[Beefy]

I believe my first thoughts upon meeting @Beefy were "I wasn't expecting a guy with an accent" lol.
@zoobabwa is ever our resident basshead and was the one who cranked the Xbass setting on the iFi. Psst, wanna buy the amp?

I've been in Canada so long, I don't consider myself an immigrant. But yeah, the accent has proven very resilient.

And that makes total sense with it being @zoobabwa upping the bass, and him owning the Verum, LOL!

Your rig is very cool.

Thanks! I've always been happy with it, but it's so hard to appreciate how the older DIY gear holds-up versus new commercial stuff, particularly when you consider potential misplaced pride. While there are surely great options they mostly seem like sideways moves, and the DAC/amp upgrade bug has been thoroughly squashed for now.

Verum was quite impressive out of several different sources.

I think the Verum really solidifies that I should take a punt and try the Moondrop Para. From a few different reviews/sources, it seems to tick all the same boxes as the Verum, but with an overall brighter tone. I think that would be great for long listening sessions on a wider range of music, and a good ortho counterpart to my dynamic phones.

 

[Kernel Kurtz]

I think the Verum really solidifies that I should take a punt and try the Moondrop Para. From a few different reviews/sources, it seems to tick all the same boxes as the Verum, but with an overall brighter tone. I think that would be great for long listening sessions on a wider range of music, and a good ortho counterpart to my dynamic phones.

After doing a bit of reading....I did not know about the controversy around the maker of the Verum headphones, just found out about it today. Not so sure if I will be ordering them anymore, will have to think on it for a while.

 

[zoobabwa]

Hey everyone! I had a great time at the meet yesterday.
I found a rogue 3.5mm audio adapter on my Final headphone cord while unpacking...if this is yours please let me know!

 

[Velomane]

@Velomane is the blutak mod mostly to bring up the bass response? I wish they were able to put the 007 drivers into the 009 frame which was much nicer (though actually the headband on the 007 seemed comfier). Now I'm assuming your X9000 knocks them both out of the water?

Yes, the blu tack mod is supposed to seal up the enclosure to tighten up the bass response. It's been a while, but I seem to recall it was effective. Agreed, the 007 are quite comfy. As for the X9000, hopefully I can bring all my estat gear to the next meet and you guys can decide for yourselves.

The tarts (Pasteis de nata) are from the Portuguese grocery store Viena do Castelo on Sargent, slightly west of Arlington.

What? I missed out on these fantastic goodies for the sake of an uneventful shift at work! Damn.

 

[Armaegis]

After doing a bit of reading....I did not know about the controversy around the maker of the Verum headphones, just found out about it today. Not so sure if I will be ordering them anymore, will have to think on it for a while.

Yeeaaaaaah... it was kinda messy and he lost a ton of business from it. Like, seriously man, as a business owner sometimes you just have to shut your yap because you know that's gonna come back and hurt you in the long run.

For different reasons, I can't bring myself to buy any Mr Speakers gear. I might concede on the used market, but even then seeing how he treated the DIY community back in the day and how he built his brand, I just can't support a business like that even if the things that he has developed since then are his own designs.

 

[Armaegis]

I think the Verum really solidifies that I should take a punt and try the Moondrop Para. From a few different reviews/sources, it seems to tick all the same boxes as the Verum, but with an overall brighter tone. I think that would be great for long listening sessions on a wider range of music, and a good ortho counterpart to my dynamic phones.

It's always good to have an ortho in the back pocket as it were.

I'll admit two other orthos on the periphery of my radar have been the Modhouse Tungsten and the Rosson Audio. The former being another guy who has grown out of the T50rp modding scene, and the latter being one of the founders of Audeze who "branched off" to do his own thing.

But after all these years I still have yet to find anything to dethrone my og HE-6. It just fits my particular listening tastes so well, but the stupid thing is such a power hog that I'm tired of building around it.

