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North West Audio Show 2024

Tony L said:
This is another area we are all different. I’ve always been far more interested in texture and polyphony than melody. As an example I have always found Mozart hard to deal with as it is all melody, yet I love say Webern, Reich, electric Miles, Can, shoegaze, Aphex Twin etc.
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You won't be surprised to hear that I like Mozart... but I'm not sure I'd characterise it as 'all melody'.
 
Mullardman said:
FIFY.

And still never heard the term 'Whippet Thrashing' ..past or present... until today. I'd imagine that a lot of Northerners, Whippet owners or otherwise, might find it a bit offensive and condescending, irrespective of any manufactured commentary on Hi Fi.
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It has been in my signature for close to 14 years on this forum, I just adjust the year length according to the date. It is not literal folks
 
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savvypaul said:
Here's my whippet, never thrashed... OK, he's a greyhound, really.

6W3NUR.jpg
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That dog really ties the rug together...
 
Mullardman said:
FIFY.

And still never heard the term 'Whippet Thrashing' ..past or present... until today. I'd imagine that a lot of Northerners, Whippet owners or otherwise, might find it a bit offensive and condescending, irrespective of any manufactured commentary on Hi Fi.
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This will no doubt offend you then.. ;)

" A woman,a whippet and a walnut tree....the more you beat them the better they be."

"https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=A+woman+a+whippet+a+walnut+tree...+the+more+you+beat+them+the+better+they+be.&sca_esv=ed45231e60eb77e8&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIIDss_cgaezE96PFEuI3v0kQ-KVXg:1719503318756&source=hp&ei=1ol9ZvnpK-GikdUPx8C16AI&iflsig=AL9hbdgAAAAAZn2X5lB5LTOyZlKZWlTg6e1bdcC_69Hq&ved=0ahUKEwj5rIKEkfyGAxVhUaQEHUdgDS0Q4dUDCBc&uact=5&oq=A+woman+a+whippet+a+walnut+tree...+the+more+you+beat+them+the+better+they+be.&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ik1BIHdvbWFuIGEgd2hpcHBldCBhIHdhbG51dCB0cmVlLi4uIHRoZSBtb3JlIHlvdSBiZWF0IHRoZW0gdGhlIGJldHRlciB0aGV5IGJlLjIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgQQIRgVSO70AVAAWLPiAXAAeACQAQCYAYoBoAHAMKoBBTIxLjM4uAEDyAEA-AEBmAI6oAKlMsICBBAjGCfCAgoQIxiABBgnGIoFwgILEC4YgAQYkQIYigXCAgsQABiABBiRAhiKBcICExAuGIAEGLEDGNEDGEMYxwEYigXCAgoQABiABBhDGIoFwgIIEAAYgAQYsQPCAg4QLhiABBixAxjRAxjHAcICDRAuGIAEGEMY1AIYigXCAgoQLhiABBhDGIoFwgIIEC4YgAQY1ALCAg4QLhiABBixAxiDARjUAsICBRAuGIAEwgIEEAAYA8ICBRAAGIAEwgILEC4YgAQYxwEYrwHCAgYQABgWGB7CAggQLhgWGAoYHsICCBAAGBYYHhgPwgILEAAYgAQYhgMYigXCAggQABiABBiiBMICCBAAGBYYChgewgIHECEYoAEYCsICBRAhGJ8FwgIIEAAYogQYiQWYAwDiAwUSATEgQJIHBTEzLjQ1oAfm8gI&sclient=gws-wiz
 
Tony L said:
The problem is people listen in different ways for different things. This is one aspect that makes audio replay so interesting. Some go entirely on what makes them tap their foot or me tally sing a melody, others can identify what type of mic was on the snare and where it was placed. Everyone’s reality is different too, e.g. some think of gigs, others (I’m one) can’t think of anything worse (my goal is the studio control room). The problem comes when dealers start to force narratives rather than accepting everyone finds their own thing. I found sitting in on dems in the past fascinating as different people (assuming they are being honest) do focus on very different things.
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Perfect!
 
Time to circle back around (LOL) to the whippet thrashing & toe tapping ability of this forum rather than worrying about the Gaurdian readership aspect of life? Just a thought :)
 
Set off from home at 6:50am and got there got there for 9:20am after 2 trains and a walk just short of 2 miles from Holmes Chapel station. No mention of a shuttle bus on the site and yet once there a sign appears advertising it. Comically inept. Didnt mond the salk as I do 4 milss a fay anyway. Most dangerous part of that was walking along the road into the venue as there was no path and a surprising number of visitors who thought 40mph perfectly okay. Queue pre opening was okay but once again the signage for an accessible route in was only by the front door and thus not accessible at all. Several visitors in wheelchairs were allowed to queue in the sun and then sailed past it only to have to go back to get in. That was the sole contribution to making it an accessible event as the staff nor exhibitors hadn’t been trained to think about it. Always intetesging to hear others saying how great they were when of yoy have access needs and actually need them periodically then they were nice but useless.

