2026 Shenzhen International Audio Show SIAS

[yewneek]

At the kind invitation of Shenzhen Audio, I will be attending the 2026 SIAS Shenzhen International Audio Show. The show starts on August 14 and goes through the 16th.

If you will be there and see me jet-lagged and wandering around with a camera feel free to say 你好.

I have not been to China in 15+ years. From the videos I have seen, the transformation has been incredible! The level of modernization is amazing. Bullet trains going everywhere, cashless/cardless mobile payments, electric cars everywhere, etc.

I have some business afterward in Beijing before coming home.

14 hour flight to get to Hong Kong and then ferry to Shenzhen. Was grateful for the non-stop flight to HK. Alternatives were crazy with long connections and total travel time easily exceeding 20 hours!!!

Cosplay?? Watch out for the Furries, they're insidious!

 

[Robbo99999]

At the kind invitation of Shenzhen Audio, I will be attending the 2026 SIAS Shenzhen International Audio Show. The show starts on August 14 and goes through the 16th.

If you will be there and see me jet-lagged and wandering around with a camera feel free to say 你好.

I have not been to China in 15+ years. From the videos I have seen, the transformation has been incredible! The level of modernization is amazing. Bullet trains going everywhere, cashless/cardless mobile payments, electric cars everywhere, etc.

I have some business afterward in Beijing before coming home.

14 hour flight to get to Hong Kong and then ferry to Shenzhen. Was grateful for the non-stop flight to HK. Alternatives were crazy with long connections and total travel time easily exceeding 20 hours!!!

You're going for the COSPLAY Amir! (Apologies if the joke has already been made in the thread!)

 

[338h10]

Thanks. Have been researching this for a while. Seems like the most convenient way is a hotspot on my US carrier mobile phone. They bypass the firewall so only issue is the plan and allowance for data. I have verizon and they have a plan with 15 Gigabyte/month and importantly, then throttled down to 1.5 mbit/sec which is still quite usable. Have to now figure out how much it costs to upgrade my current plan to it.

Everything else seems more complicated and dicey.

I can confirm this. I have used ATT and Verizon global roaming in China -- both "borrow" the mobile networks and bandwidth from local carriers (e.g., China Mobile) but provide a complete bypass of the Chinese firewall, and your cell number still works both ways (the US calling you, and you calling the US). You can also make and receive calls from local numbers. I used my cell to watch Netflix, which is otherwise not available in China, and speed was never an issue. This also proves that your IP remains US even when you are in China. I can access ASR faster using my cell phone vs laptop/hotel wifi (which is otherwise very fast for local websites).

I believe the local carriers migrated to 5G before we did here. Moreover, given that their mobile payment and streaming Apps serve billion+ people and are generally 1-2 years ahead of us in terms of functionality (our leading Apps are copying what have worked in China from 1-2 years ago), their networks are very robust.

Typically, one is charged $12/day at either carrier. I only remember having to enable international roaming through the respective App prior to departure the first time. I have not deactived the feature, because the $12/day will stop as soon as you have landed in the US.

Separately, if feasible, do get Alipay. I believe it is the only payment App that accepts non-China credit cards without a Chinese ID. I use it for 99% of my purchases and bookings there, from food and rides, to tickets for attractions as well as trains/flights. I just did a two-week, four-city trip without having any paper cash.

 

[dark132]

To be cautious, China's audio-related products have indeed made significant progress over the past decade or so. However, there is still considerable room for improvement in terms of design, taste, and details. As for durability and maintenance, I haven't encountered any issues. Ten years ago, in China, one could only purchase speakers, headphones, and DACs from Japan, Europe, and the United States, and maintenance was quite troublesome. Nowadays, the services provided by formal companies in China are quite good

 

[amirm]

Typically, one is charged $12/day at either carrier. I only remember having to enable international roaming through the respective App prior to departure the first time. I have not deactived the feature, because the $12/day will stop as soon as you have landed in the US.

That is what I have now which I enabled for travel to Canada years ago. That has a 2 GByte per day limit which I hit and suffered the slow down. The new plan provides 15 Gigabyte total for the month and slow down is not 2G/3G but 1.5 mbit/sec. AI at least tells me it is cheaper than my current plan to boot! Alas, when I ask the Verizon plan about the upgrade, it only gives me the cost for one line, rather than our family plan.

 

[dark132]

Shenzhen is the most technologically-oriented city in China, so there are many widespread applications of cutting-edge technologies. Shanghai, where I live, leans more towards business and finance, Beijing leans more towards cultural traditions, and Guangzhou leans more towards food and folklore

 

[amirm]

Separately, if feasible, do get Alipay. I believe it is the only payment App that accepts non-China credit cards without a Chinese ID. I use it for 99% of my purchases and bookings there, from food and rides, to tickets for attractions as well as trains/flights. I just did a two-week, four-city trip without having any paper cash.

That's good to know. I downloaded it a couple of weeks ago and went through the messy authorization steps. It eventually said it is approved but I won't know until I try it.

Everyone said Alipay was easier but I was asked to install WeChat for communication there. While I was at it, I enabled payments on it as well and process was far smoother than Alipay! Between the two, I am hoping I can get by.

 

[amirm]

Shenzhen is the most technologically-oriented city in China, so there are many widespread applications of cutting-edge technologies. Shanghai, where I live, leans more towards business and finance, Beijing leans more towards cultural traditions, and Guangzhou leans more towards food and folklore

I have only been to Shenzhen once for meetings in a hotel and back to HK. So look forward to experiencing properly this time.

Shanghai was quite modern and I visited there many times.

Been to Beijing a few times and did some of the sights. Will have my camera of course and have a day free there before I come back. Hope to find some good photography outside of tourist sites which I have already seen.

