HE 2007 – A review of show reviews
Stereophile had their usual show report – they have about 10 people covering the show, but 3 or 4 seem to do most of the work.
This is their show, so we should expect a great show report from them, right?
It is here
Let’s see, the rooms that we could expect to SOUND the best, because they usually sound the best, weren’t mentioned: for example the Lamm room, Zu Audio, etc.. Were they there? You can’t tell from their report.
So, although their show report is getting better, it is still a New Product Annoucement Brochureware Extravaganza,
…and it is evolving to include the Audio World Manufacturer Photo ID Index.
🙂
Positive Feedback has a small show report as well. It is here
This report talks about the sound. This makes it worth reading.
Everything didn’t sound great. This makes even more worth reading.
In fact, it looked to me like Marshall Nack didn’t like anything all that much, and describes why. Cool.
Wish he had dug deeper and spent more time with the sphereical Cabasse speaker – or better, I hope we get to hear them sometime, and not just SEE them at the shows we DO get to.
Enjoy The Music has a few small photos and some room descriptions up. You can find it here
The photos are too small for my taste – but their show reports add more photos and cover rooms that no one else covered….
Allmodcons did a report over at the Asylum.
It is here
His point, repeated, that the hobby is closing in on itself in terms of age (add sex and race too) is something that is becoming all too obvious these days….
Trelja did a great report. His reports are getting bigger… 🙂
It is here
Many of these online writer and reviewers are out of touch with local scenes. What is the logic and reason deduced from demographics of attendees?
There are not many 30- year-olds in attendance at an Audio show. A show which happens to be scheduled during finals or just after the end of a spring semester of college? Hmmm… I will assume that since they are not attending the show, they are not interested in high-end audio 🙂 Shelling out more than hundred bucks airfare or gas money to attend a high-end audio show just was not practical for me as an undergrad or grad student. What about shows that are not even scheduled to be part weekend days – how stupid is that?
“The industry has collectively failed to capture the youth market and its apparent anathema towards home theater has insured that those willing to spend serious money on home entertainment will end up with HTiB instead of real systems.”
A different part of the A/V industry HAS captured the youth market by a simple factor – price. Look at any company selling components with volume sales to 30- year olds – I bet a $200 price point is offered.
A HTIB IS a real system – it is tangible. You can set it up, plug it in, and listen to music. It’s exactly that kind of condescending writing attitude which turns off budget/beginner readers and potential customers and sends folks to online forums and local get-togethers where they can hang out and have fun.
– Steve O.
Hi Steve,
The only thing everybody seems to agree on is that there is a steady change in the demographic of show goers to older, whiter, heavier men.
I am sure students are attending rock concerts immediately after finals, and paying a lot more than what HE 2007 charges. No, we can’t imbibe at a show – but otherwise I would think that, males anyway, would like a high-end audio show as much as a concert – all things being equal.
This *is* NYC – you and I have to fly in – and it *is* expensive, you bet – but there are lots of people there in the City already….
They would be ‘equal’ if
1. decent tunes were played
2. they were played loud
3. nobody was trying to sell them anything – except maybe software and concessions
4. and there were lots of young women in attendance
Not much chance, huh?
Maybe if shows had more of a reputation of being a party-scene then kids would think it was not so stodgy and boring?
A $200 price point is not relevent in this context. This is a high-end show, not a flea market. IPODs cost more than $200. $2000 is more of a entry-level price – and I think one well-within the computer generation’s budget. Don’t forget, young people aren’t married and have no kids yet – they are wealthier than the rest of us by far with respect to having lots of free time and very few expenses.
I am not aware of any online forums where people have fun.
From what I hear, local get togethers are more dead than shows, by far. At this point, RMAF is really the best show out there – and it is here in our own backyard…. hee hee hee 🙂
Thanks for your post – I think there is something here that we can all do to take the hobby back from the cliff. Perhaps more rooms at shows run by plain-ole-audiophiles…?