There was no further signage inside and what was there was impossible to see once things got crowded. The number of exhibitors who thought themselves so important they could step across the corner of a wheelchair was depressing. Certain well known journalists covering the event too. Too busy being important in corridors with their laptops to note anyone trying to navigate past them. Gather there was a complaint from 1 wheelchair user when the door to a room was shut in their face and they were subsequently told they couldn’t be accommodated. It’s an industry that has a lot to learn about its customers even now.

Outside in the queue there was 1 guy handing out programmes. 2 checking tickets and a woman attaching wrist bands. Not sure I fancied walking back with a pink wristband and the words “Hi-Fi Pig” on it. Must have amused them at the time. Came off as soon as I left. Volume of the Pink Floyd mixing desk experience was tediously loud and clearly off putting for many new visitors as they arrived. It wasn’t needed. Get rid please. It added little to the day bar annoyance.

My interest this time was purely in an enjoyable day out and looking to hear integrated amps to potentially audition for my downsize. Inevitably 1 got pleasantly waylaid but I found that starting early; being methodical and focused meant I did every single room in just over 3.5 hours and was able to dedicate significant time to 3 or 4 which piqued my interest.

Some immediate thoughts:

  • no idea why Acoustica bother. They seem disinterested in music and more interested in a prominent but poor position. It afforded ease of access but the large numbers who failed to take advantage of that was telling. I’ve had a couple of poor in store experiences with them over the decades and, for me, they never fail to live down to my perception that they have little interest in actual music and think there is nothing better than loud, clinical, soulless sound.
  • have to say that the Audio Note demo this year was surprisingly poor. Not sure I agree that Audio Counsel did it as well or better. Louder perhaps?
  • Brian and Trevor are lovely but do seem to specialise in fairly clinical systems too.
  • the Nait 50 with the Tannoys really wasn’t bad at all. Best I’ve heard recent Tannoys but… I’m not sure that’s saying much.
  • the Chord 30 minute demo was interesting if only to see what happens when you leave sales people with limited technical knowledge in charge. As an owner of Epic interconnects I was interested to hear what Tuned Aray sounded like and indeed Super Aray. Answer was that the former was “different” but not better whilst the latter made my Epic sound broken, which it certainly isn’t… Very much better. Impact of changing the power distribution block was unhearable to my ears and adding the tiny EE ethernet filter at the end seemed a mistake. The impact was so subtle we might have heard it better if it was the 1st thing they changed. Some debate elsewhere as to whether this ddmo. was all it was cracked up to be.
  • Doug Brady space was bonkers and pointless. A big space subdivided into 6 (? maybe 5) spaces with different systems all playing the same song. Great idea for different rooms but when your rooms were divided barely by banners and partitions so that all sound bled then… oh dear.
  • the NVA space was interesting. Might have been better having different make speakers so the sound would be more obvious and known but their little mono blocks had my feet tapping and I was quite pleased to come across them having read about them and their acrylic interest in the past few months. Also helped that they were very quick to let me browse their CDs and listen to something I knew.
  • HiFonix Can Jam type space was an unexpected pleasure. Finally got to hear a Feliks Audio 300B headphone amp (although my interest lies in the 1 which drives speakers too). Sounded lovely. Heard a lot about the Susvara but that was unimpressive for something so costly. Actually preferred the Meze 109 Pro through an iPhone.
  • moor Amps kept me there for more than song, which is always a good sign.
  • the only people there who really knew how to sell their wares were some of the distributors. Had really productive, sensible conversations with 2 and look forward to them helping me further.
  • over heard 1 vinyl dealer bemoaning the fact they’d been talked out of bringing a CD collection. Their collection of high quality boxes of vinyl looked magnificent. They didn’t seem able to sell any.
A more general observation. As an industry, audio wants us to stream. That’s where the money is. Depressing then that so many dealers have not clued up on networking and decided to bring a CD player or a phone to ensure no glitches. The argument was that hotel wi-fi may not be that reliable. Bit like home wi-fi then. Get over yourselves; get trained up and make it work. Inevitably the best sound this year belonged to those rooms with CD players but those who stuck with streaming were able to give better demonstrations and managed to shift some product.

Lovely brisk walk back to the station and lunch in Northern Soul on Tib Street in Manchester. Accompanied by very loud, rough sounding music which ultimately was more engaging than much at the show.
 
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