[saturnine]

Just pics for now, I'll post impressions within the next day or so

And the highlight of the day, the greatest cans/amp/source synergy I've ever witnessed:

Again, many thanks to Tyll/Headroom for coming out to our relatively small meet!

 

[Jeff E]

If any head-fiers are deliberating whether to make the effort to attend the Headroom traveling show, let me add my enthusiastic endorsement. Here are a few mental snapshots of the experience.

* Lots of different headphones to try.

* Very easy to A-B. I am familiar with the long term (several weeks listening, minimum) familiarity point of view. I find that quick switching for comparison gives me information that otherwise is just not available to my ears. I learned a lot at this meet.

* Other folks individually make, and collectively agree upon auditory distinctions among equipment that either I can't discern or that, while I hear it, I don't think the difference is anywhere near to justifying the cost. At times I felt like a Bud Lite drinker at a fancy wine tasting. For example, I found the differences between the micro amp and the desktop amp ( with lots of options, as I recall) to be noticeable but nowhere near as noticeable as the difference in cost (4X).

* Taste is individual. I really appreciated some phones that others don't care for. That's OK.

* The primary justification of these meets is the belief that empiricism is more compelling than expert opinion. You can spend your time reading about headphone systems but, it seems to me, one gets a much more powerful, personal knowledge from hearing them. I really started to appreciate, for the first time, the aural effect of HD650 cables. I know this is a "duh" for many, but yesterday I learned that 15 ' of starquad sounds duller than 15' of silver dragon. Meets make the acquisition of this kind of knowledge much more convenient.

* Special props to Tyll. He has an outgoing personality and really seems to enjoy these meets. During lunch, he acted as a master of ceremonies of sorts and directed the conversation around the table, making sure everyone got some limelight and demonstrating interest in each person. During the listening time he was more than willing to try and set up any listening situation you wanted, e.g. compare amp A with amp B using the same source and identical headphones. What a great learning experience.

* Again, kudos to Drew for doing such a great job of hosting. His office was a nearly perfect environment for a meet and I hope that we can use it again in the future.

* Head-fiers are a great bunch. It was great to spend some time with a group of folks who were enthusiastic about the hobby; respectful of differences among us, e.g. age and taste in music; and willing to really listen to varying points of view. This last quality, the ability to suspend advocacy for a moment to learn about another perspective, is increasingly rare. Thanks, guys. It was a pleasure.

 

[tanfenton]

I was imagining that I was there all of yesterday. Next time!

I'm happy for the rest of you who enjoyed this rare pleasure. Thank you, Tyll.

NGF

 

[Salt Peanuts]

Looks like you all had a great time. What amp is on top of Wadia on the bottom pic?

 

[saturnine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salt Peanuts What amp is on top of Wadia on the bottom pic?

Drew's Dynahi. Its for sale in the Mall-Fi section for an insanely good price.

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saturnine Drew's Dynahi

That is one sexy amp...so sexy that I'm having my next Millet modeled after it!

Also, what source is being used on the front table of the first picture?

 

[saturnine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy Also, what source is being used on the front table of the first picture?

There are two sources in the first pic, Drew's Onkyo on the left, and dhwilkin's NuVista 3D on the right.

 

[saturnine]

Here are some basic impressions on the items that stood out the most (IMO):

#1) Ultrasone PROline 750: Horrible! Poor build quality (feel), poor comfort, piss poor sound quality for the price. (IMO)

#2) Sennheiser HD-201: Best budget cans out there IMO. Very fun sound, good build quality, and quite comfy. A+

#3) Headroom Max Balanced: Awesome amp! Very smooth and detailed, sounded great with both the HD650 and RS-1s. Definately in the same league as the Dynahi, maybe even better. Great board design too!

#4) Headroom Bithead- I've been wanting to try one for a long time, and Tyll was nice enough to break out a new one for me to demo. I liked it so much, I bought it

Even though its not the upgraded "Total" version, it still pushes my RS-2 very nicely and sounds better than any other portable amp I've heard with them.

#5) Sennheiser HD-485: Much larger than I expected! Sounded pretty good, with loads of bass.

#6) Bose Triports + Dynahi + Wadia: Didnt enhance the sound of the Triports at all IMO. Guess you cant polish a turd...

#6) Beyerdynamic DT-880: Meh, they were ok. I was really expecting more.

#7) AKG K501: Very comfortable, yet very lacking in low bass.

#8) Beyerdynamic DT-231: Very nice cans for the price! I like these even more than the comparably priced HD497.


