[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob N Who owns the SDS-T?

Me.

 

[RnB180]

 

[Kurt]

The drinks between all these electronics let me shiver.

 

[Edwood]

LOL, except, 90% of them were empty.

Those that weren't were used for emergency cooling of the really hot gear there. Woah, it's a scorcher in there.

Even worse in the smaller room.

I'm definitely wearing shorts for Sunday.

OK, I just got home, I'll post a few pics, but looks like most everyone has posted a good amount of pics already. I'll just post the nice pretty pr*n instead.

Peter, no worries, I'll get some nice macro shots of the modded DAC1 tomorrow. Uh, later today. crap, I have to goto sleep.

-Ed

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Products I was impressed by at the meet:

MDR-SA5000: Best dynamic headphone under $1000. Fast, detailed, revealing. The HD650 fanboys must have been smoking something when they condemned this headphone. The only problem I had with it is that it makes bad recordings sound really crappy...don't know if I could live with that...I listen to soooo many bad recordings. :-/

Benchmark DAC-1: Just a tremendous source and amp. Everything it touched turned to gold. MDR-SA5000, AKG-K1000, HD595, HD600, HD650, MS-2, RS-1, AKG340...just sounded wonderful. I think I'd take this over the meridian G08 from the point of convenience and SQ. BUY THIS PRODUCT!

Headroom Micro DAC: Sounds a little warmer and hence less detailed than the Benchmark DAC-1, but otherwise very comparable. I can see why some people like lan prefer it in a bright setup. Much better than the E-MU stock or modded cards. A complete steal for $300. If you're looking for a source upgrade in this price range, I urge you to check out headroom's offerings in this category.

UE-10: Best listening device I've ever heard. Still. Completely worth $900. Friendly customer support. Fast, detailed, jaw-dropping bass, portable, discreet, sounds wonderful from crap sources/amplification, and provides isolation. What is there not to like? BUY THIS PRODUCT!

Products I was shocked by at the meet:

K3000: Sounded like live music...played underwater. Combined with a tube amp, it sounded like the bands were playing at the bottom of the ocean. The K1000 was vastly superior. Why would anyone butcher a K1000 for this sound?

Modded Benchmark DAC-1: It sounded pretty much like the DAC-1...That in itself is not a bad thing, for the DAC-1 is a tremendous source...except it costs twice as much as the DAC-1. If you wince really hard and try to imagine things, you might notice a little more detail from the ground floor (like heck I could pick that up in ABx, though).

Headroom Micro Amp (portable): Not enough instrument separation and a smeared attack. I think xin's and ray's offerings are technically superior, IMO (No offense, Tyll, you're a cool guy). Tyll's DAC rules, though.


Just some things off the top of my head,

Matt (that's me in the first pic from RnB180's last post, btw)

 

[Edwood]

OK, some pics, yeah, I don't really need sleep.

One of the items in the pic below cost Tyll at least $900. I'll give you a hint, it's not the CD-R.

Happy birthay, Big Kahuna.

OK, NOW I'm going to sleep.

-Ed

 

[Ferbose]

First, let me thank LFF and Ed for organizing the meet. Your efforts are highly appreciated

I feel lucky to meet so many friendly headphiles in my first head-fi meet. It is so cool to have Tyll and Ray around to chat with. Tyll dragged boxes of good stuff and is a true spokesperson for head fidelity. His understanding of headphone-related equipment amazes me. Ray is a charismatic guy with tons of good humor. His passion for audio is not to be underestimated--he had been buiding audio equpment since he was 12. He has very strong opinions about many headphones and those opinions are hilarious.

The gears were located in three palces: a big room, a small room and a remote corner. It is a very nice place for a meet. The big room was crowded with all the gear and people and critical listening was impossible except for headphones with super isolation. The smaller room where I setup my K1000 is quieter and I did some critical comparison there. The corner has some intersting stuff too. I had limited exposure to hi-end headphones before so it is a good chance for me to sample their different flavors--like a kid in a candy store.

