Iron_Dreamer

I hope it won't go to complete shit. But it probably will. Oh well, as nothing good lasts forever. Ka-blammo!

Just poke around and you should find a good deal eventually. I just booked LAX->HNL for $235 round trip out the door! Oh, and I should definitely be at the meet too.

The beats are >=$300??? I wonder which is a worse value proposition, the beats or the turbines? Jasper994 thinks the Triport is a better value than the turbines (I didn't catch a listen).

No doubt, Tyll, I only heard the HD800 from one system at CJ09 on which it started to live up to some of the hype. The HD800 will definitely either wake up a lot of people who've heretofore not owned such a demanding headphone, or it will drive them back to loving their nice little veiled HD580/600/650 once they realize their system isn't up to the 800 (which of course they will blame on the headphones).

Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and Sigma 50-150 f/2.8

That comes from the Nikon D200, oft poo-pooed by many for its' supposedly "noisy" sensor. The dinner pics were all at ISO3200, in-camera JPEG (NR low), just downsized and slightly sharpened. I also like the grain structure of this camera, and prefer it to the less noisy, but watery/plasticy high ISO output of some supposedly "more advanced" cameras.

JP wasted no time in taking charge of dinner Burgers for everyone! The burgers disappeared quickly, tasty! Then came the cheeeeeese! JP and nightwoundstime kick it off... ...while Uncle Erik keeps Boomana busy Matt goes back for more... as does JP Pick your poison The group continued to grow and ruminate... ...as SiBurning fired away Fun stories kept everyone transfixed And Joanne pulled no punches this night Some calmly plotted future activities... ...while others could not sit still And 909 let off some steam We continued on into the night... ...but eventually wound up back at the hotel

JP and Aaron announce the first winner grawk is pleased to win! vpivinylspinner takes home the Headroom Mmmmmmm.... headphones! Hey, edwood is a winner... ...and he likes to flaunt it! HeadphoneAddict's son hopes for a win... ...and it pays off for his poppa! Now they're happy! They stir up the pot for some Shure IEM's... ...and guzziguy has a winna! The generous ironbut takes home a prize too And what raffle would be complete without another win for cetoole?

I started my day off with a rousing blast of music from ironbut's R2R system! And a trip next door to Frank Cooter's electrostatic madness! While others compared the stock and Modwright Transporters head-to-head Then I moved on to check out the DAC's, first stop Neko Audio! Next, I had to see what the hardworking Dan Lavry had cooked up Finally, a stop at Benchmark to see what was new with Elias I dropped by Head-Direct's table to listen to their new headphones and DAP

Hmmm...here's my basic thoughts, based only on personal experience, hence no inclusion of vinyl/cassette/etc. Each tier gives a decidedly greater level of musical/audio enjoyment, and of course there is room for variation within each tier (i.e. I'd rather listen to a Lavry Gold than a DCC2, but they are both decidedly better than anything in the tier below, and not as good as in the tier above). Entry price is the cheapest commonly available (new or used) item that could get someone to that performance level, that I am aware of. And of course, if the recording is shit, it all becomes a lot less important, thanks loudness wars! shit-fi - minimum entry price $0: computer on-board sound, your average boombox (price based on built-in sound of existing computer) low-fi - minimum entry price $20: typical DAP, most sound cards, average CD/DVD players (price based on cheap DVD player) mid-fi - minimum entry price $100: the best sound cards and DAPs, mediocre dedicated DACs, entry audiophile CD/DVD players (price based on EMU 0404USB) high-fi - minimum entry price $350: solidly executed dedicated DACs like the Lavry or Neko DACs, CD/DVD players of similar quality (price based on Pico DAC) ultra-fi - minimum entry price $3500: Higher end DACs (and corresponding CDP's) like them EMM Labs DCC2, Lavry Gold, Reimyo, etc. (price based on used DCC2) spooky-real-fi: R2R system like Ironbut's

JP gave a nice opening statement But it was time for the first ticket of the raffle! And the winner is.... ...Colin (cetoole)! and again!! and again!!! agile_one got in the act as well Jacob won an interesting prize Beeelly picks up his certificate for a set of the great new Shure headphones Sennheiser IEM's were a nice prize But our friend flew overnight from the U.K. to win...a Duran Duran box set? Next up, a Beach Boys box set! And a nice Coldplay album Only fitting that zippy2001 from EMI would win some nice music!

asr eagerly unboxes his new Blue Hawaii While Justin looks on, almost in awe of his own work Voltron's rig was ready to rock As was blubliss', with the ridiculously superb Omega I's Tyll's room had the HD800's working early and often I got up early to set up the booth... ...then watched the heavy hitters like Steve Hoffman... ...and Monster's Noel Lee roll into town namaanf's table featured his superb DIY work... ...including a very nice purple-heart Beta 22... ...which had a nifty control/display system... ...all controlled by a "monster" laptop system There were plenty of vintage Stax in attendance As well as a whole lineup of kickass cans from Shure: And who could forget the man behind the biggest sensation of the meet!

