2022 Texas Audio Roundup

Discussion in 'The Meeting Place' started by purr1n, Jul 21, 2022.

  1. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    With the Abass, I was thinking the manual probably says something like:

    "...downsamples your music to 10 bits, mixes the channels together, compresses everything and puts it out of phase for that perfect girl-with-guitar timbre!".

    Everyone is probably thinking "it could not have been that bad", and it wasn't, but it was awful close. Maybe it was the tube? Bah!!

    I will take at least 1/2 of the responsibility with the the second blown fuse on the Stellaris, I should have stepped in as that was my room. Still it was up and running both days for a few hours and many folks got to hear it. It arrived with a broken toggle switch (shipping damage I assume) that broke the SE output circuit, so it was balanced out only when it was up - perhaps (or not) that had something to do with how it was reacting to the Elrog rectifier. @Donald North , you will have to go over this unit when you get it back. Both the Stellaris & the Starlett, particularly with the Utopias, elicited many "wows" from the regular show goers.

    My biggest disappointment of the show was not making the time to hear @rhythmdevils modded LCD-4.

    Beyond all that, man what a good times. Thanks @famish99 & @penguins for the meal and all the foodie talk. Thanks @SoupRKnowva and everyone else who brought gear. As much as I liked the Dave > Starlett combo, I was equally impressed (even if for slightly different reasons) with famish's Wavedream > SW51 combo...decisions decisions.

    Other's have said it better but the best part of the show was the comradery and I'm looking forward to the next on already!
     
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  2. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    I totally forgot to comment on this headphone, as I found the @Bill-P 800 kind of a revelation, very different from the HD800 but sharing similarities... didn't listen long enough but it seemed more agreeable to me than the JAR models (not that they were bad).
     
  3. Comzee

    Comzee Facebook Friend

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    I told the Magnepan guy I was from MN and his eyes lit up, like we're instantly amigos haha.
    Harmless old guy, felt like I was transported back into the 70s with that demo. The wood end tables decorated with fake flowers and wine glasses etc...

    The entire thing was curated by him, the music selection, volume, it was sit, listen and stfu.
    His wife was watching Russian youtube videos or something. The entire vibe was interesting.

    He went into a speech about how the younger generation (I'm 31, but anybody to him probably looks 13) has to post on forums about Magnepan. Something about, how are the guys with b&w speakers going to know Magnepan is better without you posting it.

    Well idk man, I've never heard B&W, so I wouldn't know haha.

    tldr; I agree with what Fammy said, bass demo was worth the visit.

    ---

    Standout of the meet for me was the rehoused hd800 @CEE TEE brought.
    I'm a diehard hd800 fan, so it was pleasure to get a chance to listen to that pair.
    Much preferred them over any of the 3 JAR models there.

    (image courtesy of MichRT)
    [​IMG]

    Second standout to me was Nitsch Piety, also pictured above.
    (@CEE TEE if you're reading this, please put me on the list haha)

    I went into it thinking I'd dislike it, because I was introduced to the product that it was revision step within the R&D process of the Magni that was never sold.
    I can say this amp has zero relation to the Magni sound, it only shares the case.
    tldr; exactly what their website says: "A rich-sounding solid state amp with tube-like characteristics."

    ---

    To clear up any confusion people might have, I'm @gridmaster, but my main account was just released back to me.
    I wish I could have talked to @ColtMrFire more, I only saw him for a second.
    Overall amazing to see faces of peoples I've talked to online for years.

    @purr1n I assume you knew who I was, but I wasn't going to mention it IRL because the reason to be there was the meet, not old drama. It was great to meet you, thanks for the hospitality and facilitating a fantastic meet!
     
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  4. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I think I read the Lyr+ also has a passive only mode for the preamp output? Throw out that sys and no need for a Saga, this is an ultimate solution for powered monitors. The remote also means your headamp has a home on your TV console.

    This seriously takes care of the case of people that wanted multiple outputs in their preamp to connect speaker amps and headphone amps
     
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  5. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    I'm 90% sure that is @Bill-P mod. Thing is, it's not so much a mod as a new creation. I liked it more than any of the three JAR mods, but those I would classify as actual mods - a modification of the OG HD800. Since I don't really like the HD800 much at all, while the JAR mods were better (well, two clearly were) than the OG the above was better (for my prefs) but then it sounded least like an HD800 and was its own thing...hope that makes since
     
  6. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    I've always been intrigued by Magnepan, but, at my age, I'll probably soon be more like the Bedpan generation.
     
