[audiofrk]

Best sound at the meet. Too bad like four people heard it.

I feel like I should stick up for the newbies that where at the event. There were a lot of new members at the meet me included and the few rigs I checked were awesome I heard awesome things I never even knew about. However I was actually trying to research a new portable rig (but the price I won was for a transportable rig go figure) thus though I started the day listening to the members rigs (and loving them gorgeous rigs) I had prioritized my time at the vendors table due to being there to actually shop for a set up not many brick and mortar shops In SoCal. I think this was the mentality of a lot of the newer members for most of us we only ever read about the gear at the vendors tables, hearing about a piece of equipment and listening to it yourself are two different things. Maybe in the future we could have a day for vendors and a day for members because I ran out of time and didn't even get to listen to half of the gear I wanted to

Hello Mr Rabbit Leg audiofrk! I still can't believe you won twice in the raffle, that was pretty awesome. Anyways it was a blast talking with you and hanging out at Warren's birthday party. Hope you're loving your new Geek 450. 

Haha definitely it was cool to meet you next time I challenge you to a game of pool!

Member rooms had less traffic through out in comparison than in previous meets but was nice as got some more chances to get to talk with those in our surrounding tables and with people who did come to our tables were a real treat to talk to. Frank and his set up was outstanding and Frank was great to chat with. Last meet it was certainly a gauntlet for me and my friends to get through all the vendors to fill out the lottery, I can only imagine how it was this meet to get raffle tickets.

Dinner was a blast with so many people showing up and playing pool was fun even if I was terrible at it   Jumped in during a game and was shooting the wrong colors for like half the game 

Definitely good to chill with head fiers at warrens bday, cool to talk about gear at the meet, Even cooler to grab a beer with head fiers

 

[darinf]

 
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/21016768@N07/14893612045/
 
This is the best looking Fostex T50RP that I have ever seen. Who's the owner of that?

Those were at my table. They are Paradox Slants built by Luis (LFF). Those are his personal demo pair on loan to me. I need to take some more details photos of them. The paint job is amazing. The sound is even better. You can contact Luis via his website. My pair are on order, but I am using those in the meantime.

 

[FrankCooter]

Huge thanks to Ethan and Warren for running a very well organized, well attended, and hugely fun meet. Absolutely killer raffle! Lots of new faces and the largest assembly of headphone related vendors I've ever seen. With the near extinction of "brick and mortar" audio stores, meets like this are about the only way one can audition a large variety of gear, establish personal preferences, and began to assemble a personally tailored audio system.

I enjoy the gear, but after nearly a dozen meets my primary focus is on the people. I always get a recharge from familiar faces and never fail to make a new friend or two.

I appreciate the comments about my DIY 845 electrostatic amp.I have a tradition of bringing a new amp to each meet. Often these amps are less than a week old when they're shown. Some are hits and some are misses, but all criticisms and comments are welcome.

Despite the layout sheets, I think a fair number of people were unaware of the personal rigs around the corner from the main commercial rooms. Perhaps a few signs would be helpful next time around.

For you people that never got down our way, you missed quite a bit. In the Warner Center room we had a vinyl rig with a vintage Sherwood receiver. This is a great, but inexpensive way to drive an HE-6. We also had a Bottlehead kit amp with an HD-600. Bottlehead kits are not only one of the best ways to drive HD-600/650's, but they are perhaps the best entry point into tube DIY there is. We also had a very nice pair of solid-state kit amps that drove the LCD-2 with ease.

Across the hall from us were the original and best of the HD-800 modders with their latest improvements. Also in the room was one of the most advanced computer based audio systems I've ever seen. To top it off, there was Head Amp/ SR-009 Stax system who's owner builds his own electrostatic headphones. Last but not least, the two rooms probably contained a century or more of audiophile experience. We like to share. So come on down next time!

Thanks again Ethan and Warren. You guys are great!

 

[Dean Seislove]

  Best sound at the meet. Too bad like four people heard it.
 

Frank's amps are always wonderful to hear, and I personally really the look. As far as "best," well, I can never say what I liked the most at these events. I want everything! A system for every corner of the house, the car, work, sitting on the porch...you get the idea...

 

[Dean Seislove]

Just to join in the chorus of praise for Warren and Ethan, Huzzahs! I learn so much and meet so many cool people at these meets that I'm really grateful for the tremendous amount of work that everybody puts in to stage these events. Each time I go, I hear something new to desire. This time: A pair of vintage Stax headphones and the Woo Audio GES. Not the latest thing, but definitely a  sound that I could live with for a long time. Thanks again, everybody. The only thing missing was Michael Mercer to liven things up!

 

[warrenpchi]

 

  I had a chance to try the secret prototype amp and it sounded very good to me.

