New England SBAFers

Discussion in 'The Meeting Place' started by JoshMorr, Apr 30, 2016.

  1. Ninja Pirate

    Ninja Pirate Friend

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    @JoshMorr, maybe bring a folding table if you got one.

    Look forward to seeing you all there.
     
  2. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    I'm on it, table and a few extra chairs loaded.

    Thanks for the satellite images as well. I will calibrate my global positioning systems to your coordinates.
     
  3. batriq

    batriq Probably has made you smarter

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    Awesome meet today! @Ninja Pirate, thank you so much for your hospitality. Cheers
     
  4. Ninja Pirate

    Ninja Pirate Friend

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    No worries, and thanks to everyone that came. Definitely have to do something like this again.
     
  5. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    f'ing sweet ass mini meet dudes. I looked around and estimated we had every single significant headphone / Dac / amp in existence to compare side by side. Ridiculous perfectly cooked massive steaks on the grill, fantastic beers, great company. @Ninja Pirate thanks for hosting, will be tough to top this one in the future.

    We posting impressions here guys? Should be able to get some thoughts together by the end if the day.

    Very very quick thoughts though....

    Sines - woof

    HE 6 - perfect hd800 compliment

    Bottlehead SEX - awesome

    PMx2 - still up there with best headphones I've heard

    HD 800 - three different sets all modded the same way sound differently

    ZMF OMNI - Im jealous, I really like these

    Kevin's Taurus / Pure Dac stack - really really nice sound

    More to come once I can process
     
  6. batriq

    batriq Probably has made you smarter

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    It was my first time listening to an HD800 (modded or not), and I loved it. I listened to 2 of the 3 on site. The bass is more prominent and more detailed than the HD600. Both HD800+Rag and @HD800+Taurus sounded excellent. Sources and music I listened to with these two stacks were different so it's not possible to compare them. With the HD800+Taurus I listened to the Four Season Summer Allegro when the cellos enter like 10 times.

    I had made an L-Pad for the SEX headphone out to get more range on the volume pot. I think everyone preferred the sound with the L-pad.

    I compared the HD600 with a modded HD650. While the HD650 does some things better, I kinda like the HD600, or maybe I'm just more used to it. The HD600 sounded great with @Ishcabible 's DYI Cavalli.
     
  7. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Couple more in depth impressions

    Thumbs up!

    Bottle Head Sex amp - only listened to @batriq version - but really liked it. I found this to be a big step up in resolution, clarity, speed, and sparkle from the BH Crack + SB. Really a completely different animal. Doesn't have that crack laid back tone at all. Very impressed with the build and the little inline resistor pod that was build certainly helped. A+ build

    Auralic Taurus MKII (through Pure DAC) - Tried to listen to this as the more I know about it the more it intrigues me. High end, balanced, solid state, class a. This sounds like the ultimate solid state. Super accurate, fast, detailed. Sound comes easy, not forced. One of those amps that does such a good job, it's almost under the radar. Would have to listen to more to describe sound, but this is a solid choice.

    HE-6 - mentioned above, but I feel like this is a great compliment to the HD800. While the HD800 is a detailed and nuanced technician, the HE-6 is like in your face bass and mids speed machine. Listened to the slightly modded HE-6 balanced through the ragnarok. Super clean bass, tight, fast, but heavy. It's nothing about it is laid back, and it does a lot really really well, maybe from 2-3k down. I thought the higher end left a tiny bit to be desired, but didn't do any long comparisons.

    PMx2 - Second time I've hear this and I still think it deserves to be in the top of headphone class conversation. While this is the flattest response headphone, it doesn't totally fit my tastes. Probably the best mids of any cans, but maybe just a hair lacking in the bass and high end. Not a fault, I am sure they were tuned this way, I just find my preference to be a bit more colored. I am sure speaker heads would find this a great set. Top notch fit and finish, super comfortable. Its almost as if the HD600 went off to college and came back all sophisticated and such. As A HD650 guy, I prefer to chase the HD850 with mods on the HD800.

    HD600 - Batriq had a stock HD600 and lived up to the hype. At first I thought it was a slightly boring version of the HD650, but then I remembered I am tainted and that the HD650 is a darker version of the HD600. Looking at it with a glass half full approach, I actually really liked this. Sounds great on tracks where low end shouldn't be emphasized. Playing Nirvana, this sounded perfect. I can see similar on lots of rock tracks where a more accurate presentation is desired.

    Thumbs down?!?