Stax Omega II driven by KGSS: the listening environment is not ideal but I was swept away by its effortless presentation. A lower model Stax (couldn't tell the model) has similar details but seems a little colder.

Senn HD650 driven by Headroom Max seems to sound more detailed than from Singlepower PPX or my Cayin, but I didn't get to critically compare. The Max crossfeed function helps create a soundatage more centered and deeper--very cool. I think HD650 is a true all-around headphone. It has its coloration but appears to be euphonic.

Beyerdynamic DT880: I was quite a fan of the Beyer house sound from several units I heard today. DT880 is a great all-arouind phone just like HD650, with more clarity but less bass. My rough impression is that they sound particularly good with Jazz. On classical DT880, HD650 and K501 appear to similarly good.

AKG K340 (Jon L's): This is rare but really good stuff. Very even across the frequency range. The treble is purer than HD650, DT880 or K501. Bass is not lacking either. This hybrid technology to me sounds more dynamic than electrostatic, but with really clean highs. I would probably prefer them over HD650, DT880 or K501 for classical and jazz, but not K1000.

Grado PS-1 and RS1: These headphones sound sweet with pop and rock music. The bass is right there and everything is presented with emotions. I am a classical and jazz person but I would go for Grados if pop music is my thing.

Sony SA5000: It sounded insanely good with Pink Floyd's DSOTM SACD, with details flying in every direction. But on several other recordings thier sibilance is somewhat annoying, even from my Cayin class A, single ended tube amp. It has a strong emphasis on certain things but loses neutrality.

ER4: Better than ER6 I have heard before but I can't stand both Ety's fit for 3 min. I can't really evaluate Ety's because of the odd feeling.

Shure E5: Using the squeezable foams, for me it is much more comfortable than Ety. It sounds quite balanced and detailed. Nothing stands out too much and most things are there. I think it behaves politely in mids and highs for an in-canal phone.

UE-10: After listening to all these top headphones from various companies, my biggest suprise is how different they all sound and yet I can't say which is right or which is wrong. They all have different sonic aesthetics and can shine with the right music and equipment synergy. But if a trusted headphone expert tells me UE-10 is the golden standard of audio neutrality and clarity (one of them did), I might believe him. If someone says HD650 is the reference of neutrality then I would not buy into that, due to those euphonic (and yummy) colorations. UE-10 really shines with violin sound, which IMHO is the hardest thing to do right in calssical. I am impressed that the details don't jump out and grab my attention, which is how many hi-end cans is tuned. The bass is so fast and impactful and I am wondering if that is realistic or not (too much bang and too little boom?).

Tomorrow I will try to get more impressions on R10, HD590, different Stax and Ray's amps. You guys can expect much more equipment reports from me (including k3000 and modded K1000 vs stock K1000). Hopefully I will do more tube amp comparison, too. But these are more like filed reports than careful evaluations. Please read everything I say with a grain of salt.

 

[brianknewbie]

crazyfrenchman,

Wow, very strong praise for that SA5k you guys borrowed-- I think you like it more than I do. I keep wanting to put it up for sale but there's a nagging voice at the back of my head that says I need to give it more of a shot first....

Naturally I'm curious to hear what people think about stock DAC1 vs. modded -- not so much because I'm defensive or anything like that, but I am genuinely interested in what the reaction is

-- so I found this part really interesting:

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 Modded Benchmark DAC-1: It sounded pretty much like the DAC-1...That in itself is not a bad thing, for the DAC-1 is a tremendous source...except it costs twice as much as the DAC-1. If you wince really hard and try to imagine things, you might notice a little more detail from the ground floor (like heck I could pick that up in ABx, though).

I'm really curious what the results of the comparison tomorrow will be -- maybe it's just me, but what I remember (from memory, not ABx) the differences between stock DAC1 and Empirical modded DAC1 were more apparent when I went through Balanced Reference etc rather than relying on the the DAC1's built-in amp. (Only the DAC portion of the unit was modded; the headphone amp part is stock in both).

