[saidentary]

If anyone is interested, Arnold from Tweak Studio has offered to host a meet later this summer Timing would need to worked out.

If I could POSSIBLY make it, I would go.  FWIW. 

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[dBel84]

I really need to make it down again to see you all. The June date always co-insides with my anniversary which would be a tough one to explain away but August seems fair game. Glad a good time was had by all.
 
..dB

 

[maverickronin]

A few of my personal highlighs

Modi 2U > Magni 2U > DT880 Pro 250

There wasn't a T1 on hand to compare but going from memory I prefered the 880s

Peachtree USB/SPDIF converter > Enagmatic Audio Design DAC > Violectric V281 > Balanced ZMF Omni w/ cowhide pads

Favorite T50RP mod that I've heard.  Better than any of mine, Claritas's  Paradox, or the Alpha Primes.  Even FR, deep bass, and fantastic control of the T50RP's upper mid/lower treble dip.

Fidelio X2 from my Clip ZIP and UHA-4

Smooth and a bit dark.  Laid back.  Bass seemed pretty deep for being (mostly?) open.  Not for detail whoring, but getting lost in the music which is my prefrence

Keithpgdrb's Airbow SC-1 on my Scarlett 2i2 > SRM-T1S

This is an allegedly cryo-treated SR-404 Lambda Signature.  I have no clue if that's even true or what the cryo treatment is supposed to encompass, the cable, the driver, or both.  Cryo treating the cable would be useless but may just possibly do something to the driver.  There weren't any 404 Signatures around to compare it to but I did have my modded Lambda normal bias, modded SR-202, and stock SR-207.

The Airbow better than both my modern Lambdas and just a hair behind my normal bias.  The Airbow had much smoother treble than the modern Lambdas with almost none of the Stax 'etch'.  It sounded a tiny bit plasticy compared to my normal bias, most likely because of it's pleather pads as compared to the Ultrasuede ones I made for my normal bias.  I think the Airbow would have pulled ahead after pad rolling.

I've got no clue if the cryo treatment of the drivers helped, normal 404s just sound that way, if they just have cherry picked drivers, or if something else is modded, but they are a very nice pair of Lambdas.

FraGGleR's Kenwood KH-1000 w/ Alpha Dog pads on my Clip Zip > UHA-4

Out of production Japanese market closed headphone.  Very comfy.  A bit closed in and hollow sounding, but not too bad.  A little bit dark, high treble shelved a bit.  Descent size soundstage for a closed can.  A small sharp ringing in the treble that's only really noticeable on high hats, chimes, and bells.  Decent clarity and resolution.  Over all a very pleasant surprise and nice for a closed can.  Too bad they're no longer produced.

Questyle CAS192 DAC > DNA Stratus > Balanced HD800

Pleasantly surprised.  I don't usually like tubes any more unless they're the output stage on a 'stat amp.  Good clarity and separation.  Takes a bit of the HD800's edge off, but not enough for my to like it better than the HD650.  Switching the HD800 to a single ended cable and running it from my 2i2 > O2 provided better clarity, especially in the treble, but the lower Z out brought out the HD800's treble sharpness even further.

 

[ThePianoMan]

Impressions on the ZMF Omni posted:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/769682/zmf-omni-upcoming-semi-open-flagship/90#post_11724605

Will post my meet impressions later. Very flattered that my humble schiit/Beyer rig was so enjoyable for you! Your Stax rig was really phenomenal and very cool : )

 

[maverickronin]

Very flattered that my humble schiit/Beyer rig was so enjoyable for you!

 
Don't sell yourself short.  It's only 'humble' in the mad, mad world of Head-Fi. 

 
Sometimes need to I run things past my 'normal' friends in order to talk myself down from spending unreasonable amounts of money on headphone gear.

 

[ThePianoMan]

Well, when it comes to headphone gear I can't say I'm reasonable - just broke!
XD

 

[Stereocilia]

I was mulling over the idea of going to this meet the night before, it feels awkward for me to show up to a gathering and not know anybody. Like Kojaku I wasn't sure what to expect. It was awkward at first but the sight of all that awesome gear quickly put me in a socializing mood.
 
There seemed to be a little bit of everything at this meet. It was a great mix of older Head-fi classic models and new gear for 2015. The used, entry, mid, and higher price spectrum was on display.
 
