National Audio Show Warsaw 2018 - music ? wot music ?

You should also consider buying Statements for other relatives. Don’t let them miss out!

Olek_K posted:

You should also consider buying Statements for other relatives. Don’t let them miss out!

Maybe a discount for a bundle buy ? I'll contact Salisbury right away !

I walked into my last show with a HD of music and several cables for compatibility reasons. You have never seen so many dealers look so utterly crestfallen. It was most revealing. I don’t even stream as yet but the response was fascinating. Only 1 fully engaged and set about getting me up and running. 

Wugged Woy posted:

 I spent yesterday at the National Audio Show here in Warsaw. A really big show with all the top manufacturers represented. A fine assortment of great gear, cheap, expensive and VERY expensive, was on show. 
Naim showed off their flagship Statement amp (a snip at 120,000 UK pounds - I've ordered two, one for me and one for the missus) played through what appeared to be Grande Utopias (I was at the back of the room !). The Utopias sounded much better than I had experienced before with Naim gear - enough to make me re-evaluate then more positively.

What I do find annoying though is the music that is played on the systems on show. I walk into a room and just know that they will be playing boring, monotonous pop (where the band seem to have forgotten what the original tune was), or 'twiddly-pee twiddly-po tinkle tinkle twiddly-pee twiddly-po tinkle tinkle' type of jazz music (nothing personal jazz fans - I'm sure you know the type of jazz I refer to)...... or Dire Straits  Practically no classical music was heard.
It seems as if the dealers are trying to show off exactly how good the equipment is at making sounds, rather than the ability to play music......

I used to take some of my own CD's to the show for them to play. But that's not possible now, because the systems are nearly always vinyl or hard disc based. I suppose that means I am now officially a dinosaur 

I had a chat with Mike from Naim at Audio show east and pointed out that recent Naim demos the music was used to try to make a point about the differences, but not about enjoyment. They had already decided the second day as just-going to be a “ listen and enjoy” day, so much better. The Naim room in just playing a wide variety of music was imo, the most enjoyeable room, better than another supplier room with £60k plus Naim amps and £23k speakers.

My limited experience of shows is that people are often happy to pass round the iPad, or plug in your USB stick, which I think is very brave of the exhibitors given how many times they have to listen to Dire Straits as a result. 

A lot of vinyl was also used - especially at the National Stadium.
Some big names had awful setups - it sounded shouty and underwhelming.
Some interesting surprises too  e.g. Cambridge Audio playing into Monitor Audio PL200II or a Yamaha A-S3000 into new Yamaha NS-5000 speakers.

By the by - the convention is called ‘Audio Video Show 2018’

My favourite system today? A set up from a German manufacturer T+A - stunning!

Interesting Adam...was looking at their website last week, some nice looking 'multi-source' units...was it their R series, or HV series, or...

were they using their own speakers, or a 3rd party...

Sounds like a good Show..

BR

I’ve never heard of T+A until today - I think they were using their own boxes and speakers. It sounded quite good ineed - raw, beautiful and refined at the same time.

Adam Zielinski posted:

My favourite system today? A set up from a German manufacturer T+A - stunning!

I rather liked the Esoteric electronics into the big PMC Fenestria's.

But then again, i'm a PMC (and Naim) fanboy

To some extent I agree with Wugged Woy. However at demo's or shows I like to listen to the unfamiliar so that I'm not destracted by what I expect to hear in the music. I also want to hear familiar genres so that I can hear if it sounds like the real, as in live, thing. If it don't, it don't swing my boat! Rich