Benefits of a forum like HFV: Make friends, listen and experience varied audio/video gear

[raghupb]

This thread is to capture the experience of visiting another forum member's home or inviting them over to listen/experience different gear and sound. Most of the time we are cubby holed in our own homes and in love with our music systems. More so these days due to Covid, though things are better now.

Over the years (6 years and counting for me), HFV has been my first stop to seek advice about audio gear, opinions, counter opinions, contacts, etc. A tangible side effect (for me) has been making friends with folks who have a lust for gear and love for music Whenever possible and practical I do meet up with local FMs either at my place or theirs. We talk a bit of shop, sometimes drink beer, tinker around and listen out something different.

Today I had the opportunity to visit @Analogous at his home. Thank you for hosting me at such short notice and lunch.
I got to hear Harbeth P3ESR after a long time (many years actually). These speakers never cease to bring a warm smile to my face. They were paired with Croft IA and PS Audio DAC/streamer.
This combo has "good synergy" and produces a very likeable presentation. The Croft IA showcases Harbeth sound wonderfully. Very relaxed and textured. Got a chance to listen to a Limetree network streamer+DAC. Quite a detailed presentation though it is a bit up front and peppy.

Though the room is small-ish, the overall sound is well focused and has decent illusion of depth. The placement and positioning is a little beyond near field scenario. Loved the recliner, though I've stopped sitting on soft seating these days due to a back problem.

I had promised @Analogous to carry some of my gear when I visit.
We first tried Soekris DAC with Croft + Harbeths. Source was a laptop USB out to Soekris.
Immediately we noticed wider dispersion of sound, though it lost a bit of centering. The speaker position was not changed from earlier, so this may have been the reason.
Then we tried Soekris + Lyrita DHT + AKSA + Harbeths. I felt the stage moved up a bit but centering of image was much better than with just the DAC swap.
Just for kicks, we swapped out the Harbeths with my MA Radius 45 pups playing on the same set of electronics. The little guys filled the room quite admirably with decent vocal/mids and highs.

All this said, the couple of hours we spent swapping stuff and hearing them out was a lot of fun.
I had some other work in the neighborhood so could get that done too later. A Saturday well spent I'd admit
@Analogous can fill out his impressions.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[ssf]

Too active forum members meeting, that's wonderful. Now to hear from @Analogous.

 

[raghupb]

Most of the time on HFV, a question is posed and pat comes an answer.
Or it an ownership thread. Occasionally, the discussion veers of tangentially and into bizarre stuff.
So I thought, I'll kick start a thread where we can share entire experiences rather than this or that component.

Edit: If you have had a different experience when you listened to something in another home or in your home, please do share on this thread

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[ssf]

As you said, Sir, Covid did play spoilsport for the major part of the last two years. We fellow members can also get lots of insights when knowledgeable members get-together and chat.

I would love to have FMs come over and criticize my system.

 

[Analogous]

This thread is to capture the experience of visiting another forum member's home or inviting them over to listen/experience different gear and sound. Most of the time we are cubby holed in our own homes and in love with our music systems. More so these days due to Covid, though things are better now.

Over the years (6 years and counting for me), HFV has been my first stop to seek advice about audio gear, opinions, counter opinions, contacts, etc. A tangible side effect (for me) has been making friends with folks who have a lust for gear and love for music Whenever possible and practical I do meet up with local FMs either at my place or theirs. We talk a bit of shop, sometimes drink beer, tinker around and listen out something different.

Today I had the opportunity to visit @Analogous at his home. Thank you for hosting me at such short notice and lunch.
I got to hear Harbeth P3ESR after a long time (many years actually). These speakers never cease to bring a warm smile to my face. They were paired with Croft IA and PS Audio DAC/streamer.
This combo has "good synergy" and produces a very likeable presentation. The Croft IA showcases Harbeth sound wonderfully. Very relaxed and textured. Got a chance to listen to a Limetree network streamer+DAC. Quite a detailed presentation though it is a bit up front and peppy.

Though the room is small-ish, the overall sound is well focused and has decent illusion of depth. The placement and positioning is a little beyond near field scenario. Loved the recliner, though I've stopped sitting on soft seating these days due to a back problem.

