AXPONA 2022 - April 22-24

@DC Damn, I hope you get better quickly.

Interesting that the tone of your post is somewhat like Avanti's show summation.

I do find it a bit crazy that you didn't even come back with some new music or a Bot story. :rolleyes:




Prologue and summary.

A very well-attended well-run show that from people I talked with exceeded expectations.
Personally, I have realized that my own system while not comparatively extravagant has been honed and crafted over the last 10 years to give me the presentation of sound that I most enjoy.
Based on what I heard I may investigate making some changes but this year's show kind of jumped the shark for me and it will likely be the last one I go to.
The rooms seemed a little more cramped than usual, a little darker given the cloudy rainy day.
A balance between the big ballroom and the cramped resident rooms would be a welcome change but difficult to accomplish.
Still there were plenty of sights and sounds for the music and audio fan and it was an overwhelming relief to be rid of the infectious burdens of the previous two years.
Enjoy your music and go in peace.


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@DC get better soon Don. I didn’t get there until Sunday and also with no real plan other than wandering around until I found something I liked. There weren’t very many people when I arrived, right at opening. I walked around just a little with no mask but masked up fairly quickly and wore it until I couldn’t stand it anymore, then left around 1:30ish. I avoided ALL of the crowed rooms even though I was interested. Fingers crossed on the COVID. I finally got to listen to a couple of speakers I’ve never had the opportunity to hear, one being a real LS 3/5a, Falcons. WOW! The other being the MBL omnidirectional, again WOW!
Attached a few pictures of standouts. Audio Notes were a little boomy though, a disappointment. I think I’m with you on future shows, they are beginning to look very, very similar. I did not like the HUGE horns.

The Sonner were amazing for a 2.5 two way. The tiny Mons likewise.
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I'll add some things.

The show had a different vibe this year... very different. In years past, its been more of a 'come and see' show vs. this year where it was a 'come and buy' show. Capital has that vibe, but I've never felt it at AXPONA. Thankfully, it looks like I should generate enough revenue to offset the costs of the show and then some.

Shows are hard. Real hard. Like, go into a room with nothing to work with and certain horrible aspects (credenza) that you just cannot do anything with and try to generate a fun, good sounding experience for anyone who walks into the room, anywhere in the room. Not only that, but as more bodies enter the room, the sound changes. Even the fact that the chairs you sit in are dining chairs vs. sitting chairs make a HUGE difference in presentation - they sit about 3-4" higher than normal. Your gear is all cold as well and takes a few days just to reach a proper temperature to sound 'right'. Between the gear settling in and adjustments made during 'off hours', Sunday really is the day to revisit rooms. I still wasn't firing on all cylinders on Sunday, but it was a major improvement over Friday and Saturday. It was about 5:00 PM on Saturday where I was sitting in the listening area and something just clicked. After that, it was good music the rest of the show.

I realized I was just a few tools short of really being able to handle the room. I had things to work with, but I could have used about four more units to deal with some imaging-killing energy. You don't expect the same sound you get at home, but you do your best to get there. I am proud of the sound I produced because of that. I think attendees who go into these shows expecting these systems to annihilate what they have at home are going in with the wrong attitude, but I didn't get too much of those vibes this year. Overall, I was very happy with the attendees. In the past I've run into those guys who are just jaded, but I can't recall that happening this year once.

Coverage of my room has been low thus far, but Marc Phillips of PartTimeAudiophile did just release a synopsis of the room and his experience. He visited Friday - I do wish he could have returned on Sunday, but I'm glad he made it period. Some BIG names dropped into the room as well and were very pleased. Luckily they came in Sunday. I am hoping they do a small show report for obvious reasons.



Part Time Audiophile - Audio Thesis, Norma and Rosso Fiorentino - AXPONA 2022
 
In this morning’s Audiogon Insider Newsletter was an AXPONA recap from “Audiohead” who had a nice comment about the “stunning [Rosso/Norma] combination” in the Audio Thesis room:

 
DC & Covid

I hope your shots hold tight and your symptoms remain mild. Thanks for the pics and comments.
 