Indeed Ed. In just a few years, we've gone from the best quality IEM being worse than an HD580 (Shure E5, not that it was bad, I owned one) to potentially as good or better than some of the best headphones out there.

It is surprising that you weren't already registered...you are certainly on the right wavelength to sync with this place:

I certainly don't plan on using them for mowing the lawn, or the like. Even going to the mall or whatnot would be a stretch; they'll probably just be home/airplane headphones. Which is fine with me, because I wouldn't want to have too many opportunities for them to be lost/stolen/broken. On the resale issue, I had always agreed that this made custom IEM's a more questionable investment. However, the JH13 sounded good enough for me to forgo that concern. I have been very satisfied with the SQ of my headphones for over a year, with no desire to make changes, until I heard these. So if the JH13 is as good, or better, I would again be sufficiently satisfied to not want to sell them, and I'd have changed to a cheaper, more portable, easier to drive, better-fitting listening device anyway.

I definitely liked what I heard out of it. It didn't sound like a $5000+ DAC, but nor was I expecting it to. It definitely sounded a bit ahead of the average DAC in it's price range, and certainly more natural.

Well thanks to a couple of nasty days, it has taken me longer to post pics than I would have liked. Here is the first set, from the "Scotch-Fi" VIP event Friday night (which was much appreciated by all). It all started with this kind chap... ...some great scotch... ...and our very own CanJam glassware! Thrice ponders... ...and consumes! As our host took us on a virtual tour of the scotch business Neilvg and the VanJam boys arrived before we could suck the place dry! And even a few vendors got in on the goods

I have to agree, JP. They have me seriously considering forgetting about full-size headphones, and going with only JH13's and speakers. I guess I will find out if this is true or not in a few weeks.

No kidding, what a fucking idiot! And to think he had the gall to ask me to display his headphones at my table for free, since he "couldn't get to the meet."

