Guest guru Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) Just for the sake of conversation, what do the punters want to see at the show? High end mega bucks gear, lower end affordable, probably more affordable but maybe less thrills, small liveable systems or I need to buy a bigger house type stuff. From an exhibitors perspective , it's a conundrum as you want to capture the attention and imagination cause that's how I fell under hifi' s evil spell but you also don't want to ruin the experience by them realising there are other priorities in life that will always come first. Should Marc hire out some of the space to financial institutions for quick evaluations of fiscal affordability along with relationship councillors and legal professionals regarding property ownership amid pending divorce proceedings. What kind of sound is going to make you consider offering up a kidney? Edited November 19, 2015 by guru
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted November 19, 2015 Volunteer Posted November 19, 2015 @@guru I"m hoping to hear uber expensive gear that is badly set up so I can walk around self-righteously claiming that my system sounds better 20
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Should Marc hire out some of the space to financial institutions for quick evaluations of fiscal affordability along with relationship councillors and legal professionals regarding property ownership amid pending divorce proceedings. That's awesome! Seriously though, HiFi needn't be uber-expensive. I think that's one thing StereoNET universally agrees on. It does exist, and it's seriously good stuff (some of it), but law of diminishing returns and all that. John Darko, I believe, has been an advocate for pushing an international show to put together some rooms at specific price points to show what can be achieved. It's a great idea. Not sure if it eventuated or what the response was. From an organisers point of view, I'd like to see a good mix of super exotic and expensive (just like you'd expect to see at a Motor Show), stuff punters can dream of. But just as importantly I'd like to see entry level and up - gear that I could genuinely buy or aspire to purchasing in the near future. A good mix is the answer IMO. I would absolutely expect to see the best of the best however at an "International HiFi Show", and I am certainly working on making that happen. 3
New Sensations Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 That's awesome! John Darko, I believe, has been an advocate for pushing an international show to put together some rooms at specific price points to show what can be achieved. It's a great idea. Not sure if it eventuated or what the response was. n. I have and still am. Predominantly because it's woefully underrepresented. Perhaps the high volume, low margin sales model doesn't accommodate show time as easily as high end's high margin, low volume unit shifting. Nevertheless, Marjorie gave over three rooms of this year's RMAF to systems costing $500, $1000, $1500. With show team staffers and not manufacturers acting as room hosts, two of the three felt a little unloved. Still, the guys at U-turn made the $1000 room their own and in concert with Audioengine they offered an engaging demo space and terrific sound for the money. But this is an American show where exhibitor demand is consistently strong. One that can afford to block off three rooms. I'm not sure if this is feasible for a smaller, first time event. I guess only Marc can speak so its viability. Besides, distributors tend to want to show off their most luxurious wares. And who can blame 'em. 2
The Fez Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 John Darko, I believe, has been an advocate for pushing an international show to put together some rooms at specific price points to show what can be achieved. It's a great idea. It is a great idea. No it needn't be uber expensive. Do you go to a motor show, and all you see is exotica? -- no. You see it all from budget to millions. I can understand the manufacturers wanting to showcase all the TOTL stuff. HiFi needs to break away from the "exclusive" "hi-end" mindset that pervades a lot of product and cast a wider net I think. 2
The Fez Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) Already been a "High-End" show recently in Germany? Appears to be plenty of coverage for the uber expensive already. Demo something like that Pioneer DD TT that you could buy at JB Hifi with an entry cart, SS integrated (with a phono) and a pair of reasonably priced standmount speakers. Connect a <$500 DAC to it and stream some music. That sorta thing - Get people listening to music on a budget. Ya gotta start somewhere. Some of the rooms you can go in..I couldn't afford an interconnect being used, let alone the rest of the components...ha! Edited November 19, 2015 by The Fez 3
New Sensations Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Already been a "High-End" show recently in Germany? Appears to be plenty of coverage for the uber expensive already. Demo something like that Pioneer DD TT that you could buy at JB Hifi with an entry cart, SS integrated (with a phono) and a pair of reasonably priced standmount speakers. Connect a <$500 DAC to it and stream some music. That sorta thing - Get people listening to music on a budget. Ya gotta start somewhere. Some of the rooms you can go in..I couldn't afford an interconnect being used, let alone the rest of the components...ha! In theory this is spot on. The reality is a little trickier:Who supplies the TT? Which speakers and amp? Which DAC? You're not likely to see Exhibitor A demo his stuff with Exhibitor B's ancillaries. Everything must come from under one distribution roof. Then there's audiophile snobbery. I've heard from several manufacturers at various shows that standmounts are commercial suicide. People walk in, see the standmounts, then walk straight out. If a change of attitude sees some exhibitors moving toward more affordable fare, a shift in attendee type is also required. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Great feedback that I certainly am taking on board for our venture.