I have not been to Guanzhou but may be visiting a company there.

 

[dark132]

I predict that Amir is going to gain weight on this trip . (When did PRC become a nation of coffee-drinkers? Jeez, stuff changes so radically in some places)

Although tea drinking is more prevalent in China, it is akin to drinking water, whereas coffee drinking is more akin to leisure activities. In fact, coffee drinking is very popular in coastal cities in China, and my family even has a coffee machine to make espresso at home

 

[JeffS7444]

My one and only visit to China happened shortly after Hong Kong was returned to PRC control, so 1998 or thereabouts. At the time, tourists were still allowed to travel into the Xinjiang region, and I have fond memories of my visits to Kashgar, Urumqi, Turpan, and a bumpy ride on a Soviet-era TU-154 aircraft. The drive towards a sleek modernism was already visible in places, but it was still pretty spotty, and western notions of customer service were still somewhat alien.

Main thing I remember about Guangzhou was the White Swan Hotel, the nearby marketplace, and a joke about how locals "Eat anything with wings besides aircraft, and anything with four legs except the furniture". Don't think I saw anything resembling chain eateries or fast food until we reached HK.

We must have passed close to SZ proper on our express train, but didn't stop until we reached HK: I guess Shenzhen wasn't considered particularly noteworthy for tourists.

Having missed the 1970s Japanese mini-hifi craze, I'm curious about Tecsun's stackable mini-components.
https://www.tecsun-radios.com/product/tecsun-hifi-system/

 

[sam_adams]

Have fun!

 

[amirm]

FYI this is my first international trip since the pandemic! Passport was long expired so had to go through the pain of renewing it (could not use the online system). Then came getting the China visa which almost required personal attendance in San Francisco (1.5 hour flight). Fortunately I had pretty nice invitation letters and such, the Chinese embassy was kind enough to issue a 10 year visa. All of this took months to get done. But now that it is, I am more inclined to go there.

As much as I hate travelling by air now, I do miss a lot of places I had been to. So likely will fly more later in the year, or next year.

 

[amirm]

Someone asked about getting together with ASR folks. If there is a volunteer to gather the people, I am game for having a meeting that way. Otherwise, just say hello as you see me.

 

[popthere]

I have only been to Shenzhen once for meetings in a hotel and back to HK. So look forward to experiencing properly this time.

Shanghai was quite modern and I visited there many times.

Been to Beijing a few times and did some of the sights. Will have my camera of course and have a day free there before I come back. Hope to find some good photography outside of tourist sites which I have already seen.

I have not been to Guanzhou but may be visiting a company there.

Topping？

 

[danishchelsea]

I have only been to Shenzhen once for meetings in a hotel and back to HK. So look forward to experiencing properly this time.

Shanghai was quite modern and I visited there many times.

Been to Beijing a few times and did some of the sights. Will have my camera of course and have a day free there before I come back. Hope to find some good photography outside of tourist sites which I have already seen.

I have not been to Guanzhou but may be visiting a company there.

I have always wondered why China don’t have any Speaker companies which utilize Klippel measurements similar to Genelec, Neumann, Ascilab. Especially when considering for electronics Chinese companies try to be measurement accurate.

 

[338h10]

That is what I have now which I enabled for travel to Canada years ago. That has a 2 GByte per day limit which I hit and suffered the slow down. The new plan provides 15 Gigabyte total for the month and slow down is not 2G/3G but 1.5 mbit/sec. AI at least tells me it is cheaper than my current plan to boot! Alas, when I ask the Verizon plan about the upgrade, it only gives me the cost for one line, rather than our family plan.

Yeah, when my wife travel with me, it's double the daily cost. I am not aware of any plan that covers all family lines. There is another plan by Verizon: $100/month/line that offers 20G of data, which is good for longer trips. https://www.verizon.com/plans/international/international-travel/monthly-plan/

 

[338h10]

That's good to know. I downloaded it a couple of weeks ago and went through the messy authorization steps. It eventually said it is approved but I won't know until I try it.

Everyone said Alipay was easier but I was asked to install WeChat for communication there. While I was at it, I enabled payments on it as well and process was far smoother than Alipay! Between the two, I am hoping I can get by.

Everyone uses WeChat there for communication, private and commercial. I got local Big4 and BigLaw partners WeChat me about sensitive legal advice! And no, I don't work for Tencent/WeChat. But I have not been able to use WeChat for payment, because when I tried, it asked for a Chinese national ID/bank account, which I don't have. Maybe WeChat has learned from Alipay -- I will give it another try next time.

 

[amirm]

I have always wondered why China don’t have any Speaker companies which utilize Klippel measurements similar to Genelec, Neumann, Ascilab. Especially when considering for electronics Chinese companies try to be measurement accurate.

One does actually.

 

[amirm]

Topping？

Maybe.

 

[AndreaT]

FYI this is my first international trip since the pandemic! Passport was long expired so had to go through the pain of renewing it (could not use the online system). Then came getting the China visa which almost required personal attendance in San Francisco (1.5 hour flight). Fortunately I had pretty nice invitation letters and such, the Chinese embassy was kind enough to issue a 10 year visa. All of this took months to get done. But now that it is, I am more inclined to go there.

As much as I hate travelling by air now, I do miss a lot of places I had been to. So likely will fly more later in the year, or next year.

With dual citizenship, I went through the required process to renew my Italian passport. One day off work (I won’t telll you how much it cost me) to visit the Italian consulate, the web site dictates for two passport pics, but they did not need them, you must present w a cashier’s check, two days before the appointment they inform me I must provide a USPS first class prepaid envelope to have the document mailed to my home (to avoid a second visit in person) and since July 2 I have been waiting and waiting to receive my passport. So, much worse than in the U.S.