Srajan, having attended only two U.S. shows—Rocky Mountain Audio Fest and Axpona—I can attest to your comments in the letter section. Typically I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of equipment, crush of crowds and inability to discern sound quality given poor room treatments, seating locations and the constant whir of people. What worked were people interactions: meeting Vinnie Rossi after owning some of his nascent Red Wine Audio gear covered in these pages; and Steve Guttenberg for example. What worked was attending seminars; and being exposed to some new brands. Otherwise the shows were fatiguing, expensive and not purpose-built. Michael
Of course as a consumer, there's a flipside. If put together carefully, over-the-top systems one only ever encounters at shows can become peak experiences that reset what one thought possible. The 'if' remains large when as nearly a rule, the more exotic, costly and outrageous demo systems get, the less they meet related expectations. And that has the exact opposite effect of what's intended. When the heavens don't part and angels don't descend, aspiring audiophiles conclude that the high end is a hoax perpetrated on wealthy folks of mediocre hearing. Now they write off the entire endeavour. However, exceptions do exist. When one is lucky enough to chance upon one, they can truly transform one's viewpoints and goals in this hobby. But it's sadly far more rare than it should be. As to your two encounters, I think that the sheer scale of Munich dwarves the American shows so if you thought RMAF and Axpona overwhelming, Munich would probably have you feel buried under an avalanche. Back to 'revelatory' systems, they absolutely needn't be über efforts. Anything expertly set up and curated can represent what this hobby is all about in its many manifestations, styles and flavours. Now it serves visitors to learn of a presentational gestalt that speaks to them to then emulate and recreate for themselves. As I see it, that's the primary benefit of consumer shows. Of course if the so-called experts—the makers themselves and their dealers/importers—don't know how to set up for good sound, it reflects poorly on the industry. Visitors walk off thinking "I don't get it". I'm afraid that many exhibit generate exactly that type of response. It's how the great expense and efforts of exhibiting becomes self defeatist. The final mixed message is the Munich show's identity. It's both a business-to-business affair and consumer show. That tries to serve two different masters who come with different needs and objectives. Srajan
