in your personal opinion what are the pros and cons of visiting hi-fi shows
for me pros
meeting new people
hearing systems i may probally never be aple to pay in these and many lifes more lol
getting to know new music bands or songs
cons
rooms sometimes are far for reality of a living room beeing or non treated or way to treathed
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See The future of Hi-fi shows.
Threads perhaps need to be merged to avoid duplication?
Cons:
Cost and time unless very local.
Crowded rooms making seeing/hearing/learnjng chalkenging or impossible.
Any jazz played in rooms
Pros:
Potentially see and hear previously unseen/unheard gear and combinations.
(These are my impressions, never having been to one, though I once went to a pro music gear exhibition.)
Con: you willl come away with very little idea of what various items sound like in real-world situations. Probably even less useful than reading reviews!
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It has been a very long time since I visited a HiFi show. Back in the day, there was the Firato show in The Netherlands. I have n’t been to a show since than. But I am now considering going to the Dutch Audio Event in October. Have a look at some turntables and phone stages, because that may be a direction that I would like to explore.
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I did attend them many years ago and found some of them OK, but most of them were pretty dire experiences. Others though think they are great, it is all about what you like. If you haven’t been, give it a go and see what you think.
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Pro.
. Sometimes I’ll make a note of a track I really like, then go home and stream it. Found “Submotion Orchestra” that way, and went to see them in concert recently as a result
. You get to hear a system 3+ time the cost of yours, and realise there isnt that much different
. You get time to speak to different companies all on the same day
. You get to feel sorry for the poor families, or spouses that are dragged along - can be amusing.
Con.
. Can be very confusing, as there is a lot there.
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I went to the Penang, Malaysia Hifi show last week. Did not find it a useful experience. The rooms were not sound proofed sufficiently so it was impossible to listen to any products and find out how they sound. In the entrance foyer, there were several dealers, all blasting out music - horrible.
After the last day of the event, I asked the NAIM dealer here in Malaysia how much business he’d done. “none at all”. He just hoped some visitors were introduced to his services. Must have cost him quite a bit to come from Kuala Lumpur and set up his stuff!
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Cons:
Only Dire Straits in most rooms
Diana Krall in the rest of the rooms
Hotel room acoustics, no piece of audio is designed to perform in such spaces
Bad/loud music
Audio shows are there for importers and dealers, not for a public
Average age of people attending
Nothing sensible within 3-figures, apart from isolating feet..
Pros:
some young hostesses with long legs, albeit as aloof as the moon
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Presumably the length of leg chosen for optimal sound quality?
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Well that’s not true, and what’s wrong with Dire Straits, other than Max doesn’t like them?
Pros:
Chance to meet like minded nerds and the manufacturers.
Buy more records, that you wouldn’t otherwise have bought.
Cons:
Lots of sweaty, in the main old male bodies.
Rubbish coffee and sandwiches.
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I only attend local shows, Acoustica in years gone by and the North West Audio Show which is just a few miles away.
Pros:
Opportunity to listen to newly introduced gear
Chatting with dealers and reps
Realising my system is not too bad
Cons:
The effect on my bank balance
Roger
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Some manufacturers seem to consistently make good sounds, Rega, Chord Company, Wilson Benesch, Quadraspire, Audio Note come to mind.
Others, IMO, consistently bad and so loud the neighbouring rooms stand no chance, quite often involving subwoofers or home cinema.
As regards choice of music, I usually come away with a list of things new. One of the boons of the ubiquitous smart phone being Shazam.
My worst ever experience, a long time ago, a “show” during Bath Festival week where a committee member sat in the room to make sure only classical music was played.
If that was Bath Music Festival, I’m surprised there were any show visitors with so much live music on offer outside!
Ironically, not far from the venue there was a trad jazz band and a Morris troupe taking it in turns…
Ah, no wonder people visited the show!
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I Don,t mind to hear Mark Knopfer or the dires have 2 cd,s and ordered sailing to Philadelphia and from Diana y have 1 cd love the song temptation at my last show there was only one room with dire straits music it was the Dartzeel system what a punch I realized First latter that the Dartzeel integrated is about almoust 40k euros
If memory serves, wandering around the various rooms alternately laughing or sneering at what was coming out of the speakers but making sure I ended the visit in the TomTom Audio/NAIM room for a dose of the real thing before going home. 
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In general, it’s too loud music and too many people in too small an area. And way too many women. 
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