All of the Headroom amps were just plain awesome. They sound good with every type of can (Grado, Senn, Sony, you name it), and include features that most other amps dont, like Crossfeed. Even the lowly Bithead has crossfeed!

I do believe that this was the first Head-Fi meet where theoretical metaphysical psychology was discussed at the lunch table

It was very interesting to say the least, who is the author of that book you were talking about Tyll?

And I know some of you guys took pics, please dont let them go to waste! Post em!

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saturnine #8) Beyerdynamic DT-131: Very nice cans for the price! I like these even more than the comparably priced HD497.

Actually, those are the DT-231's, not the DT-131's. Headroom gave the 131's an extremely poor value rating of 0.5 out of 5, due to their basslessness.

 

[saturnine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver Actually, those are the DT-231's, not the DT-131's. Headroom gave the 131's an extremely poor value rating of 0.5 out of 5, due to their basslessness.

Bah, you're right! My mistake. Fixed

 

[dhwilkin]

First, big thanks to Tyll for making the trek all the way around the country and making a stop in Raleigh, and also to Drew for providing the space. I'm so glad now it didn't get held in my apartment, all that stuff would've never fit. The lunch conversation was much more interesting and diverse than I was expecting... a metaphysical, thought-broadcasting radio station, and paint quick-drying under uv light... aren't topics I usually hear about during lunch, heh. I mostly went around listening to headphones and a few of the high-end amps.

- Balanced Max: Well, I really wasn't a believer in going balanced before, but yes going balanced can make quite a difference. Soundstage size and air were what I noticed the most. If I ever upgrade my amp again, the upgrade will definitely be balanced.

- Max: The new prototype. Unfortunately I didn't get to compare it to my current Max w/ reference module, but I expect it would be an improvement from what Tyll said. I'll reserve judgement on if it's a cost-effective improvement once Tyll figures out how much this thing will cost. Also, the current prototype is huge, I could almost fit 3 of my Max amps in the case!

- Dynahi: I think this was the maxxed out version. Very comparable in most attributes to the new Max, the main differences were in tonal qualities. Compared to the Max, the Dynahi sounds clearer (the Max is definitely warmer and softer around the edges). When choosing between them, you must consider your source as well. I thought the Dynahi just sounded too analytical w/ the Wadia, but w/ a warm tube player it'd be my first choice.

- SinglePower PPX3: I was glad to hear this amp sounded healthy this time. Nice warm, rich sound. Obviously gives up some resolution and not the biggest soundstage ever (though this could've been the Onkyo source, I dunno), but it was the easiest amp at the meet to just relax and listen to the music. I forgot to listen to Headroom's new tube hybrid, unfortunately, any comments from those who did?

- Wadia cdp: Very resolving player, neutral or slightly cold in the midrange. Great w/ great recordings, while lesser recordings were tough to listen to. I was curious to see how my W2002 would sound w/ such a player... the answer was not good. Maybe if one of the warm Singlepower amps had been used, it might've worked, but not w/ solid-state amps. My W2002 sounds much better in my setup, just another example of how the W2002 is a tough headphone to match w/ other equipment.

OK, now on to headphones:

- AKG 501: These were not bad at all, they had more bass (out of the Max) than I was expecting (though hardly overpowering). Big soundstage (not CD3000 big, though), comfortable, clear. The highs seemed a bit peaky in spots, and not smooth overall. Good headphone, though.

- Beyer 880: Nice, I rather like this one. Well-balanced sound, slightly warm and smooth. Lacking in the last bit of resolution and bass impact, but clear enough and comfortable.

- Senn 650: This headphone just isn't for me. Unlike most hi-fi headphones, which try too hard and end up being too clean and reserved or bright, this headphone seems to go the opposite way and is too thick. I think this one had the Cardas smurf cable on it. No, I haven't tried it w/ every aftermarket cable out there, nor do I intend to, though I bet the Silver Dragon would make this closer to sounding good to me.

- Senn 595: Ah, this one's better. Similar to the Beyer 880, w/ some subtle differences that I can't quite articulate after one afternoon. Still, if I had to get a Sennheiser headphone (assuming I couldn't get the Orpheus), I'd get these. Vik liked the 555 a little better, but I can't comment on that, since I didn't think to listen to the 555, maybe he'll comment more.

- Grado RS 1: The only Grado headphone I really like. If it only had a better soundstage and was more comfortable, I might own one.

- Grado SR-325: Very bright. Fun, mind you, especially w/ fast music, but just too bright over any decent period of time. This was out of a Meridian cdp and Headroom Desktop amp.

