[Trounce]

EDIT: Sorry, had to take the pics down. Everyone who needed to have seen the pics did, and those who didn't, toughy!

 

[Trounce]

...Pics taken down...

 

[Trounce]

Down down down.

 

[eric343]

OK, msjjr, what the heck is that stuff you wrapped around the beautiful shiny aluminum of that META42 I built?!

And I'm glad to see zzz ('the Gilmore man') was there - any impressions on how the KGSS/Omega2 sounded?

 

[andrzejpw]

Am I the only one that finds it humerous that all of this was held in a kitchen?

Looks like you guys had a great time!

 

[wasifazim]

ooh, looks like it was quite entertaining..makes me wish I hadn't been too busy to attend

- Wasif

 

[TKSingh]

Ahh, I wish I could have snuck out, but alas my day got too busy.

Trounce I thought you were not going to make it

When is the next one !!

Ken

 

[Trounce]

TKSingh, sorry about that debacle. My Pa had a change of heart, and let me go for an hour and a half. They were just getting started while I was leaving, but it was good while it lasted.

Yea, when is the next one! I'll host! Next Sunday, lets go go go!

 

[bozebuttons]

Nice Pics,looking forward to impressions especially the stax gilmore setup What tube amp was that?

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Got to thank Mike for holding this meet. He has the most gorgeous house I have ever had the pleasure of being in. Plus he fed us.

Yeah I was going to shave before the meet but meh, I'll wait till I have some co-op interviews. I just didn't feel the need to impress with no woman around. Ok so I might as well give some comments on all the gear I tried out:

First off, the mssjr's heavily modified tube amp is quite simply amazing. Vocals are reproduced so beautifully and as good as I could imagine them sounding. I think I know the direction of my next amp purchase. ^^

sony r-10:
-the most 3-d sounding headphones I have heard
-on well recorded albums I could picture where each musician stood on the "stage"
-with the right recording, vocals sounded real, I can't explain it any other way
-the bass on these would not come alive so on a lot of my rock cd's the r-10's could not keep up (thus I stopped listening to those cd's with these cans hehe)

akg 1000:
-its freaking speakers on your head
-sure they sound great but just go buy speakers!

rs-1:
-yeah so I own them, but they are still the greatest rock phones on the planet

-great midrange that only shows faults when directly compared to the r-10's/omegas
-the tube amp made them sound amazing, the whole spectrum shined, the bass was full and the sound I have always strived for was achieved
-cymbol reproduction is a bit splashy

hp-1000's:
-I finally got to try these with a melos and well I don't get what the big deal is, I find these headphones to be a bit lifeless
-bass is not full, but it is tight and detailed
-cymbols are done well but perhaps a bit dull, not at the same level of realism as r-10's/omegas

stax omega w/ gilmore amp:
-much less picky about the type of recording then the r-10's
-very detailed and wonderful cymbols
-the bass is all there and with the right pad placement its got omph as well
-for my musical tastes, I prefer the omegas over the r-10's

beyer 770's:
-bloated bass that seemed to envelope the whole soundstage of the headphone
-I honestly expected better

The cd3000's and hd600's (in various incarnations) were also present but I didn't spend much time at all with either. Each headphone has its strengths and weaknesses but I think when you get into the $400 price range, any headphone you buy is going to sound good, so it becomes more a matter of taste.

Feel free to ask me any more questions. I feel there will be questions...

edit: Btw my gilmore dynamic did pretty well hooked up to Mike's source, but it didn't have the same smooth beautiful vocals as his tube amp. I only tried the rs-1's and r-10's with the gilmore.

Biggie.

 

[aerius]

Unfortunately I didn't make it to the meet since I got kidnapped by a cuddly swimmer girl who forced me to go biking with her since it was such a nice day...not that I'm complaining. Ah well, maybe next time. Darn cuddly girls, I have no willpower dealing with them. *sigh*

 

[Born2bwire]

That's a really nice kitchen.

 

[vwap]

Quote:

Originally posted by Born2bwire That's a really nice kitchen.

Heh.. must be a big house.. Where was the food cooked?

Anyhow.. yeah.. wish I was there, too.. I'd like to hear if the R10's are really worth their price..

And the Stax/KGSS woulda been something..

Oh well... at least I've heard the HE90s...

Nice pictures Trounce. I'll remember to take pictures like that at the next Seattle meet..

 

[Uncledan]

First of all, I want to say thanks to Mike (mssjr) for holding this meet, and thanks for the drink too.

I am so lucky that I have a choice to listen to some HIGH END stuff today. (It is like a dream for me, I can touch and hear stax omega, R10, hp-1000, akg 1000, RS-1, few thousand dollar tube amp, .......etc)

Quote:

Originally posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ I think when you get into the $400 price range, any headphone you buy is going to sound good, so it becomes more a matter of taste.

I totally agree with this statement. I really can not hear any BIG different between those high end headphones (R10, omega, hp-1000, heavy mod HD 600, RS-1 and CD3000) with same setting. Since they all sounds GREAT, but they just sound with their own characterisic. Here is what I find in the meeting:

A/B Test Sony R-10/ CD 3000
Listen to Diana Krall - Live in Paris - I love being here with you:

- the biggest different is soundstage, just like what NotoriousBIG_PJ said, Song R-10 can give a 3-D sound and I can hear very clearly of each instrument sound on stage.
- R-10 give more detail and smooth then CD 3000
- R-10 product more clear and real vocal then CD3000
- Does CD3000 sound bad? Not really, however, if R-10 is 100/100, then I only can give CD3000 85/100.

Stax Omega / Sony R-10:
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - I: Allegro - Herbert Von Barajan

- The problem is I can not A/B test them with the same source and amp, since Omega use different headphone output then R-10. Therefore, I may make error because of that.
- I like Omega sound then R-10, why?!? It is hard to tell, they both sound prefect. Maybe my personal tastes lead forword to Omega. Now, I know why ppl said Omega is the best headphone for Classical music. After the meeting, I have a question in my mind, how does the Omega sounds with Stax 007t Vacuum Tube? does it sound better then Omega/w gilmore? I really want to know the answer.
- Actually, I brought my friend to the meeting too, his name Jimmy, who know nothing about headphone stuff. (I told him to join us b/c I told him that there will be lots of girls in the party. Of course, he was very disappointed after the meeting, since no girl show up

.) He told me that he love the Omega setup the most in the meeting. I think this result is very interesting. Again, this is his own teste.

The Biggest Surprise in the meeting:

-I am very impress the sound of the heavy mod Senn HD600, I have no idea why kind of cable does mssjr use on the HD600. However, it sounds excellent, it sounds much better then stock HD600.

thanks again to mike!!!

 

[vwap]

Quote:

Originally posted by Uncledan -I am very impress the sound of the heavy mod Senn HD600, I have no idea why kind of cable does mssjr use on the HD600. However, it sounds excellent, it sounds much better then stock HD600.

I do believe I saw a Smurf cable in one of the pictures.. (Though I didn't actually see a pair of HD600's sitting around)..

So here's my guess: Cardas HD580/HD600 Replacement Cable.