If you don't have anything nice to say... and I want to say nice things but honestly nothing I sampled in the way of headphones at this meet blew my mind. It was kind of a let down to be honest. I was trying to figure out why. I went around asking and guess what everybody had a favorite headphone with no solid consensus on one make or model. I guess I'm not surprised at all since the competition between the well established names in Head-Fi market is very keen. With names like Stax, Sennheiser, HiFiMAN, Fostex, Audeze, and so on its hard to go wrong these days.
 
I have a preference for colored sound, I like my Grado 1000e cans, I bought them with me so I could do a compare and contrast with other cans and gear. Two pieces of gear at this meet grabbed and held my attention both are tube amps.
 
http://www.apexhifi.com/Peak.htm
 
The Apex Peak
 
http://www.decware.com/newsite/TABOO.htm
 
Decware Taboo MKIII
 
If your into the sound of tube amplification gives these amps your time I'm glad I did. The Apex Peak is so beguiling and the Decware Taboo has this incredible sense of air to it, that lucid mode lives up to the hype. Well this is all I got, thanks to everybody involved for making this meet happen, it more than exceeded my expectations. 
 
 
The Apex Peak

 

[Kojaku]

I was mulling over the idea of going to this meet the night before, it feels awkward for me to show up to a gathering and not know anybody. Like Kojaku I wasn't sure what to expect. It was awkward at first but the sight of all that awesome gear quickly put me in a socializing mood.

There seemed to be a little bit of everything at this meet. It was a great mix of older Head-fi classic models and new gear for 2015. The used, entry, mid, and higher price spectrum was on display.

If you don't have anything nice to say... and I want to say nice things but honestly nothing I sampled in the way of headphones at this meet blew my mind. It was kind of a let down to be honest. I was trying to figure out why. I went around asking and guess what everybody had a favorite headphone with no solid consensus on one make or model. I guess I'm not surprised at all since the competition between the well established names in Head-Fi market is very keen. With names like Stax, Sennheiser, HiFiMAN, Fostex, Audeze, and so on its hard to go wrong these days.

I have a preference for colored sound, I like my Grado 1000e cans, I bought them with me so I could do a compare and contrast with other cans and gear. Two pieces of gear at this meet grabbed and held my attention both are tube amps.

http://www.apexhifi.com/Peak.htm

The Apex Peak

http://www.decware.com/newsite/TABOO.htm

Decware Taboo MKIII

If your into the sound of tube amplification gives these amps your time I'm glad I did. The Apex Peak is so beguiling and the Decware Taboo has this incredible sense of air to it, that lucid mode lives up to the hype. Well this is all I got, thanks to everybody involved for making this meet happen, it more than exceeded my expectations. 


The Apex Peak

Not sure that you're talking about me here. I definitely knew to expect a bunch of awkward headphone nerds with a penchant for drinking. In all seriousness, I think Witzy was the one who said he wasn't sure what to expect.

In a related side note, sorry if I was the one who dismissed your stuff, Witzy. I really like the AiAiAis, so I don't think I said that stuff...

Kojaku

 

[Keithpgdrb]

I was mulling over the idea of going to this meet the night before, it feels awkward for me to show up to a gathering and not know anybody. Like Kojaku I wasn't sure what to expect. It was awkward at first but the sight of all that awesome gear quickly put me in a socializing mood.

There seemed to be a little bit of everything at this meet. It was a great mix of older Head-fi classic models and new gear for 2015. The used, entry, mid, and higher price spectrum was on display.

If you don't have anything nice to say... and I want to say nice things but honestly nothing I sampled in the way of headphones at this meet blew my mind. It was kind of a let down to be honest. I was trying to figure out why. I went around asking and guess what everybody had a favorite headphone with no solid consensus on one make or model. I guess I'm not surprised at all since the competition between the well established names in Head-Fi market is very keen. With names like Stax, Sennheiser, HiFiMAN, Fostex, Audeze, and so on its hard to go wrong these days.

