[NightDayAudio]

Starting a new thread now that the date(s) have been locked in and booked.  Mark your calendars!  Make your last minute arrangements to attend!  Only 1 week to go as of the time of this message edit!  EVERYONE is welcome!  Boys, girls, kids of all ages!  You just have to be interested in headphone listening and want to check out some of the cool gear in attendance!
 
Event Date & Time: 
 
Saturday, March 21st, 2015 - Noon Until 10PM  (doors open at 10AM for folks bringing stuff to share so they can get setup)
 
PLEASE NOTE :  SUNDAY's EVENT TIME is CANCELLED due to lack of interest!!!!
 
Event Location:
 
Cary, NC at Pirate's Cove Housing Development Clubhouse
http://www.home-owners-assoc.com/piratescove/page.html
636 Blackshoals Drive Cary, NC 27511
 
My repair technician Sol is hosting the event in the clubhouse of his housing development.  It's located in Cary, NC close to the Crossroads area, where i-40/I-440 and US-1 intersect.  It's pretty easy to get to his housing development from I-40, from US-1, or even from Cary Parkway.  
 
I'm posting this for him as he's not a big internet chat forum kind of guy.  But I'll try to get him to come out of hiding to participate, especially if you have specific questions that I can't answer.
 
Please feel free to reply to this thread to:
 
a) confirm your wish to attend
b) indicate the day (or days) you will be attending (Saturday, Sunday, or both days)
c) if you are willing to share, what gear you are bringing to share with others
 
Please do not just show up to the event without contacting anyone on here to let us know you are coming.  Sol would like to get a relatively close head count on things to plan accordingly for refreshments, munchies, etc.  There are tons of restaurants within a few seconds via car, some even in short walking distance.  So it won't likely be a full blown meal spread, just munchies and light refreshments in order to keep his costs under control.  Please reply to this thread to confirm your attendance or PM me if you prefer to stay in "stealth" mode
 
Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions you don't want to share in an open forum.  I will pass along the details to our host, Sol to get you answers as best I can.
 
Please pass this thread link around to all your audio friends that have any interest in attending.  The more the merrier!  I will use this first post to try to keep info current on what gear we expect to be in attendance, as well as any last minute details about the event.  
 
I'm already excited and can't wait!  Looking forward to seeing some of the same folks that came by my last get together as well as hopefully meeting some new folks!  I'm also curious to see if there is any cool gear coming that I've never heard before!  

 

[Xoen]

I would love to join.  I can do both days and if one day ends up being the strongest vote, then that'll be fine, too.  
 
I'll be bringing my Schiit Lyr 2/Bifrost Uber DAC combo along with my Audeze LCD-X with a Norne Audio Solv X cable currently on order, possibly an EL-8 closed back (I put my name on a pre-order list on Audeze's site but have yet to decide on purchase). If I also end up purchasing a Schiit Ragnarok amp and Schiit Gungir DAC combo, I'll probably end up bringing that instead of my Lyr 2/Bifrost combo or maybe just bring both if space allows (Lyr 2 combo will stay inside my car if no space).  

 

[LNCPapa]

a) I wish to attend (most likely solo this time)
b) I should be able to do both or either day(s)
c) I'll bring LCD 2.2 non-fazor + WooAudio WA7 (again)

 

[TheChillburger]

I'm down for either day, perfect location for me! 
 
I can bring a long all of the gear in my sig, as well as a modified Little Dot 1+ that I have coming in soon 

 

[Afghan Vet]

Thank you so much for the PM! I have been away from HeadFi for awhile, but I'm getting excited about an upcoming gear change!
 
a) I certainly want to attend
b) Either day, but prefer Saturday
c) Fostex TH900, Peachtree Audio Nova, Cambridge Audio CD player

 

[NightDayAudio]

Excellent!  Glad you can make it!
 
Sol has officially booked his housing community clubhouse for the event!  He reserved both dates.  So we can technically make this into a 2 day event if there really is enough interest.  I propose we try to get a majority decision on a single day, then see what the breakdown is for each day to decide if we want to use both days.  I know I will be in heaven getting to play with stuff and talk audio non-stop.... and I'll want to do this both days.  But I'm sure my wife would prefer I spend some weekend time doing family time if push came to shove  and I'm sure many others have other commitments that would preclude them from attending both days.......  
 
