Bay Area 3/26 SBAF Meet Impressions Thread

Discussion in 'The Meeting Place' started by velvetx, Mar 26, 2016.

  1. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

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    Any recordings of the encounter? No useage of inflatable tentacle arms?
     
  2. No_One411

    No_One411 Fired by Jude

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    As per @n3rdling's suggestion, caption contest for this pic...

    [​IMG]

    Starting with:

    "Why doesn't anyone like my amp..."
     
  3. n3rdling

    n3rdling Friend

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    "Now I'll never get a job at Head-Fi"
     
  4. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    "Why don't girls like me?"
     
  5. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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  6. SeaBupter

    SeaBupter Friend

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    "Those tubes are bigger than I am."
     
  7. knerian

    knerian Friend

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    "I come here with Code-X and Stratus, and instead everyone is praising @Bill-P's HD-580 filled with sorbothane and dynamat. FML"
     
  8. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    Wait, you let Bill-p do all that? Is he still alive? Wow, you guys must have a true sense of camaraderie.....:D
     
  9. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

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    I have just one question for @NoStream , what camera did you use?! I LOVE those pics.
     
  10. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    Hmm, it doesn't look like a ZDS in the pics, but an earlier Zana Deux?
     
  11. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Sorry guys for the wait on the impressions had to work during the meet and all day today. Just wanted to thank everyone again who made it out. As always it was really good to see the usual suspects @TMoney @drfindley @knerian @No_One411 @recarcar @Bill-P and @steve . Honestly haven't seen Carlos and Justin in awhile so it was really cool to see them. It was also a great opportunity to meet a lot of new people @NoStream @brencho @jdhore @philipmorgan and @Noodlz . Much of what people already said in regards to talking more than listening is 100% true. At any meet I try my absolute best to make people feel welcome and get to know people and at this meet I was able to do just that. For those who have never attended a Bay Area SBAF meet this is typically what to expect no matter how small. I have always preached about how much I love this community and it's because of these last few weeks especially meeting with the SoCal community last week and of course seeing the NorCal community growing is really exciting. I am just happy to be apart of it and look forward to spending more time with all of you. Anyway onto the impressions:

    ECP DSHA-4: Have to say that I didn't really know what to expect with this amp. I know it uses Lundhal transformers and it's solid state. Aside from that I had no idea what to expect. I have to say thought I was impressed. I don't think it beats the studio in technicalities, details, and sound stage (no one is a stranger that I believe that the studio is one of the greatest amps I have ever heard). However i have to say musicality wise I do like the sound. It really does nothing wrong and has the good bass down low I enjoy with solid state amps. The workmanship I would say is second to none as the wood and metal finish are perfectly crafted. Coupled with the HD800S it creates a very lovely sound and and excellent pairing. Gratz Adam on your fine purchase and I look forward to hearing it more extensively in the future.

    STAX 007 MK1: Have to say that this paired with Justin's SRM-717 was absolutely amazing and for me one of the best at the meet. I have never really cared for STAX because I have never enjoyed the low end but the 007 MK1 was absolutely amazing. I wouldn't say the bass is greater than my ZDS but the tonality and details were definitely something to be desired. Really even EDM music sounded amazing with making it to me the favorite of the meet.

    HE-6 + Rag: You know I had mentioned awhile ago that the HE-6 I didn't feel was driven adequately with the Ragnarok. However, it seems like maybe there was an issue and listening to the HE-6 with the Yggdrasil and Rag combo was absolutely amazing. The bass slam was perfect and the sound stage had a great air. It made me question whether or not the Code-X was better.

    ZDS vs Stratus vs Single Extreme vs Torpedo 3: These four amps were in the tube room and I will say that it was pretty tough and though I feel bad about saying it I felt like many people said a little underwhelmed by the Stratus. I feel like I definitely want to spend more time with it but it just sounded a little soft to me. It didn't have the down low bass I look for. @sorrodje description of the Stratus was actually spot on. He described it as "Intimate" which is exactly like how I would describe it. I would say more tailored towards classical or jazz. I would love to have a longer listen and maybe see if different tubes would change the sound. The Torpedo 3 sounded the best it has ever sounded after Findley officially fixed it. Excellent bass good sound stage. I felt the Torpedo 3 worked best with the Sennheiser HD800S as well as the Code-X. Single Extreme was also amazing and I would say on par with the Torpedo 3 really tough to distinguish the two. For the price I would say they are very good value. The Eddie Current Zana Deux S took the show I just felt that it has the details and sound stage I enjoy as well as the down low bass for me is just right.