    Audeze Sine - was kind of excited to hear this as it has decent praise here, and was let down. I feel like this is only a marginal improvement over the closed EL-8. Sounded weird. Kinda like someone put headphones in a tin can. Just sounded weird. This could have special requirements to drive that I didn't meet, but I believe I listened to these on the Taurus. General impressions of other attendees seemed to be similar. Maybe my standards are too high with HD650's being my benchmark.

    Needs further investigation / not as memorable:::

    Mutec MC1.2 - This is my usb converter, was kinda excited to show it off, thought it made the Gungnir Multibit sound great. We decided to see if we could hear the sonic differences between straight USB input into the Gungnir Multibit and the spdif input from the mutec. Kevin couldn't hear any difference, I thought the Mutec had slightly better staging, but probably couldn't pick which was which if blind. Kyle could hear a slight difference (but preferred stock Gungnir Multibit) after a bunch of back and forth and thought that the mutec brought the soundstage forward and closed it just a bit. Now I am not sure if I can hear any significant difference or not.

    EMU Teak's - thought like these sounded just like the TH-X00's I owned. I would bet these are made in the same factory. Still don't like how the headphone fits with light clamp and kinda odd pads.

    Audeze LCD 2 (non faz?) - MEH. does alot right, just doesn't meet the value proposition in my head. For whatever reason, I don't find myself liking planars alot.

    Too many headphones to remember them all.

    Edit 6-15 Forgot Hifiman HE-X - Really really liked these. They are cheap looking and feeling, very light weight due to all plastic design. Looks similair to HE-1000. I like the sound of these alot. I would almost say the planar magnetic cousin of the HD650. Could be a bit faster, but not quite as resolving. Smaller sound stage, but decently wide. Easy to drive! Probably not $1,500 headphone, but its a great sounding can either way.

    Also forgot to talk about all three modded HD800's sounding differently, measurements taken by Kyle, and my indepth 10 part review of Kevins steak. Spolier: It was good.
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2016
  8. Rynsin

    Rynsin New

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    Limited impressions for now --

    I think the winner of the meet was the meat. Special thanks to @Ninja Pirate for being the best headphone meet host I've witnessed to date. Glad to have the steak and beer.

    I'm glad I got to confirm my suspicions about the Sines with other ears. I don't like them.

    Really surprised by the Yamaha HP-2s that @Ishcabible had, and I was pretty impressed with @JoshMorr 's Rag. That thing can really drive everything. Not a big fan of the clicking, but I understand its purpose.

    I got reacquainted with the mad/alpha dogs. Crazy bass on these, but I still don't think they're for me...

    I also really appreciated @batriq 's RPI, even if we never got it fully working.
     
  9. Ishcabible

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    Totally forgot to post my impressions. All my pictures suck so I won't be uploading those.

    Before impressions, I have two sets of RCAs that aren't mine. One I know is Ryan's but the other is a Transparent The Link cable. Just let me know and it'll go out to you tomorrow!

    Stuff I liked:

    HEX - It was pretty warm, but surprisingly detailed. I thought it was less compressed sounding than the HEK. To me, it was kind of like a better HE500 without the 10k peak of doom. I'd probably pay like $700 for them if their build were better.

    Rag - I didn't like the Mjo2 much but I actually really liked it with the HE-6. I expected it to be too bright but if anything it added more presence. I like the extra impact and control it gave to the bass.

    Josh's HD800 - Ours are pretty similar other than the fact that Josh's has a legit SDR and mine is a clone. Mine subjectively has more midrange and while his had better bass and less treble, but for some reason, his measured with more treble. Weird how that works.

    PMx2 - This is like the third time I've heard it and while it's still a good headphone, the more I use it the less I like it. It's just kinda boring to me. If I didn't have an HD800, I may have gotten my PM2 upgraded but since I don't mind the HD800's treble, I'm chill with my more forward sounding PM2 mods. Still a very good headphone though.

    HD600 - Why am I in this hobby when this sounds 90% as good as the other crap I've spent money on? I've cycled through this headphone at least three times but this is the first time I've heard it through my current system. Detail isn't up there with my HE-6 and HD800, but the sig just works with me. Bass is a bit better than I remember it being but it could use some cleaning up.

    HD580 with HM5 Hybrids - I wish I could hear these with stock pads because I know HM5 pads recess upper midrange a bit, but I like its goldilocks treble presentation. I'm probably gonna get a pair if I find one for cheap.

    HD650 - Read the above but less treble and upper midrange, little more bass. Everyone here probably knows what these sound like already but damn they're annoyingly good.