Also I think the quality of recording matters -- basically I wouldnt expect night & day difference between stock & modded but whatever differences are more easily seen when not held back by amp, bad recording etc.

Then again, a lot of this is just speculation -- and for this reason, I'm looking forward to tomorrow! From talking to Edwood, it sounds like he has all the equip for a definitive comparison between the two

Also -- I'm hoping there will be time tomorrow to do a comparison between stock Transit and modded Transit ("Offramp Turbo")-- I'll bring both in tomorrow.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianknewbie crazyfrenchman, Wow, very strong praise for that SA5k you guys borrowed-- I think you like it more than I do. I keep wanting to put it up for sale but there's a nagging voice at the back of my head that says I need to give it more of a shot first.... Naturally I'm curious to hear what people think about stock DAC1 vs. modded -- not so much because I'm defensive or anything like that, but I am genuinely interested in what the reaction is -- so I found this part really interesting: I'm really curious what the results of the comparison tomorrow will be -- maybe it's just me, but what I remember (from memory, not ABx) the differences between stock DAC1 and Empirical modded DAC1 were more apparent when I went through Balanced Reference etc rather than relying on the the DAC1's built-in amp. (Only the DAC portion of the unit was modded; the headphone amp part is stock in both). Also I think the quality of recording matters -- basically I wouldnt expect night & day difference between stock & modded but whatever differences are more easily seen when not held back by amp, bad recording etc. Then again, a lot of this is just speculation -- and for this reason, I'm looking forward to tomorrow! From talking to Edwood, it sounds like he has all the equip for a definitive comparison between the two Also -- I'm hoping there will be time tomorrow to do a comparison between stock Transit and modded Transit ("Offramp Turbo")-- I'll bring both in tomorrow.

That is possible, too...the two of us were using the built-in amps because it was so easy to switch between sources/amps in one fell swoop.

But is the amp section of the Benchmark DAC-1 really that bad?

Also, the Sony is the nuts in detail...what are you going to replace it with?

-Matt

 

[Jasper994]

I'm getting ready to jump in the shower before heading out to today's meet.

I only really managed to listen to a couple things yesterday, but was very impressed with Headroom's Desktop Amp. It's a little warmer than I'm used to with a big bottom end, but it was very enjoyable. Thanks very much for coming Tyll, you and all your gear added a lot to this meet.

I'll be listening to Ray's line up of amps today as I didn't get to the yesterday.

I also got to spend a little time with Tyll's Sensaphonics and the UE 10 Pro. While it seems like I would really enjoy both, I'd have to say that, at least from my initial impressions, the UE 10 Pro is superior. Let me just take a moment here to say: The UE 10 Pro seemed to do everything right. Gobs of detail, excellent balance, and they sounded good with everything I threw at them (hip hop, pop, acoustic guitar, jazz, etc.). I'll be spending a bit more time with them today and will report back my thoughts.

Everybody was awesome! It was really great to put names to so many faces!

I want to also say thanks very much to Ray, Tyll, Luis and Ed, as well as everyone else for helping to make this such a wonderful meet.

I look forward to the second half today.

I also want to say thanks to Orpheus, who gave me a ride in his Z06!

That thing was SWEEEEEEEET! Thanks again man!


-EDIT-

Oops!!! almost forgot! Thanks Tyll for the Headroom hat! That's the first time I've worn a hat for more than a few seconds in years! It's really a nice, very well made hat. I was VERY supprised by its quality. Anyway, thank you very much! I will wear it with pride!