    Vinyl Rig: Findley's vinyl rig was absolutely amazing. He sucked me in and started me on vinyl and I feel there are a lot of people after listening might seriously consider making the change. Guys it's actually not as hard or time consuming as what people make of it. I absolutely love the intimacy of his rig and it picks up everything. Thank you so much for bringing the rig it's always a pleasure listening with you and I always find something i want to buy.

    Anyway thank you everyone for coming and I look forward to seeing you guys soon.
     
  12. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    @bazelio you should ask @velvetx since it was his amp, but I believe it was a ZDS prototype.
     
  13. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Oh yah this was a ZD and eventually was turned into the ZDS as a prototype model. Very early model as I believe my serial number is 11.

    I'm honored to have this as a piece of history and will treasure it.
     
  14. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

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    Lol @ Bill-P, I re-read your post about 4 times WTFing then when my brain let me move on I realized it was all a joke!
     
  15. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    You just made me want my Stratus even more.

    Actually it's not my words. it's Marv's but i lived one year with the Sonett 2 before to order the Stratus and I agree with that description of the DNA sound. It's not impressive by any means and the fact it not shines at meet does not surprise me. IMO (and I hope the Stratus sounds the same but better) , the Sonett is somewhat a very "discreet" amp that does not impress but sounds somewhat "right" with the HD800 at least. During the year I lived with the Sonett , my upgraditis was tamed and I forgot the gear to listen to more music. I never encountered such a piece of mind since I sold it to fund the Stratus deposit .

    Just before I shipped my Sonett to its new owner, I compared it to an AudioGD HE-9 which is the best Solid State amplifier I heard to date (not heard a lot of TOTL SS amp yet). Uber impressive with a fuckin thick tone , thunderous bass and Huge and layered soundstage. A real beast of an amp. I thought "wow that amp rounds circles around my sonett" when I received it. but just before to put the Sonett in the package, I listened it a last time.. and I ordered the Stratus . the sound was definitely less impressive but the Sonett gave me a feel of "humanity" and "righness" that the AudioGD could dream of.

    Dunno if that makes sense for you but all somewhat "negative" comments I read here make me want my Stratus. And all friends who know me a bit more know that I have my doubt about the Stratus...

    Thks for superb pics and all interesting and well written impressions mates. :bow:
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2016
  16. steve

    steve New

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    Sorry guys for the late impression, I had some different thoughts on the comparison part:p

    1. I actually like Stratus the best, pairing with Dharma. The things with Dharma: low frequency distortion and high frequency..."glass" sound. Stratus was able to got both problems fixed, and it's tuned perfectly for vocals (female), which makes it perfect for me. Like I mentioned, if anyone could offer a stratus with a good price, it's a keeper for me ;);

    2. Got to say I wasn't expecting so many stax stuffs, and I'm truly impressed by all the gears presented. I'm quite familiar with the Woo Transport/mcintosh/LL set up, and 007 MK1 is still my favourite, it's darker in a more elegant way. BTW Bill's mod is very interesting

    3. @TMoney 's Pass + ECP set-up is good. It's a pity that I didn't have the time to compare it with ECP alone without the pre-amp. Anyone did the comparison :D? The word got into my head is musical. Firstwatt drives Hek and HD800s very well, makes me feel that Hek driven by ECP is somewhat inadequate. Very interesting pair is the Vinyl + Torpedo III + 812, might be the best 812 I've heard so far. Maybe it's the amp, maybe it's the vinyl, who knows:bow:

    4. I did an interesting comparison between Rag and LC. Well, Rag has so much more power and control than Carbon. And rag sounds more lush and relaxing to me. If I cannot target a Stratus, Rag will be my next option.

    Again, I cannot thank @velvetx more for hosting such a great meet, and serving the pizza. And it's such a pleasure meeting old friends and making new friends. I'm leaving the Bay Area soon in May, but this's something I'll certainly remember for a lifetime. ;)
     
  17. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    Ah, OK. Interesting. Looks like different rectifiers and no H/L impedance switch are the visible differences vs my ZDS.
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    In addition to intimate, I believe I also said stuff along the lines of Sofia Vergara, soapy suds, shaved bush, etc.
     
  19. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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  20. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    The only gear I really really wished I was there to hear was Tmoney's HD800S and ECP amp! Would have loved to hang out with you guys, though.
     

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