Minor Tweaks for 2019 Show.

eddie-baby

Wammer
Wammer
Feb 28, 2009
6,813
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Pembrokehsire
AKA
Eddie
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Dont tell me, this is more of Nicks type on the left of the photo :rofl:

Sorry Nick, had to get that one in, just tell me to # right off.



 
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TheFlash

Also available in pink
Wammer
Jun 22, 2013
12,479
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Rural Leics [system 1] & Kendal [systems 2 & 3]
AKA
Nigel
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
And there was me wondering why one would need a system in the bedroom?

Oh, now I see, 'mood' music.

Lights turned down low, a bottle of champagne in the ice bucket and then some mood music on the cheap system.

Perfect, that should work.
Is this "system in the bedroom" something I need to consider? I've never had one, just made it up as I went along.

Ah, gotcha, you're talking hifi aren't you. In that case, I think three-way floorstanders might work best.

 

Non-Smoking Man

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 31, 2009
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Chichester W. Sussx.
AKA
Jack lambert
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I think we should pay some attention to the post mortem threads that, whether we are keen to admit it or not, I suspect we all comb for favourable (or other) comments about the  systems  we sweated blood to bring to the show.

If one fails to get a mention is it because the poster didnt make it to your room (and it is hard to give all 46 or so rooms sufficient attention in one day as that would be 10 mins  at most in each room, give or take, with no breaks for food and drink etc), or because they didnt like it (following the custom that it is better to say nowt than offend)?

You never know.

I think if the custom continues of 'Best In Show' posts, then the judge or judges should give some indication of which rooms they did and didnt visit. And to aid a fair assessment perhaps some mention of the 'List Price' or 'Current Used value' of the system should be given in the programme so that a 'Best In Class' 'award' could be given as in the Le mans 24 Hour race, where the classes are measured according to cubic capacity - with us its pounds shillings and pence.

Its not a competition I hear you say! Well, no it isnt, as such, but its not a laugh either. There are some serious systems at our shows and if the owners are inevitably going to be judged in the post mortem threads, then I urge a little more rigour on the part of the contributors to those threads.

Jack NSM

 
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bencat

Amplifier Destroyer
Wammer Plus
Feb 6, 2010
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Liverpool
AKA
Andrew
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Jack I have to agree that a more comprehensive and detailed view would be useful , however I do appreciate that many will not have heard your system due to time issues and then as you say many might well prefer to say nothing so as not too offend .

I think the idea of looking at different classes would be good as to compare a cheap DIY or even a cheap assembled system against some of the costly items on show is interesting but not really a fair comparison I also think if other contributors see a number of low price and Mid Price systems then they may well feel that they would be prepared to show their system next year.

As an aside , in my case I would have valued some views and suggestions of how I could have done the system differently and other items I might have considered as that was the idea of showing in the first place. Comments by those in the room were often positive but that may well have been just being polite but in truth I would have liked to get some honest opinions even if they had not been that complimentary .

 

Tony_J

Gone fishin'
Staff member
Mar 4, 2013
19,635
2
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HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Ed and I have shown systems at the last 2 shows - Harrogate last year and Kegworth in March - and both times we had A4 fact sheets available that described how the systems were configured, rough cost of the components, etc. Not hard to do but useful to the visitors.

Interestingly, despite the fact sheet indicating that we are cable sceptics and were happy to discuss everything else about the systems but not cables, we still had cable evangelists trying to convert us...

Not sure that the different classes idea gets you very far, because some inexpensive systems can sound superb - a case in point, one of the nicest sounding systems at Kegworth (other than mine, natch) was Colin's, based on a pair of DIY LS3/5a clones. Outlay: not a lot, SQ: excellent.

 
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sunbeamgls

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 19, 2011
5,088
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North Wales
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
We've always shied away from the show being "competitive" and long may it continue that way.  Competition will drive away exhibitors who don't want to be involved in "willy waving" or just don't like pressure.

