[Alwayswantmore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, I think it should've been made a little more clear ahead of time that this wasn't so much a Head-Fi meet as it was a manufacturers' show for the Carolina Audiophile Society.

While Danny deserves the credit for pulling this thing together, I played a minor role on the planning committee.

When planning started, it was a crap-shoot. How many vendors would make the trip? How many people would attend? How much space was needed?

Danny personally underwrote the event -- to the tune of several thousand out of his own pocket to pull this off (room rental, signage, etc.).

All along the goal was to do an absolutely first class headfi meet. But again, this was a first year effort for Charlotte.

As it turns out, “build it and they will come.” We had excellent participation by vendors and users alike. With no planned attempt to exclude users from showing off their gear. But as you saw, the vendor spread was significant.

This year was a learning experience (both the good and the bad). Hats off to Danny and the CAS crew for pulling off a major audio event in Charlotte. Next year's planning will benefit from knowledge gained from this year's event. One thing know one can deny: This was a significant event for any city, let alone one the size of Charlotte!

Thank you to all who attended: Vendors and users alike!

 

[ingwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alwayswantmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif While Danny deserves the credit for pulling this thing together, I played a minor role on the planning committee. When planning started, it was a crap-shoot. How many vendors would make the trip? How many people would attend? How much space was needed? Danny personally underwrote the event -- to the tune of several thousand out of his own pocket to pull this off (room rental, signage, etc.). All along the goal was to do an absolutely first class headfi meet. But again, this was a first year effort for Charlotte. As it turns out, “build it and they will come.” We had excellent participation by vendors and users alike. With no planned attempt to exclude users from showing off their gear. But as you saw, the vendor spread was significant. This year was a learning experience (both the good and the bad). Hats off to Danny and the CAS crew for pulling off a major audio event in Charlotte. Next year's planning will benefit from knowledge gained from this year's event. One thing know one can deny: This was a significant event for any city, let alone one the size of Charlotte! Thank you to all who attended: Vendors and users alike!

While I agree with you, for the most part Danny told me proceeds were for the Charlotte Audio Society. This should have been disclosed up front.

Having the raffle open to non-attendees diluted the experience, imo. Having an additional raffle, but only for people who bought additional tickets reeked of "profiteering."

Also, I would hope that *anyone* having knowledge of any secret auction bid amounts would have recused themselves from participating in said auction.

That said, I had a good time and the organizers were very nice and helpful.

But it certainly wasn't a head-fi event, not with only three hobbyists displaying their gear. Head-fi is, first-and-foremost, about the hobbyists.

Hopefully DannyB and others in the Charlotte Audio Society will continue to actively participate within the greater head-fi community.

 

[Nankai]

It was a great experience to attend Charlotte meet. The meet gave me an opportunity to talk to our friends in real world. I got very good chance to know members and vendors, make new friends and learn new things. Thanks to the host Danny, and the Carolina committee for their efforts!

 

[ingwe]

Oh...the guy selling pens and stands at the entrance was really cool. I bought a nice fountain pen!

 

[morphsci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ingwe /img/forum/go_quote.gif While I agree with you, for the most part Danny told me proceeds were for the Charlotte Audio Society. This should have been disclosed up front. Having the raffle open to non-attendees diluted the experience, imo. Having an additional raffle, but only for people who bought additional tickets reeked of "profiteering." Also, I would hope that *anyone* having knowledge of any secret auction bid amounts would have recused themselves from participating in said auction. That said, I had a good time and the organizers were very nice and helpful. But it certainly wasn't a head-fi event, not with only three hobbyists displaying their gear. Head-fi is, first-and-foremost, about the hobbyists. Hopefully DannyB and others in the Charlotte Audio Society will continue to actively participate within the greater head-fi community.

As usual, an insightful (or maybe inciteful) post. Based upon the impressions, and my own meet experiences, I would have to agree. This was a trade show and not a head-fi meet in its true sense and the organizers should have been more up front about it, IMO.

 

[unkamartin]

Hey folks,

It was fantastic putting faces and names together yesterday. Many thanks to Danny and the other members of the CAS who obviously put in many many hours of hard work to present the best CanFest I've been to in many years. The center piece, at least for me, was watching Joe Grado enjoy talking with folks, during in his presentation as well as dozens of one on one chats at the hotel then later at McIntosh’s Steak and Seafood.

I’ll try to attach a few of the images I made yesterday in hopes of sharing the memory of a once in a lifetime event with others who were there as well as for the benefit of those who would have loved to have been, but had other obligations.

Thanks,

Martin

 

[ingwe]

^^^ once in a lifetime?