If we have it on Saturday for sure, and just leave Sunday as a shorter, smaller event, would that work?  Or do we abandon Saturday and only do it on Sunday all day like my last event?  I just realized I failed to look at the calendar to see how these dates might interfere with college sports or any other major happening in the area.... hopefully it isn't a big deal.  I know Sol is definitely looking forward to folks getting a chance to listen to the little headphone amp he designed to see if it is well received or if there is feedback on what he can do to improve it.  
 
Hopefully, given this much notice, folks will have had enough time to plan their schedules so they can attend at least one day.
 
Some updates on equipment that will definitely be in attendance:
 
1) Production samples of the ENIGMAcoustics Dharma hybrid 2 way headphones using their own proprietary self biased electrostatic supertweeter technology should make it just in time for the meet.  Also expecting their Athena tube headphone amplifier as well if things go just right with their schedules and manufacturing lines up just right.  We had been looking for a couple new speaker brands to carry and were interested in the company for their loudspeakers first (and have our demonstration display units and stock of Mythology M1 speakers on their way to us!... so we'll need to have a speaker listening party at my place soon as well for the 2 channel audio crowd.. different animal than this forum, though haha) ... Anyways, even though we were interested in them for their speakers, their announcements at CES about a reference headphone and headphone amplifier were just icing on the cake and made the decision to sign on as a dealer a complete no brainer....
 
2) Audeze EL-8 open and closed back headphones - should ship in another week to two weeks if all goes according to plan and their production ship dates don't slip.  I'll bring along the rest of the LCD lineup as well for folks to compare...  there is a lively debate on the EL-8 thread about how close they will be to the LCD line...  this should be a great opportunity to listen to them all back to back and decide for yourself....

3) Alpha Design Labs (ADL) - a subsidiary of Furutech, my favorite audiophile connector company, They have great electronics and a couple *really* good headphones (H118 & H128) that are very modestly priced (the H118 just had a price drop that puts them into the no brainer price range!)  Very excited to have added them...  I really like that they charge all dealers the same price...finding a headphone manufacturer that makes stuff I really like at the entry level price points that also handles their business consistently has been a lot tougher than I thought it would be to find.... so every dealer is on equal footing, unlike another headphone brand where you can find their entry level offerings selling for far less on ebay and big warehouse sites than what most dealers can actually purchase them for direct from the manufacturer.....  I'm just a weee bit sensitive to that at the moment given how much we've been "showroomed" recently by folks wanting to demo with us for hours on end to make sure they liked the product before they purchased online elsewhere for prices where we would lose significant money on every sale if we matched.... oh well....

4) I'm hoping against hope the Unison Research order arrives in time to the US distributor so I can have my production stock of the Unison Research SH DAC/all tube headphone amplifier that was such a hit at the last showing (when the distributor was awesome enough to ship us the prototype so we had something to show).... I've really, really, really missed it since I had to return the prototype unit back to the distributor so they could use it at CES in Las Vegas....  I can't wait to get our demo model here so we can enjoy it again.... and I'll be very happy to finally be able to help the folks that have been pestering us about when they can buy one for themselves....

5) I now have stock of the Bakoon Products International HPA-01M portable all discrete current based headphone amplifier.  They managed to shrink the circuit down into a very compact, portable unit while still keeping all the amazing sound of the bigger HPA-01 and HPA-21 desktop units.  I'll bring them along so folks can hear what Bakoon is all about...

6) SPL Phonitor headphone amplifiers.... these didn't make it in time for the last meet at my place... While technically geared towards more pro use, these amazing units are built like a tank and have some features you don't typically find on consumer gear... and the sound is awesome if you are looking for neutral balance.  I'm loving the Phonitor Mini.  Great value for what you are getting....
 
I said I wasn't going to bring every single thing we have demo items of.... but I'll likely cave between now and then and bring quite a few things... if enough folks coming have their own gear that matches mine and they are willing to share with others, maybe I can get away with bringing a few less things....  thus the reason for asking what everyone was bringing
 
 
It's only a little over a month away... who's getting excited?  Lots of really cool stuff is going to be showing up here very shortly.... It's like Christmas all over again!

 

[Xoen]

This is pretty exciting!  Can't wait to attend this meet.  Would certainly be nice to compare equipment and headphones again like I did last meet.  I definitely have a strong consideration for the new closed back Audeze EL-8's since I've grown to appreciate the Audeze house sound.  