[This is the first of a few double-posts across the HC-HF divide] First of all, I had a great time organizing and executing this fantastic meet. I was so happy to help everyone enjoy such a fun weekend. Although I ended up running the check-in area nearly all of Saturday, I still had a great time greeting all of my friends, old and new, as they arrived for the biggest headphone meet ever. In the end, I am just proud to have been part of a team that worked so hard to make this meet the best we could. A big thanks to all the volunteers who helped us get through that mad onslaught of head-fiers, especially morphsci and zippy2001 who also put in a lot more time than they originally planned for. Also a big thanks to blessingx for closing out the day in the booth, and letting me have the time to listen a few of the big ol' list of new products. So for now, here are some audio impressions. Pictures will be coming up ASAP. More people pics than gear pics, I must warn you :evil: JH Audio JH13 Where do I begin? It has been an extremely long time, if at all, since and audio product has truly wowed me like this one did. Knowing Jerry Harvey's history, I knew his new products had the potential to be great, but I had no idea. Listening to the "universal" version of the JH13, I was simply blown away by their speed, detail, amazing low distortion, and clear, clean, neutral tone. They sounded every bit as fast and detailed as the planar headphones I listened to just prior. Every track from every genre I threw at them only further confirmed my suspicions: this might be the custom IEM that I'd give up traditional headphones for. Following my listening experience, I felt the compulsion to tell everyone I came across "go listen to the JH13, NOW!" And nary a person I spoke to who'd taken a listen was anything less than thoroughly impressed, including UE10 and UE11 owners. By the time I'd heard the JH13, I'd already listened to the HD800 on several rigs, and was finally starting to agree with some of the hype. However, the JH13 impressed me more, and out of a portable rig (IHP-120/Headamp Pico) no less! Whereas the HD800 felt like an open window to the recording, the JH13 felt like a direct injection of music to the brain. I thought for a minute or so and concluded that not only was the JH13 more sonically impressive, it is also more comfortable (proper custom fit + no headphone to trap heat), much more easy to drive, much more transportable, and it is less expensive to boot. At that point, I knew, the JH13 had to be mine. Now time for the 2-3 week wait to have one of the first off the line! On that note, thanks a bunch to Uncle Wilson of Crossroads Audio for taking many ear impressions, including my own, which will be the basis for fitting our JH13's. And Jerry, we're glad to have you back, even if you're not just down the road in Irvine. Congrats on the most significant product launch of CanJam 2009! Audeze Planar Headphones These were a big surprise to me, as their OEM'd headphone shell did not inspire confidence. However, once I started listening, I was quite pleased, by headphones with the lightning-fast response of electrostatics, without the ever-present amp or transformer box. At 20 ohms, they had plenty of power directly from my portable amp, and jumped to life with lightning dynamics. There is certainly a bit of room for improvement, in terms of making the soundstage a bit more continuous, and perhaps adding a touch more body or richness to the tonality. At around $400, they sound better than Stax SR404's (no graininess/etchiness to the treble), and don't require a separate, dedicated amp. Headamp Pico Slim prototype The new digitally-controlled analog volume attenuator of the Pico Slim was everything I expected it to be, delivering great sound quality down to the absolute lowest hearble volumes on my uber-efficient Shure SE530. This should be the new standard-bearer for volume control on amplifiers, replacing the muffling, occasionally scratchy or mis-aligned sound of potentiometers, and the unsatisfying coarse adjustments of most stepped attenuators. Time to put this in your home amps! Neko Audio D100 Listening to this DAC with the GSX and L3000, it was rather clear that it is very much top class in its' price range. The high end was smooth, natural, and detailed in a way that your average sub-$3k DAC just can't match. The overall presentation was very balanced and relatively neutral, with great imaging. On sound quality alone, it is at the head of the class for $1300. Adding features like a USB input (direct to I2S) would really push it above and beyond. Grado HF2 This is probably the best headphone John Grado has ever put out. I personally find the PS1 and PS1000 simply have too much bass. The GS1000 is too bright. The RS1 sounds great with some albums, but less than pleasing with others. The HF2 excels by providing that fun Grado sound, without any of the brightness/harshness/over-bassiness of the other models. The HF2 is certainly a warm headphone, no doubt, but I didn't feel that warmth getting between me and the music. While a more neutral headphone would expose the greater differences in recordings, the HF2 just makes it all very listenable. Certainly one's liking of the Grado sound is conditional on taste, but the HF2 makes it easier to enjoy the Grado flavor thane ever before. Lavry DA11 Without a DA10 side-by-side to compare, and not having owned one in over a year, it is hard to say exactly whether the DA11 made any significant changes to the basic sound. The spatial imaging processing is very cool, though, as it can significantly expand a headphones' soundstage given the right music (particularly with eletronica and orchestral music), with no significant degradation in detail or tonal quality. Dan Lavry also showed me that it can compress the soundstage of older records mastered such that instruments had only a presence in the right or left speaker alone. By removing that hard-right/hard-left channel separation, old recordings became much more listenable. HifiMan HM-801 I listened to the DAC section of this unit, and it is quite impressive sounding, in addition to being a portable DAP. The sound quality has all the realism and detail of your average $800-$1200 home DAC, with a very nice, ever-so-slightly warm tone. Once the final details of production are worked out, this will, without a doubt, be the smallest complete high-end audio system around. Features like the digital inputs, USB DAC capability, swappable battery, microSD card slot, and mass storage support make it a real digital audio hub. The swappable amp module is just icing on the cake, and makes this extremely unique product even more so. I've had a glimpse of the future of digital audio, and it is the HM-801. Sennheiser HD800 Without a doubt, the HD800 was the most hyped and publicized product debut of CanJam 2009, and with good reason, as they are excellent headphones, perhaps some of the best ever made. However, I think the pre-show hype had grown a bit out of control. The HD800 is not as fast or detailed as the Qualia 010, nor most of the better electrostatic and/or orthodynamic headphones. Their soundstage is not larger than that of the K1000. The HD800 does most remind me of the HE60, albeit a slightly slower HE60, with more bass. What the HD800 is, is a very close to neutral, very detailed, and very natural sounding headphone, given a good system behind it. It will likely not wow you in any one regard, but it will give you a very open and cleanly polished window on your system, and the recording you've chosen. Where the HD800 succeeds is that while it may not be the absolute best in any given category of headphone performance, it does extremely well in just about all of them. It is a major step beyond the HD580/600/650 design, and one that can justify its' price. It performs much better than any sub-$500 headphone I know of, and definitely hangs with many at and above its' price range. The HD800 did seem very sensitive to both the source and amp behind it. I only really felt that the HD800 was showing what it could do, when connected to 909's Reimyo CDP/Eddie Current HD2 rig. The other rigs I tried the HD800 in were lacking either in the source, amplification, or synergy department, and left me rather nonplussed. Of course, mileage will vary with different people, but make no mistakes, and please try the HD800 on different equipment if you are not initially impressed with it. You would be doing yourself, and the headphones a disservice otherwise.

I'm just glad that two of my hard-working volunteers who had to deal with the Saturday morning onslaught of guests ended up being the two biggest winners!

Hahahahahaha (NSFW)

See you in a few hours!

Wow, Ken, you lucky fool!

I left you my phone number on HF. Give me a call when you want to get your stuff. It is safe and sound with me until then