First of all, It was nice to meet all the pirates. It is nice to put a face to the name. Everyone was very nice and I'm really glad I made the trip. I wish I would have been able to stay those last few hours as it looked like a fun time with the small A/B! On the other hand, it doesn't look like I missed much and I'm not surprised the SA-2 was inferior.
Few notable rigs and gear that had me toe-tappin -
EC 4-45 The "God" Amp - If this is any bit how good the Levi is going to perform, I will be smitten. This thing was no holds barred good. I'll admit it was a tad "bright" for my tastes, but I would chalk that up to my music preference (i.e a lot of rock, electronic, and Jazz with horns). It still was ultra detailed and a serious step up in clarity to anything else I heard at the meet and maybe even ever. I also want to note that the casework on the amp is spectacular. It is also a monster amp, especially if you if you plan to mount the amp and PS side-by-side.
EC 2A3x2 -This amp was just musical as fvck. Paired with the LCD-2, the sound was just inviting. Definitely not as detailed or as precise as the 4-45 but I feel it has enough to satisfy most casual listeners. I only wish I would have spent more time and brought my HD800 to try but there were others waiting to try it so I felt a bit rushed.
Cavalli Liquid Cobalt - I actually haven't read into this amp but I was impressed with the 5-8 min demo. I was able to try my new Paradox Slants with it and the combination was very nice. Sound was open and smooth. Nothing jumped out as alarming, just a classic Alex amp sound. I would have to have both side-by-side but I may like the sound better than the Liquid Glass.
Noble K-10 - I came away from the last San Diego meet being slightly disappointed. I found the K-10 to be overly bassy and just too mushy. I felt like there were some coherency issues as well, bass bleed etc. I now wonder if my fit was bad or if Noble did tried something new this time around. At the SoCal meet, my impressions have changed. I now feel this would be my go-to choice for a top-tier CIEM if I wanted something that was tuned to be warm and musical. I feel the sound is balanced and full enough to handle everything from classical to rap. It will never be the best in any one area, but it just has a really nice all-around tone.
Other thoughts:
There were a few pieces of gear that I was particularly interested in listening to: Chord Hugo, AK240, HiFiMan HE-560, and JH Rox.
Sad to say none of them impressed me.
Hugo - First of all, the construction is absolutely a mess. This thing looks like a toy. Build quality is poor for such a luxurious product and don't even get me started on the recessed jacks. Also, the volume nipple... er I mean "knob" is just tacky. This product has marketing and hype written all over it. I won't lie, I thought the sound was decent but nothing special. For $2K or whatever - I'm expecting greatness and this thing didn't deliver. Note: I thought the Geek Out was much better sounding for what it is worth.
AK240 - Build quality is really nice. I actually like the anodized colour and the knob actually doesn't feel cheap. The UI was decently fast, no major hiccups. But that is where the compliments end. The sound out of this was.. well terrible. Take your pick - sterile, bland, flat, virgin, w/e this thing was boring as hell. Paired with my Spiral Ear SE5 CIEMs, the sound was flat and lifeless which is not what I was expecting. Overall I prefer the 120 and even more so my Sony ZX1.
HFM HE-560 - No comment, didn't make an appearance unfortunately.
JH Rox - This is by far the most overrated product this year. I'm glad I didn't drop $1600 on a whim during the BF sale. Actually, I probably wouldn't have heard the Rox until this show anyway... LOL. The amount of is
sues JH has had with this particular CIEM has been a joke. Can't get something as simple as a connector nut right... give me a break. Sound was actually warmer than I expected. I was expecting something similar to the JH13's with more detail and better bass. Well, I actually prefer the JH13FP for what that is worth. Sound is plasticky and artificial. Nothing about the sound impressed me other than the staging which I felt was decent. A big NO THANK YOU from me. I'll pass..
