Chicagoland Winter 2017 Meet Impressions

It was great meeting all the SBAFers who went to the Chicago HF meet today, listened to loads of gear and some fantastic setups, some notes:

Headphones:
Elear:

• Narrow Stage, and in a rather concerning manner, imaging within the stage wasn't particularly precise as well
• The Bass is rather pronounced, which I don't mind normally, but in this case, it for some reason overstays its welcome and adversely affects imaging accuracy.
• Rather noticeable recession in the upper-mid/lower treble area, which screws with tracks, especially given a mid-treble peak
• Pretty dynamic (in the macro sense) I suppose, but the above areas meant I wasn't interested in listening the Elear for longer.

Utopia:

• Stage is still rather intimate, but is remarkably 3D (i.e circular) and imaging is very precise within that stage, certain amp pairings help with making stage bigger.
• Very even tonally, no part of the FR stands out (in a good way), but are very dynamic and present notes with weight if called for (beats HD800 soundly in this regard), bass extension is hella good and clean for an open dynamic.
• Lots of plankton as remarked on by just about every one who heard it, picks up little nuances in recordings like little else, instrument tones seem natural enough but I am not experienced enough to tell.

Eikon:

• This headphone is ...tough to describe, but definitely top tier in terms of tuning and technicalities.
• Bass is somewhat pronounced above neutral, hits very hard but is really clean and keeps up very well with recordings that demand speed in the lower regions, it's almost the best of both planar and dynamic (especially biodyna) bass.
• Mids and upwards are...interesting, and very un-ZMF like, lower mids transition well from the bass, while the upper mids and lower treble are significantly more present than typical from ZMF, it's not peaky or unpleasant however. Transients, resolution and speed are very good, though not quite up there with HD800
• A flaw with this headphone is that its not particularly airy or open, with a rather small stage and not a lot of treble air. Trebleheads will not like that part.
• In terms of wood, I preferred Cherry, as Padauk can sound somewhat sharp in the upper mids/lower treble with not-so-good recordings.
• In a sentence, I'd say the closest analogy is a super-X00, with superior technicalities across the board and a more even tuning.

Atticus:

• More midbass emphasis than Eikon by a noticeable margin, subbass rolls off a little from the midbass peak but is still pretty clean, overall 'thicker' sounding than Eikon.
• Warmer lower mids, and more laid back upper mids/treble vs Eikon, female vocals/electric guitars more distant sounding
• Similar technicalities to Eikon, with the possible downside of less clarity because of the enhanced midbass and the laid back nature of the headphone, transients also might be a tad slower, but hard to tell.
• Overall, still a good, if not great headphone for those who prefer warmer/ZMF-style signatures, but personally I prefer the more neutral tuning of the Eikon.

HEKv1:

• Very open sounding, near HD800 w.r.t staging, albeit with slightly less stage depth and less imaging accuracy.
• Somewhat 'soft' with note presentation, but still has good texture and detail, bass is plenty extended and very quick, but doesn't hit as hard as it should IMO
• Somewhat smoother/more even upper mid-> lower treble transition than HD800, but lower treble still a tad more pronounced than neutral, which is exacerbated by some.. splashiness?
• Pretty good all rounder, although not even close to worth $3k.

Setups:
AGD Master 7 -> Dennis Had Fire Bottle Amplifier (@Comzee 's setup)

• Only tested HD800 and HEKv1 on this setup, which is something I rather regret in hindsight....
• Excellent synergy with HD800, there is some...warmth which plays well with the HD800, while still having very expansive stage with precise imaging and loads of detail. Out of all the amps I tested with the HD800 at the meet, this is likely the best pairing (for me).

Gungnir Multibit -> Zana Deux (Super?) (@PoochZag 's setup)

• Great technicalities, has an effect of making headphones sound more expansive than normal, likely the most 'open' sounding of all the setups. Great with Eikon and especially Utopia in this regard.
• Unfortunately, somewhat soft in the lowest registers, which has the effect of making headphones like the HD800 seem more treble-tipped, not my cup of tea in terms of synergy.

 

Awesome meet. Awesome people. It was great to put faces on forum friends, and hang our for drinks and food afterwards.

