[Borat]

I just wanted to thank Beau (bobeau) for hosting the meet as well as providing the nice location and snacks/refreshments. You did a great job hosting your first meet. I also wanted to say thanks to the others who came out and brought along their fine gear. The turnout was relatively small, but I had a great time and I hope everyone else did, too.

Gear impressions:

E-MU 1212m (feoteng) » HeadAmp Gilmore Lite (asmox) » Grado HF-1

There is some great synergy going on here IMO. Very impressive for a relatively inexpensive setup. The 1212m is not coloring the sound much and just getting out of the way to let the Lite + Grado do its thing. In my setup, my old HF-1's sounded a little too round/warm and not as crisp/sharp as I thought the Grados should sound. But through this setup, they were sounding really great.

STAX Classic II System (SR-303/SRM313) (canloader,matt)

My first taste of electrostats and it did not disappoint. Nice, exciting sound. The front to back imaging is really good on this setup. I think this rig can do rock/pop and classical equally well. I enjoyed this a lot. And we had two of them at the meet. Thanks canloader and matt.

HE60/HEV70 Baby Orpheus system (canloader)

This was technically the most impressive can I heard at the meet. It was resolving detail, had an incredibly wide and deep soundstage, and presented everything in speaker-like form. And supposedly, this is not even the best amp for these cans? But I couldn't really spot any immediate deficiencies.

Chaintech AV710 » Theta TLC » Ack! Dack! 2.0 w/ Hi-Rez caps » Grover UR4 » SinglePower PPX3 Slam » Audio Technica L3000 (bobeau)

The headphones were not fully burned in, but they had a very lush, soothing and unfatiguing sound. Some might consider this signature boring, and I can understand that. But if you are a fan of the Sennheiser flagship dynamic sound (580/600/650), this can is sure to please you as well. It's sort of the next step you can take (a very expensive next step

) from the Senns. But it shares the same warm, laidback, and liquid midrange sound, just everything is better. Instrument separation and placement were very impressive. I think you can sit back and listen to this setup for hours on end without ever getting fatigued. Audio Technica makes some beautiful cans with great build quality.

Sennheiser HD580 (Benjamin's)- This is the first time I've heard these headphones and it does remind me very much of my HD600's when I had the stock cable on them. The HD580/600/650 comparisons have been repeated ad nauseum on this forum so I wil spare you from even more.

MHDT Lab Dialogue II DAC (bobeau) - This DAC is really cool looking. Although the empty slots on the sides were kind of strange, the acrylic chassis is very attractive. Though it does show fingerprints like crazy. It is very difficult to gauge the sound of DAC's at a meet with brief listening. But I thought it had a nice, musical sound.

Beyerdynamic DT880 (canloader) - I believe these need a nice tube amp or a tube sounding solid state amp to fill out the midrange. I think a traditionally solid state sounding amp makes them sound too dry and sometimes too bright.

Musical Fidelity A3 24 (bobeau) - Nobody was a fan of this DAC at the meet. I think after everyone heard how great the Ack! 2.0 sounded, every other source paled in comparison. So I didn't really get a chance to hear this for very long.

I didn't get around to trying a couple of things like the Woo Audio3, SuperMacro, and Audio Technica EC7 earbuds. But I was pleased with just about everything I heard at the meet.

Hope to see everyone again soon!

 

[asmox]

First, a big thanks to bobeau for hosting and organizing everything.. I had never been to a meet before, and this was definitely a great first impression. Thanks to everybody else that came out, as well.. good company all around.

I should mention that I'm not very gifted when it comes to describing the way gear sounds by use of various extravagant adjectives, I just know what I like when I hear it. With that being said - I'll try my best, hehe.

The first thing I went for was the L3000 out of the Music Hall CD25/Ack! DAC/SinglePower Slam PPX3, and I have to say that I was a bit underwhelmed. At first, I tried them with California Guitar Trio, Porcupine Tree, and Dream Theater.. and they just didn't impress at all. "Lush" was the popular word for the L3000, but they were just TOO lush for me. The entire midrange seemed bloated and over-exaggerated, leaving almost no room for anything above or below.. and such was the case for any sort of rock music that I tried. I also paired the L3000 with the EMU-1212/Gilmore Lite, and I ended up coming to almost the exact same conclusion.. except quite a bit brighter. Later on in the evening though, I tried them with canloader's WooAudio WA-3, and the guys put on some Bjork. My impression was WAY different. The L3000's really put her voice out there in a great way.. very full, immediate, and.. well.. lush. I loved it.. and that was the last I heard of them for the night.