There's also the issue that "value" is very much a personal judgement - one person's idea of VFM is very much different to another's.  And SQ isn't always related to price anyway.  How would you judge an "excellent" sounding £1000 system against an "excellent" sounding £10,000 system anyway?  Is it excellent per se or is it excellent for the price?

The existing subjective views are all of interest, I would say leave it as it is.

 
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Speedracer

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Sep 2, 2014
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Ferndown
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Brook
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
We've always shied away from the show being "competitive" and long may it continue that way.  Competition will drive away exhibitors who don't want to be involved in "willy waving" or just don't like pressure.

There's also the issue that "value" is very much a personal judgement - one person's idea of VFM is very much different to another's.  And SQ isn't always related to price anyway.  How would you judge an "excellent" sounding £1000 system against an "excellent" sounding £10,000 system anyway?  Is it excellent per se or is it excellent for the price?

The existing subjective views are all of interest, I would say leave it as it is.
IMO that doesn't address some of the points raised. People who exhibit go to huge trouble to do so, not to mention considerable expense, but I suspect none of them feel they are in a competition, or is looking for everyone who turns up to blow smoke up their arses either. However, should the case arise that a vocal member voices their opinion that system X was the best they heard all day, & it transpires they only actually went in 8 rooms in total, well it hardly inspires one to show the next year does it? Everyone has mates, everyone has a sound they like, but if they are giving opinions it seems to me at least they should be qualified.

I wanted to exhibit myself this year, but the timing wasn't right & was looking to do so next year, but then I looked how many turntable based systems there were this year, & how many visitors mentioned them, & the overriding feeling was it probably wasn't worth the effort, & how crap is that for a hi fi enthusiasts event?

 

Maverick

Moderator
Staff member
Jun 24, 2013
9,673
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Huddersfield,W.Yorks
AKA
Paul
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
 wanted to exhibit myself this year, but the timing wasn't right & was looking to do so next year, but then I looked how many turntable based systems there were this year, & how many visitors mentioned them, & the overriding feeling was it probably wasn't worth the effort, & how crap is that for a hi fi enthusiasts event?
the vast majority of visitors don't write reviews, a few do (some with pictures, which is nice) but hardly a representative sample, IMHO a bake off with swapping of one item are better for this

I push hard with a great range of music available so that hopefully I can play something by request that visitors are familiar with, else how can they judge?

Sticking on some silly mad Icelandic bird most people will probably walk out and learn nothing. 

 

eddie-baby

Wammer
Wammer
Feb 28, 2009
6,813
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Pembrokehsire
AKA
Eddie
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
We've always shied away from the show being "competitive" and long may it continue that way.  Competition will drive away exhibitors who don't want to be involved in "willy waving" or just don't like pressure.

There's also the issue that "value" is very much a personal judgement - one person's idea of VFM is very much different to another's.  And SQ isn't always related to price anyway.  How would you judge an "excellent" sounding £1000 system against an "excellent" sounding £10,000 system anyway?  Is it excellent per se or is it excellent for the price?

The existing subjective views are all of interest, I would say leave it as it is.
Good post that.

And hi-fi isnt about competition, I dont see how it ever can be. Everything just sounds different unless we buy modular systems use the same wires in the exact same rooms then thats just the way its going to be. I love seeing what concoctions people come up with though, I suppose this is a bit of a sport in itself, but competition, no.  

 
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Lurch

Piss-taker & Gobshite Par Excelle'nce
Wammer Plus
Sep 17, 2016
5,994
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HiFi Trade?
  1. No
As a first time exhibitor who intends (finances permitting) to return next year. I would say its definitely not a competitive environment, its about the banter, comararderie, friendship and learning about new to you kit and music.

Infact this year I learnt something about the placement of my speakers, (due to the fixed furniture arrangement) with the sound in my allotted room being so much better than I was achieving at home that I dug out my tape measure so I could repeat the placement at home. And yes it does now sound better with the new positioning. 

 
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