Hello!
Just back from VSAC now and thought I'd post a bit of info about it. For the few that don't know of it is was a tube audio show held in Silverdale WA and put on by the bottlehead group (with Ron Welbourne of Welbourne labs doing promotion and organization this year).
While it was a lot of work ahead of the show and taking the system down was a big job it really was worth it! What a fun weekend. I shared an exhibit room with Thom from Galibier design (turntables) and with Jim Hagerman from Hagerman Technologies (great phono stages!). Thanks to both guys for everything! Holly Cole was sounding really good and I played it too much the first day - I don't think either Thom or Jim will ever forgive me for that! Thanks for putting up with that guys!
We had brought down the system i have been using in my lab here lately. This included the Galibier turntable with a shelter 501 (very similar to the table I use here) and then the TX103's into Jim's Trumpet phono stage into the TX102 preamp. From there we used a pair of Antique sound PP 845 amps and finally the FAL speakers. I think it ended up sounding pretty good. This was the first time I had used a live system at a show and I'd heard horror stories about the getting the rooms to sound decent but it seemed to work out fine.
We also had on display Jim's cornet phono stage and his very cool Vacutrace tube tester and frycleaner burn-in board. I had an assortment of other stuff like the MU stepup's, TAP and NOH preamps, S&B parts, Dact attenuator remote, and also a prototype NYL ultrasonic record cleaner (which I just got done a day or so before the show.....).
It was great fun talking to folks and meeting so many customers that had I only had 'met' via e-mail or the phone before the show. Here are some other thoughts:
The audio highlight of the show was not music at all. It was late Sunday night in the bar with the Bottleheads from England and the Dixie Bottleheads (one in particular - you know who you are!). I have not laughed like that for a long long time - maybe ever. Way too much fun!
Getting to see Kevin Carter from K&K audio again was great. Meeting Allen Wright and Stan Ricker was a real unexpected pleasure.
We had a bit of online press already here:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/vsac2003/sunday/part2.htmand also Tony Ho's way too cool tx102 foreplay was pictured here:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/vsac2003/friday/part2.htmIf you look close you can see the TX102 cans - what a creation! We used Tony's new 'Nocable' interconnect and also his 'Novibes' at the show - Thanks Tony!
I'd better get onto replying to e-mails now.....
Many Thanks!
John Chapman
www.bentaudio.com
