Florida Audio Expo 2020

[andromedaaudio]

Thats actuallly one of the reasons i got bored of most audioshows .
The products which are shown usually dont reflect real (music) use , mostly easy audiophile recordings .
Not a test of the gear really , its only rare that one gets a good demonstration.

 

[JackD201]

It's a funny thing when we go to show. Mostly what's played by exhibitors are songs with really good sonics, tracks with extreme dynamics or "safe" songs.

With our crew, we pretty much agree that we'd rather eat nails than have to go through that for three days at a time. Probably the only genres we haven't played are Reggae (Infinitely Baffled is giving me tips) , K and J Pop. A Server and 2 small crates of LP. We even allow guests to stream Spotify if the room isn't full. It's not easy since you have to read the crowd just by their looks and body language but we have no other way of guessing what they might like without having to ask every three songs. Unless of course you get to have a quick chat

I play a lot of significantly cultural or what I guess are generational tracks but in a specific way. What the hits were in that period of early adulthood and at least some basics of the corresponding counter culture. We get a lot of 20 year olds at our show, One of the groups was a trio of young female music students. They started with Starker and ended with Coldplay. The recording engineers from the Focal Pro room were there to demonstrate an on site recording between a tenor and a rapper. I played them some Royal Ballet music just because I saw them to be open minded. Best compliment I ever got than the couple of ladies who have cried was the head engineer jumping up giddy, turning to his assistants saying "This is the GOAL!". Leif was lying down behind the racks nursing his bad back ROFL Weeknd, Bruno, Beyonce, Drake, Snoop, ACDC, The Cult, New Order heck Evanesence for this one teen goth girl who misplaced her Dad somehow. It's all fair game. I mean sure we want to show off what a system can do but those times are chosen for when you can tell this what these people want. Be they potential buyers or goers who travelled through horror traffiic to maybe experience a SHOW. Otherwise, wee figure sure the recordings may not be great but if you can see that the guests are just coming into thee hobby, you have to be confident enough that your systems make their tourchstone songs sound better than they have ever heard before but more hopefully bring the significance of that song back. When we get it right, which I wish could be more often, the tiredness evaporates. It's a Show right? Entertain!

 

[tony22]

By kind invitation, my friend and I went back to the VS-VAC room Saturday evening after Damon and all came back from dinner. We spent the late evening listening to all kinds of music on the Ultra 11, ending in a spectacular listening on vinyl of the last movement to Beethoven's 9th (I should remember the recording, but unfortunately I don't). One of the interesting things that, IME, VS speakers do better than most is, no matter how far you turn up the volume (relative to room limitations) the sound never gets hard, glarey, or painful. Short of live I've never heard that glorious piece of music sound better!

 

[AudioAnalyst]

By kind invitation, my friend and I went back to the VS-VAC room Saturday evening after Damon and all came back from dinner. We spent the late evening listening to all kinds of music on the Ultra 11, ending in a spectacular listening on vinyl of the last movement to Beethoven's 9th (I should remember the recording, but unfortunately I don't). One of the interesting things that, IME, VS speakers do better than most is, no matter how far you turn up the volume (relative to room limitations) the sound never gets hard, glarey, or painful. Short of live I've never heard that glorious piece of music sound better!

Hello Tony22... The Beethoven's Ninth you heard was one I turned these guys on to at Capital Audiofest 2017... It is Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral,' by Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra And Chorus. It was originally released in 1972 on London Records CSP 8 (and CS.6933), later reissued on the Decca Jubilee label as Decca 6BB 121/2, (or 6BB 121, 6BB 122). Though I have copies of both earlier releases, the version that I prefer, and the one that they have and that you heard, was the 1981 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab ½ Speed remaster, MFSL 2-516. It is by some large degree the quietest, most dynamic, and most natural sounding version of the recording I’ve yet heard.

 

[Leif S]

Hello Tony22... The Beethoven's Ninth you heard was one I turned these guys on to at Capital Audiofest 2017... It is Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral,' by Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra And Chorus. It was originally released in 1972 on London Records CSP 8 (and CS.6933), later reissued on the Decca Jubilee label as Decca 6BB 121/2, (or 6BB 121, 6BB 122). Though I have copies of both earlier releases, the version that I prefer, and the one that they have and that you heard, was the 1981 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab ½ Speed remaster, MFSL 2-516. It is by some large degree the quietest, most dynamic, and most natural sounding version of the recording I’ve yet heard.

We LOVE IT!

 

[Ron Resnick]

Great to see accolades for VSA from the audiophile press these last few years but I found this posting from Lukasz Fikus to be especially gratifying given he's an actual designer of high end audio gear and has no reason to post these comments other than sincere appreciation for what VSA and VAC have done at this show and prior shows.

LampizatOr comments on VSA

That was very nice of Lukasz to write!

 

[tony22]

Hello Tony22... The Beethoven's Ninth you heard was one I turned these guys on to at Capital Audiofest 2017

Thanks Greg. BTW I had a great time at your playing session at CAF 2019!

 

[Gregadd]

Jack when it comes to Reggae you can't go wrong woth Bob Marley. We hardcore fans can go a litrle deeper. Good music and generraly well recorded.
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Natty Dread.

 

[bonzo75]

This is the Decca Solti Beethoven 9th

 

[cjfrbw]

Yeah, that Solti 9th is Kicken-Assen! I have a Solti Beethoven box set but don't think I have tapped it, it's in one of the piles. I'll check it out.