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  7. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    I realized I did have more comments on the meet.

    in the last 5 minutes or so I ran down to the Emotiva area on the first floor, we missed the 2ch rig, was already broken down, but got to do the theater demo. It wasn't anything to write home about, mostly just incredibly loud, very v shaped sound. But the thing that really struck me was that Emotiva probably spent several hours setting up all the speakers and everything for the sound part of the demo, but didn't spend 5 minutes to setup the tv even remotely correctly, was set with soap opera effect, motion interpolation, in full effect. but like not even good SOE, just bad TCL SOE, where its not even really that smooth, but you still get all the typical SOE artifacts everywhere.


    Another comment I have for many of the dealers with setups for people to demo. I know its probably a minority of us, but specially at these events where streaming wasn't at every booth, can you either make it easy for me to use my own phone or computer for music or have 5-10 metal albums? I can't come to any firm conclusions about gear without hearing some technical death metal or deathcore. Some people had Tool which was better than many. If you need help with recommendations for next time feel free to reach out I can suggest 5-10 albums to keep on rotation for the oddball that wants to rock out!
     
  8. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I remember someone (Tyll?) saying they bring a USB stick with their own music to meets.

    Emotiva has headphones that look interesting. Did they bring a pair to the meet? Anyone get ears on it?
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Some comedic gold (someone sent me these, I skimmed the video, but didn't see these parts the first time around).

    Clip1: QVC girl
    Clip2: It's weird
    Clip3: This is supposed to be a joke
     
  10. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Oh well no worries about this because I'm about to start a loaner tour with my modded LCD-4 starting there in TX so you can be at the top of the list! I don't know what amps you have though, apparently they sounded great out of the Studio B. I want one now.

    I'm glad you'll get to hear them :)
     
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  11. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Sign me up! Right now my main chain is Yggdrasil A2 > Starlett, but I see a Dave or Wavedream in my future. I wonder if the Starlett delivers the current for the LCD-4?
     
  12. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Emotiva is here in Nashville. Only makes sense the next meet should be here. Let me know if I can help with that. We got great food and vibe down here too.

    PS - I interviewed for a customer service position at Emotiva years ago and met Dan Laufman and got the whole tour down there in Franklin. I'm pretty sure I didn't get hired because I was too over qualified - too technical. Dan and I had a whole discussion about op amps, lol.
     
  13. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    @loadexfa loves them out of the Status so I think it might be a good match with the right tubes. Surprisingly, the RAAL PTD-1a drives them pretty well despite low power output but I suspect the unique design may be putting out a lot of current. I''ll offer to send the LauX with them to make sure you at least get a sense of how they're turned, but they can sound much better out of better amps. So LauX will be optional.
     
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  14. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

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    + 24:08 Someone asking for store credit LOL.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  15. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Been really busy since I got home from the show, but I'd like to write about the JAR HD800s and a little about the BillP version while it's still in my head:

    EDIT: TLDR Version: Both JAR and BillP versions are amongst the very few listenable and hence best renditions / interpretations of HD800 mods for me after about 15 years. JAR aims to retain the original HD800 sound while correcting issues whereas my UNINFORMED GUESS is that the BillP version is his interpretation of a good headphone that happens to use a HD800 driver with a slightly different target sound.
    ----------

    To clarify, @Erroneous was originally going to help show these at the event but unfortunate circumstances forced him to cancel attendance at the last minute. With @ext1 's permission, I helped to make sure these would make it to the show and be properly handled (i.e near final version of the mods don't get broken). Any explanations below are me passing info on from @ext1, but if I'm mistaken on anything, he will clarify. Also, once the mods are finalized, they will also be less fragile - this is not a subtle swipe at the JAR product.

    VERSIONS:
    All 3 of these are actually meant to be the same tuning and same final JAR product. The variation in JAR HD800 sound and tuning between the 3 versions / colors is because Sennheiser has released silent revisions of the HD800 over the course of 10+ years and although different mods were able to account for most of the differences, it wasn't 100% effective. My own opinion on this is this can help save money by allowing us to buy a used HD800 (half the price of new). Theoretically, if tuning can be refined further, it can also resolve nervosa analogous to 4 screw vs 6 screw HE6 vs HE6se v1 vs v2 which all sound different. The obvious downside is this can create confusion.