 
Total bummer! I was waiting for someone to fill out the survey, then I wandered off, thinking that I'd be back later. I made many rounds, and listened to practically everything several times, but never remembered to come back to it. Foolish me! I'll just have to wait until it's in production, I guess. 

 
Actually, Hajime has it.  Maybe you can convince him to bring it to the next LAOCAS function? 

 

  hahaha I'm new around these here parts but I got to admit the way you guys talk about the number of women at meets is comical.

 
Hey dude, there are like six women in all of Head-Fi.  One was in Texas at the time of the meet.  Another didn't show up.  And four women were at our meet.  I'm pretty proud of that. 

  Now if only I could get Grado to come to one of our meets (because they NEVER EVER go to meets), then my meet organizer bucket list will be complete.
 

  I'ts a shame that a vast majority of people didn't go into the last room on the way to the restroom. There was a lot amazing gear in that room. I'd say the best gear in the whole place were all in that room.

 
You mean the room you were in? 

  Or the room that @FrankCooter was in.
 

 

 
That deer-in-the-headlights look on @Allanmarcus is priceless... bordering on memeworthy.
 

  Hajime (third_eye) for being super nice

 
Oh wait, Hajime is just Hajime.  Now that I think about it, I'm not sure he even has a Head-Fi account.  Ethan is third_eye. 

 

 

 
Nah, I think he's about to get the new (and as-of-yet-unannounced) K12.  Wait, did I just say that out loud?
 

  Anyway... I am here to tell all you folks that are reading this thread..NEXT TIME... don't miss out..put a head-fi meet on your bucket list if you must.. but go.. as a newbie.. I was so overwhelmed by both the welcome by other users and the graciousness of all the vendors in attendance...
 
So I ask you.. when the next meet is scheduled in your area.. what are you gonna do?... Make your day.. plan ahead.. and go have fun

 
Damn skippy! 

  Thanks for making the drive all the way out here man!  BTW, how fast were you going?  I went to your neck of the woods a few years back, and as I recall, it took longer than six hours.
 

I only had 2 1/2 hours to spend at the meet (turned into 3). As a first timer I thought it would be plenty of time.

 
LOLOLOLOL! 

 

 

 

As a relativity new head-fier, I had an eye-opening experience at the Sennheiser table listening to a balanced hd 650 through their HDVA-600 amp. No veil and sounded great, which was not my previous experience with those headphones.

 
It really helps when they are properly amped right?  I mean like, it's a whole other headphone. 

 

 

  I had a chance to try the secret prototype amp and it sounded very good to me. ...

 
What prototype ?  from which Brand ?? 

 
I think it's a secret prototype amp? 

 

 

 
But meeting people who hear exactly what you are saying and speak it back to you.... "I know right? And two transformers! E Core transformers that are custom wound!... BOOOSH! Mind Blower!"

 
I love that!  Because how often do people just "get you" and get what this hobby is all about? 

 

  What a great-meet.  I was the guy who ended up taking home the unloved Japanese-jazz import CD's from the raffle and they are really great (Jazz is my genre of choice).

And for those of you who were at the meet last year, Ben (dsound) is also the one who made us those headphone shot glasses, and brought us scotch! 

 

Originally Posted by LemSkee /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Wish someone didn't beat me to that aluminum headphone stand purchase though LOL!

 
That happened to me once... ONCE.  

 

  Glad to see Apogee bring in some toys.  Big fan of the company even though they have not been involved in our hobby much until now.

 
Ethan, Mike (Liang), and I went to NAMM earlier this year to convince them that they should consider hanging out is us personal audio folk... seeing as how they already have a small but rabid fan base here.
 

 

 
"Crossfeed" just had it's ass handed to it by Mr. Fong.

 
Darin, you should get permission to put that quote on your site. 

  It'd be killer!
 

 
My friend Alex and a couple people told me I should check out the the SUBPAC seat tactile transducer. Brian gave me a great demo. I think it would be a perfect complement to Out Of Your Head especially for watching movies. That sub-bass information makes a huge difference when watching an action movie.

 
Lol, when I first saw that, I joked with Ethan that we had just seen the birth of Ass-Fi. 

 

  I also think it's hilarious that the gentleman manning the super-secret headphone amp at your table was also celebrating his birthday!

 
I know, Hajime almost didn't make it because of that.  But I'm glad he convinced his family to let him come! 

  There was another birthday at the meet as well, but I'm not sure I'm supposed to talk about that.
 

  Apparently the enclosure will be completely different from what we saw, so I won't comment on the looks/size/shape of the amp in question. As far as sound goes, it was the perfect time and place to try out the amp, since there were so many other LCD setups at the meet to compare with, albeit not immediate or directly so I was really going off memory so this is all IMO.

 
Yeah, almost everything outside of the amp's circuit design will be changed.  That was mostly a field test of the amp's basic design and voicing.  I agree in that I thought it sounds pretty darned good myself! 

