[Andrew Rieger]

Andrew - you're not pestering
Hmmm..... I did not take notes whether the headphone was punchy or smooth. I prefer not to "guess" since I am not sure (listened to dozens of headphones in 3 days - whatever I did not take notes of, is a blur). Sorry. Maybe others remember or took notes.

Sorry for the confusion, I was asking about the dynamics of the Gilmore Amp.

 

[Zachik]

The Gilmore Lite MK2 is great!!
I have spent some time with it today, and also A/B against my Schiit Jotenheim. Despite being priced the same, the Gilmore is a big step up. Very pleasant non-harsh sound. Much more detailed than the Jot. Plenty power for 300 Ohm ZMF Atticus. Very low noise floor and very dynamic sound.
I am definitely a happy camper

 

[Effusion]

Below are a few more shots of various gear from the show. I forgot about the JDS Labs and The Auteurs as well as many others, so I've posted them for those interested. Others are just of the show and some of the gear the various headphones were plugged into. Note that some of the amps aren't necessarily from the same manufacturer as the headphones and vice versa.

JDS Labs

Always great to see them at the show, I tried their Element stack, the EL DAC and Amp, it sounded really nice for the short time I spent with them. I really had no reference as it was actually the first time I also tried the Auteurs. However, I did try their main unit, The Element, at last year's show and really like it for the money and it did get me interested in the Auteurs.

EL DAC and Amp stack


Chord

Hugo2


Poly - side view


Focal

Utopia


Elear




Audio-Technica

ATH-AD1000X


AT-HA5050H


E-MU

I really had a great time over at their booth this year. I saw them last year and was seriously impressed by the price of these excellently crafted and really good sounding headphones. Plus they are also so nice and welcoming, both last year and this year. I really liked their hand carved wood on display as well, very cool!



Walnut






ZMF

More shots of the new Auteurs, these below were the same ones from the JDS Labs table and the other three photos from ZMF's table. Believe it or not, they actually look better in person too!


Decware Amp - Not sure the exact model, but it sounded really great with the Auteurs in my opinion.



McIntosh

MHP1000


I'm also planning on posting my impressions soon, within the next few days. Until then...

 

[nigel801]

Hi, I'm a dealer of MrSpeakers in Canada, and I was slightly disappointed with the Aeon when we received them in stock a couple of months ago. I actually think the Alpha Prime is a better sounding headphone, and the Ether C still remains their best closed back model. I guess the community sort of over hyped the Aeon. I have to say it's definitely super comfy, ergonomic and compact; all features that give it amazing value compared to the Ether C's price tag given that sound is still very transparent and linear!

I'd put the Aeon in a tier below, but still one of the best closed backs you can get no matter the price tag.

Thanks for your feedback I think hype was created by Tyll I am now doubting, I should've trusted my own judgement and have not sold my Ether C flow I deeply regret now.

 

[RHA Team]

Had a blast meeting the folks at AR (@AR-Voice ?), checking out their new planar as well as the upcoming IEM. Really, the IEM at a $250 price point should kill it. Made everything sound good, and came with added-value goodies (e.g. bluetooth as well as wired capability). Looking forward to that debut in around a month or so. Also, they were just a plain good group of people. Really nice. In fact, I was able to sample the upcoming new UI for their AR-M2 and AR-M20 (I've got an M20), and it's a HUGE improvement. I'm psyched for that to roll out!

ZMF. @zach915m Zach, geez. Really. You're amazing in person. I've been LOVING my Eikon, but meeting you made it even better. What a super down to earth, true audiophile. It was a pleasure getting to meet you, Bevin, and Ren. Thanks again for all you do! The new Auteur is phenomenal. Definitely more neutral than the Eikon, plus add air and space. For my ears, it was a little drier than preferred on the solid state amp you had (wow, Milo!), but the tube amp really made it sing. You're going to make a lot of open-backed fans very very very happy. Plus, the new wood cups I saw were drool-worthy. Can't say enough about how great it was to see the booth!

The folks manning the @RHA Team RHA booth were really nice, and I hope you two were able to make it up to see Red Rocks while you were here. Good entry-level products, as well. I had some minor fit issues with the silicone tips, and silly me had forgotten to bring my own, but once I got those comply tips in things tightened up nicely! The fit / finish on your IEMs were great, and the DAC / amp you had was killer!