I had promised @Analogous to carry some of my gear when I visit.
We first tried Soekris DAC with Croft + Harbeths. Source was a laptop USB out to Soekris.
Immediately we noticed wider dispersion of sound, though it lost a bit of centering. The speaker position was not changed from earlier, so this may have been the reason.
Then we tried Soekris + Lyrita DHT + AKSA + Harbeths. I felt the stage moved up a bit but centering of image was much better than with just the DAC swap.
Just for kicks, we swapped out the Harbeths with my MA Radius 45 pups playing on the same set of electronics. The little guys filled the room quite admirably with decent vocal/mids and highs.

All this said, the couple of hours we spent swapping stuff and hearing them out was a lot of fun.
I had some other work in the neighborhood so could get that done too later. A Saturday well spent I'd admit
@Analogous can fill out his impressions.

Cheers,
Raghu

A long awaited visit from Raghu happened today and we had a wonderful listening session at my place. @raghupb, thank you for the very thoughtful gesture of carrying along your pre, power amps and the very lovely sounding Soekris R2R DAC. It was a pleasure to listen and discuss various aspects of audio with a well informed and experienced audiophile.
Discussions on the forum are often very helpful but I too strongly encourage FM to meet up at each other’s places for listening sessions. Spending time together discussing a shared passion brings a special joy that online discussions can not.
@raghupb, you have captured the essence of our observations well and concisely on the different combinations we tried out today. Just wanted to add that while they sounded different I liked them all. Next time I promise you better planning and food than the ad hoc fare served today. Looking forward to the next session.

 

[ssf]

You folks in Bangalore are lucky. Quite a lot of FM's from Bangalore. I have only one active FM from Mangalore. One of these days I have to drum up the courage to get myself an invite to his place or give him an invite to mine.

I remember a time when I visited a home in Mangalore to pick up custom built speakers for my Sony GR88. This was a long time back btw. I remember him proudly showing me an amp. I hardly even took a look. I was more interested in connecting my sony to the speakers that he was selling me and finding out how loud it would play. And it play loud.

I am a bit wiser now.

 

[Analogous]

get myself an invite to his place or give him an invite to mine.

@ssf: Maybe start with a phone call and see how it goes?
This way I have had the pleasure of meeting up and becoming good friends with, and learning from a few other FM. @shyamv (very experienced audiophile, generous with his time and assistance when I was struggling to set up my network streamer). We have enjoyed listening sessions at each other’s places and have gone together to audition equipment.
@Anil is passionate about music, full range drivers and tube amplification and DIY. I learnt a lot about Tubes and sound character from him. We have had fun listening sessions at each other’s places.
@KNRAMU who is also very experienced in audio, DIY and pursuit of great sound. He visited all the way from Bellary. We continue to talk regularly and he generously helps clarify my doubts on electronics. I hope to visit him and hear his set up one of these days.

Taking the initiative and connecting can be rewarding and fun!

 

[Analogous]

@bhooshaniyer is another good friend I made through this forum. We have visited each other’s homes for listening sessions and always have a lot of fun, every time

 

[aeroash]

@ssf, I have seen you on this forum multiple times, but never bothered to check your location, face palm moment! If you're interested, it'll be my pleasure to host you, one of these days. I don't have great gear, and I've not yet been able to get my dual subs to work to their potential. But it all sounds great to me after a couple of beers!

This thread is to capture the experience of visiting another forum member's home or inviting them over to listen/experience different gear and sound. Most of the time we are cubby holed in our own homes and in love with our music systems. More so these days due to Covid, though things are better now.

@raghupb This a wonderful thread, and a great initiative! I hope this brings more FMs of the same frequency together.

Cross City listening sessions could also be a possibility. A group of FMs from one location could get together, fix the schedule, drive down with selective gear to another city, mix and match and swap equipment, or not, with FMs of the host city for listening sessions, it could end up being quite a revelation to see how different components sing in different setups. Who knows, this might culminate into an annual gathering of FMs to discuss Snake Oil and Paul McGowan!

