[curbfeeler]

Welcome. You'll have a great time.

I attended one of these meets maybe 5 or 6 years ago, but this is the first time that I have my own gear to bring.
I'm planning on bringing my HD600's and a new tube amp that I just finished in June (see Avatar).
Also, a Periodic Audio earphone. (I'll have extra foam inserts)
Anxious to check out what everyone else brings.

 

[johnjen]

Say there curbfeeler, it's been a while since I last heard from you.
It's too bad you won't be in attendance, as I'd love to try your LCD's on my tube amps.

Have fun at RMAF.

JJ

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Meets are a great way to compare one headphone, DAC, amp, or player to another. Unlike many major purchases, the purchase of audiophile headphones is risky, as the ability to try before you buy is rare.

Another way to compare headphones is via the head-fi thread “Rank the headphones that you own.” Here, people rank order their headphones from best to worst. Someone (me) actually went through 2,000 such rankings to develop a sort of crowd-sourced headphone preference matrix, here. Here is the resulting matrix; read the post to interpret:

Another way to compare headphones is by comparing two or three at a time across a variety of acoustic characteristics, e.g., transparency, subbass, etc. This method can be extended from headphones to include DAPs, DACs, and amps. I have compared over 50 headphones, a dozen IEMs, and multiple DAPs, DACs and amps. Each is in its individual post within head-fi, but here is a list of links of about 180 comparisons.

See you in a week!

 

[dave r]

Meets are a great way to compare one headphone, DAC, amp, or player to another. Unlike many major purchases, the purchase of audiophile headphones is risky, as the ability to try before you buy is rare.

I agree. Being able to try them on is essential in selecting something that works for you.
And by the way, thanks for the other comparison info that you posted. I'll have to look at it in more detail.

Before I chose my headphones, I went to a meet and took notes. My two main considerations for comparison at the meet was Sound Quality, and Fit/Comfort. I ranked my top 5 favorites (regardless of price), and jotted down what I liked and didn't like about each. A lot of the head fi members were very knowledgeable about gear, and quite helpful answering questions.

At home, I did some homework on 2 websites -- Headphones.com and InnerFidelity.com. I found 10 or 12 headphones that were within my budget, and then compared their measurements to my "favorite" from the meet (HiFi Man HE500). That narrowed the field down to 5 or 6 to pick from.

That summer, I was planning a trip to Montana, and figured I could swing by the Headphones.com store in Bozeman with a compilation cd with my choices of test tracks. After trying out my picks and a couple of others, I ended up taking the HD600's home, because it ranked first in all of my criteria of comfort, sound quality, and budget. The AKG550 was in the running for SQ and budget, but the round ear pieces slid all over on my head. What was important was that I was able to try them out in person.

I realize a trip to Bozeman might be out of the way for most people, but it was like a candy store, after all! With a little luck, one meet may have just what you're looking for. Or with a little patience, someone could find something that meets their own criteria by attending a couple of meets or more.

One thing I didn't really consider at the time was the impedance. A lot of amps can deal with 300 ohm headphones. I know now that only certain amps can do justice for lower impedance phones. I have a custom tube amp designed by a friend specifically for my HD600's and with the output tubes that I wanted to use. We tried a pair of 50 ohm Fostex phones, which still sounded pretty decent. My amp should handle impedance down to a short circuit, so if anyone wants to try a low impedance phone on my diy amp, you can.

Looking forward to the meet next Saturday. I'm still learning.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

@dave r , I too made a pilgrimage to Bozeman’s Headroom.com store...bought my Grado RS1e there.

 

[dave r]

@dave r , I too made a pilgrimage to Bozeman’s Headroom.com store.

Not to mention, the guys are knowledgeable, friendly, and very accommodating.

 

[curbfeeler]

Say there curbfeeler, it's been a while since I last heard from you.
It's too bad you won't be in attendance, as I'd love to try your LCD's on my tube amps.

Have fun at RMAF.

