Sonic Satori: Cheer & Longing
Adventures at T.H.E Show Newport Beach 2014
Show Report By Michael Mercer

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  After doing that it was time for dinner, and a few of us had a hankering for fun so we hit a local Vietnamese restaurant. That dinner was a blast. They're all a blast at the shows because you're spending time with friends you barely see in the flesh! It's the community experience that's been so inviting and fresh for me in Head-Fi culture, and I am grateful to be a part of that community. The reason Audio360.org exists is because I met a whole new crew of people that I felt instantly comfortable with at T.H.E Show Newport last year! It's how I feel about my friends in high-end audio that go back over twenty years now! That's frightening to me – but like I said: I'm seriously grateful to be exploring new sonic frontiers with a lot of like-minded music and headphone addicts. Plus many of them are my age or younger. That's also been a nice change for me. I also feel the need to express that I'm not hating on, nor have my feelings changed about high end stereo in-room gear and that hobby. I'm merely saying it's wonderful to have another community that's part of the big picture in audio. The fact that many of us are of the same generation also helps – it's great! I've been having the time of my life in Hi-Fi lately, and the focus happens to be personal audio. That said: I'm not going to pimp my own show. As Warren Chi and I co-produced T.H.E Headphonium under the watchful eyes of Mr. Richard Beers. So I've decided to try and offer a glimpse into this wonderful world of sound reproduction when we're all gathered in the same place for a couple of days. That brings me to the Atrium hotel...

It doesn't look like much in the front. At least I don't think so, but the poolside lounges are awesome for kickin' back and sharing time with those friends I barely see! That whole courtyard, especially at night, with all these serene colors painting the trees with light, it reminds me of Winter Music Conference down in Miami. Those parties never end. We get a little out-of-control at times during T.H.E Show Newport, no doubt, but as my uncle Bill Leebens said: "What happens at the Atrium should stay at the Atrium." I agree, when it comes to things not meant for public consumption. But, thankfully we also spend a great deal of time just catching up and discussing music and sound shit. The Atrium provides an excellent atmosphere for loungin' and doing that sorta thing. If you missed this year, and you can make it – you should come down. Next years' gonna be a whole new experience. All of the headphone vendors will be in the same grand place for example, and there are all sorts of other stuff in the works. So think about it. The Newport show has become my favorite right behind Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (no, I haven't been to Munich yet). Speaking of that: once Friday morning came around we were itching to see the rest of our friends, fellow Head-Fiers, and our Audio360.org crew! We also made sure all of T.H.E Headphonium vendors were taken care of. After that we set up the raffle for T.H.E Headphonium and the stage was set. It was time to mingle and meet new people. We also tried to hear a few things when we could, which wasn't as often as I wanted, but hey – we were workin' the damn show!

As I stated earlier in this piece: my favorite part of these shows is spending time with the people I love.  Sounds a lil' dirty hippy-ish, but it's just my truth. Friday was interesting from the moment we got out of bed! Kevin Venable, fellow Audio360er and Head-Fier, got rear-ended in his car on the way down to us. I felt horrible when he showed us the pictures. It was F'd up, but I admire Kevin for shaking it off, allowing himself to have a great time. I don't know if I could've pulled that off, honestly. I'd be so distracted worrying about the car nothing else would matter. But Venable's a Marine. It was terrific, having all of us there, with so many audio toys to listen to and play with. Schiit Audio showcases three new products if I remember correctly: their USB De-Screwifier, a phonostage, and something else I just can't remember. But it was the Schiit, as it's always been the Schiit. That's another team of great people. Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffet are both nuts in the very best way: They keep evolving. And no matter what, there's always a hundred dollar audio gem (or gems) available at Schiit! Their $99 Vali hybrid headphone amp is one of my favorites! It drives almost everything, from Audeze's to the bigger Sennheisers and other power hungry cans. Amazing stuff! I was also pumped to have Dan Clark of Mr. Speakers fame, there at T.H.E Headphonium. He brought my Alpha Dog headphones back after their upgrade and placed em on his table. Free break-in! I cleaned em really well after the show of course. I was excited about every vendor at T.H.E Headphonium this year. Warren Chi, my partner in Audio360.org (also a Head-Fi Mod)  did an amazing job while I was down because of my wife’s illness. I feel obligated to offer him a tip of the cap. He handled things better than anyone I've ever worked with, and yes I'm biased. Sue me.

So knowing all weekend that my Mr. Speaker Alpha Dogs were waiting for me was nice thing to look forward to throughout the show! Since then, well, it's for another article, but the Alpha Dog is more than a steal at $599 – it is flat out ridiculous: The level of performance you can squeeze from these things. Anyway (off-topic again, excuse me). I only hung out in one high end stereo room for a decent amount of time this year. I gave others a quick glimpse, but things were just too crazy and there are always so many people I have to deal with at shows. So I really regret missing the PFO Hospitality Suite! They're like family! Been writing for them longer than anyone and I didn't drop in. I have no excuse, because Warren managed to make time and didn't tell me. Sneaky bastard. I also missed Audioquest, which sucked because I really wanted to congratulate Stephen Meijas on the gig there, and tell him how much I've been enjoying the new version of the Audioquest Dragonfly. Though I think other products have surpassed the original in certain ways: I still rock the old Dragonfly in my bag, as its a solid back-up when you need one. I also love the overall form factor of the Dragonfly. I even dig the way it feels in your hand, the polymer they used (I'm assuming) feels great in my hand. I'll be writing about the new Dragonfly ASAP.

I don't believe in coincidences. Actually, that's not accurate, I think coincidences happen, but I don't believe everything’s a coincidence. Hence, I was sitting down with Alex Rosson from Audeze at a table near the outdoor bar, discussing the brand new Nordost Heimdall 2 headphone cable, and behind us walks in this proud Irish man with a white beard bearing cables: Mr. Joe Reynolds. I've known Joe since 1996, and we've been through a lot together during those years. So that was awesome. He handed Alex cables and next thing you know Alex is asking for somebody to "just pull the cable out of the Liquid Gold and put this in" at the Audeze table. I didn't see that as a coincidence! We got to spend some time chatting and that was a special moment for me. I met Alex later in life, but he's become a true blue friend, and Joe's also salt-of-the-earth. It was great to spend time with em. Then we were off to T.H.E Headphonium and check out T.H.E Headphonium Too at the Hilton before our panel. We got the 5:00PM slot, so I was saddened by that, considering the success of our headphone panels last year, but what could I do about it - nothing.   We had some very lively discussions with the people who were there, including Tyll Hertsens who joined in a lot. We were privileged to have Mike Dias from Ultimate Ears, Owen Kwon from Astell&Kern, Jason Stoddard from Schiit Audio, Alex Rosson from Audeze, myself and Warren Chi. Frank Iacone did a splendid job of moderating the panel last-minute! We came to him on Saturday I think, with a crinkled piece of paper with my chicken scratch all over it. But he pulled it off and we had a terrific time. This gentleman walked up to me and reminded me that he won a CEntrance DACport at the last Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society Gala – and that he loves it. I cherish those little moments when I hear how excited somebody is, who's into high fidelity, but only loudspeakers in a room. There's plenty of room for both in our lives. Watching the reaction on this man’s face when he was describing how much fun hes' had listening to it at work, it brought a smile to my face that didn't end until a week after T.H.E Show! And those positive vibes were everywhere!

 

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