[statorplate]

-sayin a huge Thank you! to the organizer and Everyone who dragged out their gear for us to play with.
- excellent!
Had a great time.

 

[DeviousEnigma]

Geshelli's amp and DAC looked so beautiful. Huge thanks to Geshelli for providing them for the community to try out at the meet and then to be given away. They sounded great. Especially loved the tone controls.

The DSHA from Nitsch looked so sleek and sexy. And it really does pair well with Focal's. I'm not a huge fan of the Utopia but really enjoyed it with the amp.

Out of Campfire, I enjoyed the trifecta. It gave me the sense that it was the most full sounding and correct of their line up. The supermoon was also interesting but by and far I think the trifecta is the best. Though not personally for me overall.

Bottlehead's SEX was great. I got to give it a try with both planars and dynamics and it really is versatile. It has a nice sense of warmth and a little tubiness. Overall it's not super resolving but it is very very good.

From the Schiit table, my two big takeaways were:
1. The Rag2 is a joy. It was better than all of amps and was really able to drive the DCA Expanse. It sounded incredible with the LCD-4 as well. I have to say, I really want one. It was highly resolving and sounded excellent. If not for the Aegis, I think I would buy one. Maybe I still will, not sure.
2. The Mjolnir 3 was a heater. It sounded pretty good and I enjoyed it. Though I think at high volumes it showed a little high glare I didn't care for personally.

ZMF sent the Caldera and the Atrium Closed. I still love the Caldera and it sounds a lot like my Meze Empyrean. Its kind of crazy. The pair that was at the meet looked gorgeous. The atrium closed was very impressive. One of the best sounding closed backs I've ever heard. Highly resolving and nicely balanced for me. Super tempted to get one.

HIFIFORALL has some amazing modular cables. I love how easy they are to use and flexible. I just really like them. It makes it really easy to have one cable for everything. I'm a big fan, I bought some for myself.

Bill's HE5 sounded surprisingly good. I'm still not sold on HiFiMan but this is one of the better ones.

Standouts for me:
1. L0rdGwyn Aegis was tied for my favorite thing I heard at the meet. Resolution was amazing. The bass goes deep and low. This might be one of my favorite amps. I am seriously considering building one for myself. I cannot forget about it.
2. ETA's prototype open back is truly amazing. Everything is well balanced and tonally correct to me. It sounds so much like a "correct" Focal but with better soundstage. I love that it has that thick bass and midrange but it still sounds correct in the treble without ever coming off as too bright. Again, another headphone I would consider and maybe one of the few dynamics I would buy. Quick aside, the ETA closed is another one of my favorite closed backs and I absolutely love it. If I had a use case for it, I would already own it.
3. Kartikay's sapphire continues to impress me. Though this time, I was really into the get-set-go. I feel like it was a beautiful tubey goodness. Still was detailed and sounded great but pleasantly smooth. I really enjoyed that one.

Thanks everyone for coming. Thanks Schiit for sponsoring the event. Thank you Geshelli, Schiit, Nitsch, and HIFIFORALL for donating to our giveaway. I think you made a lot of people's day (year?).

 

[DeviousEnigma]

I'm aiming for another at the end of Jan 2024. Stay tuned.

 

[tamleo]

Geshelli's amp and DAC looked so beautiful. Huge thanks to Geshelli for providing them for the community to try out at the meet and then to be given away. They sounded great. Especially loved the tone controls.

The DSHA from Nitsch looked so sleek and sexy. And it really does pair well with Focal's. I'm not a huge fan of the Utopia but really enjoyed it with the amp.

Out of Campfire, I enjoyed the trifecta. It gave me the sense that it was the most full sounding and correct of their line up. The supermoon was also interesting but by and far I think the trifecta is the best. Though not personally for me overall.

Bottlehead's SEX was great. I got to give it a try with both planars and dynamics and it really is versatile. It has a nice sense of warmth and a little tubiness. Overall it's not super resolving but it is very very good.

From the Schiit table, my two big takeaways were:
1. The Rag2 is a joy. It was better than all of amps and was really able to drive the DCA Expanse. It sounded incredible with the LCD-4 as well. I have to say, I really want one. It was highly resolving and sounded excellent. If not for the Aegis, I think I would buy one. Maybe I still will, not sure.
2. The Mjolnir 3 was a heater. It sounded pretty good and I enjoyed it. Though I think at high volumes it showed a little high glare I didn't care for personally.

ZMF sent the Caldera and the Atrium Closed. I still love the Caldera and it sounds a lot like my Meze Empyrean. Its kind of crazy. The pair that was at the meet looked gorgeous. The atrium closed was very impressive. One of the best sounding closed backs I've ever heard. Highly resolving and nicely balanced for me. Super tempted to get one.

HIFIFORALL has some amazing modular cables. I love how easy they are to use and flexible. I just really like them. It makes it really easy to have one cable for everything. I'm a big fan, I bought some for myself.

Bill's HE5 sounded surprisingly good. I'm still not sold on HiFiMan but this is one of the better ones.

Standouts for me:
1. L0rdGwyn Aegis was tied for my favorite thing I heard at the meet. Resolution was amazing. The bass goes deep and low. This might be one of my favorite amps. I am seriously considering building one for myself. I cannot forget about it.
2. ETA's prototype open back is truly amazing. Everything is well balanced and tonally correct to me. It sounds so much like a "correct" Focal but with better soundstage. I love that it has that thick bass and midrange but it still sounds correct in the treble without ever coming off as too bright. Again, another headphone I would consider and maybe one of the few dynamics I would buy. Quick aside, the ETA closed is another one of my favorite closed backs and I absolutely love it. If I had a use case for it, I would already own it.
3. Kartikay's sapphire continues to impress me. Though this time, I was really into the get-set-go. I feel like it was a beautiful tubey goodness. Still was detailed and sounded great but pleasantly smooth. I really enjoyed that one.

Thanks everyone for coming. Thanks Schiit for sponsoring the event. Thank you Geshelli, Schiit, Nitsch, and HIFIFORALL for donating to our giveaway. I think you made a lot of people's day (year?).

May I ask why you don’t like the Focal Utopia ? About Nitsch, I find the new 3f amp ‘s design is just too gaudy and disjointed though I like the look of its Piety lol

 

[DeviousEnigma]

May I ask why you don’t like the Focal Utopia ? About Nitsch, I find the new 3f amp ‘s design is just too gaudy and disjointed though I like the look of its Piety lol

I find the highs to be too sharp and fatiguing. Both versions of the utopia are like that for me. They’re much better than every other focal in their lineup but still, it’s there.

 

[tamleo]

I find the highs to be too sharp and fatiguing. Both versions of the utopia are like that for me. They’re much better than every other focal in their lineup but still, it’s there.

Tks I thought you would said it was the mids that you found sharp lol. imo I find the mids on the Utopia especially the t th d sounds are too hard and rough. It is very weird lol