It looks like plenty of fun in that room Nuke and I wish I were able to attend this meet ! You did a great job of assembling the people and gear, with plenty of BOSS set ups!Had a fantastic time today, always great to meet some local folks who share similar interests; the conversations make the meet worth it!
For a medium sized crowd, there was some GREAT gear at this meet! Some impressions that stick out in my mind:
- Finally got to hear to the R10's (and compare them to the new Z1R's!): They do live up to the hype albeit with a late 80's flair. The Z1R's are a different beast; very high quality but not quite sure if they are "my sound"
- Lots of good portable setups; those amps have come a long way! The PHA-1A and the WA8 sound fantastic
- The Mitchell & Johnson MJ2 was a surprise for the price; Frank was spot on there
- Got to hear my SR-007 Mk II on the BHSE again... might be time to retire the trusty SRM-727. I might be the odd man out but I still prefer the SR-007 sound to the SR-009.
- The HiFiMAN Edition 6... still not sure what to think here. They have such a unique sound that, I don't know if I liked them or hated them, which means I just need more listening time
Dat $6k price though; I directly compared them to my HE-X v2 and I'm 100% sure they're not worth $4800 more...
Here's a quick snap of my rig and another random action shot.
Hope to see you all again soon!
- Aux
By chance encounter I spent an afternoon with a bunch of PAAG'ers last year at a meeting that took place at the high-end shop, Overture in DE. Great group of folks, and an outstanding store too btw, Terry Menacker runs a truly class operation. If you've never been, or are curious what a cost-no-object, state-of-the-art system sounds like, it's worth going out of your way to arrange a visit. Just keep in the back of your mind, the system may just cost more than your entire home. Don't let that be a deterrent.
Anyhow, I inquired at the time about PAAG membership, but was informed they're unfortunately at max capacity with a deep waiting list. There is also a NJ Audiophile Society, but they cater much more toward the northern Jersey/NYC crowd.
I try to attend the Capital Audio Fest every year, and sometimes the NY show. Still never been to RMAF, but the feedback is always that it's an amazing experience. Fact is though, as an enthusiast it's a massive undertaking to attend some of the more distant events when you factor in plane fare, hotels, food, taxi rides and incidentals, not to mention the time factor, then on top of it, of course you're going to see/hear something at the show that you simply HAVE to have.
Not to send the thread off-topic, and perhaps this isn't the right place to even pose the question and get a significant response, but Bruce's earlier mention got the gears spinning.
Is anyone aware of other local groups who regularly meet in the immediate NJ/DE/PA region? I get the impression there's plenty of pent-up local interest for these smaller gatherings. Not just Head-Fi necessarily, but Hi-Fi in general...anything that deals with quality music reproduction. Thoughts/comments/musings on the topic?
