Bay Area Meet July 28, 2024

Hi everybody! We are at it again in the Bay (see the impressions from the last meet: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/bay-area-meet-jan-27-2024.14021/). If you are interested in bringing your gear and getting a table spot, please join the discord (link below) and fill out the sign up sheet. I will follow up with you in the coming weeks to give you details on the event, etc. That being said, if you have headphones or IEMs (or even DAPs) that are portable, feel free to bring those with you and carry those around to test out all the cool stuff that will be there. So here are the details:

Important notes:

1. If you are selected to bring your own setup, please arrive 1 hour before the event to set up. There will also be 1 hour after the event is over to break down and pack up.
2. Gear list to come.

We are sponsored by Schiit Audio!!! Please thank them for helping us put together this meet and be able to enjoy this bigger venue and the space needed to bring more of us together! Also for sending us awesome gear.

Note: Please be conscious of your manners and hygiene. If there’s a line growing behind you or for the table, limit your listening time and come back when the table isn’t as packed. Let’s let everyone listen. Also keep in mind you will be demoing other people’s gear. Please be clean, wash up, don’t put products in your hair, clean your ears, etc. Be respectful. There’s a lot of cool gear here.

List of contributing manufacturers/companies (gear to be announced and potentially more to come):

1. Schitt Audio: Sponsor and sending SchiitKit
2. HIFI FOR ALL
3. ETA Headphones
4. STAX
5. ZMF
6. Enleum
7. Woo Audio
8. RAAL
9. MusicTeck
10. iFi Audio
11. Apos Audio
12. Geshelli Labs

Location and Date/Time:
Sunday July 28, 2024
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM PST
Guildhouse
420 S 1st St
San Jose, CA 95113

Food/Lunch:
Woo Audio is buying us all Panera Bread sandwiches! So come by and enjoy some food with your audio! Just make sure you wash your hands well in the restrooms after eating as we don't want any greasy fingers on the gear .

Discord link for our Bay Area community:
https://discord.gg/CzuXVkE2Rx

Eventbrite/Tickets (Free) Link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hificon-july-28-2024-tickets-922241197247?aff=oddtdtcreator

Gear List (TBD):
Manufacturers/Companies:
STAX:
SRS-X1000 x 2 (NEW)
SR-003MKII x 1
SRM-D10 II x 2 (NEW)
SR-X1 x 1 (NEW)

RAAL:
IMMANIS Headphones
MAGNA Headphones
Armageddon SAEQ Amplifier
Feliks Envy Amplifier
Viva Egoista 2A3 Amplifier
Viva Egoista STX 300b Amplifier (TBC)

Woo Audio:
WA7e electrostatic amp + NEW STAX SR-X1 headphones
WA23 LUNA amp + Diana DZ by ABYSS
TUBE mini with POWER BASE amp + Diana MR by ABYSS
WA6 amp + The Composer by Austrian Audio headphones
*Note: You are encouraged to bring your own headphones or IEMs to try out Woo's gear so you can see for yourself how it affects your sound. But that's also an overall note for the whole event.
*Note: Woo will have an iPhone adaptor and a USB-C connector to connect your source/phone to use your own music. You are encouraged to bring your phone with music.

MusicTeck:
Canpur CP622B, CP74E
MA Alter Ego
qdc Emperor
Softears Enigma
Traillii Ti
E7

Apos Audio:
Apos x Audio-Technica R70x Refine Headphone
FiiO K19 DAC/Amp
Apos DIY Tube Amp (name TBD)
Apos x Magia Cable
Topping DX9 DAC/Amp
xduoo Tube Amp with Ray tubes

ETA Headphones:
Associate Amplifier - Parker Audio
Ugly Amplifier 6Y6- La Dolce Audio
Ada, "purple" - ETA Headphones
Modius - Schiit Audio

Enleum:
HPA-23RM
Enleum and Modhouse Collab: HPA-23RMH and Double Sided Tungsten

iFi Audio:
NEO iDSD 2
xDSD Diablo 2
ZEN DAC 3
ZEN CAN 3
hip dac 3
Go bar Kensei
Go blu
Go link
Go pod

Geshelli Labs:
J2 4499 with standard opamps
Erish 3 (E3)

HIFI FOR ALL:
HFA Project Dahlia headphone
Other items listed below in the community section.

ZMF:
Caldera
Caldera Closed
Verite Closed
Verite Open
Atrium Open
Atrium Closed
Atticus
Auteur

