I rarely go on Head-fi, so I don't really know most of you guys. If you saw me (guy in blue hoodie), nice to meet you! I just have no idea who you are!
BTW, there was an older white guy who I inadvertently kept annoying by taking up the headphones he wanted to try out (both Alpha Dogs and later, the LCD3). Sorry!
If any of you are interested in some pictures my friend took and impressions from an audio noob, here you go: (The rest is copied pasted from my blog so sorry if a comment or two felt out of place for a Headfi impressions post.)
Little picture of stuff for sale in the meet from various Headfi members. They were giving out free stands?!
This is the Audeze table. It's hosted by a very cool DJ/audiophile. On the table were LCD 2, 3, X, and XC. I prefer open headphones myself, so I was trying to hear the differences between each. These are the high end bass machines! A very different headphone from my HD800s. Mark and I both really enjoyed these. Favorite headphones on the show!
My biggest issue with the LCDs is that the leather doesn't really breathe. Long sessions of gaming in a warm room sounds bad. They are also a bit on the heavier side. Not ridiculous but not the best.
I take picture of you taking a picture of them! The guy is very passionate about not just audio gear - but music. It's something you don't see that often in Headfi-circles, believe it or not. Some lay the charge that audiophiles spend more time listening to their gear than listening to music. Then again, we can draw a similar parallel for overclockers spending more time tweaking overclocks and running Prime95 than fragging people at Battlefield 4. But this guy, he's a DJ, he mixes his own music. Interesting display of songs, unlike the normal stereotypical audiophile type of tracks. These tracks play to the LCD's strengths I think... I can actually hear the bass with these tracks as opposed to Hifiguy528's table. Cool, smoking, chill dude, rocking out to music! My only gripe is that he likes his music LOUD, as a DJ. You could turn the headphones into head-speakers at that point. Yes, they are open so they sound quieter than a normal person would assume from outside. But the volume was loud enough to cause issues to my ear, but not quite loud enough for me to quickly turn down the volume. (Turning down the volume affects his volume as well.) I wish I kept better track of which songs I enjoyed in the meet. The guy had a nice setup that allowed for many headphones to play at once. I'd like that one day. Nice for ABX tests, nice for minimal-hassle headphone switching.
(I just noticed the dude I'm talking about is one post above mine. How's that for coincidence?)
Just a random picture of peoplez. There are a total of... I think 4 women in the entire place. Why are my hobbies so predominately male? (Besides like clothing etc) What exactly do females DO?
Entrance. $20 to get in. They had me marked down as "Dark_wizzie" cuz i'm teh wizzle.
This is Hifiguy528's table. He's a Youtuber. That's me trying out the Audeze LCD3. But the guy has very light songs, so I wasn't very impressed with them at this table. Mark is there trying out the HD700s. Why does EVERYBODY there have Macs or ipads? It's kindda creepy.
Hifiguy528's Wooaudio amps, although not my cup of tea, certainly LOOKS cool.
I was very excited to try out the STAX. As you might be able to tell, Mark there has donned the STAX 009, the most expensive headphone I know of - $4000! It is an electrostatic headphone, so its technology is different and requires a different amp. I really enjoyed the STAX 009. I think it does the sound better than my HD800s - but I think the soundstage is shrunk down. I'd still probably try my HD800s for gaming. But the electrostatics are LIGHTWEIGHT! It is way lighter than it looks.
PHOTOBOMB! I made a solemn pact long ago in the Andes Mountains to never smile in a photograph, EVER.
Apart from the Audeze LCDs and the Alpha Dogs, I also enjoyed the Hifiman HE-6, even though they are a real dog to try to amp properly and is one of the few headphones that will make my O2 amp struggle. Mark enjoyed the AKG Q701s, but frankly I didn't like it. For some reason they sounded too harsh on the highs. Mark thought they were very comfortable, but my HD800s are comfortable enough as is. When I'm on the Battlefield, the map is wide open, so it should sound WIDE open. Gotta love the HD800s for that.
Little on-the-move shot of us walking from Headfi room to room in the hotel.
Look at me, I am soo0o0oOOOo0o0oo Audi-O-File! I'm standing behind a water dispensing contraption that contains only melted ice! I'm drinking water from a glass cup! Come at me bro! SNOB SNOB SNOBBERY SNOB SNOB!!!111
Why am I smiling while pouring water? Anyways, I like this water dispensing contraption! Really cool!
Come to SF, they said. It'll be cold, they said. Then it hit me that it's summer time and I'm in a hotel, not outside being hit by wind from the Bay.
So to break it down, my favorite headphones from the meet (HD800s not counted): LCDx or LCD3, HE-6, and Alpha Dog. I wasn't expecting much from the HE-6... Reviews didn't seem to be that great and it's a pain in the ass to amp. But I enjoyed it. And the Alpha Dog, which are closed, meaning sound doesn't easily come out. I think open-backed headphones are typically nicer, allows for a more spacious, natural sound, but the Alpha Dogs were quite nice. Ultimate Ears had a table but the guy there said he was a replacement guy. He seemed like the most disorganized person in the room. He had a few earphones placed on a table with no device to try them out with on the table. My two favorite tables are the Audeze booth and the Mr. Speakers booth. Both had a fun dude at the helm and good tracks. I was pleasantly surprised at a wireless headphone table I went to. I forgot the name, but you could charge it via usb cable or use batteries. And the sound plus the wireless capabilities for a price of $175? I'd recommend it! Overall, it has been a fun day. I didn't get to try everything though, because I was time limited to 3 hours before my ride leaves without me.
3) The raffle. Why you ask? Because there is a disturbing trend where none of the numbers called are the one on my ticket! Seriously - the treasure hunt was a blast and made sure I saw some vendors I otherwise would not have visited, the prizes donated were fantastic, and it was a great way to cap the day.
Did they ever call my username? I had to leave early before the raffle, lol.
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) it sounded absolutely amazing
