Didn’t really feel great either Sat or Sun, but I met some peeps and pretty much got to hear what I wanted. I’m not gonna bother with impressions of sources or amps, because the setups were so varied.
Winners:
HD800 – duh
RS1 – vintage or not, they were gravy
AD2000 – these things scale like motherfuckers, and they are arguably the best bargain under $1000
Random orthos – ranged from decent to very good
Electrostats other than O2 – I already like most Stax and I tried the Jade and liked it
balanced stuff in general – made a big difference to me
Losers:
O2 – not for me, even with BHSE or Cooter amp or Singlepower or whatever
HD650/DT880/K701 – simply not on the same level as the more expensive RS1 or AD2000 imo
DT48 – gave these a listen out of curiosity… pretty awful, even though Uncle Erik had a nice little setup otherwise
Grado bowls – just sound weird/hollow/soulless/whatever
Jury still out:
Audeze – mixed results and couldn’t get much time with them
Head-Direct ortho – only heard them with EF1… nice but not spectacular
HF2 – didn't listen much... weird with bowls and muddy with flats, but I assume they’ll clean up nicely with source/amp… I bought flats on the spot for myself, though
PS1000 – good, but I can’t say for sure that it’s any better than the cheaper HD800
HP1000 – see above, but even pricier
PS1 – see above, but even pricier
W10VTG – I brought some to test different source/amp combos, but ended up listening to other headphones the whole time… the little I listened to was nice, though