 

[Bloom@83]

Nice write up. Bangalore has probably the highest number of active FMs , however even in Kolkata there have been meet-ups till before the pandemic and detailed write up on listening sessions. Here is one thread.

Kolkata Audio Meet October 2019 (posting in 2020)

This time around a little mega meet with maximum turn-ups till date and at a venue that is exquisite in itself on the other side of the Ganges river. Amidst the concrete jungle of the ever densely populated Howrah district in an unnoticed corner is a age old mansion built in the late 19th...

www.hifivision.com

 

[ssf]

@ssf, If you're interested, it'll be my pleasure to host you, one of these days.

Thank you for the invite. I am definitely interested. I will get in touch in PM.

 

[raghupb]

A late post, but it is relevant. I have officially entered "luchcha/lafanga/porki" mode after Covid.

On Sunday last, had been to @Prodigy's place It's like a candy store for me. There is always something new.
I met with @fLUX and @NewBee2020 (whom I met for the first time)
We had a good time listening to speakers, amps, preamps, etc.
It so happens that @NewBee2020 and I have a lot of common music tastes
The HU and blues!!

We listened to the following:
- Speakers: Bromo-2, KEF R100, KEF R300
- Amps: Pass F7/clone, Pass F7/clone (monos), AKSA-55
- Preamps: Pass HPA clone, Lyrita DHT
- DAC: Soekris
- Streamer/Player: Pi2AeS (via OPT, I think)

The Bromo-2 kit is a wonderful VFM speaker set for someone on a budget.
They are quite articulate, while not "forward" or "bright". Good balance of sound.

I had never heard KEF R300 in a big room/space, just my modest sized living room.
These speakers can rock; they can fill a big room too. The R100 come close but lose out a wee bit on LF, obviously.

A little later in the evening, we all went to another person's place (don't know HFV handle).
Heard Klipsch Heresy and JBL-160. Both were quite an experience for me. Big driver sound.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[fLUX]

A late post, but it is relevant. I have officially entered "luchcha/lafanga/porki" mode after Covid.

On Sunday last, had been to @Prodigy's place It's like a candy store for me. There is always something new.
I met with @fLUX and @NewBee2020 (whom I met for the first time)
We had a good time listening to speakers, amps, preamps, etc.
It so happens that @NewBee2020 and I have a lot of common music tastes
The HU and blues!!

We listened to the following:
- Speakers: Bromo-2, KEF R100, KEF R300
- Amps: Pass F7/clone, Pass F7/clone (monos), AKSA-55
- Preamps: Pass HPA clone, Lyrita DHT
- DAC: Soekris
- Streamer/Player: Pi2AeS (via OPT, I think)

The Bromo-2 kit is a wonderful VFM speaker set for someone on a budget.
They are quite articulate, while not "forward" or "bright". Good balance of sound.

I had never heard KEF R300 in a big room/space, just my modest sized living room.
These speakers can rock; they can fill a big room too. The R100 come close but lose out a wee bit on LF, obviously.

A little later in the evening, we all went to another person's place (don't know HFV handle).
Heard Klipsch Heresy and JBL-160. Both were quite an experience for me. Big driver sound.

Cheers,
Raghu

Was a great experience listening to the gears and music genres which I generally don't listen to. Indeed @Prodigy place is a candy land with some amazing stuff.

Also thanks for dropping me back @raghupb, was really wonderful talking about non audio stuff and about your life experiences on the way back

 

[NewBee2020]

A late post, but it is relevant. I have officially entered "luchcha/lafanga/porki" mode after Covid.

On Sunday last, had been to @Prodigy's place It's like a candy store for me. There is always something new.
I met with @fLUX and @NewBee2020 (whom I met for the first time)
We had a good time listening to speakers, amps, preamps, etc.
It so happens that @NewBee2020 and I have a lot of common music tastes
The HU and blues!!

We listened to the following:
- Speakers: Bromo-2, KEF R100, KEF R300
- Amps: Pass F7/clone, Pass F7/clone (monos), AKSA-55
- Preamps: Pass HPA clone, Lyrita DHT
- DAC: Soekris
- Streamer/Player: Pi2AeS (via OPT, I think)

The Bromo-2 kit is a wonderful VFM speaker set for someone on a budget.
They are quite articulate, while not "forward" or "bright". Good balance of sound.