Since Tode mentioned Ishcabible, here's a link to his impressions. http://www.verumsonus.com/head-fi-meet-impressions-12817/ SBAFers pictured in full force, with even Maverickronin from the old Chang days pictured way in the back.

 

Here are my non-exhaustive quick impressions of new stuff I heard at the meet. I tried to get my ears on a lot of different things, as this was my first real meet. I have a lot of respect for those of you who can give in depth thoughts listening to parts of a few songs over 8-15 minutes. It was really awesome meeting many of you in person, already looking forward to the next one.

Amps/Setups (only evaluated if I used my own headphones, or otherwise know HP very well)

Wells Audio Milo- Holy cow, this amp has balls. Modded HE-6 was extremely hard hitting and aggressive sounding, more so than "normal", best I've ever heard my 6 (but I have not heard the elite speaker amps). Wow. Not great with the HD800, super awesome low end and slam (better than mjo2 even?) but not great sense of space, air or staging. Also no play on volume knob with 800, even HE-6 only needed 9:30 max, but I'm told there are options to get this amp more attenuated. Cute little upright form factor would be great for desk. Would seriously consider if I do an ancillary setup with the 6 or other planars, Slants, Abyss, and ZMF Omni/Ori were also awesome and dynamic out of it.

EC Zana Deux (almost "Super") with Gungnir Multibit: I was lucky enough to purchase this amp used from @ogodei , and picked it up as the meet started, so my impressions are quick just like anyone else's there. w/HD800: Very wide and convincing staging, both width and depth. Very smooth and coherent from through the treble, which is saying a lot. Low end has good presence, but lacks commanding slam which I miss a bit from Mjo2, but is less warm sounding overall (still warm tho). Utopia: Best combo in show I tried, as I found Utopia just "good" from some other amps (mainly the Sony one below). I wish I never plugged these in to my own rig, would buy one immediately if they were priced more competitively. So happy this amp is home with me now.

Cavalli Liquid Gold: Made HE-6 sound incredibly soft and smooth. It was WEIRD, but in a very good way. At the same time seems weird to use such an aggressive sounding headphone for that purpose. Played very well with HD800 treble, very resolving and quick, but a little soft down low. Eikon and Atticus were both solid on it. Probably the best overall SS amp I've ever heard, but my experience in high end SS isn't expansive.

Sony TA-ZH1ES balanced DAC/amp: Super sleek and sexy, matches the rest of the lineup well. Extremely underwhelming sounding, even with the Utopia, had no life, no staging, it was bizarre. This was 4.4mm balanced out too.

AGD M7 DAC, lots of things, to Dennis Fireball Tube Speaker amp (@Comzee 's setup): "Cleanest" and "clearest" I've ever heard my 800's. The setup I'm most kicking myself for not getting around to a second listen.

Schiit Jot DAC and amp: Surprisingly good with my HE-6, very quick and clear, however with the BIG caveat that it was quite thin in the bass. I'd take my Marantz PM7001 integrated as a cheaper HE-6 solution any day. HD650 hype is real, liked how forward it sounded on it.


Opens

STAX-009 (unsure of amp, it was @anetode 's): The only electrostat I've ever heard. Much more impact, deep extension, and overall warmess than what I was expecting. Very enjoyable overall, a 'faster' sound with very little note linger (good or bad, depending) with no glaring flaws. Wish I spent more time with it. If it was a headphone I could plug into a standard amp I'd consider one.

Focal Utopia: Quick impressions were that it meets or even exceeds the modded HD800 in all aspects I can think of except stage size, comfort/weight, and maybe that last inch of resolution. I had a hard time coming up with flaws in my short time... damn I really liked this, especially out of the Zana. My impressions of it did vary a bit depending on source, especially in dynamism and staging, more than most other headphones. So I wouldn't buy it blind (or for $4k...)

HEK v2: Great textured bass, fairly detailed, with laid back treble that still has some sparkle to it. These may be the slightly laid back HD800 alternative I've been looking for, but not at that price and reported build quality... Ether-esk lightness and comfort for a planar.