Finally, wanted to give a shout-out to the folks at Empire Ears. Not only were you a great bunch, you were helpful, patient, and pointed me in the right direction for a sound that would match what I was looking for. I am highly anticipating the custom Spartan IVs that should be heading my way in a few weeks. Taking my ear impressions at CanJam really made things convenient, and you were great with explaining what was happening to my curious son while I was having the impressions taken. Many thanks, and I look forward to seeing you again at RMAF next year!

Please feel free to ask me any questions about any of the above. Can't wait for next year (and to read through this entire thread...).

Thank you very much! We didn't get the chance to get along to Redrocks, We ended up having an early night on Sunday and planned on going up before our flight on Monday evening. Woke up on the Monday to all the lovely snow so ended up not venturing too far from the hotel. Next year we will get out that way though! Thanks for stopping by, It was great to meet you!

 

[RHA Team]

Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the RHA table over the weekend, We had a great weekend! Those of you who took away a discount code, We noticed some pricing errors on our site and these have now been corrected. The Dacamp L1 is now down to $299 and the CL1 $249 (When you add the 20% discount code that brings them down to $239 and $199 or $440 for both!) If anyone needs a note of the code again just PM me, I have also extended it another couple of days to the 16th in light of the pricing error!

 

[daniel_hokkaido]

The Gilmore Lite MK2 is great!!
I have spent some time with it today, and also A/B against my Schiit Jotenheim. Despite being priced the same, the Gilmore is a big step up. Very pleasant non-harsh sound. Much more detailed than the Jot. Plenty power for 300 Ohm ZMF Atticus. Very low noise floor and very dynamic sound.
I am definitely a happy camper

Any thoughts on the Gilmore vs the Burson Soloist mk2? I really like Burson but the form factor of the Gilmore is a definite +

I need an amp which has the juice for my 6XX as well as working with lower impedence Planars like the Aeon

 

[Matez]

Below are a few more shots of various gear from the show. <snip, snip>

Great work, thank you.

 

[Mark Up]

ECHOBOX VANGUARD - Ali Express Alert

Go there and search headphones. You will see exactly the same models sold there, and some have found their way to Amazon.com in the USA. I had tried a cousin of these that I got from Amazon (with closed back elongated (but still too small) ear cups) and the sound was just so-so, decent bass extension, but not very warm or useful. I wonder if they're just modding them?

 

[Matez]

Those are some seriously nice impressions, people! Many thanks! I wish I could be there.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Here are some shots of the Sennheiser HDV 820 Amp/DAC- very pleased to see it has the 4.4 Pentaconn socket. I think that's the correct move forward in the industry. I really dug it with both HD800 and HD800s. I have to say I listened more with the HD800 to try and get a feel for it, but pairings with both were great synergy!

 

[Arniesb]

Here are some shots of the Sennheiser HDV 820 Amp/DAC- very pleased to see it has the 4.4 Pentaconn socket. I think that's the correct move forward in the industry. I really dug it with both HD800 and HD800s. I have to say I listened more with the HD800 to try and get a feel for it, but pairings with both were great synergy!

Well how it compares with other high end amps like Headamp, Taurus, Violectric?

 

[twiceboss]

Well how it compares with other high end amps like Headamp, Taurus, Violectric?

less UMPHHH

 

[Arniesb]

less UMPHHH

Headphones feel underpowered with it or what?

 

[Zachik]

Any thoughts on the Gilmore vs the Burson Soloist mk2? I really like Burson but the form factor of the Gilmore is a definite +

I need an amp which has the juice for my 6XX as well as working with lower impedence Planars like the Aeon

Never auditioned the Burson, so cannot comment vs. Gilmore...
As for having enough juice for the 6XX - the ZMF Atticus and Auteur were driven very nicely, and they're both 300Ohm. That makes me believe the 6XX would be driven easily, too (also 300Ohm). Have not actually tested this combo, so just an educated guess!
Lastly, I own the Aeons (closed) and can audition them with the Gilmore tonight.