Just got back from Charlotte. It was a fun trip. I went down yesterday afternoon stayed with stereofool. Spun some vinyl, really enjoyed his system. It has changed a lot since last time I was there 2 years ago, big improvements.
Headed out this morning at 8:30, arrived at 10. It was more than enough time to sample the demos and talk to a lot of people. There were hooter girls drawing raffle tickets for prizes. I was sitting next to Ray Samuels who was hot for a Muddy Waters LP, so he yelled out "I want that!" Then when she drew the ticket he yelled out his ticket number before she did, just being a wise ass... Then literally one second later she called his number! The room burst out in surprise and laughter. He thought she was joking, but he won the record! I'll have what he's having!
One thing I learned from the meet was that I like the sound of some other (more expensive) cans better than mine. On the way home, I was thinking whether or not I want to case that cat at this time. While some of the can/amp combos were really, really good, they were still in my head, which is just not as satisfying as speakers. So I will continue to focus the energy in that direction for now.
I heard a couple electrostatic cans and they were very good, but I think it can get a lot better. My favorite sound of the show was Cambridge Audio DAC MAgic > WooAudio WT2 tube amp > Grado RS1. I really liked that. The grado has that "certain something," musical, alive, friendly, sweet thing hapening, that none of the other cans I tried could do. It wiped the floor musically with my AKGs. Speaking to Alex who just not a commercial vendor, just hosting a table full of his own gear and talking and answering questions. He and I hit is off and shared similar taste in music and values regarding headphones. I learned a lot from him.
I was able to listen to the new Antelope DAC that I have been mentioning for 18 months. It was DAC into headroom balanced amp. I liked the Antelope headphone output a little better for the clarity and presence, but the headroom amp smoothed things and added balls. But the Antelope sound is awesome, something I'd like to hear in my system with speakers.
I spent some time with Brian Lowe, owner of Belleson Audio and a very talented circuit designer. He sells voltage regulators for DIY mods. He had an old HK chassis hollowed out and filled up with regulators and his own analog amp stages. I can recommend his work highly. He really knows his stuff and has some cool new DIY products and whole goods coming soon. His website is
http://belleson.comI enjoyed seeing our new friend and AN member manaox2 (Scott) at the meet. We talked a few times and he was able to help me put my new perspective on amps and my own AKG heapdhones in perspective. He showed me his own eletrostatic HPs. I look forward to hearing them, as we live about 2 miles apart. We talked about having a little headphone meet sometime, whether alone or as part of a regular speaker meet. Thanks for the advice Scott!
Finally, just before we left, Scott and Steve told me how much they enjoyed hearing Joe Grado's recordings made with his new invention microphones. They record sound without phase distortion. It doesn't matter where you place them, there is never any phase distortion. I know it sounds like angels dancing on the head of a pin, but I was able to sit down and list for myself. Awesome! I told Joe that I have tried to make acoustic piano recordings (like his I was listening to) but had problems with echos and harshness that surface absorbtion could not fix. He seemed to light up that I was asking about that specifically, and he took a half hour to explain his mics and play some of his high res research recordings for me and Steve. It was an awesome time, by far the highlight of the trip to speak with him, and for him to spend so much time with us was a thrill and honor. I was glad to hear that he lives in NC now so I hope to be able to see him again sometime. He said there are some commercial recordings coming soon made with his mics. Peter McGrath and Bob Ludwig are raving about them so it is catching on like wildfire. I wish I could grab a pair for myself. I'll be watching this one.
Rich