 

[Howlin Fester]

I am excited for this.  I'm not sure what day works best right now, since we don't have our spring sports schedules yet.  (Baseball and Hockey.)  But I should be good for at least one of the days.  If I was a betting man, I would say Saturday will have the least impact for family time.
 
I will probably bring everything in my signature.
 
Cans:  TH900, RS1i, K702, Momentum - Over Ear 1st gen.  Can also bring my son's Momentum - ON Ear if anyone is interested. 
AMPS: Peachtree Audio Decco65, RSA Intruder, Neco v3, Arrow 2.2
DAPS: DX50, Touch, Classic, Nano 5G, Shuffle
IEM:    Alfa Genus, TF10, SE530, HA-FX40
 
Most of my setup is portable (transportable).  I just recently purchased my first piece of desktop kit for work.
I am looking forward to hearing the EL-8's as well.  And I have recently been reading a lot on the Bakoon.  So I'm extreeeeeeemly interested to see what that is all about.
 
@Afghan Vet.  I picked up TH900 after the Charlotte meet.  Listening to the TH900 was my primary objective for Charlotte.  And I love them.  Then last month, I was able to get a Peachtree Audio Decco65 for a stupid clearance price.  Thank you for bringing the Peachtree setup to Charlotte last year.  So I will have an extremely similar setup to Afghan Vet's.  I have the Decco65 and he has the Nova (not sure of the power).  No CD player for me, though.
 
I'm going to have to get off my can and send my RSA Intruder back to Ray to get the upgrade.  So I can get it there, get it back, and get it burned in.  I will target doing that after the Weather event we are about to get.
 
Please let me know if anyone has any questions or comments.  
My iBasso DX50 is my primary music transport device.  I use it DX50>coax out>Peachtree Audio (transport only).  Or DX50>line out>RSA Intruder.  
All FLAC.  99% 16/44 redbook secure rips.  And 1 HD album - Supertramp Crime of the Century.  (Awesome remaster!)  I may have another HD album or two by the event.  
All ipod music is MP3 320 kbps - mp3gain normalized at 90 dB.
 
Anyone is welcome to bring a computer to plug into the USB input of the Peachtree.  I will bring a generic USB cable.  If you want to check it out, you may want to download the driver.  I will also have 1/8" 2-conductor Blue Dragon Coax input to Peachtree, and 1/8" stereo to RCA - home made aux input to Peachtree.

 

[NightDayAudio]

Awesome, Howlin Fester!  
 
You've got some cool gear.... I want to listen to a few of your pieces myself!
 
My rep at Audeze just confirmed they expect I will have EL-8 headphones in time... but slightly later than originally expected... it will be tight, but they should still make it.  I may have to pay for overnight shipping to get them here with a few days to spare so the demos are broken in a bit and not fresh out of the box... but they know about this meet and will work with me to make sure I get at least a good chunk of my order to have some here in time for the get together and a few extra stock pairs for those that ordered and planned to pick up at this event...
 
It is going to be tight on the ENIGMAcoustics Dharma as well.... but just like with Audeze, I am giving Wei @ ENIGMAcoustics a hard time there to hopefully get at least final, true production samples in time for the meet....  he's being a great sport about it so far and I think it will happen.
 
I don't want to commit to anything beyond what is already scheduled to be here, but hopefully a surprise or two will happen in time for the show as well.... we'll see....
 
I know I'm the one doing all the posting... and I am a member of the trade..  But in case anyone was unsure, this is a SOCIAL meet, *not* a commercial meet for us to promote our business.... it's not even being held at our location... that is being done on purpose.  1) it's not my place getting overrun by a great bunch of audio geeks, which my wife loves because I won't have the place torn apart before, during and after the event and 2) I further want to distance this from being a sleazy way to lure folks in and then try to sell them stuff.  I'm not that kind of person and that is definitely not what this event is about....  you're welcome to ask me sales related questions, but I'm going into this as just a social event to share and chat about audio stuff, nothing more...
 