LCD-X: Agreeable tonality, but lacking big in staging and detail.

Closed

ZMF Atticus: This sounds like how a hot dog in a pigs-in-a-blanket feels: It's ensconced in a warm and gooey pastry blanket, with no means to escape. Just way too much midbass/lower midrange emphasis for me. Only amp I could handle it on was the Cavalli Liquid Gold, but still too much. Upper midrange was very even and pleasing, with a nice rolloff throughout the treble.

ZMF Eikon: I was thinking this all throughout the meet, but needed this morning to confirm. Best all around full-sized closed cans I've ever heard. Pretty sure that's not owner's bias (Zach delivered my pre-order pair at the meet, which was awesome). Bass is deep extending, kicks hard, doesn't bleed into mids, and is a tasteful bit raised above "neutral". Midrange is nice and present, without being overly forward, good detail and nice character with a gentle decay. Staging is very wide and deep for a closed, and even kinda good for an open back. I thought I was wearing an Treble provides good detail and air, and sounds slightly elevatated. I think there's just a touch of peakiness, but not enough to even be certain yet.

ZMF Omni/Ori: Best treble I've heard out of a t50RP driver, very smooth and almost none of that tizzy sound. Overly warm, but not as much as the new Atticus. It was nice, but I think I prefer the Blackwood model even not considering price difference, as it's relatively more netural and less warm, even tho it does have some treble tizz.

Meze 99- Way too bassy, and generally forward sounding for my tastes. I lasted 2 songs, the second was off RAM and it was just way too much

Ether C (original): Really etchy treble thing going on, I remember that a little bit on Open Ether but this was way more apparent. Worst headphone I heard, and I say that with a fairly positive affinity towards open Ether. So confused.

Sony Z1R (w/ Sony amp above): Very premium feeling, comfortable, well isolating. Very convincing, rumbling bass, that seemed to have a "location" in the headstage, if a little too much bass overall for me at times. Hard to take seriously sonically at that price with a million Eikons around the room for almost half $. Midrange sounded smooth and no glaring flaws up top. Excellent sense of space for a closed back. It wasn't bad, just unremarkable. I only listened with that awful Sony amp so maybe I should give it another chance in future.

Other

Cayin i5 DAP: I was in the DAP market a year ago, and I really wish it existed then. Still may grab it. It checks all my boxes, nice form factor that's easily pocketable, runs android and can stream Tidal/Spotify, has 1 SD card slot, physical volume knob (digital control tho), bright screen, and only has 3.5mm out (I consider this a feature because all the balanced cables for my DP-x1 leads to insanity). "Only" $499 and it does go on sale. Uses AK4490 with less than 1 ohm OI. Made my Jupiter sound a bit more forward in the upper mids, which I really like. Could be bad with other IEMs tho (I didn't see the IEM table in the corner or would've tried others).

 

I was able to be at the meet for only a couple of hours, so I listened briefly to a few choice items: Elear, Andromeda, Zana Deux, and Jupiter. The two I want to comment on are Andromeda and Jupiter.

I listened using what for me would be real-world conditions, because like hell am I gonna carry around a DAP in addition to a mobile phone. It's hard to verify the output impedance of iPhone SE, but it seems to be a little over 3 ohms. That almost certainly had an effect on the results.

Both Andro and Jupiter are very good IEMs. I don't think there's any reason to hesitate to buy either of them. Andro has an open, realistic soundstage. Jupiter's is more closed, but about average for IEMs. Andro is more detailed and has more accurate instrument separation. Jupiter doesn't sound congested on its own, but it sounds congested in comparison.

But Jupiter has a couple of things going for it that Andro doesn't. First, Andro is rather fast, and the notes decay too quickly. Whereas Jupiter sounds more natural, both in overall speed and in giving each note the right amount of weight. Another difference is that Andro sounded too polite with vocals, whereas Jupiter had the more direct presence that I prefer. I wouldn't have guessed that based on Marv's measurements. So maybe the higher output impedance of my source messed with the FR in that range and/or Andro's bass masked the vocals somewhat.

It was great meeting you guys, and I look forward to seeing you all again.