 

[Alwayswantmore]

Question: Quote:

Originally Posted by ingwe /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^^^ once in a lifetime?

Answer: Joseph Grado.

 

[Alwayswantmore]

While I'm a CAS member, my comments are made from the perspective of a several year Headfi participant, who is also a lifetime audio enthusiast...

I personally felt the recruitment of vendors was an asset, in that we as participants had a chance to meet the vendors and hear equipment we otherwise would not easily have a chance to hear in the Charlotte area.

[This is my third Headfi event. None of the previous events had a fraction of the gear represented on Saturday.]

From a selfish perspective, I have a strong interest in what represents the state of the art, and there was no shortage of upper-crust cans and equipment to sample.

Cans I heard:

Sony 3000s (I may be a bit off on the model number). Short listen, but impressive from the second they were on my head. The same member had what I believe were an older set of AKGs (do not know the model number). These too were impressive.

Sennheiser 650s, both stock and w/ brand new Moon Blue Dragon. 650s balanced were my first decent phones. IMO when balanced, this is good phone. Otherwise IMO the bass is a bit bloated, soundstage somewhat restricted, and overall there's the Sennheiser' veil. Not for me.

Audio Technical 5000s (again, I may not have the model exactly right). These were brought over by Drew. I wish I had more time with them. They sounded like they are a very good phone.

Grado GS 1000s. No disrespect to Mr. Grado, but IMO the bass on these was heavier and slower than what I consider neutral. Frankly I had hoped for more. I know there are many Grado lovers, so I guess it all comes down to personal taste.

Ultrasound HFI 780. This can must be for gammers or bass freaks. In short, it gave me a headache.

AKG 701s stock cable. Nice. I could definitely live with these cans via a warm amp.

AKG 702s, ALO cabled. Outside of the K1000s (and maybe the Sony 3000s which I did not get enough time with to render a solid opinion), my favorite phone of the day. Many who heard the phone commented that in the past they thought that AKG 70Xs are a bright can. Those who made this comment universally followed up that the 702s did not sound bright on my rig (Isabella or Amphora). I have Omega's latest Alnico Single Driver speakers and DeepHemp sub. The 702s were the closest to my home speakers in terms of tone, detail and balance.

K1000s with Moon Black Dragon. No can I've ever heard creates a soundstage like the Ks. Also -- short of electrostats -- the Ks are probably the most detailed phone I've heard. The noise level at the meet made it tough to fully appreciate the Ks. But more than one person who tried them on at my station gave me the WOW these are open, or these sure don't sound like headphones comment.

Grado $50 behind-the-neck headphone (like for exercising with an iPod). Didn't get the model number, but I was very impressed. I use Ety 4Ps at the gym and for IPod use. These Grados had much better bass and sounded like a regular headphone. If you are looking for a portable phone, and don't need noise cancellation, these are worth serious consideration.

I had several other cans on during the day, but none long enough to warrant any comments.

Thanks to everyone who came by my table. Personally I had a blast, and found the event the best I've attended.

Kent

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alwayswantmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif Question: Answer: Joseph Grado.

It's my understanding that this is not the first time Joe Grado has appeared for the CAS. This isn't true?

 

[Alwayswantmore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitz /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's my understanding that this is not the first time Joe Grado has appeared for the CAS. This isn't true?

I've only been a member of CAS for a few months, so I don't know the answer. Hopefully someone with longer tenure will answer your question. Kent

 

[veloaudio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitz /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's my understanding that this is not the first time Joe Grado has appeared for the CAS. This isn't true?

I'm not a member either but looking on the CAS website it looks like he visited in 2004.

 

[ingwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alwayswantmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif I personally felt the recruitment of vendors was an asset, in that we as participants had a chance to meet the vendors and hear equipment we otherwise would not easily have a chance to hear in the Charlotte area.

'We' meaning the CAS members.

Recruitment of vendors isn't the issue we raised, and you know it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alwayswantmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif [This is my third Headfi event. None of the previous events had a fraction of the gear represented on Saturday.]

trust me, you've been to the wrong meets.

also the only gear I could listen to in that room was Ray's R10s. it all sure looked pretty though.

 

[recstar24]

Please tell me someone either recorded, or took copius notes, to archive the Joe Grado presentation. I have read through the entire thread and have only seen one post regarding the content of his presentation. The guy is a living legend (and he took care of my HP-1000's), and hopefully, his wisdom was shown with respect, and that someone took the time to archive his presentation.