 

[Beefy]

After doing a bit of reading....I did not know about the controversy around the maker of the Verum headphones, just found out about it today. Not so sure if I will be ordering them anymore, will have to think on it for a while.

Yeah, it's a tough one. The maker said a lot of horrible things, and doubled down on many of them when called out, but has also seemingly kept to himself since. How long does someone have to pay for things like this? Not my place to say. A used copy might be a good option.

I'll admit two other orthos on the periphery of my radar have been the Modhouse Tungsten and the Rosson Audio. The former being another guy who has grown out of the T50rp modding scene, and the latter being one of the founders of Audeze who "branched off" to do his own thing.

But after all these years I still have yet to find anything to dethrone my og HE-6. It just fits my particular listening tastes so well, but the stupid thing is such a power hog that I'm tired of building around it.

I've heard very, very good things about the Tungsten. I am shocked that it's somehow even less efficient than your HE6! But that just means it should slot into your setup with no worries.

 

[Armaegis]

Hey guys, I gotta offload a bunch of gear to pay for the new house.

I posted this up at the other site but will copy it here (links removed because headfi will flag them). Willing to make deals for locals.

ZMF Verite Open Selectstock Barn-aged Burmese Padauk - $2200 CAD
Condition same as before, basically only worn for review. Looking to get back what I paid for them including getting it over the border.

Audeze LCD-X (2021) - $1000 CAD
All accessories and condition same as above, basically only worn for review. Looking to get back what I paid for them including getting it over the border.

Nitsch DSHA-3FN - $3400 CAD
This is the last unit from the first run. Sounds amazing. Still in pristine condition, and I've applied some cutting board wax to the wood trim to make it pop just a little bit more.

Nitsch Piety - $185 CAD
Just looking to make back what I paid into it including getting it over the border.

ETA Mini S - $550 CAD
Added one additional non balanced cable. Looking to get back what I paid for them including getting it over the border.

Audio Zenith PMx2 (PMx1) - $1000 CAD
I don't remember when I got this. From my recollection, it is actually built from PM-1 chassis which has more metal parts instead of the plastic of the PM-2, and is the v2 version of the mods with leather pads. Includes the case and THREE cables: balanced 4-pin XLR, 1/4" and 1/8".

JAR 660 - $775 CAD
I don't remember when I got this, but it's in great condition. Cups are white. Includes one cable.

iFi Pro iCAN - $1200 CAD
iFi Pro iESL - $1700 CAD
First owner of both, practically new in box. Knock a hundred bucks off if you take both. The iESL is rare like hen's teeth these days and I jumped when I saw one pop up. I'd like to keep it so I can experiment with electrostatics more, but alas the cookie has crumbled in a different way and it must go.
Strong preference for selling together, but would sell the Pro iCan first just in case I can't resist the estat world.

Hifiman HE-6 OG 4-screw early production modded blah blah
Hahaha no. But maybe. Tell you what, throw me two grand and we'll talk.

 

[Armaegis]

pics 1/2 from the meet

 

[Armaegis]

pics 2/2 from the meet

 

[aqsw]

Looks like I missed a really good meet.

 

[Rubin]

It was easily one of the best! I should add my belated impressions here soon.

 

[rifi]

FYI princess auto is selling headphone stands for $6 right now: https://www.princessauto.com/en/acrylic-headset-stand/product/PA0009165705. I bought 2 when I was there today (Portage location). Still have a bunch more in surplus section. Look decent for the price!

 

[Rubin]

That is the wackiest find of all time! How did you even find this?

Also, are they as unstable as they look?

 

[rifi]

That is the wackiest find of all time! How did you even find this?

Also, are they as unstable as they look?

I regularly scroll through the Princess auto flyers. One of my faves, always something weird, cheap and usually useful. The stand is actually quite sturdy all considering. If you glued some magnets or some small weights near the base it would be even better. The feet feel quite level! In short, I would trust them as long as it is not in a kid/dance/dog wrestling zone. On a work desk in a controlled environment, they will do nicely.