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I definitely agree with part of Al's response earlier - there are plenty of folks who want attention/validation. But I disagree on the political pressure and think that has to come into play too - for folks who receive gear on loan from a manufacturer, it's usually in their interest to not say something overly negative (or "truthful"), as that'd diminish chances to continue to receive gear. No company wants bad press after all. It's a symbiotic relationship - good press (and politics) results in continued provision of gear. Additionally, but a lot less of a factor, are the fact that meets help establish and foster personal relationships with manufacturers, which can lead a reviewer to not want to say something bad. Btw that Frank I guy seems to really have it in for you still, wtf is his problem. He seriously comes across as a total nutcase. Why does he bother to defend Skylab like he's Skylab's mom?

I didn't actually have much time for the photography aspect on this trip as I wasn't traveling by myself this time, but definitely would've been cool to meet up with you for lunch/dinner/etc. Maybe next time - I'm sure I'll be traveling to NYC again next year, can never get enough of the city. (Love that I was able to make it there twice this year.) And to finish my travel pics, here are some from the Boston leg: - nourishment/refreshment tray at the Hyatt Regency Harborside - Fenway Park - early fall color near the harbor at Chris Columbus Waterfront Park - fogged-over harbor - Sam Adams Octoberfest and lunch @ Hennessy's (near Faneuil Hall) - a funny t-shirt in the merchandise store at the Old State House - Harvard's quad, and MIT - sunset over Boston harbor - statue lady at Faneuil Hall - Prudential Plaza - tempting Halloween-themed cupcakes - dinner at Marco (North End) Not pictured: the awesomely good New England Clam Chowder I had several times during the trip.

Some pics from the NYC leg of my NYC-Boston trip last week: - Mementos outside the Apple Store NYC - at the NY Public Library - lunch at Dos Caminos (Midtown East) - view from Battery Park - (intentionally out-of-focus) view of the city from the free Staten Island Ferry - dinner at Casaville (Murray Hill) - the accommodations at the Waldorf Astoria NYC - out on the streets of NYC - dinner at The National NYC (Midtown) The food at Da Gennaro in Little Italy was really good too, forgot to take a pic there.

Heh, now that you mentioned looking like an Asian George Clooney, I can totally see it. I'll be sure to take a pic of you next time we run into each other. As for impressions & pics, posted them over at HF starting on page 42 through page 44: http://www.head-fi.o...15#post_7844799 http://www.head-fi.o...30#post_7848106 http://www.head-fi.o...30#post_7848210 http://www.head-fi.o...45#post_7850706 The only non-gear pic I took was the first outing to Larkburger w/ Peter & Justin - I'm sure Justin went back at least a few more times.

You could say that again, this group sure doesn't mess around. Envious of the Staxes and tripods. As for me: - Audeze LCD-2 r2 and Senn HD800 via Moon Audio and HeadRoom @ RMAF, respectively - ThinkTank Digital Holster 20 v2.0 - spare battery for Panasonic LX5

Larry: no offense intended here and I'm posting only to try to help, but I think you need to calm down. Sure, HC is a BS-free zone and folks call each other out on things all the time here (regardless of the methods being used), but that doesn't mean anyone has to take anything personally either. If you have an opinion on something just state your opinion, no need to defend it like someone killed your dog or something like that. Not sure why you seem to care so much about how your opinion is perceived. It's just the Internet and I doubt there are any folks here with an axe to grind against you. Do I think Birgir could be nicer, sure, but this is a two-way street too - doesn't mean you have to be antagonistic in return. Doing that kind of thing will just exclude you from the HC group. I can't remember which thread it was but I thought I read something about you wanting to fit in on HC somewhere. Fact of the matter is, a lot of people on HC actually know each other and have met at meets over the years, and the folks who get in with each other are usually the ones who make it to the meets and other social gatherings (though there are certainly exceptions). Simply typing posts on the Internet won't really help anyone fit in here, though it can certainly help if you just let certain things bounce off you.

Just got back from my post-RMAF trip, thanks for the pics! Great to see what I missed, wish I could've been there. Haven't seen any pics or impressions of Beer Social Saturday, how'd that end up being? Serious kudos to JP and Jude btw, this year's event was by far the best one yet at RMAF. Man that room was packed with MOTs, and I'm sure there were more attendees than ever too. Though not really a "CanJam" it definitely had some of the CanJam-style atmosphere with all the tables packed in there. Haven't even looked at the memory card I used at RMAF yet, not sure if I'll be posting any pics since most of what I took pictures of has already been photographed, but maybe I'll find a few. Impressions to follow within the next couple of days. Does anyone have a spare copy of the RMAF show booklet btw? I forgot mine at the show and never had time to look at it.

Sorry I had to bail at the last minute on Falling Rock, I had to leave for home earlier than anticipated as something came up. Well, it was an awesome 1.5 days with the HC crew that I got to spend at least, as I'll be jetting off for the Big Apple and Beantown tomorrow for a week-long trip. This is like one of those times where I really wish I could be in two places at once - really wanted to still be in Denver but just couldn't manage it this time. Used my 1 day fairly effectively though as I saw just about everyone I wanted to see and listened to most of what I wanted to hear. In any case I really enjoyed my short time with everyone and will hope to live vicariously through pics. Please continue to post more! Oh I forgot to thank Al for the breakfast, so thanks Al, really appreciate it. Will get around to posting pics & gear impressions after I come back from my trip, which will be in about 9-10 days. Larry: um not sure most people on HC really care about gear, you might want to post that kind of stuff on HF instead. I'd imagine most here on HC will want to know more about the goings-on kind of stuff. Edit: it seems I forgot my copy of the RMAF show booklet, would someone mind grabbing an extra for me? Maybe Tyler since he's local.

Great to see even more HC-ers joining in. If only I could be there the whole weekend, but oh well. Looks like I'll be trying to cram as much as possible into 1.5 days between people and headphones.... Larry: seriously, just leave the gear at home if you can make it to the show. The MOTs will have the room covered more than 100x over. Relax and just have a good time, no need to stress over anything. If you feel the need to bring something I'd recommend just the minimal electrostatic setup - that other setup you listed will be repeated at lots of MOT tables I'd imagine. Hrmmm, the situation sounds like it might be good to have a pizza delivery then. I know of a good place, will order for the group setting up if folks feel like pizza tomorrow. Will also likely bring some beer like I did last year. IIRC, that restaurant was called Sahara, yeah that was really good stuff. I've since been back there twice which is saying a lot, as south Denver is just too far from Boulder to make that drive convenient.

Great pics Peter, is that latest one from Echo Lake? Can't wait to see the rest of the pics you have. I got some interesting shots from Sunday btw, here are a couple:

So how many folks are going to be in town on Thursday night? I have a restaurant in mind (in downtown Denver) and will probably make a reservation.

Hey Peter, I take it you're in CO right now? I hope you came prepared for the snow in the mountains this weekend. I know your post was directed at Jeff but I'll probably have some free time on Sunday and might be able to do a day trip. Will call or text you later. Btw, while you're up there I thought you might want to know there's a Larkburger near Vail - exit 163 for Edwards. Or you could try Smashburger in Dillon, exit 205.

Some fall colors around the Maroon Bells near Aspen, CO, taken on 10/1.

FYI: http://www.head-fi.org/t/547674/fs-nugget-audio-b22 (see the B22 usage note)

Stuff along the lines of Alison Krauss (i.e., female vocalist-fronted bluegrass/folk/country): Abigail Washburn, Lori McKenna, Ruth Moody, Sierra Hull. What about trip-hop? Most of it tends to be laid-back and fronted by female vocals.