 

  I was concerned with the gain though - it got really loud, really quickly, so unless it was packing a ton of power, this thing needs a more usable volume control. It would be tough to use this with sensitive headphones in the current setup, and darn near impossible with IEMs. Also, with it being balanced output only, it definitely limits the amount of headphones you can use with it, and I'm always an advocate for versatility in my amps, if you can do it without harming the signal.

 
Well then what I'm about to say will blow your mind... that amp - yes, that desktop amp - was battery powered. 

 

 
They really sang, and I don't think I heard a better Audeze setup all day. If those small issues like smoother volume control and SE output are fixed with a price tag in the $600-$800 range I think this could be one heck of a good deal and easily compete with stuff in the >$1000 market sound quality-wise.

 
Wow, that's pretty high praise!  I honestly don't know if the SE output will happen, as I heard it's supposed to be exclusively balanced (output).  I will beseech the powers that be, but I'm just not sure that it will happen. 

 

  Best sound at the meet. Too bad like four people heard it.
 

 

  Hey!  I have an idea!  Anybody out there want to chip in some money with me?  Maybe we can get a member-supplied giveaway prize and get Frank in on the giveaway?  That would be killer! 

  If everyone hears his stuff, it might lead to a whole new resurgence in DIY.
 

  Sorry I missed the birthday dinner Warren! Mikey and I had to make a pilgrimige to Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas Ribs. It's a mandatory stop every time I go to the valley.

 
No worries dude!  

  God willing, I shall have more birthdays. 

 

  Jumped in during a game and was shooting the wrong colors for like half the game 

 
Hey, who's side were you on anyway? 

 

 
Also, one of the Questyle reps said that his favorite rig at the meet was my vintage vinyl setup. 

 
Along with your Sherwood. 

  You're rig reminded me of the wide-eyed wonderment I had for vinyl when I was five-years-old... which was exactly what I wanted to think about on my 40th birthday. 

 

 

I think this was the mentality of a lot of the newer members for most of us we only ever read about the gear at the vendors tables, hearing about a piece of equipment and listening to it yourself are two different things.

 
I totally agree with this.  Even though I write reviews, NOTHING beats an audition... nothing.
 

Huge thanks to Ethan and Warren for running a very well organized, well attended, and hugely fun meet. Absolutely killer raffle! Lots of new faces and the largest assembly of headphone related vendors I've ever seen. With the near extinction of "brick and mortar" audio stores, meets like this are about the only way one can audition a large variety of gear, establish personal preferences, and began to assemble a personally tailored audio system.

@FrankCooter, thanks for coming!  I think everyone will agree with me unanimously on this one:  you make every meet better! 

 

Huge thanks to Ethan and Warren for running a very well organized, well attended, and hugely fun meet. Absolutely killer raffle! Lots of new faces and the largest assembly of headphone related vendors I've ever seen. With the near extinction of "brick and mortar" audio stores, meets like this are about the only way one can audition a large variety of gear, establish personal preferences, and began to assemble a personally tailored audio system.

I enjoy the gear, but after nearly a dozen meets my primary focus is on the people. I always get a recharge from familiar faces and never fail to make a new friend or two.

I appreciate the comments about my DIY 845 electrostatic amp.I have a tradition of bringing a new amp to each meet. Often these amps are less than a week old when they're shown. Some are hits and some are misses, but all criticisms and comments are welcome.

Despite the layout sheets, I think a fair number of people were unaware of the personal rigs around the corner from the main commercial rooms. Perhaps a few signs would be helpful next time around.

 
Yeah... but actually, we might have an even better solution for that.  You'll have to come to the next meet to find out! 
 

  Each time I go, I hear something new to desire. This time: A pair of vintage Stax headphones and the Woo Audio GES.

 
You should ask Mike Liang what happened to those Stax... very, very sad. 

 

  The only thing missing was Michael Mercer to liven things up!

 
Always the life of the party, our boy Mercer! 

 

[purrin]

I feel like I should stick up for the newbies that where at the event. 

 
nothing against newbies. just saying frank's rig and some other really good ones were stashed in odd rooms on the end. i doubt many people, newbies or not, knew about them.

 

[moedawg140]

 
...Oh wait, Hajime is just Hajime.  Now that I think about it, I'm not sure he even has a Head-Fi account.  Ethan is third_eye. 

 
 
Nah, I think he's about to get the new (and as-of-yet-unannounced) K12.  Wait, did I just say that out loud?...

 
Oh, my bad, I just went by the name tag that was nearest him.  I asked him if he was third_eye, and he nodded and said yes...maybe he misunderstood me.  No worries.  Edited that on my impressions review on this thread on page 5.
 
