0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 105250 times.
It's basically performance and value vs. marketing and perception, and we're making some serious progress in the battle.
Another word of thanks for Jason and Tyson. I've known these two for over a decade now and I can say with certainty they don't kiss butt very well. They are telling you what they think, I am absolutely sure of it.
All I keep thinking reading the coverage and show recap is what an amazing group of designers we have represented here! It's safe to say that AC represents the best of the best, and choosing which is THE best is splitting hairs. All of these incredible designers being under one roof is really resulting in us pushing the limits, and creating some fantastic options for customers. What's more, AC also has the absolute best show coverage from Tyson and Pez! All the other 'paid' reviewers are still floundering trying to catch up, and what has been posted is nowhere near as insightful. It was a challenging show for us in many respects, but receiving the accolades made it all worthwhile ... and then some! Normally at shows I get out of the room and say hi to all the AC'ers in addition to seeing some rooms, but my apologies this time for not being able. It was non-stop problems in our room, that plus being at the Hyatt kept me pretty much locked in the room. I really wish I could have heard some of these other amazing rooms Keep up the good work everybody! It's basically performance and value vs. marketing and perception, and we're making some serious progress in the battle.
Chicago AXPONA not currently scheduled. Looks like next Dream Maker LCS showing is T.H.E. Show, Newport Beach, CA, 30 May-2 June 2014.
AXPONA is scheduled for 4/25-4/27, I believe.
And we do try to focus on the smaller guys if possible. I mean really, this show is one of the few shows that a lot of the smaller guys go to. And people want us to hit Dynaudio or Wilson? They are already available for demo in every major city in the country. IMO, it's an absolute waste of time to put our focus there.
For what it's worth, the Wilson demo was fairly impressive on several fronts, many having to do with the people involved as much as the gear. I've definitely heard Wilson systems that I didn't care for, but this wasn't one of them. (And the fact that I will never be able to afford the system displayed did nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the demo.) David Wilson flew to Denver in July to scout out possible rooms, performed acoustic measurements of the room in which they ultimately demoed, and selected the system to match. The intent was to bring a system that they felt highlighted the limits of what is possible the realm of audio reproduction, and to that end they chose to play select songs intended to spotlight particular areas of focus (sound stage, imaging, etc.), rather than open it up to walk-in music. Some of the selections were recorded by David Wilson himself, which are starting to get released again. The U.S. Air Force wind band piece recorded in the late 70s I enjoyed in particular, and the conductor was actually in the audience later that day. During the session that I attended, the audience included John Curl, who designed one of the microphone pre-amps used in some of the recordings as well as the Parasound amps used to drive the subs, and 3 different recording engineers. (They were rather notable ones from what I've been told, though I don't know the profession well enough to judge myself.)There were positives and negatives to the scheduled, fixed demo approach they selected. To be frank, I was slightly annoyed that they were running late, as I felt that they should keep to their schedule if that was their chosen format. In addition, had I actually been looking to buy, I definitely would have been frustrated at the inability to play my own music, though I suspect some accommodation could have been made had that actually been the case. As it was, I was happy to be exposed to several new high quality recordings that I hadn't heard, and on a system that was certainly impressive even if it might not be everyone's personal choice. The biggest benefit in my mind, however, was that I could actually hear the music. No one was talking during the demo when the music was playing. Perhaps T&P didn't have to worry about that thanks to their press badge, but I can't tell you how many rooms I walked out of during the show because the room proprietors, much less visitors, were talking over the music. And besides enjoying the music, the experience was further accented by the chance to talk to some of these long-time audiophiles to learn of their rather interesting audio journeys from within the business. (Despite Wilson's current success, for example, I found it interesting to learn that the company was surviving at one point thanks solely to having its costs spread across 17 credit cards. I'm no more or less likely to buy a speaker because of this, but I do admire perseverance.)For what it's worth, I enjoyed some of the recordings in the IsoMike room as well, which was also not accepting walk-in music. (Though I would have enjoyed demoing the DAC2X they were using...)For perspective, I went to the show to meet both new and old friends and wander where my interests took me. I had only a small number of "target" rooms, and the rest were opportunistic. TAD, Marten, Bryston, Emerald Physics, GR, Daedalus, AudioKinesis, Vapor and Odyssey were all on my hit list, for example, whereas Wilson initially wasn't. Those rooms covered everything from the modest to the mega-buck. I wasn't researching any specific gear besides room treatments and the occasional DAC, and I wasn't looking to buy, so I wasn't carrying music and didn't have specific demands or expectations of the vendors. I'm always interested in what sounds good, however, and if the approach leans in a different direction than my current philosophy, then I consider that exciting and a chance to learn. This made for a fun, relaxing weekend.Take it for what you will...
I was annoyed that they wanted the Vapor room next door to not play ANY MUSIC AT ALL I think they really believe they are the music gods.
I was annoyed that they wanted the Vapor room next door to not play ANY MUSIC AT ALL I think they really believe they are the music gods and the music police too.
Seriously? I didn't hear that ... wish I'd have known, we had plenty more volume we could have given it
Perhaps you should have politely asked her to pay hush money for your exhibit room and all related show expenses. Take the cash and fly a few serious prospects back home instead and not have to deal with that kind of nonsense
They were not very friendly last year either. Too bad they believe they hung the moon. Personally I hear/see their gear as sterile, uninvolving and ugly.Just me, I guess.Dave
