[matthewhypolite]

Trinidad & Tobago Head-Fi Meet, (April 11, 2015)
 
Got into this head-fi hobby a few years back, and introduced some friends to the hobby (apologies to their wallets ). So after a few years I've decided to organize a Head-Fi Meet in Trinidad where members can hang out, test gear, have a good time. Turned out great.
 
==========Gear at the event==========
 
Headphones:
 
Audeze LCD3
Denon AH-D5000
Denon AH-D1000
Sennheiser HD-650
HifiMan HE-400
Byerdynamic Custom One Pro
ATH m50x
 
DACs:
 
Headroom Ultra DAC
Schitt Audio Modi
 
Amps:
 
Headroom Balanced Ultra Desktop AMP (BUDA)
Schitt Audio Magi
P2A
Bravo Tube Amp
 
 
==========Photos==========
 
Here's a couple photos of Trinidad followed by some of the event.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Saxman, Berserk, TriniSpartacus, MessiaaH (me), Zeus, Niko, Crixx
 
--
 
Wintry missed the event, so had a mini meet with him, see below:
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Will post impressions of the gear i heard soon

 

[matthewhypolite]

==========My Impressions==========
 
==The gear I have at home==
 

 
 
==The gear I brought with me==
 
Headphones: Audeze LCD3, Denon AH-D5000, Denon AH-D1000
Amps/Dacs:  Headroom Ultra Stack (UDAC/BUDA Combo), Headroom MicroAmp
 
 
==The gear I heard==
 
Headphones With Ultra Stack:
 
Sennheiser HD650: Great bass, full bodied, cleaner.
 
Hifiman HE400: Not as full bodies as HD650, Better treble, a little harsh. Better quality, More energy.
 
 
ATH M50x: Good low quality headphones, easy to drive, Caps out at higher volumes and complicated tracks: Poor instrument separation, everything sounds clustered and confined.
 
Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro: Bass adjustments affects frequency response, Muddy sounding hp, adjusting knobs towards treble clears things up but loses a lot of bass.
 
Denon AH-D5000: Very authoritative, great bass. Clean powerful sound signature.
 
Audeze LCD3: umm..yea….Pretty much Audeze's killer sound, Zodiac/Dark Star rig at homes provides more clarity, energy, tightens up the bass, more refined overall.
 
==Portable Amps==
 
P2A: For a cheap portable amp, provides a huge improvement over headphones being driven directly from phones.
 
HR Micro: Much more power and detail than p2a. Makes cans come to life.
 
 
==Budget Rigs==
 
Schitt Magi/Modi Stack:
 
Not too much power. Enough to drive easy to drive cans. Clean and detailed presentation.
When using Denon AH-D5000 the bass is a bit recessed. The HR MicroAmp is more full bodied, more bass.)
Overall the shcitt stack sounded great with lower end phones like the Denon D1000 and ATH m50x, but when paired with more demanding cans, it didn’t scale well.
 
Bravo Tube Amp:
 
Overall I was disappointed in this amp, Lots of distortion, no heft, no power.
 
 
==Final Thoughts==
 
Glad I had the opportunity to check out some new gear. Had a blast. From what I've heard, the ATH m50x is a great cheap can that I'd recommend to anyone entering this hobby, for the price that HP does a lot right. Leaving the LCD3 aside, my personal fav at the event would have to be the Denon 5000, the HE 400 sounded great, and handles complicated tracks really well, also scaled very well with more power, and I could tell if paired with even more powerful gear (like the RSA Dark Star) it would sound even better surpassing the D5000 overall. But I still find the D5000 a more enjoyable headphone. The LCD3 always sounds great.

I have a Cavali LAu incoming for end of year, still split between the Abyss AB-1266 and Hifiman HE1000, leaning towards the abyss currently. Then I'll have to test all my gear all over again….this hobby…..

 

[Crixxtachi]

While The LCD is the expected overall winner, I must say that the Denon AH- D5000 was by far my favourite can.
Second favourite piece of equipment for the night was that HeadRoom Amp.
 
Next time we need a better location and even more gear.

 

[matthewhypolite]

  While The LCD is the expected overall winner, I must say that the Denon AH- D5000 was by far my favourite can.
Second favourite piece of equipment for the night was that HeadRoom Amp.
 
Next time we need a better location and even more gear.

Indeed,

Next time i'll try to bring my Denon D7000, all the characteristics of the D5000, but just more refined. Improvements on all ends, Better Treble, Tighter Bass etc.