July 15, 2017 - People's CanJam Pasadena Impressions Thread

Discussion in 'The Meeting Place' started by dmckean44, Jul 15, 2017.

  1. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    I was staying at the Marriott Friday night. Luis had his setup in my room and we spent several hours that night and um...early morning, listening to various tracks so I had a good idea what the set-up sounded like in a quiet non-meet setting with the Code-X, Paradox, HD800, 650 and 600's. The last four cans listed were mine and the pads weren't compressed. All sounded very good with different cans and different source material. It's IMO a very good sounding amp.

    I listened to the test tracks @LFF mentioned above on the SUSVARA. I heard what LFF and ultrabike have mentioned. No prompting from anyone. The drivers can't handle demanding tracks. I can understand a $100 pair of cans having problems, but at $6000, this lack of performance is just unacceptable and as LFF noted "extremely disappointing". I must concur with others conclusions about this headphone. I can't recommend it.

     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2017
  2. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    I now wish I heard those tracks as well :/
    I'll eat my hat.
     
  3. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    It was my first time attending one of these meets and it was nice seeing faces behind these names. Since it was my first listening to a lot of this gear and the first time seeing any of you, I spent roughly equal amounts of time talking and listening. Both aspects were equally enjoyable. I rode up with @ultrabike and we talked a lot engineering stuff. I think my views on audio mesh most with him since we both appreciate the good stuff, we're also cheap bastids.

    Here are some memorable systems. No detailed notes since this was a meet and I could hear everyone talk. So it will just boil down to 'liked' or 'disliked' :

    AKG K1000 + Stellaris - Daaaaaaaaamn! This was my first time hearing either so I don't know what % each contributed to the sound. But I can say as a package this works. The K1000 is the first time the sound appeared as a field in front of me instead of staying between my ears. Also had a good talk with Donald North for a bit and asked about some of the more technical aspects. The chassis work was impeccable as well.

    @n3rdling diy e-stat/Stax SR-009 + Blue Hawaii - The second time I have heard an e-stat in my life! This was actually the first thing I listened to at the meet because I didn't know if there would be a line, but turns out there was plenty of time. I kept on coming back to this over and over throughout the day. n3rdling had a Nina Simone CD and I listened to a 12 min track hypnotized the whole time. Everything just sounded so realistic. The Sr-009s were no pushover either and was also one of the best sounds I heard there. You people that didn't show up really missed out on something special. The first time I heard Stax was a SRS-2170 / SR-207 loaner while I was in France which belonged to @sorrodje. Well the same system was at the meet and out of curiosity I tried the SR-207 with the Blue Hawaii. It confirmed for me that amps matter far more for e-stats then for dynamic drivers.

    Eikon + Bottlehead Crack - The crack was built by @Bill-P and the Eikon was from @TheIceman93. Apparently the Eikon just arrived the day before and TheIceman93 was generous enough to let us play with it before he spent a significant amount of time with them. I really wanted to hear the Crack without Sennheiser 'phones and the Eikon were the only other high impedance pair available. This is a great match in my opinion. Bass had good definition and nothing sounded exaggerated. They didn't have the sound typical of other closed headphones I have heard either.

    HE-6 (@ohhgourami )+ Schiit Vidar - Before this I heard the Susvara + Jotunheim, which I thought was actually enjoyable despite other opinions. But the HE-6 was far better. While some people might think it's ridiculous to use a speaker amp with headphones, keep in mind that the amp also works with, you know, speakers.

    other good systems without comment:

    modded HE-5 by @LFF + Krell labeled amp (probably not Krell) and his library of music
    CA Andromedas + Sony DAP
    Focal Utopia + EC 445 + Gungnir Multibit/Freya Frankenstein creation + Rednet
    Table with Noble's
    Table of non-existant Schiit + CA Andromedas
    PMx2 + Mjolnir 2 + Yggdrasil - There was also a Raganarok, but Mjolnir 2 sounded better

    Things I wasn't impressed with:
    Ether and Ether Flow - I only tried these with the Questyle amp it was paired with but I didn't like these all that much. The Questyle was a current amplifier so I really should have tried it with one of the other amps, but I don't know how much of a difference it would make since it's constant impedance.

    Susvara - I already mentioned that I actually liked the sound. But at $6000 I could have total systems that sounded better then this.

    Things I missed out on:
    HD-800/s + DNA Stellaris
    Mr Speakers Aeon
    Audio GD DAC S19 crapfest
    HD-800 + BH Crack
    other IEMs
    ...and many more

    People:

    This was a great group of people. Except for maybe certain individuals, I didn't feel any sort of intimidation whatsover, even though they are clearly in a bigger league then I am with respect to audio. A lot of talk about family as well. I do remember a couple awkward people milling about talking to no one, but I didn't know anybody beforehand either and all you had to do was go up to anybody and introduce yourself. I had extended conversations with ultrabike, Donald North, n3rdling, Bill-P, brencho, clemmaster(fellow breton!), shaizada, ringingears, ohmaigulay and a few others whose names I can't quite remember. I wanted to talk to everybody and listen to everything, but couldn't do both. All the more reason to comeback to one of these meets.

    Thanks to the organizers and SBAF! Next time I'll try to bring ribs.
     
  4. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    I really enjoyed talking to you @Cspirou. Hope to see you again at future meets, so we can continue our conversation. You are a great addition to the SBAF community. Ribs! Sounds great! Next time let's talk cooking as well.
     
  5. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I know far more about food than audio
     
  6. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    I eat more food and should listen to more audio instead. I'm a French kind of cook. Julia Child is my hero... and the

    HD 600 is the best all around headphone as well. Listened to a lot of the gear Saturday with my friends HD600. It scales well with so many set-ups, I was once again very impressed.

