The New York Audio Show Starts Friday

It may be just a subway ride away from the biggest Apple, but to some inveterate Manhattanites, an audio show in Brooklyn sounds like it's from another planet. In reality, the third New York Audio Show, which opens to the public on Friday, September 26 at 2pm and continues through Sunday, September 28 at 5pm, takes place at the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, just a short distance across the East River from Manhattan.

No matter how you parse it, the show's line-up is looking quite good. At press time, the show's sponsor, the UK's Chester Group, predicted 45 exhibit rooms, including a "Headzone;" no less than 79 exhibitors, and at least 174 brands.

They also promise lots of goodies (in addition to raffle prizes). No less a personage than Richard Vandersteen will demo his liquid-cooled High Pass amps in a system that also includes gear from Audio Research, AudioQuest, and Basis. Naim presents the US consumer show launch of their massive Statement Amp, and KEF follows suit by playing their new Reference line loudspeakers. Other product launches and new product showings include the Alta Audio speaker line from Mike Levy, Townsend Rock 7/Merlin motor and Excalibur tonearm; a new Merrill-Williams turntable, new components from Jolida and Backert Labs, the new Verity Audio Parsifal loudspeaker, new cables from Unity Design Cables, Muraudio's first omni-electrostatic loudspeaker, Legacy Audio's new on-wall loudspeakers, WAX RAX's record racks (in the "Made in Brooklyn" room), and GamuT's new Wormhole Reference speaker. Also keep an ear open for new Master & Dynamic headphones.

Much of the publicity for the New York Show has been intentionally funneled through social media channels. "It's no longer about how many people you can stuff in," Chester Group's Roy Bird told Stereophile. "It's about attracting a better variety of attendee. We're aiming for show buyers, not just show goers. The industry still needs shows, but it needs the right sort of quality shows that bring in new faces. That's what we're trying to do."

A week before the show opened, Bird's strategy appeared to be working. With ticket downloads surpassing last year's by several hundred, Bird expected to equal or exceed last year's attendance figures of 2700 unique visitors plus 250 members of the press. This despite the unfortunate scheduling of the show to overlap with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, whose celebration ends on Friday evening, September 26, a little over an hour before the close of the first day of NYAS.

Stereophile print-edition readers are already aware of a Letter to the Editor in the Ocotber issue announcing that "New York City specialist audio retailers" Sound by Singer Ltd., EarsNova, and Stereo Exchange will not be participating in the show because it is "scheduled to begin on the Jewish Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah." As it turns out, Stereo Exchange is now not only participating in the NYAS, but also hosting their own concomitant three-day Fall High-End Audio Show at their Broadway store.

Whether the one-day overlap with Rosh Hashanah will affect attendance remains to be seen. What is clear is that those who do walk through the door will have an opportunity to hear a lot of exciting set-ups, and attend a host of seminars that include presentations by Stereophile's Michael Fremer, Steve Guttenberg, Art Dudley, Herb Reichert, and Michael Lavorgna. At least three workshops will focus on computer audio, three on high-resolution audio, three on vinyl, and others on vintage, speakers, headphones, and the 21st century audiophile. And no one will go wanting when it comes to finding nearby restaurants and diversions of every stripe imaginable.

Unless Con Ed decides to drill in the streets surrounding the hotel, a water main floods, or the Brooklyn Bridge closes for unexpected renovations—as Bird acknowledges in the show program, variations on all of the above manifested like the wrath of God during the second New York Audio Show at the Palace—it should be a great show. Return to this website during and after show weekend to discover what John Atkinson, Art Dudley, and the rest of the magazine's NY-based team have to say about what took place.

COMMENTS
corrective_unconscious's picture

"As it turns out, Stereo Exchange is now not only participating in the NYAS, but also hosting their own concomitant three-day Fall High-End Audio Show at their Broadway store."

I believe that retailer and some of the others have often made it a practice to have open houses with manufacturer participation during New York City audio shows, not just this time. I believe they sometimes mention the high cost of being at the show (not baseless)...now it's a partial overlap with Rosh Hashanah.

And it is worth noting that in spite of this partial overlap they can this time around still manage to have open houses over the same weekend at their business addresses. In other words, for some reason Rosh Hashanah isn't blocking _that_ effort.

Good thing they're not Orthodox owned, or they'd assumedly have to be closed every Friday eve and every Saturday, which overlaps with...about any audio show and that business' normal operating hours....

By the way, I am similarly skeptical of Christian and Muslim religious beliefs intruding into secular affairs, which they often do.

jdjaye's picture

I think it is pretty easy to avoid scheduling events to overlap major religious holidays: Ramadan, Xmas and Easter, Thanksgiving and New Years, Rosh Hashona and Yom Kippur.

Why would we want to exclude people from these events?

Hopefully, the next time they schedule this, they will look at the calendar first.

corrective_unconscious's picture

Scheduling large events which have to clear out swaths of public venues is difficult. You know, because there are many events and conventions and so forth in big cities vying for the same dates and places.

I again note that these dealers have had their own shows during NYC audio shows in the past, absent this question of the one day overlap. That suggests the overlap is not determinative.

I again note that these dealers can somehow manage to have their own show with this one day overlap. (It's easier to have the show on your home premises, but still needs a lot of organizational work.) This also suggests the overlap is not determinative.

I seriously doubt anyone avoids scheduling weekend events like this during Ramadan. Fasting doesn't mean they aren't free to do things you otherwise would be allowed to. I'd love to have a show over an Easter or Xmas holiday, but the difficulty there - for the organizers - is that so many are already on _fun, totally non religious vacations_ during those times. Because school is out. I'd like the lesser traffic, meaning better listening opportunities.

It just isn't all that credible in this instance, imo.

corrective_unconscious's picture

The "So What?" was a little stronger than I intended.