    Personal bias against HD800:
    I normally don't like HD800, even with most mods. It has good imaging, staging, mostly good timbre, usually has good texture in the sound when properly amp'd, and still has good resolution. But I REALLY don't like the FR, the peakiness, the annoying highs and find the lack of bass, it's sort of directionless sound on some versions, and several other things annoying. I never wanted to listen for more than 30 seconds at a time on pretty much any amp or DAC with only a very few exceptions, most notably early SN HD800. Other exceptions don't quite sound HD800 enough anymore for me.


    Setup:
    Listening was one 10 min ABC comparison on a Starlett, one 10min ABC comparison on a Stellaris, both fed by Yggdrasil A2 at the meet. I also listened to the black JAR for about 30 minutes and the blue JAR for about 10min the day before the show from a EC ZDS and Holo May. My impressions didn't change much between these setups. I hope to get these on loaner later and will do a final confirmation or corrections to my impressions when I do.

    JAR Sound:
    These all fix most of the HD800 issues, but the orange, blue, and black versions all introduced a few small errors on their own. Sound on all 3 vs factory HD800 is definitely tighter and more focused. It's slightly faster. Better separation. More presence in the bass. and no more piercing highs and "fake HD via extra highs" annoying FR. In short, this is the first time I've been able to listen to a modded HD800 that sounds HD800 for more than 30 seconds or even 30 minutes (limited only by time that time). The included cables with each are also considered part of the "tuning package".

    - The orange/yellow one had some weird timbre and tonal issues in the upper mids for me. There was also some slight peakiness in this area as Ceetee said. Also, the bass didn't seem quite right to me but I don't know exactly why. Transient decay was a bit odd, it seemed both a bit truncated and maybe I guess rushed? It puts the sound a little closer (move up a few rows in the theater, not so much a shift to a wall of sound) and I don't remember for sure. Where this one shines is it fixed the sort of directionless sound that some HD800 have (this goes beyond just tightening the sound up as mentioned above). Probably my least favorite of the 3.
    - The blue one artificially smoothed things out a bit too much most of the time. It sounded almost glassy but without that planar plasticity. It also had a dip in the mids. Otherwise, it really only has these 2 errors and hence I preferred it over the black one 25% of the time.
    - The black one had a few more errors but the errors were less annoying to me. There was a sort of new low level peakiness throughout the FR, maybe 0.5 - 1dB if plotted on a FR curve. There also seemed to be 3 small to medium sized peaks, maybe at 3, 7, and 8.5k?? The staging wasn't as strong on some tracks vs the other two. On the flip side, I thought this one retained the "original HD800 sound" the most as purrin mentioned me saying in post #65. It also had even better texture, something that's oddly important to me and very few headphones seem to do.

    I also listened briefly to the BillP headphone using HD800 drivers (on the Stellaris and Starlett). I actually am 50/50 between the black JAR HD800 and the BillP version. Not sure if a direct A/B is appropriate given that the JAR sounds like it's trying to retain HD800 with mods where as the BillP version sounds like it's supposed to be own headphone that uses HD800 drivers (correct me if I'm wrong). Overall, inevitably similar, but it didn't sound like it had the same target sound in mind. The BillP version also had good bass extension, but I wonder if the JAR would do this too with a current / new pair of HD800 using the same driver version the BillP had (I don't remember the SN of the black, blue, and orange JARs) - apparently the late S/N drivers have much better bass extension. Texture was better on the black JAR HD800 and it had a more focused and tighter sound but the BillP didn't have a bunch of little peaks everywhere.Technical performance was about par to me (i.e. most likely limited by the driver not the mods / build). The BillP is slightly more comfortable for my big head but would shift a little too much when I moved.

    In short, kudos to both ext1 and BillP and many thanks to you both for giving us something to listen to.




    EDIT: I will post about other stuff at the show once I have more time later this week.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 26, 2022
  16. Woland

    Woland Friend

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    Other than the appearance, how would this differ from what you get from assembling MJ2+LISST+Freya S?
     