I have a preference for colored sound, I like my Grado 1000e cans, I bought them with me so I could do a compare and contrast with other cans and gear. Two pieces of gear at this meet grabbed and held my attention both are tube amps.

http://www.apexhifi.com/Peak.htm

The Apex Peak

http://www.decware.com/newsite/TABOO.htm

Decware Taboo MKIII

If your into the sound of tube amplification gives these amps your time I'm glad I did. The Apex Peak is so beguiling and the Decware Taboo has this incredible sense of air to it, that lucid mode lives up to the hype. Well this is all I got, thanks to everybody involved for making this meet happen, it more than exceeded my expectations. 


The Apex Peak

To each his own. And these meets are as much about socializing as anything else. So I'm glad you took some time to speak with people. I have heard the grado you have and find it excellent. It's great to have found the headphone that does everything you want. I do however find it hard to believe that you weren't blown away by some of the things on display. But in the end, it's all about the combo of music preference, headphone, and listening volume. Hope to see you at the next meet.

 

[ThePianoMan]

Some short impressions:
 
ZMF stuff was great, as usual. Omni impressions in that respective thread.
 
 
The vintage Stax setup was really cool! almost like a little headphone museum!
 
 
Didn't get to check out the IEM setup but it was nice to see someone had brought some, it added some diversity to the gear there for sure!
I didn't get the chance to try the Takstar headphones but heard nice things about them for the price. Kojaku said something pretty funny about them looking like Beyers that got stepped on!
 
 
Speaking of Kojaku, his rig with the Ether and HE-1000 on the Oppo were pretty darn cool. (and violectric, can't remember whose that was, but also excellent) The Oppo is a wonderful dac/amp. One of the better combined solutions I've heard, and simply superb at the price! I wasn't convinced the HE-1000 was shining at its best out of the Oppo but I think that headphone is a bit of a pig to drive. It seemed picky at least.
 
 
The Ether and HEK, despite being the talk of the town, struck me as two very different headphones. The Ether had a very upfront, colder sound, while the HEK was more akin to the HD800, but relaxed and planar. Both great cans. My preference was the HEK though. I will say that it leaks a TON of sound. HEK gets my vote for genre-master. Ether gets my vote for headphone that makes me want to getup and dance more.
 
Microzotl setup in the corner was really nice too. Had a great chat with AudioAddict too - very friendly guy! He, Zach and myself are all really enjoying the new Melody Gardot album. Very nice to find folks with similar listening habits

 
 
The DNA Stratus I think gets my vote for best of show amp. Everything sounded stellar out of it; beyers, senns, Ether, HEK, you name it. I think HEK, HE-6, HD800, and the Omni get my votes as the best pairings. I also really enjoyed the LCD-XC that was at the show. Audeze makes nice stuff, but it's never been my favorite in the past, and I wasn't expecting to be wowed by the XC. This is by far my favorite Audeze can! I found the fit and weight a little better than other Audezes I've tried for whatever reason so maybe that helped. In any case, a nice headphone. Don't remember who got it, but Tweak audio was very generous with that discount. I also enjoyed when someone asked if it was "40 dollars off, or 40 percent off."
 
The out of your head software was also a pleasure to listen to. It's exciting to see more of this tech around. As it becomes better and less expensive, I think it could really be a game changer.
 
Thanks to everyone (and especially the vendors and organizers!) had a great time, some excellent conversations, and looking forward to the opportunity to (hopefully!) do it again August 8th!

 

[FraGGleR]

Thanks again to Keith for hosting.  Was great as always catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
 
The HEK continues to strike me as the headphone I have been looking for, but with its crazy leakiness, still hard to confirm during meet conditions.  It has a great balance to it, with a lot of what I liked about the HD800 (previous favorite flagship) and HE-6 in it, but with all the edges rounded off a little.  Not as technically wow as the HD800, but what I would give up in ultimate resolution and air, I get back in more tactility and a healthier bottom end.  BUT, I don't think I like it THAT much better than the HD800 to justify over twice the cost.  Perhaps once I get back into flagships, enough will be on the market to get one second hand at a more reasonable price.
 
The Ether is supremely comfortable, but I just don't see the love it is getting.  Not for the price, at least.  I can't say that it does anything wrong, it just doesn't resonate with me.  Oh well, will chalk it up to preference.  I didn't really care for the HE-560 either which is crazy popular as well.
 
Definitely liked the DNA Stratus.  Didn't have my Bottlehead S.E.X. on hand to compare to, but it definitely made my HD650s sound quite lively.  
 