I will admit though, one thing I actually want to accomplish with this whole thing from my own selfish perspective is to give a dedicated time and place for all local folks to openly "showroom" anything we offer for sale.  It's much more efficient to have an open event for everyone to do this all at once rather than split up one at a time here.  so everyone who wants to "showroom", please use this event to all come and listen to whatever we have and then feel free to purchase from whatever vendor you feel most comfortable with (or from whatever source, foreign or domestic) where you can get the best deal.  You're welcome to ask about sales, but this really is just us sharing the stuff for you to listen and compare all in one place at one time.  If you want to listen to all the Sennheiser models and then can find an ebay seller for less, or buy a used set you have been eyeing up, go for it at this event!  We're totally fine with you using this event for that purpose.  We're going to be there anyways enjoying the company and listening ourselves.  If everyone does it at this event, it's only max 2 days, as opposed to the >100 hours of dedicated one on one private demo appointments at our place that have happened since right before Christmas where the interested party then bought used or for prices below our dealer cost elsewhere.  I think the most recent example where the guy demoed for almost 10 hours until 2AM was the final straw for my wife.  So she's driving us to make some slight changes on our business side that have nothing to do with this actual event...  but she's definitely a big supporter of doing this kind of event in hopes that those kinds of "showrooming" situations don't continue at the current rate and everyone can use this kind of event to demo and listen and help them make up their minds on what they want to buy.  Have 50 folks in one day as opposed to 50 folks over 50 different days.....
 
Attached to this post are a couple photos of the clubhouse at Sol's housing community.  It's got a dedicated room with a pool table in it!  So definitely good socializing location  It's got a full kitchen... so we'll setup munchies in there...  finally it's got > 800 square feet of open space where we will setup the tables for listening sessions... the photos don't show the tables and chairs they keep in storage to use in this space when needed.... so the place holds 50 people easily at once... should be great for our purposes...  
 

 

[dxanex]

I'm also very interested. As of now, I should be able to make it either day, and I could bring the DNA Sonett 2 and Sennheiser HD 800 w/ DHC balanced cable, along with my Emotiva XDA-2 DAC. I've really been wanting to hear the LCD-X as well, have not yet had the chance.
 
If we are to pick a firm day, I guess I'd lean more towards Saturday.
 
 
 
Any chance at all we could get a HE-1000 there??

 

[subieNOVA]

I'm almost a noob to the scene, but am local and very interested in hearing some of this gear I keep reading about...

My only "nice" pair of phones is the Fidelio X1 so I'd be pretty outclassed by what everyone else is bringing... buuuut if you'll have me I will be there!

 

[kilkil]

I'd love to go if i can get my schedule correct.   I'm working the previous week in the area, likely flying home on the 22nd, thus if i can get my flight late enough.   

 

[richidoo]

Saturday and Sunday are both fine for me. I will bring my AKG 701s and cookies. 
Thanks

 

[NightDayAudio]

subieNOVA
 
**EVERYONE** is welcome!!  New folks especially are welcome so we can corrupt you and turn you into a gearhead with as much of an obsession/addiction for this stuff as us hahahaha 
 
As i said in a post on the ENIGMAcoustics Dharma thread today when alerting those folks to the meet: http://www.head-fi.org/t/750437/enigmacoustics-dharma/210#post_11335423
 
"Just like the last headphone event in December, this is a *social* event, NOT a commercial event.  There are no sales pitches and nothing related to sales will be brought up at all unless initiated by you.  Anyone interested in hearing all the different headphones talked about on the forums all in one place with an opportunity to listen to them all back to back on the same gear (either yours you bring with you or what is there available), please do reply in that thread and do attend.  Everyone is welcome!  If you are just curious about the hobby, just curious about what goes on at a headphone meet, or are interested in buying some head-fi related gear but want to try before you order sound unheard off the interwebs, here's the perfect opportunity to check stuff out in a zero pressure, no sales pitch place and chat about everything with fellow enthusiasts."
 
So by all means,  please come and meet fellow head-fi'ers!  I dont think anyone else has mentioned bringing your particular headphones.  So bring them along if for no other reason than to use as a comparison reference to what you will be listenening to there. 
 
kilkil,  if you can make it, great!  at this point, we have folks RSVP'ing from as far away as new york for this,  with some coming from WV, VA, all over NC and SC... and one guy from Atlanta PMed me about coming yesterday....  so someone from TN will help make it even more regional  i hope you can make it...

 

[NightDayAudio]

  Saturday and Sunday are both fine for me. I will bring my AKG 701s and cookies. 
Thanks

 
ooooooooh....  cookies like last time?  Awesome, Rich!!  Those things disappeared too fast last time for me to hide some extras for myself  It will be great to see you again, Rich.  Carl settled on his new setup tonight when he raided the new toys that arrived here yesterday...  so i'm not sure if he's coming now or not.... something about not being tempted by even listening to anything else or something like that.....