  17. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Thanks all for sharing impressions and pictures, and congrats to @CEE TEE on the official NITSCH launch. You need a fancy MOT tag now. Looks like I'll have a decision to make later this year re: which NITSCH amp(s) I want to buy to use with the Utopia I rarely listen to anymore. :)
     
  18. Failed Engineer

    Failed Engineer Friend

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    I'm so bummed I missed this, especially with everyone's impressions always starting with the people first. My wife tested positive COVID Thursday morning and that was the end of my hope to come. Good thing I didn't risk it as I haven't had any symptoms since then but did test positive last night. Hate this f-ing pandemic!

    Kudos to everyone who made it happen!
     
  19. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    Home finally, flying again tomorrow but some quick thoughts/impressions.

    My highlights:
    SW51 and SW51 with Rockna Wavedream
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Holy smokes this thing is good. First time after all these years I had a chance to hear it. Tried it bunch of ways with the HD 600, SR325X, and my HD 800S. Paired most excellently with all three, best I ever heard the SR325X driven. Smooth, sweet and to the point. Glad they still coming into the USA since I want to cop one. The Wavedream was also a first hearing it, showed off how well the SW51 can scale, absolutely wonderful.

    NITSCH x Schiit Magni Piety
    [​IMG]
    $150? Best deal in audio. Go pre-order one the first chance you get. Effortless in driving IEMs or 650/800S and paired so gosh darn well. Haven't loved a budget amp like this in so many years now. And while I was at it...

    Bill-P Super Duper Modded 800
    [​IMG]
    Boy thing freaking slaps, an 800 with great slam. Remember it so vividly and loved the time an effort that was needed to make this happen.

    DNA Stellaris
    [​IMG]
    Apparently I was one of the lucky few who was able to it before a series of unfortunate events led to being rendered offline. Detailed and warm but doesn't overdo it for me. Shame more folks were able to hear it. Would have loved to hear the Utopia on it but we just had the SE cable and... SE switch broke in shipping.

    Audeze MM-500 (Forgot to take a pic)
    [​IMG]
    Heard the MM-500 back last month at NAMM Show. Forgot to grab a pic from the event but paired it with the Ferrum Erco in the Audeze room. I really liked/digged it last month and wanted to hear it again to confirm my impressions or least solidify them.

    Takes aspects of both the X and 5, the balanced sound of the X but the benefits of the 5 and its updates. Doesn't slam as hard as the X but has better comfort, sounds airier and wider, plus just adds upon what I like on my X. The X debuted originally at $1700 and then went down to $1200. The MM-500 is coming soon and if you are thinking about the X, go for the MM-500 if you can wait till mid August.

    DCA Stealth
    [​IMG]
    I like DCA/MrSpeakers, had probably every model at one point in time minus the Noire and Voce. But I did also borrow a Stealth from work for little bit. Over time, I think I kinda grew a little tired of my Ether 2 and I am not the biggest fan of closed backs... But I like the Stealth.

    Tuning wise, its safe and intentionally so. Goes for the Harman Tuning and at home with the Phonitor XE or BHA-1 I just add a touch more bass with a 3-4 dB bass shelf for fun but if I think of closed backs I have heard in recent years the Stealth is probably the best overall for me in terms of techs and tonality. Certainly not easy to drive but Rag 2 or the Hugo M Scaler/TT2 in the DCA had zero issues with it.

    ETA Mini C
    [​IMG]
    The team at ETA are kinda surprising, for $400 can't think of another headphone in the price I would more than this guy. Not a big fan of any headphones with graphene in their drivers so I kinda expected to not like the Mini C but I am glad I was wrong. Nice job!

    Abbas DAC
    [​IMG]
    Probably the most conflicted I have been with a DAC at the show. This guy certainly moved around, was in the NITSCH room first time I saw it, then the ETA/Zampotech/DNA rooms and finally the Schiit speaker room for the DAC off.

    The Mini C, nice pairing. The SW51+650, good pairing. Speaker room, absolutely weird and didn't like it. Seemed musical enough at times but then anything detailed it just falls apart.

    DAC off
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Will fully admit, by the time we were doing the DAC off, comparing the various DACs, I was checked out. Arrived late at night cause of booking the wrong flight, entire day of listening, food in my belly from dinner. I was nodding off while we were listening to the point I had to go downstairs for a Coke at the bar to stay awake. Don't remember too much minus how much we were all collectively ragging on the Abbas.
    -----
    Tired now as well, will post more later.
     
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  20. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    I'm starting to feel sorry for the guy who brought the Abbas :p
     
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