JJ

Thanks. I hope to have a great time there. I've had mixed results driving the LCD2 Rev 2 with valved amps. Most affected is the bass.

 

[BIG POPPA]

Please bring power strips and an extra cable or two. There is always a need for a power cable , digital cable and ic's. Does anyone else need anything for the meet. This announcement is for peeps I haven't talked to already.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Is there any chance of a Rosson Audio RAD-0 showing up?
I've been very curious about that headphone and would like to be able to try it with my amps to find out if it's a good match for me and my gear.

 

[BIG POPPA]

Is there any chance of a Rosson Audio RAD-0 showing up?
I've been very curious about that headphone and would like to be able to try it with my amps to find out if it's a good match for me and my gear.

That would be sweet if a pair just showed up

 

[Malevolint]

I'm a little late on this but I want to attend as well! This will be my first meet and I'm excited! I've been a little obsessively shopping for snowboard gear, so I have only been on head fi in a limited manner.

I have a few things I can bring. Idk if @antdroid will make it for sure with his Anole VX but I can bring mine, too. I can bring my Sony Zx300 dap, which isn't the most exciting, but someone may be curious. I have a pair of ZMF Eikons, but I'm selling them and they may be gone before the meet, so no promises there. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the LCD-i4 though! They're pretty bad ass and I can bring those as well.

What I'd love to hear: Sony IER-Z1R and EE Legend X, or any other totl IEMs that are similar.

 

[joshnor713]

I'm a little late on this but I want to attend as well! This will be my first meet and I'm excited! I've been a little obsessively shopping for snowboard gear, so I have only been on head fi in a limited manner.

I have a few things I can bring. Idk if @antdroid will make it for sure with his Anole VX but I can bring mine, too. I can bring my Sony Zx300 dap, which isn't the most exciting, but someone may be curious. I have a pair of ZMF Eikons, but I'm selling them and they may be gone before the meet, so no promises there. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the LCD-i4 though! They're pretty bad ass and I can bring those as well.

What I'd love to hear: Sony IER-Z1R and EE Legend X, or any other totl IEMs that are similar.

You can hear my KSE1200 if I can hear your LCD-i4

I just got the IER-Z1R that I'm testing out within its return period. I'm on the fence about bringing them. Since I'm likely to return them don't want to risk anything happening. Not that I don't trust y'all , they're just super expensive.

 

[Malevolint]

You can hear my KSE1200 if I can hear your LCD-i4

I just got the IER-Z1R that I'm testing out within its return period. I'm on the fence about bringing them. Since I'm likely to return them don't want to risk anything happening. Not that I don't trust y'all , they're just super expensive.

Haha deal! I've been curious to hear those bad boys.


Maybe I can try the z1r out back behind the library? Nobody has to know lol. I understand why you wouldn't want to, but I'd appreciate the hell out of it if you did bring them! The only thing that bothers me about my Anole vx is sometimes comfort and I'm curious how I'd like the Sony vs them.

 

[joshnor713]

Haha deal! I've been curious to hear those bad boys.


Maybe I can try the z1r out back behind the library? Nobody has to know lol. I understand why you wouldn't want to, but I'd appreciate the hell out of it if you did bring them! The only thing that bothers me about my Anole vx is sometimes comfort and I'm curious how I'd like the Sony vs them.

Comfort is my biggest gripe about the IER-Z1R. They have a weird and girthy shape. But all our ears are different

I may bring them, just keep a close eye on them. I was dying to try them, so know how you feel.

 

[Malevolint]

Yeah I keep hearing that! Lucky for me I have huge ears, BUT my right ear canal has some kind of strange characteristic which causes it to produce a bit of extra moisture when I use silicone tips on my Anole. It's not the case with all IEMs though. If I use foam tips the problem is mitigated, but foam is annoying when you have to remove the iem constantly .

Either way I'll keep my fingers crossed if not, there will be tons of other great gear to hear