    @batriq 's SEX is pretty good; I wish I could have compared side by side, but if I had to say what differences I heard, maybe less midrange and more treble. And more gain. That adapter I used was pretty cool; it helped tame the HD800 treble significantly

    Auralic Taurus - Pretty bright; straddles the like and eh line but with a super warm headphone I'd probably like this.

    Steaks - Best part of the meet. One of the best I've ever had.

    Stuff I was eh about:

    Mutec MC1.2 - We all did an ABXish test with them. Out of 10 tries, I got 5 correct and the last one I got wrong but immediately knew I guessed incorrectly...so I can technically say I got 6 out of 10. I heard a fuller, more intimate midrange. We probably wouldn't have used the HD650 for comparing them. I may have been more positive about it if I used it with the HD800. I wish I did. So I'd say it works, but $500 is almost twice as much as what I paid for my DAC alone.

    LCD2 - Wish it had treble other than that one sibilant peak. I like the mids and they have alright bass. I wish I had my abnormally good LCD-2.1 to compare.

    Nighthawk - Kevin modded them but I forgot to ask how they're modded. I really do think these have potential. If the bass were more controlled and the mids were...present, and the treble was a bit more refined I'd like them. They're super pretty.

    Stuff I didn't like:

    Sine - they sound fukt. My $20 Yamaha HP3 sounded significantly better. They're the second pair I've heard; the first one sounded like this but was much shriller. They sound fuller with the Cipher cable but they still sounded dead. I might like the EL8s more.

    Oh, the Teaks had rosewood cups on. I should have kept the original teak cups on so people could get an impression of what they should sound like. With the rosewood cups there's not too much to differentiate them from the X00 but the teak cups boost the midrange and tame the treble a bit.

    Finally got HD600/HD650 measurements so I'll be posting those in a bit.
     
  10. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Hey, I was wondering where those RCA's went. I will shoot you a pm.

    I immediately called up sennheiser for stock pads after seeing your measurements. My first experience with these pads, and while I thought they sounded decent, I knew something about them was just a bit off.

    I think it's safe to say the Meat at the Meet was the story of the day. Only time I shut up all day ( and probably a welcome break for other attending)!
     
  11. batriq

    batriq Probably has made you smarter

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    I took some photos
     

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  12. pavement714

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    Wish I could've gone to this. Was unfortunately out of town. Looks like fun!

    If anyone in the Cambridge/Boston area wants to hear my setup (Modded HE1000 w/Norne Cable, Gungnir Multibit, Audeze Deckard, Schiit Wyrd) let me know! I humbly think it goes toe to toe with many setups costing quite a bit more.
     
  13. Ishcabible

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    I'm down to host something either late July or Late August!

    Btw, sold off most of my headphones and consolidated the money into a T1 and an ESP950. Got the T1 today. It's not the best. I'll probably keep the ESP for the next meet though.
     
  14. Ninja Pirate

    Ninja Pirate Friend

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    Thanks for the impressions guys.

    I personally didn't spend all that much time actually trying stuff...

    The Sines were pretty mediocre out of my phone, bit better using the cypher cable, still not something I would consider/recommend.

    @batriq's SEX was awesome, nice clear sound, but damn that gain was high. Might have to look into building one of Bottlehead's newer models.

    The EMU's were ok, very reminiscent of the TH-X00/Foster gear.

    Talos wasn't bad, preferred it over the Mad Dogs but would still take a Slant over it.

    PMx2 and HE-X were the standouts to me, both appealed to my preferences. The HE-X was super comfy on my large noggin, might have to nab one at some point.

    Substance was awesome, cheers Josh!

    Had a blast and we'll definitely have to do it again.
     
  15. RedFuneral

    RedFuneral Facebook Friend

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    I'm smack in the middle of CT, sans motor vehicle. If anyones up for carpooling I have gear to bring along. Beyerdynamic T70s & UltraFi DAC in house currently. Could also bring an old CD spinner or receiver to keep us honest.
     
  16. Rynsin

    Rynsin New

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    Totally forgot about the RCAs. I left my Furman power strip there too... no worries, I'll collect them at the next thing.
     
  17. Ishcabible

    Ishcabible Friend

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    Anyone down to come to a meet either the end of this month or towards the end of August? I can host!
     
  18. cizx

    cizx Friend

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    I might be.
     
  19. TooPoor

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    I'm off the last week of this month. Might be able to get away from the beach house for a bit. I could bring my modded HE-6.
     
  20. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    I am in. Either date likely works. I've got amps galore right now. On top of rag, I've got a black widow and a diy jonokuchi that sounds pretty good.
     

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