5/9 Austin mini meet impressions

Discussion in 'The Meeting Place' started by ColtMrFire, May 10, 2023.

  1. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Another meet that felt too short. Times flies when you're hanging with cool people. Thanks @Erroneous and @famish99 for hosting and it was nice to finally meet @noisyscott (who I found out I have alot in common with) and I believe this was @weicheheck 's first Austin meet, and he brought some pretty awesome gear. He also has a pretty startling calm, zen like energy that balanced the group out.

    We started at @famish99 's place listening to his speaker setup which he spent a long time putting together. I finally got to hear his Wavedream in a speaker setup (forgot which speakers he's rocking) and it did not disappoint. Imaging, front to back layering, naturalism, impact, resolution... it was all fantastic.

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    Then we hit @Erroneous spot where we also listening to alot of the gear that @weicheheck brought... basically his crazy HE-6 setup... First Watt power amp being fed by a Kenzie Encore as the preamp, which in turn is fed by his Abbas DAC, fed by @Erroneous 's vintage Magnavox CD player.

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    First off, let me say that I have not been impressed with planars so far. Wall of sound effect has been strong with that one... some also seem to have an overly plastic-y sound. While I liked what @rhythmdevils has done with his planars, I could never seem to drive them to a point where I'd seriously ever want to buy one (even using the LauX amp).

    But daaaaaaaaaamn was I impressed with the HE-6 on this setup. No wall of sound anymore. Speed, clarity, slam, resolution was all top notch and I was just really impressed with the unleashed beastly power those headphones were displaying. Nothing is perfect of course, as the top end was slightly a bit much for me, but I'm not sure that's an HE-6 thing or what. @noisyscott and @famish99 were not as impressed I don't think, but I was blown away, probably because of how disappointed I've been in planars so far. But I came away firmly believing the HE-6 is a headphone you build a system around, and that it may take a long time to find the right mix of components, and @weicheheck seems most of the way there. Just phenomenal.

    The Black Widow 2 also drove the HE-6 very well (not quite to the insane level of the First Watt/Encore), but still well enough that I'd have no problem potentially buying one for the BW2, if not for the over-present top end... just too much up top... the treble on the HE-6 just did not seem very controlled to me and I was disappointed in an otherwise fantastic configuration. I'd say this effect was lessened like 90% on the First Watt/Encore, but it was still there.

    I have to also say I was much more impressed with the Abbas DAC this time around, as I felt it was properly warmed up. It was not as jarring as when I was at @weicheheck 's place when I first heard it compared to his Yggdrasil LIM. It had very good resolution, space, imaging and texture... possibly sounding a bit more "natural" than the Yggdrasil, but "meet conditions"/"foggy memory", so take that last part with the grain of salt.

    I actually missed quite a bit of the SUT-off the gang was having in the speaker room, as I was trying to ascertain whether or not the HE-6 was a viable candidate for the BW2. So they'll have to chime in on the results of that test.

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    @weicheheck did finally get to hear @Erroneous 's Stellaris and he had incredibly enthusiastic things to say... I think it may have also been @noisyscott 's first time as well, but I'm not 100% sure.

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    Anyway, not nearly long enough and I feel we need to do a more serious all day thing (possibly this summer?!) where we can have a few more Texas people out and grab tacos and drink a little more seriously have a little more time with gear. But this meet was a joy to attend regardless!
     
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    Last edited: May 10, 2023
  2. Erroneous

    Erroneous Friend

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    Impressions from the meet -

    For the SUT-off it was Slagle copper vs Slagle copper with silver secondaries vs whatever is built in to the Allnic H-1202.

    Slagle copper was the clear loser. Sounded dull, lacked sparkle and air, because of that it lost texture. Slagle copper/silver brought all that back and was just better all around. Easily audible from the needle drop onward.

    Copper/silver and Allnic were more alike than they were different, which really showcases the value proposition the Allnic provides given the price on the used market and it being an all in one with a preamp built in.

    The Kenzie/Abbas/First Watt/HE-6 was the best I've heard a planar headphone sound so far. Still a bit forward and wall of sound for me but a big step in the right direction and I was hearing sounds come from different places around me for once. So @weicheheck has really built a nice chain there.

    The Abbas DAC he brought showed me that Abbas is actually a contender. This was the 2.3SE I believe and the only other one I have heard is the .1SE I briefly owned. So much more focus and resolution on his than the "baby Abbas" I had. Could still stand to have a bit more air around the notes but I bet if you go big and get his higher tier DACs that would be money well spent. The tone is there and I could see what he was aiming for.

    Great to get everyone together and have fun listening to music. Sorry that @caute missed his bus this time, would have been nice to have him there.

    We'll get everyone together for more whiskey and pizza (and hopefully tacos too) soon, with a side of music and gear convos. Any of y'all who want to drive or fly in are welcome to come.
     
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  3. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    Great stuff guys.

    Allnic loves to use permalloy cores, so I wouldn't be surprised if their SUT uses permalloy too, given that it sounded very close to the the Slagle Cu/Ag.
     
  4. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    Both Slagle SUTs were 1:20M with 80% nickel cores, with the copper on loan from @porkfriedpork, thanks! Also thanks for @noisyscott fixing pork's SUT after it had been damaged in transit.

    I had been comparing the two sighted in my setup, so I was tasked with running the blind comparison. What shocked me the most was how different they were in @Erroneous' setup, even relative to my own sighted impressions at home. It definitely left me with an appreciation of how good his vinyl setup was between the VPI Classic and the Allnic relative to my Lenco L75/Don Sachs. I would agree that CuAg Slagle and Allnic was more similar than different, I would say that both are equally resolving, but the Slagle comes off sweeter and the Allnic a bit drier.

    I would say that HE-6 (4-screw) has been the most impressive planar I've heard so far. Every planar I've heard previously always has issues with plankton and microdyna presentation, and I felt like @weicheheck's setup was the first where I could hear stuff from the moment the volume knob went off mute and had immense low level texture. I also was impressed with its imaging, it had more depth than I've seen from most headphones. Ultimately I was bothered by the plastic-y mid timbre as well as slight rounding over of transients, but I'm definitely interested to hear the other planars in his stable.

    Also my speakers are Klipsch Forte 3 that have been modded with bracing and NoRez and uses a crossover design from GR Research, but all of the components have been further upgraded and the mid circuit reworked to use an autoformer a la vintage Klipsch.
     
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