At the opening ceremony (left–right): Chip Moore (Executive Vice President Programming, LAOCAS), David Robinson (PFO), John Atkinson, and Marine Presson (LAAS).
Attendees were already moving from exhibit to exhibit on the first five floors of the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Friday morning when the opening ribbon-cutting ceremony began to take form. First slowly appeared a red barrier, then a blue Mylar ribbon, and finally an oversize pair of scissors. By the time the official opening began, at something like 10:25, the show was well underway.
Joining Bob Levi of the Los Angeles…
As the second wave of registrants stood in multiple lines in the lobby of the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles on the morning of Friday, June 2, the Los Angeles Audio Show was already off to a promising start. And what a promise it was. The night before show's open, when I encountered the force behind LAAS, Bob Levi of the Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society, in a hotel elevator, he told me that pre-registration had already topped 7500 people. That number, it seems, has set new records for attendance at an audio show in Southern California. It also undoubtedly sets a pre-registration…
Industry veterans EveAnna Manley (left) and Mary Cardas (right) were in a particularly ebullient mood when I encountered them in the second-floor hallway. "We just got mansplained," laughed EveAnna. "Whatever you do, man, don't mansplain us," she continued, as the two women recounted the tale of entering an exhibit incognito—they were judges for the "Alfies," the LAAS awards—and discovering some salesman talking down to them.
"This guy did not know who we are. As in we have almost 60 years of audio geek experience between us," she continued. "We were trying so hard to not burst out…
Approaching the Los Angeles Audio Show, two curious things happened: 1) I left my beloved Fisher 800-C in the good hands of Blackie Pagano: New York based vintage hi-fi repairman, a couple weeks prior. It was in desperate need of inspection. And, 2) I received an impromptu ear cleaning from local audiologist Ann Mundell-Noel just two days prior, whilst embarking on my first custom in-ear journey at Ultimate Ears' factory in Irvine. The amount of earwax my ears produce is simply remarkable at times.
To reference the phrase, "don't shop on an empty stomach", my ears were starved wild beasts…
At first-time show venues with hosts of unknowns, some exhibitors luck out, while others unwittingly end up with unmanageable spaces. Alas, to retailer Brian Berdan of Audio Element in Pasadena did fall the distinct dishonor of two larger 2nd floor rooms with the noisiest, constantly-on air conditioning I have ever encountered at an audio show. To the non-stop roar of large, ceiling vents were added random higher-pitched noises, including infernal rattles, which made listening to music with quieter passages a waste of time.
Perhaps to compensate for an environment destined to repel rather…
After a forgettable lunch (the food at the Sheraton Gateway hotel was mediocre at best) a change of pace was required. It was time for a mid-day treat: compact horn-loaded speakers. Greg Roberts of Volti Audio and Pete Grzybowski (nicknamed "Triode Pete") seem to consistently know how to produce good sound in hotel rooms.
As I entered their room, a woman wrote on their board something along the lines of: "My husband's been dragging me to different rooms all day and this is the only one I've enjoyed." The system included a pair of recently released Volti Audio Rival speakers (starting at $…
Somehow, I managed to cover 19 rooms on the second day of LAAS. That included taking in a special half-hour MQA demo with Bob Stuart and Peter McGrath in the large Sunny Components room—reports from me and John Atkinson to come—and a bit of an after-hours presentation by JC Calmettes of Jadis in the Brooks Berdan room. While I certainly can tell you a fair amount about the sound in those 19 rooms, I have no idea what the temperature was like beyond the confines of the over-conditioned Sheraton Gateway LAX, because I first set foot outside the front door after dark on Sunday evening, when I…
Grand Prix Audio, whose attractive isolation racks, amp stands, turntables and other products featured prominently in multiple rooms at LAAS, debuted their less expensive Grand Prix Audio Parabolica turntable ($16,500). Here shown with TriPlanar 2SE tonearm ($7500) and Lyra Etna cartridge ($8995), the Parabolica rested on a Grand Prix Formula shelf upgrade ($2495) to the 4-shelf Monaco Modular isolation system ($10,250) that was supported by Apex Feet with levelers ($1320). I was told by the company's Jesse Luna that the Grand Prix Parabolica, which is based on the Monaco 2.0 turntable ($37,…
Saturday June 10 at 3pm, Kyomi Audio (4454 W Berteau Avenue, Chicago, IL) is having a Jadis event. JC Calmettes from Jadis will be the gust of honor and Kyomi's George Vatchnadze will be working his magic with the new JA200 tube amplifier. Also on demonstration will be the Jadis JP200 preamp, Vivid G1 Spirit loudspeakers, Air Force 3 turntable, MBL Reference Transport, Chord DAVE DAC, and more. Please RSVP here or by calling (312) 513-2759.
Also on Saturday June 10, from 1–6pm, Esoteric Audio (111 W. Monroe Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85003) is holding an event featuring the…
"So how did it sound?" they like to ask as I'm walking out. If I enjoyed the sound, I'll be honest. But what if I didn't?
Option 1: Lie. Even though it'll be obvious, because I'm a horrible liar, aren't I?
Option 2: Tell the truth—kindly, if at all possible. Even though it'll be difficult, because I'm a horrible person, aren't I?
Right. So audiophiles are often eager to share their thoughts on forums, at their local dealer, or at the monthly local audio society meet up. But try looking a designer in the eye, knowing how much they've dedicated to their product, and how much…
