MiTT
Super User
Hey guys, I was able to spend the past two days at the 2016 RMAF and will throw a few images and thoughts up here. Unlike years past I didn't take detailed notes, so I won't have a whole lot of pricing or anything but passing thoughts. I didn't have the time, and mostly I just wanted to listen.
In general I didn't hear anything earth shaking. Nothing that made me want to sell the house in order to obtain Audio nirvana. In fact there were a number of rooms where I was frankly underwhelmed. Maybe that's a reflection of the general happiness and enjoyment I'm getting from my current system which I'm listening to as I write this. I can honestly say that it sounds better than 98% of what I heard at the show. The only thing I spent any money on was new music. SoundHound was also my friend in identifying other new music I'll go out and find too. And isn't that pretty much the point anyway?
A few trends I did notice and find interesting. CD players were thin on the ground, some rooms eschewed them altogether. Music servers and streamers were the most prevalent source, closely followed by turntables and open reel decks. Reel to reel software was very present as well with new offerings from Acoustic Sounds and MA Recordings, which is interesting since all of the open reel decks are refurbished units - nobody I am aware of is producing new equipment to support the format. Still, the sound from these decks was consistently superior.
There were more young people at the show than I recall from years past, Millenials. It was good to see a younger generation seeking out better sound. Case in point, a former employee had reached out to me asking if I might show he and his wife a few things at the show as they are looking to build up a system for their new home. They could care less about home theater, they want a dedicated music system. There were a lot of women at the show as well, sometimes even groups made up of just women. I saw families too, including children. Overall though it felt like there was less total attendance than in years past, perhaps due to the fact that the Marriott where the show takes place has been undergoing a complete renovation for the past year that is still not complete. For those who have attended in the past, the mezzanine was completely closed off and Can Jam took place for the most part in a large tent in the parking lot. Luckily we're enjoying some wonderful Indian Summer weather, otherwise that could have been a disaster.
Anyway, on with the Audio pron, I know that's what everyone clicked on this thread for anyway!
In general I didn't hear anything earth shaking. Nothing that made me want to sell the house in order to obtain Audio nirvana. In fact there were a number of rooms where I was frankly underwhelmed. Maybe that's a reflection of the general happiness and enjoyment I'm getting from my current system which I'm listening to as I write this. I can honestly say that it sounds better than 98% of what I heard at the show. The only thing I spent any money on was new music. SoundHound was also my friend in identifying other new music I'll go out and find too. And isn't that pretty much the point anyway?
A few trends I did notice and find interesting. CD players were thin on the ground, some rooms eschewed them altogether. Music servers and streamers were the most prevalent source, closely followed by turntables and open reel decks. Reel to reel software was very present as well with new offerings from Acoustic Sounds and MA Recordings, which is interesting since all of the open reel decks are refurbished units - nobody I am aware of is producing new equipment to support the format. Still, the sound from these decks was consistently superior.
There were more young people at the show than I recall from years past, Millenials. It was good to see a younger generation seeking out better sound. Case in point, a former employee had reached out to me asking if I might show he and his wife a few things at the show as they are looking to build up a system for their new home. They could care less about home theater, they want a dedicated music system. There were a lot of women at the show as well, sometimes even groups made up of just women. I saw families too, including children. Overall though it felt like there was less total attendance than in years past, perhaps due to the fact that the Marriott where the show takes place has been undergoing a complete renovation for the past year that is still not complete. For those who have attended in the past, the mezzanine was completely closed off and Can Jam took place for the most part in a large tent in the parking lot. Luckily we're enjoying some wonderful Indian Summer weather, otherwise that could have been a disaster.
Anyway, on with the Audio pron, I know that's what everyone clicked on this thread for anyway!