Overall, I didn't like them at all with anything resembling rock.. but loved them with Bjork, lol. To be fair, the drivers were brand new since Beau just had them repaired, and Beau said that his old drivers had just turned into a completely different animal before he destroyed them

, so maybe I'll go back in a month or two and see if I like them any better.

Next, I managed to snag the HE60/HEV70. Unfortunately, it was so loud in the room that I didn't really get anything useful out of the listening session. I revisited them briefly later on, but I honestly don't remember enough to provide an informative opinion. Kinda sucks, cause I was looking forward to those cans. Oh well.

I did some comparisons between Cardas HD650's, Cardas HD600's, and HD580's.. and all of them were unsurprisingly similar. The main difference between the 600 and 650 was the bass - the 650 had more of it. The 650 was also the darkest of the three. The 580 was the brightest, but that's relative to the extreme warmness of the other two.. so it actually wasn't bad. Otherwise, all three had a familiar enough presentation that no glaring differences stood out to me without a good amount of focused listening. Tests were done out of EMU-1212/Gilmore Lite, CD25/Ack! DAC/SinglePower Slam PPX3.

From this point, I don't remember exactly in what order I went...

I tried the the Beyer DT880's out of the 1212/Lite, and liked them, but not to the point of "wow these are awesome!!!". Later, I tried them out of the WA-3 and liked them even more.. they reminded me of my HD650's, only more forward, which is a sound I found that I really enjoy.

I spent a considerable amount of time with the HF-1's. I had never heard Grado before, and man.. these things are great! From everything that I've read about Grado on these forums, I never imagined that I would enjoy them, which is why I passed up the HF-1.. but man am I regretting it now! I tried them with the 1212/Lite, CD25/Dialogue II DAC/Lite, and CD25/Ack! DAC/Slam PPX3.. and they were a success all around. They are very snappy, quick, and exciting.. and were especially awesome out of the Gilmore Lite - I think that amp was specially made for those cans!

I also tried them straight out of an iPod and also out of some sort of portable amp/iPod(not sure what the amp was, it wasn't labeled), and I didn't like either one.. they just sounded awful. I guess I'm keeping my HD25's for portable uses

The strangest thing is, I was totally disappointed with my HD650's when I put them on after listening to the HF-1's. To put it bluntly, they sounded lame and boring. I was amazed and also pretty stunned.. it's quite an odd feeling to find out that you're disappointed with the headphones that you were sure would be your last pair for a long time to come, lol.

I tried out the Stax models that were present, and I'm not really sure what to think. The sound is very clear and detailed, that's for sure.. but it's like they have no character. I don't really know how to explain it. I didn't hang around too long in this department.

I listened to the Musical Fidelity A3 DAC in passing (out of which cans I honestly cannot recall, might have been the HE60), and the sound was extremely bland. I don't think anybody liked that DAC, actually.

Lastly, I spent some time listening to the HD650's out of the WA-3.. and my faith in my cans was restored! I loved this combo. It gave the 650's a more forward presentation and a considerable amount of air, slam, and excitement for all kinds of music. I really didn't want to put them down.. I think this is the sound that I've been searching for!

Overall, I had a great time and it was great to meet everybody and listen to all that gear. There were several occasions where people started with the technical talk and I was a bit lost, since I'm more into the listening than the dissecting, lol, but it's all good. I'm pretty much sold on Grado, and the CD25 was very appealing since I'm in the market for a CDP. The WooAudio WA-3 and the DT880's were also highlights of the night. Though, there was a downpoint - on the way home, I stopped by the grocery store and was ultimately reminded by the cashier that I had a nametag stuck to my chest, haha

Thanks again, and hopefully we can do this again sometime!

