Another great meet. Thanks to zerodeefex, CEETEE, and all the other organizers for helping out. Also, thanks to Susan for greeting everyone at the front desk with a warm smile and helpful information to get everyone a chance to register for the raffle.
I posted a few pictures that I took while I wandered around. http://www.head-fi.org/g/a/853171/sf-bay-area-headphone-meet-2014/
Just a few highlights from me:
UE and CEETEE: Always packed at this table, for good reason. Another 20% off of custom purchases, and bringing in an audiologist for free ear impressions for those looking to buy is too much to pass up (I know I didn't when UE first started offering this option a few years back). Christian is always able to find time in his busy schedule to help set these meets up, help people make informed decisions while buying UE customs, and still set up his own personal gear for people to try out. Hardest working audiophile in the Bay Area, IMO.
Cavalli Audio: Prior to this event, I had only heard their Liquid Fire, which was good, but didn't blow me away. Alex brought a wide range of excellent amps yesterday, including the Liquid Cobalt, Liquid Glass and Liquid Gold which were all excellent. Always a huge crowd by his table, but I finally found a chance to listen to all of them. If I was still in the market for an amp, I'd be hard pressed to choose one between the Glass and Cobalt (probably leaning toward the Cobalt).
LFF: Both the Paradox and Slant were available to sample at his station. The Paradox is as neutral as it is renowned for, and the Slants being his interpretation of colored headphones were definitely fun. However, I was blown away by the Enigma that he pulls out as I was trying out his headphones. Really cool looking sugi burnt wood finish (and I'm a big fan of wooden headphones already) and an excellent performer throughout the range, with sweet and involving mids, great bass extension without sounding boomy in a mostly closed design, and just the right amount of treble that doesn't get overwhelmed. Very close to pulling the trigger on them once I figure out if I have space for keeping yet another pair of headphones.
anetode: Thanks for bringing a significant portion of your headphone collection. Lots of fun music options out of his computer, and I really did enjoy those Yamaha YH-100. Surprisingly good bass response for an on ear headphone, with some sweet mids as well.
FrankCooter: Another beautiful custom built headphone ampflier. Beautiful looking and sounding.
MrSpeakers: Dan is ever so friendly when you visit him at his table. Many were walking away from his table with Mad Dog purchases as well. The Alpha Dogs are excellent headphones and definitely worth the high praise they've been getting after they were introduced. Look out for the matte black color option on these!
Schitt: They went all out this year, bringing everything in their line up as well and all of their listening stations were constantly occupied. Also, thank you for supplying some excellent dac/amp combinations as prizes. Still great performance and value options for those looking to get into this audio hobby, and the near final prototype Ragnorak is a beast.
darinf and Out of your head software: I admit I was skeptical when I sat down to demo darinf's software. However, after working out a few clipping issues, I got up very impressed with how the Out of Your Head software package was able to model surround or audiophile speakers and provide some impressive imaging with the HD800's.