2026 Shenzhen International Audio Show SIAS

[iGude]

That’s one way of looking at it.

In a way, it does offers a glimmer of hope that hi-fi isn't dying out. And..



...the same goes for vinyl.

Not sure…I have read that 50 % of record buyers don’t own a record player, i.e they buy vinyl for decoration…
Moreover, I have read that a significant portion of CD sales is due to the fact that Taylor Swift fans want to own all the hundred editions of the very same recording, different by the cover only…
On the other hand, I do think that there are vinyl lovers who really care about music and sound quality in their way.

 

[Cuckoo Studio]

Had a wonderful conversation with Amir yesterday. He is every bit as gracious and approachable as he is knowledgeable and experienced.

（A shot from behind while chatting with Crinacle at the launch event.）

（Luckily, a passing staff member happened to capture the moment.）

 

[Keith_W]

Think about this: in the 1970's, the population of Shenzhen was about 20,000. It was a farming / fishing village with rice paddies. Look at it now.

 

[Salt]

Who'd have thought the younger generation would be useful for something?

Nah...

 

[DanielT]

Not sure…I have read that 50 % of record buyers don’t own a record player, i.e they buy vinyl for decoration…
Moreover, I have read that a significant portion of CD sales is due to the fact that Taylor Swift fans want to own all the hundred editions of the very same recording, different by the cover only…
On the other hand, I do think that there are vinyl lovers who really care about music and sound quality in their way.

Now that you mention it, I recall reading that too:

Half of People Who Buy Vinyl Records Don't Own a Record Player - Core77

An explanation of why people buy things they'll never use

www.core77.com

But CDs? I find it hard to believe people buy those without listening to them. They don't exactly signal status, cultural sophistication, artistry, or provides opportunities for decoration(with CDs? Hardly) or whatever it is that drives people to buy vinyl without actually playing the records.

I think the manufacturing of new CD players could meet a growing demand—even though streaming is, of course, the dominant format.

 

[Talisman]

Actually IEM and headphones are the best selling in better paid Chinese cities and Hong Kong, as the home size is usually barely enough for a pair of studio monitors like the 305P, and those CD players are the recent trend of nostalgia here also

Nostalgia? Do you think it's something like that?
I think it has much more to do with the desire to take back ownership, time, and choice.
The all-you-can-eat music scene is tiring, we want to go back to ordering a plate of trofie with pesto.

 

[Talisman]

Nah...

We should be more benevolent with these guys, they are the engine of the return to something that we all love, they are giving up comfort because to go back to really owning their music, we should really thank them

 

[SHENZHENAUDIO]

That homepage photo is nice, but you strike me as so much more charming, warm and handsome in person. It might be worth considering updating it.

 

[YSC]

Nostalgia? Do you think it's something like that?
I think it has much more to do with the desire to take back ownership, time, and choice.
The all-you-can-eat music scene is tiring, we want to go back to ordering a plate of trofie with pesto.

Quite some are nostalgic motivation IME, the Gen Z are even chasing tape…..

Both combined and getting a significant market for such products to re emerge is a good thing IMO

 

[MonkeyKing]

We should be more benevolent with these guys, they are the engine of the return to something that we all love, they are giving up comfort because to go back to really owning their music, we should really thank them

What I would love to see them push for more is a new physical media type that can hold data/music at a high density and fidelity for hundreds of years. People need to be able to own and touch what they "own" for hundreds of years. Maybe China can help here...

 

[YSC]

What I would love to see them push for more is a new physical media type that can hold data/music at a high density and fidelity for hundreds of years. People need to be able to own and touch what they "own" for hundreds of years. Maybe China can help here...

To be frank, I personally are both ok for CD players, but beside streaming I also buy the lossless files or RIP the CD in WAV files in my own NAS, as the NAS is much more stable than a rotating disk.

And also, despite the chip stuffs are generally, I personally enjoyed the Holo R2R and some ok tube amps, not for the fidility, but sometimes the feel of the hobby. This part the Chinese market did help a lot.

 

[338h10]

What I would love to see them push for more is a new physical media type that can hold data/music at a high density and fidelity for hundreds of years. People need to be able to own and touch what they "own" for hundreds of years. Maybe China can help here...

I have TBs of hi-res music on my hard drives. Someday, I will move them to SSDs (and SSD back-ups), which should last forever -- but NOW is not the time -- curse the AI war ...

 

[Moises]

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!!!

Hi! Still in this side of the world? Enjoy

 

[amirm]

Hi! Still in this side of the world? Enjoy

I am. Meeting with a company in Beijing. Will fly back in a couple of days.

 

[YSC]

I have TBs of hi-res music on my hard drives. Someday, I will move them to SSDs (and SSD back-ups), which should last forever -- but NOW is not the time -- curse the AI war ...

Just in case for some fellow members isn’t aware, SSDs need to get power once a while to retain memory. So personally I would store all those in NAS HDDs

 

[xanalog]

I have TBs of hi-res music on my hard drives. Someday, I will move them to SSDs (and SSD back-ups), which should last forever -- ...

Procrastination will be the death for your TBs of hi-res music.

Just in case for some fellow members isn’t aware, SSDs need to get power once a while to retain memory. So personally I would store all those in NAS HDDs

JEDEC's spec for consumer SSDs (JESD218) sets a baseline:
A drive that's used up its rated write endurance should still retain data unpowered for 1 year at 30C.
Retention is much longer than that for a lightly-worn drive, and drops off fast at higher temps or higher wear.

 

[YSC]

Procrastination will be the death for your TBs of hi-res music.

JEDEC's spec for consumer SSDs (JESD218) sets a baseline:
A drive that's used up its rated write endurance should still retain data unpowered for 1 year at 30C.
Retention is much longer than that for a lightly-worn drive, and drops off fast at higher temps or higher wear.

In real world should last longer but it’s just in theory, and much like sudden cut of power of HDD in the old days, with music files you won’t want bit corruption and IME it’s like CDs, one might put it in the rack for years and suddenly wanted to dig it out to enjoy. The thing I wanted to say was just SSD as much as they seems solid, the data retention is kind of worse than HDD and physical discs. And more importantly the size of music files won’t remotely need the SSD’s main strength of transfer speed, so personally I will always put them in a NAS with spinning discs

 

[xanalog]

The thing I wanted to say was just SSD as much as they seems solid, the data retention is kind of worse than HDD and physical discs.

Every 6 months or so, it's worth having a productive meeting with all of your HDD/SSD/NVMe devices:

CrystalDiskInfo V9.9.2 - A FREEware HDD/SSD utility software:
Standard Installer: CrystalDiskInfo9_9_2.exe (6.2 MB)
Portable Version: CrystalDiskInfo9_9_2.zip (8.5 MB)
From <https://sourceforge.net/projects/crystaldiskinfo/>

 

[Rosenbloom]

 

[0800 Dub]

Cashless/Cardless Mobile Payments

This is not something to be celebrated.
That is, assuming cash is no longer accepted.