Guest guru Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 I think setting up a simple economical system like that would work well in the lobby/ entrance area and give pause to engage but economics relative to room hire costs, staff and other costs mean it would be difficult to justify unless given freely by the organiser's as was the case mentioned by darko esquire.
Guest Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Having spoken with the Room Allocation Manger and Financial Controller (my wife), we believe we could offer at least one dedicated space in the entrance lounge and foyer for this. 2
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted November 19, 2015 Volunteer Posted November 19, 2015 Just for the sake of conversation, what do the punters want to see at the show? High end mega bucks gear, lower end affordable, probably more affordable but maybe less thrills, small liveable systems or I need to buy a bigger house type stuff. From an exhibitors perspective , it's a conundrum as you want to capture the attention and imagination cause that's how I fell under hifi' s evil spell but you also don't want to ruin the experience by them realising there are other priorities in life that will always come first. Should Marc hire out some of the space to financial institutions for quick evaluations of fiscal affordability along with relationship councillors and legal professionals regarding property ownership amid pending divorce proceedings. What kind of sound is going to make you consider offering up a kidney? As a distributor, how do you see these shows? Is it a chance to wow the public with top end stuff, get 'em hooked so to speak? Is it massively risky because you are showing your gear in what could be less than ideal circumstances ? Is it just a bit of fun (albeit probably very costly ) All of the above/ none of the above
Krispy Audio Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 From my perspective, it's a dilemma. You show a $2k system which is impressive, you need to sell a LOT of these to recoup the costs of exhibiting. Going the other direction is also risky. In some ways, showing a top level setup might be an idea because it's something that people may not ordinarily be able to walk into a hifi store and hear. The risk is that if your $2k system sounds average, you have a great excuse. If your $200k system sounds average, people may not take "it's the room" as an excuse!
Guest guru Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 we have done 4 shows that cost us around $10k each show and we figure that's okay for keeping the brand known here. you do a big system and most responses are good but tinged with "it costs how much?". did a couple of cheaper shows and the response was better and sales were worth it. never done a really inexpensive show with say a $10k limit. the least expensive system was still a $50k system and a lot less stress involved, maybe more fun as well. owning expensive audio is not without it's own unique issues. the most important thing with shows is to have new things to see and hear. there is always a temptation to go all out and see how far you could push it but who need a million dollar system to worry about.
HdB Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Every now and again, an exhibitor will concentrate more on adding value to the visitors than just demonstrating 'their wares' - they actually go to the trouble to prepare the demo room for GOOD sound with audio products designed for exactly the job (bass control/traps, standing wave correction, etc, etc) without relying solely on the dsp to try to 'do the impossible', especially in rooms totally unsuited for musical reproduction. We are starting to see more of the Acoustical Control Products gracing the demo rooms of some of our retailers but there's precious little time available at the 'show venue' to 'properly setup the room' despite the best intentions, so few of the 'show patrons' ever get to see these products in common use, let alone hear discussions on the relative merits of the different types, etc. Maybe one of the acoustical experts from the 'pro-audio' area could be enticed to provide a series of lectures/demos during the days of the show, and designed to cater for the more 'non-technical' hifi consumers and to 'keep it simple' - most of us are aware of the significance of the correct position of the listening and the speaker positions in our rooms, but few of us are comfortable/familiar with talk about bass traps, room damping, first reflections, diffusion, multiple subs, etc and how to 'get started' - unfortunately, the 'magic dsp' doesn't take care of room deficiencies, so that 'perfect sound' does require more effort ... 3
Guest guru Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 I'm sure Andrew and George will kiss and make up one day thus making your wish come true...... Oh you meant the wilson audio modular monitor, absolute suicide for a system like that in a setting of a show, just like the big magico's would be and just about any massive speaker system. Aside from logistics and set up time required, you run the risk of turning any potential genuine buyer away by a bad room fault such as unfortunately placed air conditioning ducting causing a continuous bass drone,etc. At Munich hiend, out of the 3-400 exhibitors we saw, by my interpretation of what good sound constitutes, there were 5 rooms that I wanted to spend time in and the rest were there for the display aspect which is entirely relevant as it is really a distributor/ manufacturing show with the majority of exhibitors there to do business and not play music, hence the use of so many streaming devices to serve as background fill. Quite a few used vinyl or high end digital but mostly played standard audiophile recordings and maybe 10 played outstanding music selections. Still worthwhile as an event and very relevant to the industry but I would hope Marc's show has a very different vibe as it will be easily compared to the show following just 3 months later. There are very specific difficulties associated with the Rialto show and the sense of confusion it generates amongst the patrons and hopefully the venue Marc has chosen doesn't present as a rabbit warren and has a much more relaxed vibe about it.