 

[j24]

I wanted to congratulate Danny and everybody involved in putting this meet together. It appears that there is a bit of controversy as far as "was it a true head-fi meet or not". Personally, I never had a chance to go to one and the chance of listening to headphones and headphones amp is pretty remote in Columbia. So, this being said, I enjoyed it despite its flaws since it gave me the opportunity to listen to some gears that I only read about until Saturday.
To summarize the meet for me: I came with the thought of acquiring a new SS amp, left the meet with the certitude of getting a tube amp.
Used the same CD (Patricia Barber: Cafe Bleue) throught out the entire listening session. Though I listened to a few headphones, I concentrating on several amps with the HD650.

Dennon 7000: Listened to it at Drew table via the Grace M902 Dac + amp. I personally thought it was a nice headphone, confirming some of the
various reviews that I read on this site. Not too bass heavy but with just the right amount for my taste and very well controlled.
Though I still liked the HD650 much better and didn't have a chance to compare it to the 5000, I believe I could like these headphones (though I reallyneed to listen to the 5000).

ATH-W5000 : I wanted to like them. They were on my list to buy based on reviews I read. Just didn't care for them, especially after listening to the
Dennon 7000. They appeared to be way to thin for my taste, no sense of bass impact and a bit sterile for my taste. I didn't get a sense of the wide soundstage either. This was a major disappointment for me since based on various reviews I though I would fall in love with them. I may have to give them another chance since I also didn't get to listen to them with a CD I know.

AKG701: Well, I still don't like them but surprisingly I could get used to them when paired with the WOO 6SE. This amp brings a bit of lush to another
while sterile headphone (personal opinion)

AKG702 ALO recabled. Surprisingly I liked it with the new Amphora amp. I thought that the soundstage was pretty good and the highs very detailled with control bass. I used my own CD to listen to this combo and though I still didn't get the same overwhelming experience that a tube amp would bring, I thought that the combo was very nice (it takes away some ofthe brightness of the AKG). I pluged my own DT990 in this amp but didn't like it right immediately. Sound was boring.


Amphora: overall impression is very good though conditions in meets are not ideal for critical listening. Also, having listened to various tube amps
before listening to this one, I had to refocuse on SS amp qualities. Patricia Barber's voice was nuanced and full. Instruments were well separated and
sounded as they should. Bass was present but not overwhelming. Soundstage was good. Amp was nice looking though I personally was disapointed by its rather small presence. My problem during this meet was that my mind was immediately made up to go with tube amps. I had a hard up listening to SS amps after listening to the Woo amps.

EF1: listened to it with HD650. Like it overall though I thought the soundsage was much more restricted that the Woo WA6 SE (but can you really compare the two? price difference is quite large). EF1 was connected to Meridian. Patricia Barber sounded good despite the lack of sound extension. I could still experience the sightly warmer feel that you don't get on an SS amp. The CD tracks were warm and had impact. I was rather impress but this small amp and with a price of currently $299 I personally feel that it's a tremendous buy. I'm thinking of getting one to had to my work rig.


SA Raptor: HD650. Just didn't care for this amp. I read the reviews comparing the Woo to the raptor and would agree on the remarks. The raptor is dry and doesn't have a tube feeling. I also felt a lack of soundstage but music reproduction was accurate and this maybe it's strong point.

Woo 6SE: I guess I fell in love with it. I'm about ready to order one. I should have bought the one that Jack had and tried to convince me to get.
This was an eye opener for me and I immediately fell in love with this amp. Numerous reviews have been written about this amp and I fully agree with
most of the comments that have been written about this amp. You get simply wonderful, rich, warm and sweet sound of of this amp with plenty of
details. The soundstage was wide and deep and the synergy with the HD650 was simply overwhelming. Like I said before, the AKG sounded pleasently nice with this amp. This amp had excellent dynamics and a very deep and tight bass. Everything else that I listened after this one, didn't measure in my mind.

RSA apache: balanced HD650. Didn't have a chance to listened much to it and I simply don't have much experience with balanced rig to really talk about
this one. The apache has been on my list to buy at some point but after listening to the tube amp, I'm not sure that it will happen. The music presented through this amp was very nice indeed but was it very nice $3000. I'm not sure but then again I don't have much experience with high end rig so I will refrain to comment on something that would be wrong.

Adiotailor Jade: I read the Skylab's review on this amp and tried it immediately upon arrival. Nice amp though sound wise I would maybe give an edge to the EF1. And at the current price of the EF1, I think that for a similar sound and soundstage, the EF1 has the edge.


My son had a good time talking to the guy selling the pens. Fortunately, since he thought the all meet was kind of boring (he is 12).