Jon Iverson and I attended the San Jose meet and had a ball. Since community is key at Head-Fi events, they have a dynamic missing at most hi-fi shows. At the center of the meet—and of the "big" room—are members' systems, many of them sporting multiple headphone amplifiers and sets of 'phones. Head-Fiers wander from set-up to set-up, sampling equipment they haven't heard before or models that are no longer current, but still have exalted status—you'd never know the AKG-1000s were out of production, judging by the number you run into at Head-Fests.
Then there's the DIY element. Many Head-Fiers, like Frank Cooter, bring headphone amps they have constructed themselves. Cooter's glorious Steampunk headphone amplifier sported superb casework, as well as a fabulously retro meter and gain knob. Inside, it was just well turned out, with masterfully crafted chassis, and of course, those glowing power tubes.
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