    For those of you out there who are looking for a headphone and don't want to spend $6000, I would really recommend you check out the HD 600. It might be your end game headphone. The price to performance ratio is hard to beat.
     
  7. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Most amps are able to be bridged into mono. If you have a fully balanced preamp signal you just need an XLR -> 2 x RCA adapter. Or use something to produce a second signal that's an inverted phase. Schiit just included the XLR in their chassis. See this vid:

     
  8. santacore

    santacore Friend

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    Fun meet! I only regret not talking to more familiar faces because I had to leave early.

    Favorites were the DNA Stellaris, EC 2A3, and EC 445. They were all fantastic in their own way.

    I never gave much attention to the Schiit lineup, but after this meet, I will definitely keep my eye on them. Not only was Jason very pleasant and informative, the gear delivered the sonic goods. Very impressive products at even more impressive prices.

    I agree with the rest of the crew that nr3rdlings DIY stats were better then the 009's. I've never been huge on stats and this very nice rig did not change my mind. Nice stuff, but just not my cup of sonic tea.

    The Audio Zenith PMx2's were also pretty impressive. I had never heard of them before, but they were sounding real nice playing off a big Schiit stack.

    The modded HE-6's floating around were also very interesting. I'm not familiar with these in their stock form, but these had a lot of nice qualities. Interesting stuff.

    The Questyle table also had some enjoyable sounds. I'm not too familiar with their stuff but it was sounding pretty good with the Mr. Speakers headphones.

    BIG thanks to the homies that organized this meet. Job well done!!!
     
  9. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Was it a 009 or a 007? I heard a few conflicting reports.
     
  10. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    007s
     
  11. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    009s.

    Only Marv called it the 007.
     
  12. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Sorry. You are correct. It was the 009. The rim of the headphones was silver and the cable black. The headband was also closed.
     
  13. Audio Zenith

    Audio Zenith Custom Title KGB

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    Sorry, I couldn't post impressions any sooner.

    This was an awesome Saturday. Just like any other SBAF meet, the main treat was great people. @Marvey keeps on saying that all our members at the meets are super nice and for me, who has to visit audio events/shows all the time, this SuperBestAudioFriendliest atmosphere is extremely apparent. All newcomers are made to feel totally at home; no pressure, no snobbery, no ignorance. Moderators, friends, contributors and rando's are all equally important and respected, simply amazing vibe. Huge thanks to all organizers and contributors, you guys are THE BEST.

    Sound-vise, the main surprise was a little KRELL amp, Chinese clone @Marvey brought to my table. That thing sounds truly amazing, especially for the price (around $200 through Ali-express). We didn't mind comparing it with the Rag and this should tell you something. Loaner tour is highly recommended.

    Another two things that grabbed my attention were the Susvara and Aficionado. Both are statement products and meant to be a High End attention grabbers, but I feel there is a major difference in ideology behind their sound. Aficionado appears to be made for serving music, while Susvara is serving the listener.

    All Eddie Current amps I ever tried have one thing in common, they sound life like natural. They may exhibit a warm tilt, like Black Widow or be super analytical like the Studio, but they would still sound like LP vs CD as presented by most other amps. Aficionado makes you forget about all the equipment in chain, somehow bringing attention to the beauty of music itself. This is one exemplary balanced amplifier, with superb tonality and great resolution.

    Susvara wants to show off, displaying just how cool your new albums can sound like through a $6000 headphone, especially when hooked up to nothing less than a $6000 companion amp. I believe many will love the way it sounds, especially those who got the latest DSD and MQA releases.

    Listened to three sets of @LFF Code X and preferred one belonging to @brencho. Still heard some HE-5 sig, but on his set it was the least apparent.
    @schiit new creation sounded unbelievably open, clean and airy and resolving, but imo needs a bit more weight.

    @Donald North at his table was serving fire in a small "Starbucks" cups and surprisingly, even now I still remember the exact taste of his awesome personal secret mix.
    @ultrabike as usual was taking measurements of everything he could put his hands on and I greatly appreciate his efforts with several of my sets.
    @shaizada took us to the same Indian restaurant as last year and again, each dish was totally awesome.

    Very much appreciate everyone who had a chance to stop by my table for either a chat or some listening, especially @Clemmaster who brought original PM-2s for side by side comparisons.

    ps. Much looking forward to the next event. Maybe a mini meet with @ohhgourami to hear a rare Model 10 loudspeakers with and without DSP? Sanders are the only loudspeakers I despite multiple attempts, was never able to evaluate with my own music and am very curious why Roger developed this absolutely unique and clever way of keeping other's test tracks away from his systems at audio shows.
     
  14. Rthomas

    Rthomas Friend

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    @Audio Zenith

    Could you please post a link to this Krell clone that you loved? Thanks!
     
  15. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Not speaking for @Audio Zenith but I believe the amp you're asking about is a Chinese build of the John Lindsey Hood 1969 Class A amplifier circuit (public domain, not "clone").

    More info:

    * http://superbestaudiofriends.org/in...ess-ebay-jl-hood-1969-class-a-amp.4308/page-2

    Here's the one I bought: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nobsound-NS...955482?hash=item3a916d311a:g:ipwAAOSwPhdVNxkf

    No idea why the manufacturer put a Krell sticker on it.
     
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Mainland Chinese people love putting labels of fancypants brands on random stuff.
     
  17. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Passive revenue idea for Craig: sell Eddie Current stickers on the Chinese cafepress clone. ;)
     
  18. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    Like this?
    [​IMG]
     

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