Hopefully canloader will show up with some pics soon

 

[canloader]

Hi, I'm here and will edit this post with impressions and pics when I get home!
Awesome meet! Thanks to the host Beau and great to see some familiar and new faces. BRB - !

AT-L3000 and Senn HE60 sound off - Fun! fun !

yea! toe-tapping fun!

Must concentrate...

The Hornet sure Stung me! the sound was huge.

Some awesome tube rolling from Beau

DAC heaven!

Hmm let's see what this track sounds like ~ HE60

Which interconnects to try next...

Just setting up !

 

[matt8268]

My impressions from the meet:

- I figured out I love Grados. It's my first time with them, and I fell in love with the HF-1's at the meet.
- The Singlepower PPX Slam is one hell of a headphone amp.
- I also fell in love with the Ack Dack 2.0 with upgraded caps. For me it easily bested all the other DAC's there (can't remember which ones exactly). We were speculating it could be because the Ack runs on battery power, so it had a huge advantage over all the other dirtily powered ones.
- I compared the Hornet and the Supermacro v3 with OPA627 opamps (sourced by my iPod and playing through HF-1's). For my ears, I slightly preferred the Supermacro (a little less harsh), but they were very similar. I don't think I could remember a difference unless I had them side by side.
- I didn't like the Sennheiser HD650s or the L3000's at all. For me it's one of those situations where I can't understand how anyone likes them. But it takes different strokes to move the world.
- The HE60/HEV70 (Baby O) is very, very nice. I thought my Stax 3030 had sweet highs, but man, nothing compared to this combo. It also had more bass and impact than my 3030 setup.

My takeaway is this: I will most likely keep my Stax setup for classical or when I want to hear the musicians breathe, and will be creating some kind of Grado setup for everything else...ideal would be Grado + Singlepower.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmox Next, I managed to snag the HE60/HEV70. Unfortunately, it was so loud in the room that I didn't really get anything useful out of the listening session. I revisited them briefly later on, but I honestly don't remember enough to provide an informative opinion. Kinda sucks, cause I was looking forward to those cans. Oh well.

I noticed that the majority of us there were a pretty talkative bunch, which is a bad formula for critical listening at a meet. But you made an effort to be quiet so I'm sorry.

I forgot to tell you guys this during the meet, but on the way there I saw another meet taking place. The drive down the 5 from Orange County was beautiful that morning by the way. Anyway, I witnessed some sort of Hummer vehicle club meet. There was a caravan of 20+ Hummers (mostly 1's) driving on the 5 with people parked on the side of the freeway taking pictures of the fleet. It was pretty cool.

Of course, they probably had to stop every 10 miles to refill their tanks.

 

[grandenigma1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat I noticed that the majority of us there were a pretty talkative bunch, which is a bad formula for critical listening at a meet. But you made an effort to be quiet so I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you guys this during the meet, but on the way there I saw another meet taking place. The drive down the 5 from Orange County was beautiful that morning by the way. Anyway, I witnessed some sort of Hummer vehicle club meet. There was a caravan of 20+ Hummers (mostly 1's) driving on the 5 with people parked on the side of the freeway taking pictures of the fleet. It was pretty cool. Of course, they probably had to stop every 10 miles to refill their tanks.

H1s have two gas tanks totaling about 51 gallons and get about 15mpg... they can go a very very long time

...it just sucks when you have to spend over $100 to fill up

I do love the looks we get when my off-road club goes out on a trail run and there are about 10-15 us of roaring down the road with the smallest tire size being 35"

Now lets see some pic!!!!

 

[Borat]

grandenigma1, your post in this thread reminded me of something I forgot to ask out loud at the meet. Someone had one of your interconnects and I'm pretty sure it was defective. I'd have to ask the owner, but since I don't know who it was, I'm asking everyone here.

While we were switching amps/DAC's around, the amp connected through the Enigma Audio cables wasn't working. But as soon as we switched to the Grovers, everything was okay. Can the owner confirm if the interconnects are working or not?

 

[grandenigma1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat grandenigma1, your post in this thread reminded me of something I forgot to ask out loud at the meet. Someone had one of your interconnects and I'm pretty sure it was defective. I'd have to ask the owner, but since I don't know who it was, I'm asking everyone here. While we were switching amps/DAC's around, the amp connected through the Enigma Audio cables wasn't working. But as soon as we switched to the Grovers, everything was okay. Can the owner confirm if the interconnects are working or not?