- Bose Triports: Hahaha, yeah, these suck. They're better than your average stock earphone certainly, but for the money why not just buy several pairs of Koss KSC-35 (much better sound and value)?

Oh yeah, and Tyll, don't forget to post the track listings of your reference cd compilation you had at the meet!

 

[drubrew]

First let me say, UHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! Either one of my children or my wife accidentally deleted all my digital pics from my camera. I'm so bummed. I took about 40 pictures of each comparison I made. So know I have to try and recreate a mental picture. But the pictures in my head are so blurry. Need sleeeeeeep.
All in all I had an excellent time. I actually for once really got to do some listening. Thanx Tyll for bringing a truck full of goodies

What a life just driving around to meets every week all summer long. I am so jealous. What I would give......
Ok so any way. Lets go over all the new Headroom gear. I listened to them all.
HR Micro Amp/ Micro Dac vs Portable Desktop in DVD setup:
I listened to these in 2 settings. The first was in a portable DVD setup and I compared it to the HR Desktop Portable. Both setups where in Headroom's great equipment packs. I cant remember which portable DVD's where with each, but that was not that important as the Micro Dac and the Dac in the Desktop Portable where doing all bit conversion. I used the movie RAY as comparison. I cant say in this scenario I could here that much difference. But I think the video aspect becomes somewhat of a distraction. I got to much into enjoying the movie instead of trying to analyze the sound. Which is the way it really should be. I have had a problem with listening to music lately. I have become to critical of the equipment. Where as I should just sit back and enjoy. And that is what I did with these 2 setups. Both sounded fantastic and you really cant go wrong with either for this type of setup. If a portable DVD setup is the way you are going then I would go with the single Port. Desktop setup. If you plan to do a DVD setup and then an IPOD setup. Then the Micro's might be better.The Micro's stack perfectly with the Ipod. Once again I wish I had my pictures to show this. My preference is with the Portable Desktop, which I will go into in the next comparison. The 2 setups are to the left in the picture.

HR Micro Amp/ Micro Dac (Micro Amp/Dac Module) vs Portable Desktop (Desktop Amp/Dac Module) vs Nonportable Desktop (Max Amp/Dac Module)with Meridian CD Player:
I stacked all 3 of these amps on top of each other. I tried 2 different scenarios. Scenario one was using the Meridian Dac and feeding analog to each Amp. Scenario 2 was using the Digital out from the meridian into each amp. The results between each of these scenarios was pretty consistent with comparing the amps. The Dacs in the Meridian (not sure which model) sounded very similar to the Dacs in the Desktop portable and Desktop nonportable. Even though the NonPortable Desktop Dac had an upgrade Dac over the Portable Desktop. The Meridian Dac had an good edge over the Micro Dac, but not by leaps and bounds. That is saying a lot of this little guy.
Now when comparing the sound of each headphone amp in either scenario, the biggest sound difference I heard was between the Micro and either of the Desktops. While the Micro sounds great if portability is not the direction you are heading go with a Desktop. If you have an Ipod or similar then the Micro stuff is great. I wish the Ipod had a digital out. So the only way to get the benefit of the Micro Dac is if you have a portable player with digital out obviously.
The sound difference was very subtle between the Desktop portable and Desktop non portable. But if your trying to squeeze out every extra bit of Quality then the Desktop non portable is the better amp. The Non portable had both the Max Amp and Max Dac Modules while the HR Desktop Portable had the Desktop modules. So this makes the Desktop portable the best buy in my opinion. However you have to think about the direction you want to take your system. If you want the versatility of portability and home use then the Desktop portable is the way to go with the Desktop module. You can upgrade this to the Home module but battery time will be decreased. This is what I may do anyway. If you are just going to go with a setup to go next to your computer than there is more flexibility with the Non portable Desktop. There are all kinds of upgrade possibilities. It also has a preamp output option to run a normal amp off of. I would upgrade the Amp Module first and the Dac second. I heard bigger differences between the amp boards than with the Dac's. However the upgrade dacs sounded better the higher grade you went but not at the price/quality pace the amp boards did. It must be noted I ran all of these off the Outboard Desktop Power supply. This piece is a must in my opinion. Cleaner sound is the result vs the Very Big Wall wart.

HR Max vs HR Blockhead vs Dynahi with Wadia CD Player:
Comming soon!!!!

