SoCal stores and meets

I am visiting SoCal for about a month in the Irvine/Newport Beach area. Anyone know of any stores where I can sample headfi gear? I know there quite a few audio companies nearby (audioquest, Audeze, etc.) and I would think that they would have a space to showcase stuff.

I know that I just missed CanJam but is anything else happening in the next month?

 

If "about a month" includes the beginning of June, the Newport audio show is from June 3rd - 5th.

 

I think there is a slight miscommunication on my part. I didn't mean I was arriving in a month but rather that I am already here and leaving mid-May.

Whaaa!! No need to organize something on my behalf! Although I can also understand if you guys are just looking for an excuse to meet up, in which case I'll gladly be your excuse. I can contribute in the form of smoked brisket/pulled pork/ribs/any other meat you want smoked.

 

Astell & Kern is doing an event at The SourceAv in Torrance this Saturday.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1712965532275771/

The owner Jason is a nice, laid back guy and not pushy at all for selling. They specialize in home audio (Focal, MBL, Sonos Faber, etc) but have probably the widest headphone gear selection in SoCal: Enigma, Audeze, Woo Audio, Stax, MrSpeakers, Senn, etc). They had a large room at CanJam and picked up a set of Ethers from them.

 

Couldn't make it to the SourceAV event because I had a lot of stuff going on that day. I did find a store that has a bunch of gear on display that's open to listen to, it's called Cloth and Metal and is a sort of men's lifestyle store. They had a lot of the Audeze's and Grados out as well as the HD800's. For amps the Costa Mesa location has some Woo audio amps, Schiit Valhalla, Audeze Deckard and a couple Burson's. There was a lot of 'firsts' here; first time listening to planar magnetics, first time listening to tube gear and first time listening to a summit-fi system. While I will concede that the HD800 + WA22 + Auralic Vega is better then my HD 600 + LJM HA-Pro + Schiit Modi 1, I would say it's 10% better as opposed to the 1000% better as the price would indicate. It's good to have a reference to know where I stand in the grand scheme of things. They have Focal speakers and some turntables out. Definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area.

 

They have the Focal Sopra 2s last time I was there, connected to Devialets, which were oddly out of phase. They are laid back hipsters with exhorbitantly priced stuff (clothes, wallets, belts) . Just the right mix for the neighborhood. There is Atlantic Stereo across the street, and they have midfi and higher end stuff, home audiowise.

 

I've been to that location, the only thing is I didn't have my own music/source, so it's hard to judge with unfamiliar tracks.

If you want to buy anything, they have a 10% coupon if you sign up for their email list.