Yes, please let me know. Shot me a PM and we will get it taken care of ASAP.

 

[canloader]

Pics are going UP !
Check previous post ^

 

[canloader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat grandenigma1, your post in this thread reminded me of something I forgot to ask out loud at the meet. Someone had one of your interconnects and I'm pretty sure it was defective. I'd have to ask the owner, but since I don't know who it was, I'm asking everyone here. While we were switching amps/DAC's around, the amp connected through the Enigma Audio cables wasn't working. But as soon as we switched to the Grovers, everything was okay. Can the owner confirm if the interconnects are working or not?

Yes, I was working with Borat to troubleshoot the problem and it turned out to be the enigma interconnects with a pink and white wire I believe... I remember the actual terminations with the screw tight clamp and a green mesh for isolation. Very cool build!

 

[grandenigma1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by canloader Yes, I was working with Borat to troubleshoot the problem and it turned out to be the enigma interconnects with a pink and white wire I believe... I remember the actual terminations with the screw tight clamp and a green mesh for isolation. Very cool build!

Ah alrighty I know just the ones... the pretty pink ones

Ill get it taken care of. Odd that both channels would be shorting though. Guess I will find out

Looks like some fun was had

The green mesh was used to protect the plugs in shipping... but i suppose they could be used to protect and insolate them in general.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmox The strangest thing is, I was totally disappointed with my HD650's when I put them on after listening to the HF-1's. To put it bluntly, they sounded lame and boring. I was amazed and also pretty stunned.. it's quite an odd feeling to find out that you're disappointed with the headphones that you were sure would be your last pair for a long time to come, lol. I tried out the Stax models that were present, and I'm not really sure what to think. The sound is very clear and detailed, that's for sure.. but it's like they have no character. I don't really know how to explain it. I didn't hang around too long in this department.

Ah, Grado vs. Senns. I think we have another convert! Your ears weren't deceiving you, they indeed have radically different signatures, and it sounds like your ears are Jonesing for some Grados now

As for electrostats I felt the same way you did when I listened to the Baby O system, and even Daddy Os through a KGSS. But my ancient Lambda Pros/SRM-1 MKII combo is really musical and enjoyable while keeping that razor edge electrostatic response. Yes, a Grado lover can also be a STAX lover!

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

I think if you listen to the right music, the HE60/Stax are outstanding, but for anything that requires impact bass, they disappoint tremendously. I'm sure there are people out there who only listen to classical/soft stuff and hence find the HE60/Stax systems "elite," but for any rock or rap I can't tolerate them...

Maybe I'm just a UE-10 man or something. Everything else just sounds inferior to my ears.

-Matt

 

[canloader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 I think if you listen to the right music, the HE60/Stax are outstanding, but for anything that requires impact bass, they disappoint tremendously. I'm sure there are people out there who only listen to classical/soft stuff and hence find the HE60/Stax systems "elite," but for any rock or rap I can't tolerate them... Maybe I'm just a UE-10 man or something. Everything else just sounds inferior to my ears. -Matt

Oh yea,
Not to leave out the crazyfrenchman.
I think we were too noisy? 770-isolate

And Matt in the background lovin' the HF-1/Ack!/SLAM

 

[feoteng2003]

My impressions:

ATH L3000: Sorry, ATH sound is really not for me. Even I noticed that L3000
is much neutral than other ATH Headphones, but I just feel it's a colored sound

HE60/HEV70 Baby Orpheus system
It's KING. Oh, god. I see heaven!
For me, the sound is between HD580 and HD590 then push the sound to the limit.
Surprisingly it doesn't sound like HD600 or HD650. Especially I can point out
the bass on it is totally different form HD650.
No DARK sound anymore. HE60 is really bright like Grado or Stax for me.
The sound is really full, real, tasty, and in good position.
And the price is reasonable for me. Excellent choice for any headphone fans.

STAX Classic II System
I heard this before. Still great for chamber music
But I still think 007 is really the ultimate STAX sound.

Didn't have chance to try too many things there. Sigh...