Music Director,
My comments were meant to convey the sense that there are a variety of attractions at the Newport Beach show that are not available at others. Personally they do not appeal to me. I drive a Highlander 4-cylinder two-wheel drive. I am not into cars at all. Cigars stink and my alcohol limit is one beer. I hate wine. So why did I mention those activities at the show? Because others do not share my tastes and may enjoy them.
Despite living alone in a home with a large yard designed as a peaceful retreat, I enjoy the energy of the show. Yes, all those wine-guzzling car and gear nuts can be fun. It is basically about attitude. I am a veteran of many years at CES so I know about "show energy" and I have learned to accept it and enjoy it. If music is too loud I leave the room unless the gear is something I really want to hear and then I request they turn down the volume. If they are playing a specific request for someone I wait until that is over before making my request. CES brings a different clientele and exhibitor mix so sound volume was not a major problem. Maybe there are limits enforced. I do not know.
But I understand someone having limited interest in the show. Your personal concerns are very legitimate. Much of the equipment is out of normal budget allowances and therefore only a curiosity. Shows are not the greatest places to audition equipment for a variety of reasons.
Some suggestions to make your experience more pleasant if you decide to go:
1. Load some tracks onto a USB drive. You will have more chances to hear your own music if you do that.
2. Check out the list of exhibitors to see what other companies have speakers in your price range. You might find some pleasant surprises. Maybe start another topic and ask for suggestions based upon your criteria.
I noticed that Emerald Physics will be at the show. They share a history and design commonality with Spatial. I would think that if you are interested in Spatial, the EP room would also be of interest.
3. I am not sure about your travel arrangements but if you are going to be at the show after hours you might be able to schedule an after-hours audition.
I wish you the best of luck if you decide to go.
I see. I’m not a car nut myself, but I can appreciate classic cars, but would rather go to a car show to see them. I’m allergic to smoke and don’t like the smell of cigars anyway. I’m not a wine guy either and my alcohol limit is nil, nada, zero unless I’m cooking with it. Inside info: having been aware of this show for a few years and reading about it, note the wine, cigars and cars don’t get all that much attention. I’m kind of surprised they are still having that stuff. Maye it’s not much of a bother to do it, so why not.
I envy your living arrangement.
I’ve had to leave too many rooms because the music was far too loud and politely asking them to turn it down is not easy in that I don’t want to be out of my place and talking above that level of volume is impossible. I don’t mind other’s specific requests at all, in fact, I like that. I really wish more folks would make requests because there is such a diversity of folks liking different genres and artists. If your paying attention you may hear something you have not heard before and like it.
Bringing a USB drive is good in that it can save the frustration of us old school types of not wanting to haul vinyl around and the waning use of CDs, except that most vendors don’t really allow that and for good reason. It’s a very easy way to transfer viruses and malware. While it’s true that most folks would not knowingly do such a thing and I myself can guarantee all day that my files are clean, it doesn’t mean much if there is something I don’t know about. The reverse is also true in that the USB drive you brought can get infected with something.
I’m only causally interested in speakers for my vintage system at this point and have heard a lot about the Spatials, so I am curious about them seeing that they are a bit closer to reality in price, which is rare.
I can only go for a day if I get the time off. (I have plenty saved as I never take vacations, but it’s month-end, so certain stipulations are present). I’ll look at the list again, but I think I would have a better time focusing on the seminars and severely restricting my gear exposure because it’s rather difficult to do both in one day.
Also, the new hotel apparently has excellent rooms for sound- it will be interesting how manufacturers adjust actually. Many of them have had the same room for the past few years.