 

[applegd]

Great meet!! I hope I can attend one in NY in future.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianknewbie crazyfrenchman, Wow, very strong praise for that SA5k you guys borrowed-- I think you like it more than I do. I keep wanting to put it up for sale but there's a nagging voice at the back of my head that says I need to give it more of a shot first.... Naturally I'm curious to hear what people think about stock DAC1 vs. modded -- not so much because I'm defensive or anything like that, but I am genuinely interested in what the reaction is -- so I found this part really interesting: I'm really curious what the results of the comparison tomorrow will be -- maybe it's just me, but what I remember (from memory, not ABx) the differences between stock DAC1 and Empirical modded DAC1 were more apparent when I went through Balanced Reference etc rather than relying on the the DAC1's built-in amp. (Only the DAC portion of the unit was modded; the headphone amp part is stock in both). Also I think the quality of recording matters -- basically I wouldnt expect night & day difference between stock & modded but whatever differences are more easily seen when not held back by amp, bad recording etc. Then again, a lot of this is just speculation -- and for this reason, I'm looking forward to tomorrow! From talking to Edwood, it sounds like he has all the equip for a definitive comparison between the two Also -- I'm hoping there will be time tomorrow to do a comparison between stock Transit and modded Transit ("Offramp Turbo")-- I'll bring both in tomorrow.

Brian, thanks for bringing all that gear, including the modded DAC1. I tried to do A-B comparisons with stock DAC1 in the big room through your Gilomore Balanced Reference amp and also in the small room via DAC1's headphone output.

The problem was the big room was too noisy and the small room didn't use a separate amp. I won't be able to make it Sunday, but hopefully you guys will post more impressions, especially mated with modded Transit.

Even under "show conditions," through balanced reference amp, I believe I heard a bit more clarity and cleanliness along with better resolution with modded DAC1. Through DAC1's headphone out, it was harder to notice but through certain CD's, like the Miles DAvis CD, there were longer decays to instruments. But it's hard to critique much when EVERY setup with stock and modded DAC1 sounded awesome with every 'phone!

My experience is that DAC differences are much more easy to tell when compared on all-out speaker systems, where imaging, 3-D presentation, soundstage life-likeness, bass "imaging" come into play.

As a former Grado HP1000 owner, I found new respect for the Grado's at this meet. The balanced PS-1, regular RS-1 were both very impressive. PS-1 was more revealing with better bass, but I rather enjoyed RS-1's warmer musicality in the mids. MS2 was noticeably brighter than both, and methinks will need a good tube amp. SA5000 had even more treble, but what was there was very resolved, smooth, and impressive. But there was simply too much emphasis focused in the treble, sounding less balanced than even my "nude" K1000 and Ferbose's K1000. Need more time with different amps...

I think the "perfect" headphone would be a hybrid of R10 and Omega II, combining the microscopic musicality in mid/treble of R10 with harmonic completeness and bass of Omega II. It would be a weird reverse hybrid of my modded K340, where R10's dynamic driver is used for mid/treble and Omega II's electrostat is used for bass, all in one Huge enclosure. LOL, Larry are you listening?

Once again, thanks to everyone involved for a great meet, with special thanks to Peter for bringing an extra LCD monitor and helping carry my stuff, and also to Jasper994 for helping trying to repair my computer when it died on me possibly from a blown PS or Mobo. If anyone knows a good, reliable computer repair shop near Fullerton, CA, plese let me know or PM me.

 

[akwok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 K3000: Sounded like live music...played underwater. Combined with a tube amp, it sounded like the bands were playing at the bottom of the ocean. The K1000 was vastly superior. Why would anyone butcher a K1000 for this sound?

What's amp was used for the K3000? This is making me uneasy.

 

[Gord SW Ont]

Nice pictures RnB180! I especially like the captions (they add a lot) and the text showing the model make and numbers on the lineup of portable type amps. Great stuff!

BTW what camera did you use? Don't worry I realize that it is the photographer more than the equipment that gives such good results.

... but I'm curious.

Edited to add: Apologies to the other picture takers (especially nanahachi who was the one who added the captions to his photos). I wasn't clear that I was talking about all the photos which really help give a "feel" for the meet. Thanks!

 

[Salt Peanuts]

Did the modded Electrocompaniet ECD-1 make it to the meet? If so, anyone has any impressions?