I'm not crazy about having headlines for posts.

Allen Fant's picture

Wish I could attend. For those fortunate to attend please post pics for the rest of us!

dc audio's picture

No matter how you look at, it is highly disrespectful to even overlap Rosh Hashanah by one day. They would never hold this show on Easter.

John Marks's picture

I don't think that it was so much a matter of disrespect as of ignorance.

Westerners who work in Asia have to get up to speed on the Lunar New Year; for people living on most of the landmass of the US, it is a non-issue.

I have no idea when The Buddha's Birthday is, or whether it is a big deal. But before holding a major international trade event, I would expect good staff work would discover all relevant date conflicts, and if they can't, perhaps they can discover new jobs.

All that said, what no audio show promoter could be ignorant of was the narrow window between CEDIA and Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, and I think that more than one show promoter is playing "chicken" these days.

It makes all but the most major companies have to choose.

And in that vein, scheduling RMAF exactly opposite AES Los Angeles was equally insular.

BTW, I respect B&H Photo for the fact that their website will not take orders on the Sabbath. And in the old days, when Wilson Audio rather than its dealers was the name exhibitor, they would leave the room locked or the booth empty on Sunday.

But perhaps I am the only person old enough to remember that???

ATB,

JM

jmsent's picture

This is high end audio we're talking about here. More likely you're the only person young enough to remember that.

John Marks's picture

Yeah, they call me "The Kid."

jm

volvic's picture

World doesn't stop because it's Rosh Hashanah....Montreal Audio show has overlapped with Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Easters in the past. These religious holidays are never on the same date(s) based on their calendars. Planning for any event several years in advance you are bound to fall on one religious holiday or another. I am just sorry I won't be around that weekend to visit. Shanah Tova !

dc audio's picture

c'mon Volvic. These calendars for Jewish holidays, Eastern Orthodox holidays, and all other observances can be checked years in advance. In this case it seems that they did not care enough in advance to even check. If they did indeed look ahead at the calendar, then it prove the disrespectful nature of the scheduling. Shame on the other shows for overlapping with Easter.

Osgood Crinkly III's picture

It's a common courtesy not to schedule events on Jewish high holidays, which at most are only a few days a year, in that NY has a large Jewish population and there are a lot of Jews in the audio trade & industry.

This event, no doubt, could use all the customers it can get. The location alone indicates that it's a minor event. A major show would be in Manhattan.

otaku's picture

Years ago, when I lived in Manhattan, I might have agreed with you. But now, given number of audio manufacturers and bands based in Brooklyn I am not sure that is a valid complaint. Maybe there is more money in Manhattan, but I certainly have seen some nice systems out here.

Osgood Crinkly III's picture

What "complaint"? No one is complaining. And, please, name one Brooklyn hi-end manufacturer. In Canarsie, Bay Ridge, or Bensonhurst.

corrective_unconscious's picture

Aren't you the monkey's uncle?

(Okay, primate's or ape's, but that's not how the cliche goes.)

Osgood Crinkly III's picture

Unco, the phrase "monkey's uncle" means "I'll be damned" and is usually used in the first person, as in "I'll be a monkey's uncle." Your calling someone else a "monkey's uncle" not only is a personal affront, but reveals your ignorance. I only bother to mention this because of the humor of the situation.

corrective_unconscious's picture

I said it was a hint. How much more of a hint do you think I should provide regarding the ignorant non question question about any NYC/Brooklyn audio manufacturers?

Another one would be to suggest you take up meditation and concentrate on the "oooohmmmm" while you breathe.

otaku's picture

Besides the monkey haus, there is also a certain obscure manufacturer of headphones and phono cartridges.

corrective_unconscious's picture

Now we know where you belong on the class' gradoing curve.

Osgood Crinkly III's picture

Right you are, otaku. Grado hasn't moved from its original Brooklyn location on 7th Ave. Still, I wouldn't list Brooklyn as a hub of audio innovation, or hang around a "monkey haus" for very long.

What other, if any, noteworthy audio industry contributors call Brooklyn home?

corrective_unconscious's picture

What other borough in the US has a lot of high end manufacturers? They tend to be in lower cost of living areas for obvious reasons, but they don't clump into limited areas all that much.

And what did a local presence of high end manufacturers have to do with a high end show being in Brooklyn, or NYC, anyway?

And for the second time, those animals aren't monkeys.

corrective_unconscious's picture

Then why aren't the local dealers being disrespectful for scheduling their personal open houses on the days right after the end of the Jewish holiday? And they'll be open on Saturday for their open houses, thus barring Orthodox Jews from that day. Disrespectful, no?

Why couldn't they have participated in the Chester group show for those two days? You know why, mainly? Because they _often_ don't participate in the Chester Group or Stereophile or other NYC shows.

tonykaz's picture

I brought up Wife/Spousal considerations on the Schiit DSD Chapter comments board and started a Forest Fire . I never thought that Religion could factor in somehow , have to remember that ! , :) , Religion seems great kindling wood for Audiophile fire based excitement , thanks .
I and Wifey will be in NY that Week-End , she ( a Minister ) will be doing a conference , I will play Hookie and sneak off to the Audio doings , suppose I won't see any of those guys with the curly sideburns & funny little hats . I will be staying at the Washington Jefferson Hotel ( a Jewish establishment where the Jewish Airline Workers stay ) , should be another exciting show of Cultures on offer , great fun to sit on the front steps of the Hotel smoking and watching as it all parades by , at least for me who lives in Fly-Over country where everything is quiet .
Thanks Steve for sharing this , still love ya for pointing me to Schiit/Sennheiser
Tony in Michigan
ps. they are having our Tyll do Facebook now , poor lad

Allen Fant's picture

Screw it! The SHOW must go on.

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