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@DC It was great meeting you at the show. I wish I had more time to mingle or I had caught you at a slower moment. The room rarely sat empty, even on Sunday. I wanted to stop you a few times seeing you down in the lobby area but I was still 'on the clock', so to speak.
 
I've got a quick summary, I guess:

1. Room Treatments
I say this every year: Any room that made even a modicum of effort for some treatment(s) usually sounded (overall) better then those rooms that decidedly did *nothing* to address the reflections, nodes, etc. One room even had a few AXPONA t-shirts draped over the big flat-screen TV that couldn't be moved and some pillows stacked up to try to tame a similar reflection on the other wall. While it wasn't much, it was at least a little less smeary-sounding. A small, simple system in an empty, untreated room basically sounded like that, and was hard to really try to hear what was going on with the system they were attempting to showcase.

2. Music
I didn't hear any really new and/or interesting music to look up at home. Usually I come back with a few new tracks to seek out, and an album or two to find, but nada this time. <shrug>

3. Covid
I was disappointed that the event and/or the hotel did not have a stronger suggestion for mask use with so many people in such close quarters. What they had was simply a suggestion and was basically "fine print" and not obvious or at all compelling. I wore a KN95 mask nearly 100% of the time I was in the hotel (and airports, planes, Ubers, etc.) but I'd estimate perhaps 20% (if that) of the other attendees and vendors were masked. Now here I am sitting at home with mild Covid symptoms and a positive self-test this morning. (Yes, I'm vaccinated, and boosted in November.) Did we all attend a "super-spreader" event? Did I even get it there? I don't know, but it makes one wonder. (Yes, I took a risk in attending at all, I understand that.)

4. Vendors
It was interesting that numerous regulars were not exhibiting this year: no Devore Fidelity, Paragon Sight & Sound, PS Audio, GIK Acoustics, and I don't recall seeing a Pass Labs presence. I hope it was just cautionary on their parts, and not an indication of something else afoot...

Usually whenever I get home I am ready to sign right up for next year, but this time I may wait... perhaps a year or two off will improve the novelty of it for me?

But if you haven't attended, and think you might be interested in it, I'd highly recommend going!
I agree with all of your suggestions and summary, I am in the medical field and yes a N95 is beneficial and can help reduce the risk of exposer, as I know plenty of people wearing them and still getting covid, so don't even think for a minute a mask is your shield. Our government and plenty in the medical field have basically rewritten how things are being done <<<(Politics screwing with Science), and not in a good way. I done basically the same thing you have and still gotten it twice, very mild as I have had worse cases of influenza. Maybe we should start testing for Influenza at the rate we are we are testing for Covid and see if we ever open back up. I totally agree with your last statement! ;) Thanks to all for the great pics, been to 4 so far and hope to go next year..
 
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Thanks for all the pictures Don. I hope you get better soon. I was going to get a room but I was not ready yet. Maybe next year.
 
I agree with all of your suggestions and summary, I am in the medical field and yes a N95 is beneficial and can help reduce the risk of exposer, as I know plenty of people wearing them and still getting covid, so don't even think for a minute a mask is your shield. Our government and plenty in the medical field have basically rewritten how things are being done <<<(Politics screwing with Science), and not in a good way. I done basically the same thing you have and still gotten it twice, very mild as I have had worse cases of influenza. Maybe we should start testing for Influenza at the rate we are we are testing for Covid and see if we ever open back up. I totally agree with your last statement! ;) Thanks to all for the great pics, been to 4 so far and hope to go next year..
Medical field?
Masks stop the wearer from spreading not from contracting.
No politics please.
 
Please tell the original poster as well, and yes I am in the medical field (epidemiologist) this nothing to do with my politics, I deal with this stuff daily. Medical Field (Yes), depends on the mask, and none of that has to do with politics. He chimed in and left his thoughts on it and I chimed in and left mine. Please feel free to erase either non related topics, as this is an audio forum.
 
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