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Should I go to Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) 2017???

amirm

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After going to a dozen or so audio shows back to back, quite a bit of fatigue has set in. To say nothing of the incredible amount of work it is to document them and the expense of going there.

So sitting here, I am not feeling motivated to go to RMAF 2017. What do you all think? How much value do you get out of my coverage of these shows?

I am tentatively signed up for CES in January. That show unfortunately is in a decline from audio perspective.
 

c1ferrari

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Brings some stuff to AP and have them measured. :cool:
 

Wayne

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@amirm From a personal perspective I get more from the testing of HiFi components. The show reviews do educate me in new products, but there is usually little "hard" information.... and occasionally they are behind a screen (ie: Magnepan at the LAAS o_O).

But, in my experience the main reasons for attending vendor shows would be to make contacts, arrange for loaner equipment (or evaluate it at a customer's location), attend seminars and to "see what is new." After evaluating the literature (exhibitor lists, show guides, etc) if you feel that you will gain in this area and will enjoy the excursion, I suggest you go.

Until I receive a request for payment from you, I say should be about you, not us.... :) But thanks for asking.
Speaker in chamber.jpg
 

Thomas savage

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After going to a dozen or so audio shows back to back, quite a bit of fatigue has set in. To say nothing of the incredible amount of work it is to document them and the expense of going there.

So sitting here, I am not feeling motivated to go to RMAF 2017. What do you all think? How much value do you get out of my coverage of these shows?

I am tentatively signed up for CES in January. That show unfortunately is in a decline from audio perspective.
No.

This is a hobby, it's ment to be fun. If you find yourself having to force yourself to do something then the objective has been compromised.

If your not feeling excited about CES then don't bother with that either.

Go rewire the headlights on your camper van or something, you know you love doing those things :D

Using the time to walk into nature and surround yourself with the transitional wonderment of the fall season..sod the audio show until you really want to go, if that's never then just accept it and don't give it a second thought.
 

denydog

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I'm thinking along the same line as Thomas. Are you thinking of RMAF as a chore, or as something fun/fulfilling? I don't know about you, but I know I don't need another nonpaying job. Your decision, but I found your report last year, with plenty of details, to be one of the best for reminding me of what I forgot about or missed at the show. Also appreciate when you mention the music played. I need to start using shazam more at the show. Being exposed to new, quality music is half the fun!

BTW- I wasn't going to attend RMAF this year, due to a lot of travel this summer (in Spain at the moment), but recently changed my mind, and will be there again. Always feel like I'm missing out if I don't go.
 
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dallasjustice

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I'd go if Harman gave a shit and had a few decent setups; e.g. JBL, Revel and the new Lexicon SL-1.
 

March Audio

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I have to say that my intetest in hifi shows has dwindled over the years. I used to live near Bristol in the UK and went to the Bristol show (biggest in uk) most years, but got less and less impressed with it as time went on.

So many rooms with systems that sounded ordinary, or blatantly coloured (usually the esoterec tiny companies with odd personalities running them).

Not to mention the technical comedy rooms with cable lifters and the like :)

Amir, whilst I really appreciate the effort you go to on the show reports, I find they can be a little meaningless - I dont know 80% of the kit and I will never experience it.

What I would find more interesting is if you could get some technical interviews. If you go, just enjoy it, dont turn it into a reporting exercise. If you find some interesting stuff, people or techy info along the way and can feed it back then thats great :)
 
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amirm

amirm

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Thanks for the feedback everyone. The reason I wanted to hear from you is part of the enjoyment comes out of you all finding my trip reports useful. I live vicariously out of that. :)

I went ahead and booked my trip. I might change strategy as noted and have a more focused approach as opposed to covering every suite and the work that is involved in documenting it all.
 

DonH56

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I'm on the fence, never been but planned to go several times before something else came up. I have plans Friday and Friday night but may attend Saturday for a bit. Heck, now I have a real reason to go, the chance to see Amir's camper! :)
 

DonH56

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Just got back from Alaska but we flew United (and amazingly enough did not get tossed off).

No camper? Phhbbbttt!
 

DonH56

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I had about 500k miles saved up with United but after a job change years ago did not fly them enough and they wiped out the miles along with my premier membership after a year. They said they sent a notice, and maybe they did, but I don't recall it. Used them twice recently and they were "OK" as you would say. Normally my wife books flights and she uses Southwest or Frontier but UNited was the only reasonable option for us on our AK trip (others too pricey or really bad times). On the last flight (home on United) the stewardess or female flight hostess or whatever they call them now was in the aisle whilst we were boarding, forcing people to work around her, and holding up the line. We were tired (end of trip) and my wife had a bum tooth (on morphine for pain but ran out that morning). She pushed past the flight attendant (is that right?) who loudly proclaimed "Excuuuussse me!" so the entire cabin could hear and made some snarky comment to the guy sitting next to her. He didn't react and I did not hear it (just the tone as she said whatever it was) so just went on by.
 

c1ferrari

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We're estranged from UAL, too. Abundant restrictions on frequent flyer miles and even have to pay to apply miles in some instances.
We've been using Delta, recently, and discovered their food quite satisfactory -- that was, until about a year or so ago when their meals
took a dive. Well, I suppose better their cuisine take a dive than the pilot! o_O
 

c1ferrari

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Amir,

Don't go to RMAF for the MQA seminar. :eek::oops:
 

c1ferrari

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AFAIK...an MQA seminar was scheduled, then cancelled. Maybe, some discreet inquiries can be made at RMAF, Amir?
 

Sal1950

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A little late but I've been a bit busy.
I think I posted something along this line sometime back but, Although I've enjoyed your reports the massive amount of work you've undertaken taking all the pictures and such is basically redundant of what's available from many other sources. I can only imagine how much it takes the "fun" out of things.
If you want to go, go have some fun. I'd like to see you take a Mark Waldrep approach and as stealthy as possible go to the demos of the more notorious snake-oil peddling companies and see what bullshit you can dig up and expose. Let's have ASR become even more a consumer protection activist site and not let the hawkers get away with anything you can shine a light on..
 
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