 

[vrao81]

This was a great meet, I got to listen to some great gear and some very interesting headphones. Thanks to Tyll for making the trip and Drew for hosting.
Some quick observations about the headphone amps,

The new Headroom amps look very interesting, I think this is a really good lineup and they have made a strong effort to revamp their amps.
I listened to the the new desktop amp (bare amp without options), the Millet hybrid, and the portable amp.
They all pretty much sound the same to me. The desktop and portable amps sound really close and I don't think they sound much different. The sound can be characterized as warm, liquid, with a good soundstage and good bass slam. The Millet hybrid also sounds very close to the others, with maybe a touch of sweetness due to the tubes. Its really hard to tell though. I believe these amps are all priced the same, and I'd probably lean towards the portable amp since it would be more versatile than the others.
I did not listen to the Dynahi or the new balanced Max, as these are out of my price range anyway (I'm still a budget gear guy). In fact I didn't even listen to many of the pricier headphones either.
Doug's Headroom Max was my favorite headphone amp of the ones I listened to. The last time I heard this amp with the Nuvista I thought it was a little bright, and I even thought the same thing at this meet. When I hooked up the Max to the Onix XCD88, with Silver Dragon ICs and using the HD580w/ Blue Dragon, I thought the brightness went away and I really liked this amp. The soundstage is really nice, the overall sound is a little bit dry but I think its pretty accurate, the bass is tight and fast yet still has a good amount of slam. I would say this is a warm but accurate sounding amp. I think this amp is revealing of source and cables.
I also listened to Allen's PPA amp, and compared it to the MAX. The PPA has a noticeably larger (wider) soundstage, its also darker and more liquid sounding. It sounds more colored and less accurate than the MAX.
Overall though the PPA is a good value but I still prefer the MAX.
The only other amp I listened to was my pimeta, and its easily outclassed by anything listed above. My pimeta has a constricted soundstage, with rolled off bass, an aggressive sounding midrange, and just isn't even in the same league as any of the other amps. It just doesn't sound very musical and I don't think its a good match with the HD580. I'm still looking for a good portable amp for these cans....

Headphone observations to be posted later...

 

[vrao81]

Now for headphones...
Keep in mind I am accustomed to my HD580s, as I've had them for about three years, so I a little biased to their sound and something that sounds brighter or more forward to me may not be the same for others...

HD650 - Heard these before, I'm still not really impressed with these, they sound dark and thick and I don't really think they are worth upgrading to.

HD555 - owned these before, and sold them, I thought that was a dumb move now that I got to hear them again. They sound quite different from what I remember, they sound similar to the HD580s except richer and forward in the midrange (especially lower mids), they are lacking a little in resolution and sound ever so slightly grainy, with the same rolled off highs. I am actually impressed with these cans, although at their retail price and the fact they need an amp to sound good, you are probably better off getting the hd580 anyway. Which brings me to....

HD595 - now these are how I remember my hd555 sounding like. They are more neutral than the 555 and have less of a midrange hump. But the mids are seriously grainy here and this ruins the sound imo. I hear the same thing with the stock cable and also with the pair with the special cardas upgrade. Midrange performance is very important to me so a can that does poorly in this area is a real letdown. Get the hd555 instead.

HD201 - Now these are fun cans! Very colored but still highly enjoyable. They have a dark, smooth, liquid sound and the midrange is good without the flaws that plague most cheap headphones. These are Senns answer to the grado sr60 and i think they are even better than those. Hell I'm going to get a pair for general use myself!

EH-350 - a decent phone, a little bright and uncomfortable but otherwise ok. Would be a good budget phone until I saw the $79 price tag, which is a little steep for these which have worse build quality than the older and cheaper hd497

hd485 - good bass, and good comfort, but a bit muffled sounding. Would probably make good gaming cans.

hd280pro - Honky mids and really rolled off highs...not my cup of tea at all

These are all Sennheiser Cans...now for the non-senn stuff:

AKG 501 - Lacks bass and sounds a bit aggressive in the upper midrange. The highs seem a little uneven too. Overall they have an unbalanced sound but they are ok for some music (acoustic and jazz) but not so good for others.

Ultrasone HFI-550 - a closed headphone? A bit pricey for what you get at $189, but a pretty decent sounding phone. Fairly well balanced. Would complement the HD580s well if someone is looking for a closed phone to get. Comfortable too.

Bose Triports - Yuck! Very poor performance for this price. They are comfortable though - but they sound worse then most $30 headphones! Heck I dont think they sound any better than my old Jensen cans

Didn't listen to any grado phones as I don't care for the grado sound..
Didn't get to listen to the DT231 or the other Beyer phones..
Didn't want to listen to the CD3000 as I've heard that POS enough times

The only headphones that were interesting to me were the hd555, hd201, and hfi-550.
The amps were much more interesting...

 

[drubrew]

Yes I found the Pictures!!!!!!!