The new Omni is my new favorite T50RP based headphone, but it is still a planar headphone.  I think I am just a plain old dynamic driver guy.  
 
Finally got to hear a Koss ESP950.  I had read a lot about it, and I have to say I'm a little disappointed.  The build quality is scandalously bad for the price, and the sound just didn't wow me.  I think my HD650 out of a good tube amp sounds much better.  The other Stax models were interesting to listen to, but still not my thing.
 
I am kicking myself that I didn't plug more headphones into my Pulse Xfi + LPS setup, as I am quite enjoying it and wanted to spend more time comparing it to other setups.  I'm pretty sure I liked it better than the Oppo HA-1 with my HD650's, so it would have been smart to see how some of the flagships on hand sounded off the rig.  Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait a whole month and change to try again  Will try to bring my Bottlehead S.E.X. next time, as it is a far better amp than the built in one of the Pulse.  
 
Hope to see you all again soon.

 

[Claritas]

Thanks to Keith for persevering and making Chiunfi 9 happen, to Audio Addict for being the doyen of the Chicago community, to Zach (ZMF) and Darin Fong for their generous support, and to whoever brought the coffee!
 
A special shoutout to Hisoundfi for coming to visit us and bringing the portable lab. Check out his thread if you haven't already.
 
Dunu Titan
 
This IEM has a generally neutral sound with some bass elevation. Fortunately, the treble is completely inoffensive without being shelved. The soundstage is a little closed in, compared with similar products. It's a good alternative to RE400. The list price is too high, but the Massdrop price is fair. Caveat: the angled nozzles necessitate straight down wear, unless reversing the channels doesn't matter for your music.
 
ZMF Omni
 
This Fostex mod has the most neutral frequency response of the ZMF product line. Fortunately, it's not a departure from the generally warm-toned house sound. The soundstage is coherent and well-proportioned: very natural. If I had to quibble with anything, the soundstage sounded slightly congested in the center with large ensembles such as a full orchestra.
 
AKG / Massdrop K7XX
 
This was a pleasant surprise: the first of the many AKG's starting with the number 7 that I like. It's still cool-toned, but it lacks the uneven upper mids / lower treble that marred its predecessors. Soundstage is set closer than HD6x0 but is gapless in comparison. I'm glad AKG finally came out with a real alternative to HD6x0.
 
Stax SR207 and modded Stax (by Maverick Ronin)
 
Stock is hard to listen to: bassless and screechy with violins. But the modded ones are quite different and it's immediately noticeable. Suddenly, you're listening to a Stax with bass presence, tamer treble, and much deeper soundstage. Nice work Mav!
 
DNA Stratus
 
This amp is often described as "euphonic." That might be misleading because it's euphonic only relative to very uncolored tube amps. There's more than just a touch of warmth, but it's by no means lush. It pairs quite well with more clinical-sounding phones, such as HD800. That's a very fine experience, but I find it ultimately unaffecting compared with the combination of a less clinical phone and an oilier amp. It's a matter of taste: my old man told me than when he was a boy, he could never understand why my grandaddy ate half-sour pickles--but now he eats them himself.
 
Fidue A73
 
This IEM is more warm than V-shaped. There's some bass emphasis with note thickness in that range, but also a pretty mild treble spike or a slight unevenness somewhere up top. The spike isn't immediately bothersome, but it might become annoying after longer listening; and some won't find it offensive at all. Sense of speed above the bass is faster than average, reminiscent of GR07. I much prefer it to the bassier (and more expensive) A83, though bass is tighter on A83.
 
Gear used: Caiman II + Corda Classic for full size, iPod 5.5 + Leck for IEMs
 
Great seeing y'all: old friends and acquaintances--and new ones.

 

[buson160man]

  I was surprised to see the koss 950 at the meet. It sounded very good. I was also surprised to see how many stax set ups there were.

 

[maverickronin]

  Stax SR207 and modded Stax (by Maverick Ronin)
 
Stock is hard to listen to: bassless and screechy with violins. But the modded ones are quite different and it's immediately noticeable. Suddenly, you're listening to a Stax with bass presence, tamer treble, and much deeper soundstage. Nice work Mav!

 
TY.  Always good to hear I'm not crazy.
 
Also, in retrospect I should have spent more time playing with the crossfeed settings on you Classic.  It always seems like there's never enough time at these things, right?