Vancouver Audio Show + Audio Note UK discussion*

For those in the Vancouver area, the first audio show to be held here in a very longtime starts today at 2pm at the Hilton Metrocenter. It's a small show, but that allows for better listening opportunities and more in-depth conversation when desired.

Se you there.

 

I'll be there today and tomorrow covering the show for Confessions of a Part-time Audiophile, and will be talking with David about Audio Note UK, the set-up he's put together with help from Soundhounds in Victoria and things hi fi-related in general.

 

I'm going, need new speakers, maybe I'll find something that strikes my fancy.
Plus will be cool to see stuff that you don't normally find in Vancouver

 

It's about time there's an audio show in Western Canada. Do you have a link for the show?

 

The show was great. I was a little surprised that the beautiful AN gear was sitting on $20 ikea tables.

 

Did the AN gear sound good?

 

My amps are sitting on a $65 Ikea shelf

 

It did sound good. I will elaborate on my thoughts latter when I have time. It did sound good but I can't help to think it could have sounded better.

 

That's too bad. I don't think a $14,000 CD player, a $8,250 integrated amp and a "priceless" TT should be set up on crappy ikea side tables. Which is what was going on in the AN room.

 

Where is everyone parking ?
The Hilton site says their lot is $11, I'm way too cheap to pay that much LOL.
Maybe at the mall and walk over?

 

Metrotown. 4 min walk.

 

Here today... Yeah. Park at Crystal Mall and walk .

 

I find the priorities and focus in evidence here equal parts amusing and disturbing.

 

Your first post gave an open invite.. no? If you want only people who will share your mindset (evident from posts I have seen of yours ) then invite only like minded people.

 

http://www.chestergroup.org/vancouveraudioshow/2015

 

I did not realize that this thread was an announcement only and our thoughts were not welcome.

Now that I think about it I am not surprised. Every person I met at the show was nice and friendly. With one exception. David I found you to be very unwelcoming and unfriendly. My friend and I said to each other as we left your room that it was amazing how cranky you were considering the show had just started.

My system and my friends system are very much in the vein of low tube watts and high efficiency speakers. How are my priorities and focus disturbing and amusing?

I was very much looking forward to hearing the AN speakers and I have to admit I was a little let down.

 

I'll let Mr. Cope defend himself, but it seems very likely to me his comment about "priorities and focus" was a tongue-in-cheek reaction to the multiple posts about hotel parking options. I'm not sure why this attempt at a little humor has been perceived as insulting or an attempt to stifle comment and discussion, but I do think some of you are looking for conflict where none was intended.

--David B.

 

One of the things I appreciate about John DeVore and Jonathan Halpern is that their wares are nearly always shown on a proper foundation such as that provided by Box Furniture Company.

 

Tough crowd!

 

Yep. Sometimes people get booed off stage for no good reason. And sometimes they get booed off stage because they deserve it. Not making a judgement here one way or another. Just sayin... it happens.

 

Spent tine with David Cope this weekend at the show, not sure why anyone would think he's unwelcoming or cranky (any more than I am!).
I found him to be funny, sarcastic (in my vein of humour) and very accommodating.
But hey, different strokes...

 

The criticism being offered hasn't really been about the equipment being represented, but instead about the stands that AN didn't build.
I think that's what Dave was getting at.

 

And the posts about the equipment stands - I sort of get that because Audio Note typically always just uses the hotel furniture or the floor and have plenty of best sound at shows over the years in spite of that. Which then illustrates just how important $5,000 Equipment racks are when Audio Note with the hotel furniture beats the crap out of the 4 times the price rooms with their pricey stands, and resonance bells on the walls, and bass traps, all over the place. You can buy it and get good sound without "wasting" your money on all the other stuff like wire lifters, pricey equipment racks, room treatments "in most cases" or spikes under the equipment, or most of the other tweaks. The suspended tables in a wood floored room is better with a wall mount but you can't really do that in a hotel room. Otherwise being a suspended table won't be much helped by fancy stands since the platter is suspended anyway. I put Hockey pucks under my amp $7 for 4. I recommend them Dave to save your bad back from carrying furniture - hockey pucks!

Having said that - I suppose it is a marketing weakness of sorts for Audio Note because sometimes you have to recognize the "perception," even if it's wrong, of "most audiophiles" who walk in the door that you MUST have mega fancy stands, wire lifters, power conditioners, positioned in such a way etc etc. But I don't think Peter is willing or interested in placating to that particular crowd or the crowd that judges the results based on an audio show audition with unfamiliar music.

Dave: Use the standby - "oh our pricey stands were lost in shipping" - there problem solved.

Indeed AV Showrooms chose AN as a Best sound room out of 60 rooms covered and they have their amp on hotel furniture and there is an equipment rack but it hardly looks uber expensive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=55&v=c1Z6Z6uNJ2E

 

Not sure anyone said anything about "MUST have mega fancy stands, wire lifters, power conditioners, positioned in such a way etc etc" except you. I know from my experience that a proper stand can make a very substantial difference. One of the best demos I had was when PDX HiFi's Dale Shepherd brought a Box rack to my home and swapped it out, one component at a time, with my Premier stand. The difference was audible and noteworthy. It would seem that when someone shows hi end electronics it would be sensible to look at the entire system and not just part of it.