Schiit:
MiB
Rag 2 Fully Loaded
Urd
Vali 3
MJ3

From the community (TBD):
killthrash (HIFI FOR ALL): HFA Project Dahlia headphone, Chord Mojo 1, Mojo 2, Qutest, Woo Audio WA6, Vali 3, MASS-Kobo Model 433
Fippy: ESX900 (modded Fostex TH-900) (TBD)
dedust2: Chord Qutest , Violetric V222, HD 800 Shure 1840
CEE TEE: PS Audio PWD Mk II. > Moth 2a3 > JAR800 v3
NITSCH: Yggdrasil LIM > DSHA-3FN > ZMF Atrium Open & Utopia
Edition: Schiit Jot 2, Modius E, Hiby R4
ohshitgorillas: Pi2AES > Gustard R26 > Mjolnir 3 > ZMF Atticus, HD800
enginerd: Warwick Bravura
Yury Z.: Audio GD DAC (Modified), Master Clock, Digital source playing PCM, MLP and DSD formats. Custom made cabling, Quad isolation transformer.
Rainstar: Xi Audio Formula S, Sagra dac denafrips Gaia ddc, RD modded he6, Abyss 1266TC
timeslip: Lotoo Mjolnir, Violectric v281, Weiss dac501
uniqusrname: Source: Gustard U18 >> PS Audio DS mk1; Amp: Woo Audio 3ES, TTVJ Millet 307a HPA, Stax T1S, Xduoo XD-05+ (modded); Headphone: ES1-alpha, Stax SRX-mk3, HE6 4 screw, O2, HD580, HD650BS, Altiat Cal.1H
jjcha314: Benchmark DAC3, Benchmark AHB2, Stax SRD-6SB, Stax SR-X MK3

Photos from the prior events:
Jan 2023: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3vWJe6tNMhfXryaP8
Jan 2024: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dp7tyiqckBgheN41A

Giveaway:
We will be having a giveaway! Geshelli Labs is donating the demo gear they'll be sending and we will be giving it away! The give away will be at 3:00 PM. Everyone who has a ticket for the event and comes in will have a chance to win but make sure you're around for the give away as only those still there will win. Also, if you are a volunteer or have a community table, you'll get double the chance! Don't forget to sign up!

 

Let’s f'ing go! I’ll be there and thinking of lugging my little vinyl rig.

 

Looking forward to seeing you guys there.

 

Lots of gear updates!

 

Updated the STAX gear! 1 month away!

 

Wow, what a great looking meet! I will actually be in the Bay Area that weekend, but I have plans that day. Drats!
Hope you all have a great time!

 

Updated to include that Enleum is providing the Enleum and Modhouse Collab: HPA-23RMH and Double Sided Tungsten for demo!

 

You should come by for an hour (or two XD).

 

Updated the community gear list, Woo Audio's gear list and added ZMF's gear list!

 

Hey all, I updated Woo Audio's gear. Also note that they will have connections for you to use your own source (like a phone) with their amps and the headphones at the table. Also note that we will be having Panera sandwiches now and not pizza.

 

Last minute updates due to illness or situation causing a few to cancel. But we also had a couple more fill in.

 

Meet impressions before my brain erases them. Thanks to @vzamayoa for organizing this awesome meet!

Oriolus Traillii Ti - very even keeled, maybe slightly warm of neutral. Good bass impact. Decent treble extension and smoothness. I did think this deserved to be that "best stock-tuned IEM" to me. The issue is the price: $8499 is nothing to scoff at. If it was closer to $3K, it would have been on my radar.

Melodic Artification Alter Ego - neutral position is really neutral. Holy... I actually would consider purchasing this one if it didn't have a switch because I'm a sucker for "neutral". But alas... anyway, decent sound. I think $2500 is decent considering the specification and tuning. It's rare to have neutral turning. This sounded to me like a grown up Gaudio Nair.

JAR800 - on Moth 2A3, the whole system is the absolute best I have ever heard any HD800 system by a very long shot. This is very much an endgame HD800 system. Just way too good. Mitigated the issues but still sounded like a super HD800 with all of the good bits dialed past 11. Plenty of treble but very smooth, plenty of bass but with lots of impact and tightness. Wow! I could finally hear how HD800 bass can surpass some planars. Too bad Moth 2A3 is unobtainium. Also, just to clarify: I did try my HD800-based headphone on this chain to confirm how much of this is due to JAR800 too. I think impact, control and details are definitely coming from Moth 2A3. JAR800 seems like it’s responsible for mitigating all of the shortcomings of HD800 (piercing treble, veil, nebulous imaging), while keeping some characteristics (V-shaped sound, midrange still recessed, soundstage still large), and emphasizing strengths. I think both Moth 2A3 and JAR800 complement each other very well here. I really cannot fault anything in this combo despite the sound not being my cup of tea (I prefer midrange and vocals to be more forward). Congrats and thanks for bringing this for us to audition, @CEE TEE !

Stax SR-X1 - this has no business sounding like it does in this form factor. What the fu...??? And the table was empty so I guess people weren't very impressed by the size and the subdued look? Also build quality and even the way the headphone looks is kinda cheap-ish. But anyway, sound-wise, to me this is the sleeper headphone this time. Extension up top is very very good for the size. Smoothness is very very good. Midrange is smooth and silky. With SRM-D10, it's... well, okay. Midrange is there. Treble is decent. Bass is kinda light and lacking. With SRM-270, it has more meat and bottom end is phat enough. Not gonna win basshead award. For a midrange head like me, this is a grand slam. $1000 for the whole system?? Yes please. Saving up for this purchase. I rarely get excited for new releases anymore but I feel like Stax did an excellent job at the price point. Would be very interested in the measurements for this one to see what makes it tick!