As for the headphones, the head-to-head between the regular Lambdas and the pro version was a bit mixed for me. I thought the regular ones had slightly better instrument separation and clarity, but it was also a bit tilted up in terms of sound, largely because the weaker bass. The pros were more extended top to bottom, so it sounded a bit more balanced to me. However it was a bit muddled and lacked appreciable separation. But somehow the vocals seemed more organic and natural vs. the regular pair. Both of them sounded a bit thin and had too many idiosyncrasies for me to really appreciate them however.
Jjcha's Stax SR-X was really cool. I had never seen them before and I thought they had similar design cues as the HP-1000. Build wise and comfort, they were vastly better than the Lambdas, which had these fraile thin plastic frames that the actual earphones pivoted around...which threatened to break at any moment. Sound wise, these reminded of Jason's AT W10's in that they are very much easy listening headphones. Sure they are rolled off on top and bottom, but otherwise just didn't offend in any way.
Then came Jay's Omegas. I've only heard them previously in large meets. Hooked up to his Ayre CDP and KGSS, the sound was spacious, dimensional, detailed, and impactful. They sounded like ear-speakers. Jay's basically sold off all his other headphones because this was the sound he was looking for. I don't blame him, as I thought this was one of the best setups I have heard. However, it did have slight sibilance. This was surprisingly mitigated by the wooden blocks the guys put underneath the amp (really!). But I preferred the sound without the wooden blocks as I felt they also dulled the rest of the sound as well as made the midrange seem more recessed. I guess I just like a more lively presentation generally.
It was really nice to catch up with everybody there. Let's do it again soon.
Oh I forgot to mention. Having the opportunity to hear Jay's Harbeth speaker setup was also a real treat. He has it set up for nearfield listening...and what a vivid and rich picture they paint in front of you...they were just utterly resoving and convincing. The Sara K. track made her seem to materialize before you and her enchanting voice also seemed to coo into your ears. I had never head of the Harbeth brand before, but I'll definitely be on the lookout in the future.