Sparkle Posted November 21, 2015 Posted November 21, 2015 We listened to the big Magicos at the Tokyo hifi show. My Lady Wife thought that they were good and she wanted them. After explaining that the set up was about 150k she was less interested! However they did sound good and the rooms in the Tokyo forum are quite large. Sooooo,....... hopefully the Secret Melbourne venue will have some larger rooms to attract some of the bigger systems?????
Guest Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 I'm sure Andrew and George will kiss and make up one day thus making your wish come true...... Oh you meant the wilson audio modular monitor, absolute suicide for a system like that in a setting of a show, just like the big magico's would be and just about any massive speaker system. Aside from logistics and set up time required, you run the risk of turning any potential genuine buyer away by a bad room fault such as unfortunately placed air conditioning ducting causing a continuous bass drone,etc. At Munich hiend, out of the 3-400 exhibitors we saw, by my interpretation of what good sound constitutes, there were 5 rooms that I wanted to spend time in and the rest were there for the display aspect which is entirely relevant as it is really a distributor/ manufacturing show with the majority of exhibitors there to do business and not play music, hence the use of so many streaming devices to serve as background fill. Quite a few used vinyl or high end digital but mostly played standard audiophile recordings and maybe 10 played outstanding music selections. Still worthwhile as an event and very relevant to the industry but I would hope Marc's show has a very different vibe as it will be easily compared to the show following just 3 months later. There are very specific difficulties associated with the Rialto show and the sense of confusion it generates amongst the patrons and hopefully the venue Marc has chosen doesn't present as a rabbit warren and has a much more relaxed vibe about it. The "rabbit warren" thing was something I was definitely concerned about, and I ruled out tens of hotels for that very reason. Most would not appreciate just how hard it is to find a suitable venue to run a HiFi show. Aside from the fact that 95% of the big hotels in Melbourne run at near 100% occupancy all year round, why would they want to take on a booking like this where they have to strip all the furniture, deal with the bump in/out of ~35+ exhibitors and so on. Fortunately, we found an exceptional hotel, with even better staff and a dedicated event manager who is fantastic to deal with. This is Level 1, which makes up pretty much our entire show. There is also a ground, and our own dedicated entry to the hotel / show. You come in the foyer, straight into ticketing, and straight up the stair case to level 1. That is subject to change of course, but mostly confirmed now. Good coffee will be a good start This is an absolute must!!! The show will also double as the 'official' launch for something else I have been working on for some time: http://www.stereo.net.au/shop/fidelity-premium-blend-coffee-beans Needless to say there will be some coffee carts and trained baristas around the place. 3
Guest Sime Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) Sold. Where do I get a ticket. Will there be daily pass prices only, or a ticket for the three days? Edited November 22, 2015 by Sime
Jake Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 I'd like to see rooms with vintage setups, or rooms full of selected 2nd hand gear for sale showing just how good it can be. This of course is not what hifi shows are about but it is what I would like to see. 6
Kaynin Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Good coffee will be a good start @@joz - you run a coffee truck, don't you?
Kaynin Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 I'd like to see rooms with vintage setups... Yeah, that definitely would be good...
Guest Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Sold. Where do I get a ticket. Will there be daily pass prices only, or a ticket for the three days? Tickets will go on sale as soon as we publish the new website, showing the confirmed brands and exhibitors. We have a one day pass, as well as an unlimited pass. Aside from entry across all three days, those with unlimited passes will be able to access the show 1 hour earlier each day than those with one day passes. This is just a good opportunity to get straight to any room or system you specifically wanted to hear before the crowds come in.
Guest Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 @@joz - you run a coffee truck, don't you? Nope, I already asked him 1
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