Thoughts on the Audio/Video show in Montreal

[joeparaski]

Well, Polk Audio wasn't' there this year. No Macintosh to be seen anywhere either. Shanling?...nope. Emotiva?...nada. No Goldmund either.

Totem had a vastly different room than that of last year....very plain and simple, actually boring compared to last year.

But overall a good show with lots of cool gear from a host of other players. I went alone this time so I could take things in at my own pace.

I brought my own music and listened to the same piece on about 6 different systems ranging from small bookshelf speakers to 100G + Grand Utopia and other mega buck speakers. Now, I assume that all the dealers had their displays tweaked for optimum sound, and had their best stuff all "burned in" and ready to show, so I should have been hearing the best of what they have to offer.

So I sat smack in the middle, the coveted sweet spot, closed my eyes and listened. And you know what?....there isn't a whole lot of difference between them.

So what have I learned today? Well for one thing, I have confirmed that I don't have "Golden Ears", so I may just as well remain happy with my Polk SRS and stop dreaming of winning the lottery so I can get speakers that cost as much as a luxury car. Oh don't get me wrong, there was "some" differences, albeit hard for me to describe, but I was just as happy listening to $2,000 speakers as I was with $70,000 speakers...with my eyes closed. Opening the eyes just adds the "visual candy" and hence an improvement in perceived sound.

I had to ask myself... how much improvement can one possibly hear by going from a $2,000 amplifier to a $20,000 amplifier. How much better does a modern "high end" system sound from a high end system from 1985?

I think that the circuitry and electronics that produce sound can only be taken to a certain level. The exotica, as in 'what' these electronics are housed in, is where the difference lies....chassis machined from billet aluminum, sophisticated machining processes, exotic materials from another planet or star system, all this is what accounts for the astronomical prices because there wasn't an astronomical difference in actual sound from one to another.

I know this has all been discussed on the forum already over and over. But its fresh in my mind today and I just wanted to talk about it.

Obviously, the big advances are "how" music is listened to now. Wireless technology, home automation, listening effortlessly from every corner in the house with music piped in from the internet, hard drives, i-pods etc etc.. Fast food music, just twist the little dial on the cell-phone sized thingy in your hand....no need to get up and change the cd or vinyl....oh, and there were some GORGEOUS turntables to be seen btw.

So I took a few dozen pictures, and I'd post some but for some reason my card reader isn't reading the SD card. Looks like I may have to reboot the computer or something.....you know, it's a technology thing.


Joe

[Zero]

Joe,

I’m a spoiled guy. Every day I get to wake up and enjoy multiple components that are worth more than the car I drive. Some of its mine, some of it isn’t. Some of the gear is within the budget of a college student, while other pieces cost practically half of the annual wage of a person living in the United States. I’m surrounded by this stuff all day long, and as cool as it is, sometimes I can’t help but scratch my head and wonder “why in the F$#@@ is this stuff so damned expensive?”.

I usually have the same reoccurring thoughts while at shows. While there are certainly differences between a well designed loudspeaker fetching $2000 and one fetching $20,000 – often times the gains in performance are not parallel to the monetary difference. Of course, like any luxury item, it’s up to the individual consumer to justify the expense for that ‘premium’ performance.

Ultimately, my personal experiences at my home, at shows, at dealers, and in other private homes have helped me to form unique opinions. First, I feel that high end audio gear in general is expensive for what it is, especially when you compare and contrast what the same amount of cash will buy you in the video, computer, or even automotive goods. Second, unless you’re pockets are loaded and money is not much of a concern, things are most interesting in audio at and below the $10,000 USD marker. This is also the range where it can be easier to justify the differences in build quality and performance as you ascend up the pricing ladder. Beyond 10k, I’ve yet to come across anything I could call a value, at least not with a straight face. Lastly, I’ve never heard one audio system that can ‘do it all’. In fact, outside of reproducing a little girl on stage alone with her guitar, I’ve never even heard a system at any price that could deliver a sound that creates the unquestionable illusion of a real live performance. It all sounds fake to these ears. Some fake sounds better than others, but no matter which way you slice it, it will always be fake at the end of the day. I’m waiting for the day I can eat crow on that one, I truly am.

These shows are fun though, and I would encourage anyone who even remotely has a chance to attend one to do so. It can be a fantastic experience! Think about it: it’s one of the few times fellow nutcases like yourself can group together and share a common interest in audio stuff and music. It’s also a great chance to meet the wonderful folks that make the gear you love! Most of all, it’s also an eye and ear opening experience that will likely have you coming home with a whole new appreciation for what you get to wake up to each and every morning.

[Zero]

Now, I assume that all the dealers had their displays tweaked for optimum sound, and had their best stuff all "burned in" and ready to show, so I should have been hearing the best of what they have to offer.

Joe,

The above comment slipped past my radar when I first read your post. Now that I’ve honed in on it, I want to take the opportunity to address it. The thing is, many visitors walk into a room with this notion that each room is or should demonstrate the complete prowess of the audio system being represented. In most cases, these shows only give you an idea of what the electronics are all about. So why is that?

To help you (and by you, I mean anyone reading this) understand, let’s put the shoe on the other foot. Imagine having to uproot your current audio system and then transport it to a show. Aside from boxing up all your gear, the first thing you will have to deal with is the logistics of getting all of your stuff to the hotel and coordinating everything to make sure that is all accounted for. Because there is a good chance that your items may end up damaged by the freight carrier, you will not only need to pack extra well, but you will also need to make sure that you have a back-up plan (ie: stand-in components) available in case something you shipped arrives DOA. So, let’s just assume that you make all the arrangements and everything arrived in OK order. Great!

Now, most hotels only give you half a day or so prior to show opening to set-up your demo. This means that once you arrive to the hotel and get your own personal belongings in order, you will then have to race against the clock to find the system you shipped and then get it situated in the vacant hotel room you paid for. The more stuff you have to demonstrate, the more work you’ll have to do in getting everything done by curtains up.

To make things even more pressing, you will be setting everything up in an unfamiliar room that will sound completely different from what you are used to working with. In fact, you can probably bank on the hotel room having ****ty acoustics (which may ultimately change the performance of your system entirely). Basically, it’s then your job to quickly assess the room and try your damndest to make silk out of a sows ear. Because your room will (hopefully) be crammed with people, you’ve also got to make sure the sound will be pretty linear across all the seats, which creates yet another challenge.

The final coup de grace is that come the next morning, you will have hundreds, if not thousands of people entering your room (ranging from competitors, colleagues, reviewers, and casual audiophiles) to judge the system you just set up. As time allows, you tweak the system and make changes… hence why most systems typically sound best on the last or next to last day of an event. Still, by then, tons of people have already heard your system and have formed strong opinions on the gear you're demonstrating.

It’s not an easy gig, and I’d be willing to bet big bucks that most of us here would fail at attaining the same level of performance we get out of our current set-ups as we would in a hotel room. So, the next time anyone attends a show – I hope you will have a better perspective as to what dealers and manufacturers must go through and also understand that what you hear may not entirely reflect what a product is capable of.

[joeparaski]

Zero, it's nice to know that you have show experience. Tell me something, why is it that virtually everybody in all the "rooms" play their systems at low volumes? Plus, you never hear any rock n' roll or popular stuff? I rarely recognize anything they're playing, it's basically always something soft and easy going. Heck I like to crank up some rock too, are they afraid their systems will sound bad or something?

Joe