The 2025 Florida International Audio Expo

[amirm]

The Florida Expo is next week.

If you have not been to an audio show, it is a great way to discover new music, rub shoulders with fellow audiophiles, and get to talk to key people at exhibiting companies. So if you are remotely close enough to Tampa, I highly encourage you to attend.

 

[MZKM]

New location this year (not close to the airport anymore).

Only 3 floors (was like 10).

Exhibitors - Florida Audio Expo

Enjoy amazing exhibits of high end audio gear at one of the largest shows.

floridaaudioexpo.com

 

[RayDunzl]

Only 3 floors (was like 10)

Looking at the hotel layouts, I get 192 possible rooms for either the old Embassy Suites (counting 12 floors) or the new Sheraton (counting three, but two wings, and additional rooms in the center of the upper two floors).

Not counting the big conference rooms for the megadollar exhibitors..

So, probably not much space difference.

 

[deitrick]

The Florida Expo is next week.
View attachment 428727

If you have not been to an audio show, it is a great way to discover new music, rub shoulders with fellow audiophiles, and get to talk to key people at exhibiting companies. So if you are remotely close enough to Tampa, I highly encourage you to attend.

I will be attending for the first time this year. Always wanted to go.

 

[Muddywaters]

I went two years ago. Got to hear Perlisten’s which were impressive. Not much else got me excited.

Did see quite a few extraordinary trestle systems for cables…

 

[thegeton]

Looking at the hotel layouts, I get 192 possible rooms for either the old Embassy Suites (counting 12 floors) or the new Sheraton (counting three, but two wings, and additional rooms in the center of the upper two floors).

Not counting the big conference rooms for the megadollar exhibitors..

So, probably not much space difference.

View attachment 428748




View attachment 428741

We have offices near here. I've stayed at this hotel a couple of times. It's ok.

 

[truckers_atlas]

I'll likely make the drive down to Tampa again this year. Hopefully the elevator situation is better this year at the new venue given the age of the median attendee.

The personal audio vendors don't have as big of a presence this year since there's a direct conflict with CanJam NYC, e.g. Audeze, and Warwick Acoustics were regulars the last two years but aren't present this year.

There's a car audio section this year at the new venue. I believe this group is sound quality-focused instead of focused on raw SPL, so that might be worth checking out.

There are talks this year, which I believe are new for the show. The only two talks that I think would be of interest beyond entertainment value to anyone here are the car audio talk on Friday afternoon, and the talk from Matthew Poes, an Audioholics contributor, on Saturday afternoon.

 

[beefkabob]

I'm Canadian, I won't be going to Florida for awhile

Washington is basically Canada. They even have their own Vancouver. If Amir can make it, you can too.

For realsies, I think Amir just wants to get away to someplace warm. It's about a 40 degree F difference from where he lives.

 

[beefkabob]

Hmm...

A "cable designer" (not a scammer at all) from Wireworld is going to present on how, while there is absolutely no difference detectable when doing ABX, and while the measurements are essentially identical versus the cable that came with your 30-year-old laptop, the scientific and absolutely provable fact that you just blew $2400 on a fucking power cable will definitely make you lie to yourself until you think you hear a magical difference. Just stare at your shrunken bank balance and know it is true.

 

[restorer-john]

I wonder if good old Michael Fremer has just discovered tangential tracking arms work by creating a tracking error in order to correct it? Only about 50 years too late...

 

[beefkabob]

I wonder if good old Michael Fremer has just discovered tangential tracking arms work by creating a tracking error in order to correct it? Only about 50 years too late...

Oh yeah? Google disagrees. Why, according to their genius AI, which is super intelligent and doesn't have any copyright-violating training going on (none at all!): "The statement "tangential tracking arms create tracking errors" is not accurate; in fact, the whole purpose of a tangential tracking arm is to minimize tracking errors by ensuring the stylus always follows the groove at a perfect tangent, which is considered the ideal alignment for accurate sound reproduction on a record player. "

God has spoken. The truth is clear. Black is white. Up is down. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!

Google AI also says: "While many argue that the price difference between most expensive speaker cables and cheaper options is largely due to marketing and not a significant difference in sound quality, some potential benefits of high-end speaker cables include: minimized electrical interference, optimized conductor geometry to reduce signal loss, high-quality materials with low resistance, better shielding, and a focus on minimizing factors like capacitance and inductance, which could theoretically result in a more accurate sound reproduction, particularly noticeable in high-end audio systems with discerning listeners."

BTW, Google added all the highlighting.

Honestly, it's like they mined Reddit for stupid, crystalized the stupid, ground the stupid up for snorting, and now give the stupid away for free to get you hooked on stupid (with apologies to Hooked on Phonics).

 

[amirm]

Google AI also says: "While many argue that the price difference between most expensive speaker cables and cheaper options is largely due to marketing and not a significant difference in sound quality, some potential benefits of high-end speaker cables include: minimized electrical interference, optimized conductor geometry to reduce signal loss, high-quality materials with low resistance, better shielding, and a focus on minimizing factors like capacitance and inductance, which could theoretically result in a more accurate sound reproduction, particularly noticeable in high-end audio systems with discerning listeners."

As it if it can prove any of that.

 

[57gold]

Live in Tampa, went to first and only Audio Show when it was 5 minutes from home. Lots of very expensive stuff mostly playing vacuous demo recordings that were highly processed/unnatural sounding, but highlighted bass and percussion.

This show is @ 30 minutes east of where the last one was held. Looked through the exhibitors and do not find any electronics that get reviewed here amongst them...would love to hear the good sounding Joseph Audio speakers powered by a Purifi amp or one of the Topping or SMSL DACs in action? I guess there is not enough markup in these products to merit show participation.

 

[Thomas Savage]

This looks interesting , until you've experienced the brisel audio show really you've not lived and your nose hasn't been truly challenged.

Brisel audio shows where your ears and nose will be pushed to the limit.

Amirm flew over especially one year , he will deny this now but I had to rescue him after he got into a argument with a vendor about RV wiring.., anyway he flew home the next day very grumpy. Didn't even stay for fish and chips down at babbacombe Torquay. You know Amirm is upset when he turns down fish and chips !


* brisel aka Bristol.

 

[Theodore8]

Are you maybe missing the point?? I won't be going to Florida or US destinations for, like, at least 4 years.

Please keep political statements, whether intended as a joke or not, out of this site. Thank you.
@AdamG

 

[JRR]

Aren’t we just going to start fistfights?

…or the audiophile version anyways.

 

[57gold]

With DACs and amps already "perfect", with distortion below audibility so they all sound the same (referring to the ones recommended here) and cables and accessories immaterial to sonics, I guess one goes to a show to hear speakers, which have not yet been perfected???

 

[JRR]

…In an extremely noisy environment, sitting outside the sweetspot while people bloviate around you. No thanks, I think I have had my fill.

 

[beefkabob]

…In an extremely noisy environment, sitting outside the sweetspot while people bloviate around you. No thanks, I think I have had my fill.

Super high end audio is more about the looks than the sound. This has long been the case.

 

[jeffbook]

Currently down in the Tampa Bay area to escape the wonderful winter weather in Ohio. Sadly (sarcasm alert....), will miss going to the show. I got my fill of high end audio BS from my three time attendance at the RMAF from 2008 to 2015. (exception to this was Benchmark Audio and renewing my acquaintance with Siegfried Linkwitz at these events.....).

Michael Fremer's slavish devotion to an obsolete sound source is, of course, the icing on the cake.