Amir's 2023 Pacific Audio Fest Report Continued

[Rick Sykora]

Expensive turntables are a fixture at high-end suites to be sure. Tubes though, seem to be more popular at this show than I remembered.

Except for the speakers and occasional DAC/streamer, appears you may have time-traveled to a 1920’s audiophile convention!

p.s. if it were true, the equipment prices would certainly have limited the attendance.

 

[ChristopherP]

Amir, et al, I'm new here. After lurking a bit, I registered because of your reviews, and I have enjoyed reading/looking at your Audio Fest Reports. I thoroughly enjoy the photos and your comments.

I attended the show. For myself, I found many rooms just too loud. A few clicks lower would have enabled me to stay in the room and look at the gear. I am not a fan of the edgy hyper compressed music some rooms played. I couldn't afford much of anything in the show, but it was good to be able to compare my rig to some excellent sounding and not so good sounding systems. Amir, I was introduced to you at the show and you were very gracious given I was wearing my 40th Anniversary Kimber Kable T-shirt. (Guys, settle down, I buy the real cheap cables.) I appreciated your perspective on the show.

Anyway, I wanted to add that I was able to speak with one of the leaders of the show Saturday morning. They have a similar vision to the one you expressed for expansion and more seminars etc. Here's hoping it's gain popularity so they can ramp it up. BTW I thought the show was well run from an attendee perspective.

I've read the comments today, and feel that something is being missed by some folks. If you don't attend and support it, it won't grow. Many businesses had to spend significant resources just to attend. Many of the folks manning the rooms I spoke to were a bit disappointed with the attendance at the time I spoke to them. A twenty dollar ticket and 3hr. drive isn't too much to get a real audio show in our region. That's ~$5.50 in my 1980 money, sometimes we forget.

This is the second year after the pandemic, we're just getting going. I'm looking forward to next year. It's refreshing to have a show out here in the Northwest. Our supporting it is what we can do to ensure it gets better.

And, there were reasonably price 'mid-fi' components there.

Amir thanks again for what you do.

 

[amirm]

Does the man have a website?

I couldn't find one in quick search the other night. He says he is Las Vegas.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Gotta love the vintage receiver on demo duty (Sansui?)

Yup -- and they're offering it for "only" $5k USD!

 

[Bruce Morgen]

The pain is then capturing every suite and reporting on it here.

...and I for one am grateful for that!

 

[mhardy6647]

If there ever was a speaker designer that has no idea whatsoever about how speakers work, here it is.

Daedalus Audio

But they've got, like, Polk TurboCones, the Next Generation!

 

[Vuki]

But they've got, like, Polk TurboCones, the Next Generation!

View attachment 295131
View attachment 295132

That's Fostex driver

 

[Galliardist]

I blend in. I enjoy the music they play. And interact with designers, company reps, audience, etc. I also admire extreme engineering as far as material choices, components, etc. So not bad at all. The pain is then capturing every suite and reporting on it here.

It's good to see your other side, as it were, the hobbyist enjoying the music and commenting more freely than you have to as a reviewer here.

One thing I've found about shows I've visited (I was away for the Sydney show this year) is that it serves as a reminder that some of the equipment I would take a dislike to gets made and sold by people who do care about what they are doing and still make listenable gear, Oddly, in 2017 I first heard my current electronics at a show and didn't like the sound one bit, though.

The music selections look very different to what I'm used to at the Dire Straits Fan Club shows I've got to visit, as well. Something is looking up among the tubes and vinyl, even if not all to my taste.

 

[Ricardus]

And, there were reasonably price 'mid-fi' components there.

From who and how much?

And isn't calling them "mid-fi" part of the problem? Even VERY inexpensive stuff isn't mid-fi, as Amir shows with his testing.

 

[Galliardist]

From who and how much?

And isn't calling them "mid-fi" part of the problem? Even VERY inexpensive stuff isn't mid-fi, as Amir shows with his testing.