I had never heard KEF R300 in a big room/space, just my modest sized living room.
These speakers can rock; they can fill a big room too. The R100 come close but lose out a wee bit on LF, obviously.

A little later in the evening, we all went to another person's place (don't know HFV handle).
Heard Klipsch Heresy and JBL-160. Both were quite an experience for me. Big driver sound.

Cheers,
Raghu

Very glad to meet you @raghupb...we had a wonderful time listening to music and more than that discussion on different genres of music..Very happy to meet like minded people.It is always a suprise for me whenever i visit @Prodigy .Bromos are dark horse's.Very balanced sound with good Low End.
Looking forward for a longer music session @raghupb .Thanks to @Prodigy for hosting us.

 

[Kannan]

It is very good to note that these meets are now taking place and every one is enjoying the music and non-music vibes. It opens and liberates the audiophile soul in us.
Looks like worth a weekend trip to Bengaluru

 

[aeroash]

For me, the creation of this thread was indeed an encouragement to reach out to local FMs.
@ssf, my fellow local FM was gracious enough to invite me for a listening session at his place. We connected via WhatsApp and set up a date and time, and that day was yesterday!

I was more than eager for this meet up, to not only scratch his scalp for his perspective on audio, music preference etc, but was also eager to listen to the Quad S2. I have heard such good things about this quad that I just had to hear it for myself, and boy! I was not disappointed. Everything that I had read and heard about these bookshelves was indeed true, and some more! The Quads sing sweet, with immaculate detail, and a forward presentation with pin point imaging. The magic could be in its ribbon tweeters, I cannot conclude, as this is my first experience with a ribbon tweeter. The mid-range is tight and fast. One aspect that stood head and shoulders above the rest was its tone and balance, the marriage of the tweeter to its woofer is one that is highly cohesive.
I can now bow my head, place my hand on my chest and say, I’ve been deflowered by the Ribbon Tweeter!

Tidal was our source, and the quads were being driven by a big-ass Marantz AVR. (Until I learn the model number it's going to be referred to as the big-ass Marantz). I was so in awe of the Quads that it completely skipped my noggin to enquire more about the Marantz, apologies @ssf.

It was a short lived session, as I had to rush back home owing to guests knocking on my door. I intend to go back for a much longer session next time, that's if @ssf will tolerate me. Thanks again, @ssf.

 

[ssf]

I intend to go back for a much longer session next time, that's if @ssf will tolerate me.

It was a pleasure to have you home, @aeroash. I look forward to our next meeting at my place. Next time, no friends hehe.

I also have a few things in mind which I will discuss with you at our next meet at your place.

Edit: I had a few of my friends whom I had not hosted for more than a year due to covid. I had them over yesterday when @aeroash visited.

 

[ssf]

I just got back from a meet with FM @aeroash

What a disappointment that was.

First, he offers me alcohol. I mean, is that done ?

Next, I had specifically told him that I was coming over to listen to the Q Acoustics 3050i. I found to my great disappointment that they were disconnected and placed in a corner. They were replaced by some vague Italian speakers called Sonus Faber Venere 2.5. They were quite good looking though. Played a few tracks on Spotify and cursed myself for visiting. My Quad S2's will probably be on sale soon.

After the disappointment, a compromise was reached. An exchange, albeit temporary, of the Quads and the Q Acoustics.

Looking forward to next Sunday.

Edit: Oh I forgot to mention. As I was leaving, I got the meet two lovely members of the family. One was quite forward and accepted my greetings while the other was a bit laid back. Maybe I will get acquainted with her next time. I have to remember to carry some doggie treats to entice her into a friendship on my next visit.

 

[aeroash]

This is my audio chain @ssf.
Alcohol - Streamer - Amp - Speakers

After the third serving didn't we notice the soundstage widening? One more round and we would've been high-fiving the vocalist and fist-bumping the rest of the band.

Today's playlist:

Stereo Test

Stereo Test · Playlist · 246 songs · 38 likes

open.spotify.com

 

[ssf]

Playlist added, thanks