Ron's Los Angeles Audio Show 2017 Report

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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Your humble reporter is on the scene!

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I arrived this morning at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel to catch up with audio industry friends and to watch some of the systems being assembled in the rooms.

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I ran into Bob Levi, President of the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, with which the Los Angeles Audio Show collaborates to sponsor the event. Bob was very excited about the anticipated turn-out for the show. He said he has been wanting to host a high-end audio show in Los Angeles for years.

For some reason I thought that manufacturers and dealers began to set up their systems a couple of days in advance of tomorrow, the first official day of the show. It seems that most of the people and most of the equipment arrived just this morning.

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The second floor has some heavy hitters, including Evolution Acoustics/darTZeel/Wave Kinetics/Durand and Von Schweikert Audio/VAC/MasterBuilt and MBL North America/United Home Audio and GTT Audio/YG Acoustics/Audionet/Kubala-Sosna and The Source AV/Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems.
 

Mark Seaton

WBF Technical Expert (Speaker & Acoustics)
May 21, 2010
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Chicago, IL
www.seatonsound.net
Your humble reporter is on the scene!

For some reason I thought that manufacturers and dealers began to set up their systems a couple of days in advance of tomorrow, the first official day of the show. It seems that most of the people and most of the equipment arrived just this morning.

Wouldn't that be a wonderful idea! Any of the hotel/consumer shows may at best let you in late Wednesday, but generally the starting bell of the mad dash goes off around 8-9am about 24 hours before the show. In some cases big setups in large conventional halls like CEDIA and CES will let those in the convention center start setting up 2 days prior.

I look forward to your reporting of the first LA Audio Show with particular interest in what sort of exhibitors and crowd it ends up drawing.
 

rbbert

Well-Known Member
Dec 12, 2010
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Looking forward to your report, in lieu of my actual attendance :cool:
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
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La Jolla, Calif USA
I've just heard from a few manufacturers who aren't thrilled with the venue

Not pleased to hear that. I will be attending tomorrow and hopefully there will be some good/great sounding rooms. I did notice that the standard room is 12.5' x19' which isn't that bad....OTOH some of the other larger rooms do seem to be shaped somewhat oddly. Question is whether the exhibitor can tame some of these odd shaped rooms, I would bet that they can, but probably with considerable effort.

Bigger concern for me, is that the registration/check in procedure isn't going to be the same kind of debacle as it was in '15. Here's hoping.
 

rbbert

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Dec 12, 2010
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Sorry to see Wilson Audio is drinking the MQA Kool-Aid...
 

microstrip

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rbbert

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Do you have experience drinking it?

Only from Tidal, but my objections are more philosophical. Specifically, 1) it locks in one "sound" for an album, improvements in digital technology will not be able to change or improve that (even now, some high-end DAC designs are inherently incompatible), 2) it costs everyone (except Meridian) more money, and 3) it's totally unnecessary
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
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Only from Tidal, but my objections are more philosophical. Specifically, 1) it locks in one "sound" for an album, improvements in digital technology will not be able to change or improve that (even now, some high-end DAC designs are inherently incompatible), 2) it costs everyone (except Meridian) more money, and 3) it's totally unnecessary

MQA through the Meridian dac sounds fantastic.
 

rbbert

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MQA through the Meridian dac sounds fantastic.
Not relevant to my points, but let's leave that for another topic thread, unless you just want to shill for Meridian :p
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
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Not relevant to my points, but let's leave that for another topic thread, unless you just want to shill for Meridian :p

Pretty silly comment on the shill.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
Sorry to see Wilson Audio is drinking the MQA Kool-Aid...
What leg would a speaker company have to stand on against MQA? What would be next, deciding what type of music goes through their speakers???

Anyone that is in high-end music better be implementing MQA. THe market would be asking for it. It is then up to the customer to decide to use it or not. FYI I don't use it.
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
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just went to check in at the show, I had paid for 3 days general admission 2 months ago.

no name badges unless you are press. you get a wrist band.

I've been to dozens of audio shows, and one big reason I go is to match names with people, and then interact. this approach eliminates, or at least greatly reduces the opportunity for that.

if I had known about this I would have stayed home.
 

rbbert

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Dec 12, 2010
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...Anyone that is in high-end music better be implementing MQA. THe market would be asking for it. It is then up to the customer to decide to use it or not. FYI I don't use it.

It's not at all clear that the market is asking for it, and as yet only a tiny minority of companies are implementing it. Some of the bigger (or at least more prominent, I don't know about actual unit or dollar sales) DAC manufacturers/designers are vocal about avoiding it.

edit: tiny is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. To be clear, though, my only real objection to MQA is if it becomes the only way high sound quality digital music is available. Some parts of the music industry would like that, and certainly Meridian would, but for everyone else that has to be a big negative.
 
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Mark Seaton

WBF Technical Expert (Speaker & Acoustics)
May 21, 2010
381
141
390
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Chicago, IL
www.seatonsound.net
just went to check in at the show, I had paid for 3 days general admission 2 months ago.

no name badges unless you are press. you get a wrist band.

I've been to dozens of audio shows, and one big reason I go is to match names with people, and then interact. this approach eliminates, or at least greatly reduces the opportunity for that.

if I had known about this I would have stayed home.

That is a bit bizarre to say the least. A name tag promotes being social and more interaction with the many enthusiasts around you. I'm still amazed show promoters have yet to even add a simple QR code to badges making it easy to request further info from a company or to quickly get info and make notes about a customer a demonstrator is talking with.
 

Mdp632

Well-Known Member
May 29, 2016
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Emm labs /Meitner is supposed be announcing and or showing a new product that isn't a Dac. I've heard rumors its a Network bridge or similar device .

If anyone gets to that room and checks it out I'd appreciate it.
 

still-one

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Aug 6, 2012
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Only from Tidal, but my objections are more philosophical. Specifically, 1) it locks in one "sound" for an album, improvements in digital technology will not be able to change or improve that (even now, some high-end DAC designs are inherently incompatible), 2) it costs everyone (except Meridian) more money, and 3) it's totally unnecessary

Same old issues that don't hold water.
 

beaur

Fleetwood Sound
Oct 12, 2011
459
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Seems to be a trend.

They did the same thing a Munich this year. Gave out different wristbands every day to consumers. Exhibitors and press had badges. At a large show it makes sense, but at a smaller regional show I agree that badges make things more personal. Time to pay a visit to Staples and get some stick on labels and pass them around.

Sorry I won't be in LA but if anyone comes to the DC show I will make sure to wear a name tsg if we don't get one! :)

just went to check in at the show, I had paid for 3 days general admission 2 months ago.

no name badges unless you are press. you get a wrist band.

I've been to dozens of audio shows, and one big reason I go is to match names with people, and then interact. this approach eliminates, or at least greatly reduces the opportunity for that.

if I had known about this I would have stayed home.
 

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