Go and look... I remember one system with Hypex amps, and one room with Monitor Audio and Parasound. There were some other less expensive items mentioned as well.

Stick to "mid-fi" in quotes, used as a price delimiter, and I think it still conveys something. You could also think of it as the entry level boutique or traditional specialist company offerings. It doesn't mean much in terms of sound quality or any other attribute.

As far as this show seems to have been, though, it's very different to the regional hifi shows I went to in the UK back in the last century, which were often organised by dealers with large ranges of equipment in stock and distributors seeing a sales opportunity, so you got the full range of items displayed with an emphasis on stuff ordinary people could afford.

It seems that this kind of show, now, is targeted at businesses who don't have a lot of marketing reach, and hence the types of item on display have changed.

 

[Power Pop 23]

I couldn't find one in quick search the other night. He says he is Las Vegas.

It appears the exhibitor spells his last name as 'Suhre'

Home

TECHNICAL STATEMENT Minimizes room acoustic problems. Uniform high quality sound throughout room. Negligible distortion, phase coherent to reproduce instrument characteristics and percussion. Ability to track High Definition Audio (speed) Excellent stereo imaging. Surround sound...

jimsuhre.com

The Latest Loudspeaker from Jim Suhre

Jim Suhre, 86, is an independent speaker designer who for many years has brought his latest designs to audio shows. He didn't have a name for the speaker system he showed at Long Beach, which will go for $9000$10,000/pair, but he did explain that his full system includes an integrated module...

www.stereophile.com

 

[mhardy6647]

That's Fostex driver

Not a Fostex driver I've encountered -- thanks.
RCA's redoubtable Dr. Harry F. Olson beat 'em all to it -- a long time ago -- though.

 

[Ricardus]

Go and look...

At what?

 

[Galliardist]

At what?

Amir reported from pretty much every room over two days, so why not his report? That;'s what this thread and the other two he added covered, so the information is there. A search for Pacific in thread titles will find them and at least one other poster's thread on the show.

 

[Ricardus]

Amir reported from pretty much every room over two days, so why not his report? That;'s what this thread and the other two he added covered, so the information is there. A search for Pacific in thread titles will find them and at least one other poster's thread on the show.

Oh. Yeah, I looked at everything. I was hoping you knew some vendors off the top of your head.

 

[amirm]

Oh. Yeah, I looked at everything. I was hoping you knew some vendors off the top of your head.

Vanatoo comes to mind. But yes, this show was very much tilted to expensive gear than other larger shows I have been to.

 

[Robbo99999]

JR Suhre is the name of the man and speakers! Said he was designing speakers in 1950s and back at it now. It uses an array of small drivers running full range with a long pipe going through the very think box and shooting out the top:

Look close... what do you see? Yes, Topping and Hypex amplifier! I asked him how he learned about them. He said "on some site they were showing very good measurements of them!" Told him who I was and we then had a very nice conversation. He wanted people to buy the whole system and get done.

Miles Davis - Freddie Freeloader (Official Audio)​

I thought it sounded good!

That's an interesting little back story, and the speakers look like they are only being sold at $900, and fact that it sounded ok to you....wonder how they'd measure!

 

[Astoneroad]

That's an interesting little back story, and the speakers look like they are only being sold at $900, and fact that it sounded ok to you....wonder how they'd measure!

 

[Astoneroad]

I couldn't find one in quick search the other night. He says he is Las Vegas.

 

[Freeway]

Amir did you speak to Miller Carbon, he heavily promotes Tekton on Audiogon forums and I wonder what your impression of him is.
I would love to see measurements of the Tekton and the Spatial Audio speakers.

MillerCarbon. Never know where he might pop up.
Would love to hear conversation between he and Amir.
Teamed up with Atma Sphere. A bit of surprise. Especially since those look like Atma's Class D monoblocks.
Hasn't been on Audiogon in a while.