UK Meet (Tips For Newbies)
Oct 17, 2009 at 10:27 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 27

03029174

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Hi Everyone. When i went to my first meet i had no idea what was going on. What the "Rules" were and so on. This guide really helped me, so we've decided to start something similar for the UK meet.

Please feel free to ask questions, post ideas etc. I will then incorporate them into the main list.

(This list was published by SiBurning, and was built upon lessons learnt by the NYC crew, thanks guys)

Personal Hygiene is important.
* Wash your hair and your ears--and behind your ears.
* Avoid the use of products like hair gel, hair spray, mousse, etc. Seriously, some of the headphones you'll have the opportunity to try cost more than a good used car. I don't want your hair gunk on my headphones, thanks.
* Clean out your ears so you can hear better.
* Don't forget the deodorant (THIS goes for Oldtimers as well). Baby powder & cologne are not adequate substitutes.
* With all the gear & other members, it gets warm in the room. Dress accordingly.

The most important thing of all is to have fun.
* Meets are Great, so be prepared to have a great day with fellow Head-fi members.
* Bring whatever gear you want. If you don't have any, that's OK. Just bring your ears.
* You can try whatever gear you want but be polite, ask permission, don't be a gear hog, etc.
* If you have any questions about gear, look for the owner and ask. Or just ask whoever is listening (after they're done).
* Everyone is very friendly and will be glad to answer you.
* Do not be shy.
* Mingle.
* You will find everyone to be very friendly & helpful.
* Most of all enjoy yourself & take the opportunity to hear gear you normally wouldn't get a chance to, or are thinking of buying.

Get organized.
* Take a mental (or written) list of what you want to hear. If you do this before the meet, leave some time to look around and listen to some surprises.
* You'll be overwhelmed with the amount of gear that will be at the meet.
* Read the impressions thread afterward. You'll realize you missed listening to something you wanted to hear.
* Time Flies at these meets.

Remember that you're trying out another member's gear.
* Treat all gear with the utmost respect.
* Ask if you're not sure how to operate any gear, or you're just curious about the system setup. Some gear requires headphones to be plugged in at all times, some gear doesn't like it when you unplug headphones unless the volume is turned all the way around. Don't just assume that everything works the same way. Just ask, it can save a lot of heartache.
* Respect the owner's wishes.
* Give it all the velvet cushion treatment.
* If you have any doubt or questions, ask.
* Do not place headphones on top of other gear--if you're not sure where to put it, ask the owner.
* Do not remove any gear from a setup without the owner's permission.
* Do not remove any cables or make any other changes to the setup without the owner's permission.
* If you do take gear away from a table, or borrow cables, adapters, or power strips, try to remember where you got it from, and bring it back when you're done. In all the excitement, it's easy to forget where you got that 1/4" to 3.5mm headphone adapter.
* If you listen loud remember to lower the volume for the next person.
* If you don't know or are just curious about something, ask someone. Anyone. Someone knows, or knows someone who knows.

*** More to come
 
Oct 17, 2009 at 10:28 AM Post #2 of 27
Im planning on purchasing a couple of these :

5580552_300x300.jpg


They cost £2 each and il print out some display cards to put inside.
Something along the lines of:

Name
Source
Amp
Headphones
Notes

Under notes, people can mention any specific instructions to users. In my case, i will remind people to be careful with rings and watches because my headphones scratch easily.

Anyone else who is bringing a rig and would like one of these, please let me know.

Thanks, and look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks

Pete
 
Oct 20, 2009 at 12:11 AM Post #12 of 27
Thanks for the guide, a couple of things on there I'd not have given a second thought but are probably quite important (like unplugging phones when the amp is on - is this really a bad thing to do?)

I'll have one of those sign things please Pete, and will PM tudj with details when I've given up on / received my new DAC... when do you need the details by?
 
Oct 20, 2009 at 6:03 AM Post #13 of 27
Quote:

like unplugging phones when the amp is on - is this really a bad thing to do?


To protect the headphones the volume should be set to zero and for the likes of my kumisa headphone amp it has no output protection etc and should be switched off when removing/inserting any phones.

When i took it to the diyaudio meet a few years ago it wasn't always done
confused.gif


Cheers

John
 
Oct 20, 2009 at 7:22 AM Post #14 of 27
This is a good example actually of where different rigs may require different handling instructions. My tube amps, for example, shouldn't be constantly switched on & off, but the volume should be zero'd before removing or attaching headphones. If everyone just takes a moment to read whatever instructions are available on that particular table, then I'm sure it'll all be fine.
 
Oct 20, 2009 at 11:53 AM Post #15 of 27
Quote:

Originally Posted by seroxatmad /img/forum/go_quote.gif
To protect the headphones the volume should be set to zero and for the likes of my kumisa headphone amp it has no output protection etc and should be switched off when removing/inserting any phones.

When i took it to the diyaudio meet a few years ago it wasn't always done
confused.gif


Cheers

John



John,
Is that the CKKIII? Why isn't it enough to just turn down the volume, there are no warnings about this on the AMB site (that I found).

Cheers.
 

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