Regarding, the K12, if it is upcoming and it has better (quality/deeper) bass than the K10, then my original reply to mrbig was correct!  Sweet.

 

[burnspbesq]

   
Oh, my bad, I just went by the name tag that was nearest him.  I asked him if he was third_eye, and he nodded and said yes...maybe he misunderstood me.  No worries.  Edited that on my impressions review on this thread on page 5.
 
Regarding, the K12, if it is upcoming and it has better (quality/deeper) bass than the K10, then my original reply to mrbig was correct!  Sweet.

You can reach Sato-san at hajime@eastwindimports.com.  He sells an amazing variety of audiophile vinyl and Japanese import CDs.  Great guy.

 

[moedawg140]

  You can reach Sato-san at hajime@eastwindimports.com.  He sells an amazing variety of audiophile vinyl and Japanese import CDs.  Great guy.

 
Thanks.

 

[FrankCooter]

 
I've received a couple of pm's asking about the design and construction of my electrostatic amp, so here's a brief description.
 
First and most important thing to note is that there are considerable electrical safety issues involved in the design, construction, and operation of an amp like this.  Many people consider consider amps like this inherently dangerous and unsuited for home use. The raw HV is 850VDC. Unless you have considerable experience working at these voltage levels, you should not attempt this or any similar construction project. Your first mistake could well be your last.
 
Cost is another consideration. Most of the parts were recycled from previous projects. Some are custom built. If I'd had to buy everything new, component costs would have run close to $3k. Building tube amps is my hobby, I don't keep track of the time I put into my projects, but I'm guessing there's a couple of hundred hours here. Bottom line is that you do a project like this because you enjoy the process. It certainly doesn't save money even compared to the most expensive commercial amps.
 
Now that the disclaimers are finished, on with the description. Basically this is a very traditional, very simple, three stage , single-ended, directly-heated triode transformer-coupled tube amp. The major difference between this amp and a speaker amp is the output transformer, which is a custom wound Electra-Print unit designed to drive high impedance electrostatic headphones  rather than low impedance speakers.
 
The first stage is a CCS loaded type 76 triode, which is an early predecessor to the 6SN7. The CCS is an IXYS10M90 solid-state current regulator. Pete Millett is the source of this idea. The 76 is cathode biased using a pair of green LED's. Output of the 76 is directly coupled to the second stage, which is a triode-connected 6V6, a small power tube.
 
The second stage 6V6 is loaded and connected to the third stage 845 via a 1:1 7k interstage transformer. Bias on the 6V6 comes from the direct connection on the plate of the 76 to the grid of the 6V6.
 
The output stage  is a directly-heated 845, which in my opinion is perhaps the finest audio output tube ever made. Unfortunately I'll never be able to afford an original pair, but the Chinese reissues have been improving over the years, and some of them have gotten quite good. One reason I built this amp was to try out some of the modern 845's, particularly the metal plate versions. The 845's plates are run at 60mA/700V, while well below their dissipation levels, is still a very linear operation point. Bias is "fixed" -100V, supplied via the secondary of the interstage transformer. Overall gain of the amp is a little over 600. Voltage swing is about 600Vrms. I have no ideal what the distortion measurements might be, but I assume they would be in line with other amps of this type.
 
Another reason I built this amp was that I wanted to try a fully regulated power supply for the 845's. This is something that is rarely seen in large SET amps. The power supply ( chassis on the left in my photo) starts off as a simple soliid-state rectified CLC type. Only thing unusual here is that I used motor-run oil capacitors in the filter. The raw DC (about 850V) is fed into a tube regulator, The regulator is pretty standard with the exception of the large 13E1 pass tubes. These tubes are one of the few types that was specifically designed for high voltage/high current pass duty. Output of the regulator is 700V, which provides the B+  of the 845's and the input supply to the second 13E1 based regulator. The second regulator provides about 400V to the first and second stages of the amp.
 
The final question is why build such an amp at all? There are plenty of excellent, professionally designed DIY electrostatic amp projects available. None of them involve DHT's however. I've been an SET/DHT fan for years. I've always wondered what a top-tier Stax headphone would sound like with a full scale DHT amp. It's been a long haul, but I'm pleased with the results and intend to make this amp my "daily driver" (at least until the next project).
 
Thanks for the interest!

 

[ultrabike]

Awesome setup you had there Frank. Best electrostatic rig in the meet IMO, and perhaps over-all. I feel fortunate I had the chance to hear it.

 

[TimSchirmer]

  Awesome setup you had there Frank. Best electrostatic rig in the meet IMO, and perhaps over-all. I feel fortunate I had the chance to hear it.

Seconded!

 

[purrin]

Two days next year?

 

[ultrabike]

Two days sounds like a interesting idea. I think Can-Jam and T.H.E Show are like 3 days... More equipment to cover and perhaps in not such a hurry.