I just found out about T.H.E. Show in socal (Costa Mesa) on June 9-11. I’ll go at least one day if anyone else local is going
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I’ll be out of town during that weekend, but please let me know how the Raidho and the Borresen rooms sound (if they are there).
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Oh dang, free for military? I might give it a go then, thanks for the share!
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I’ll be there.
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Me when T.H.E.
This is within driving distance for me, so I am actually quite interested! I may go. I don’t have any nice players or amps to bring along though, so I am curious how they will let people demo gear and stuff. Any tips from anyone who has been to one of these events before on what to bring/prepare?
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I think this is a big enough show that they’ll have everything prepared, so you don’t necessarily need to bring anything
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It’s mostly speaker focused anyways, it’s not like canjam, but I think they added a dedicated headphone section that’s less cobbled together since the last time I’ve been there
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Awesome, thanks! It would be my first time at an audio show so I’m excited to see how it all works.
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Honestly, this show has been kinda interesting. I still have one more floor to demo, but frankly,
- I’ve only heard 2 systems that I think may surpass my headphone setup and I’m not even all that confidant.
- Lots and lots of 20k speakers with imaging so horrid hd600 would feel like a king (I’m sure a lot of that is room, but come on, try and fix it somewhat).
- Basicaly every setup I’ve liked at all has had a Berk ref 3 in it (one exception some wierd narrow short 15k speakers using an Msb primer + full nagra classic analogue section that had absalutely incredible depth and stage in a completely untreated hotel room) and I think that’s cause it helps force some image clarity that a lot of these systems are sorely lacking
- apparently speaker people index for different shit than me considering 3 times now someone has gone “this doesn’t sound right”, changed something on the phono stage (no idea what) and made the system sound significantly less detailed with way worse image clarity for a bit of boat in the mids
- I’m now utterly unconvinced that speakers offer a presentation that a mysphere/raal style setup couldn’t and kinda sad that there aren’t more options in that space.
- I’m no longer sweating the fact I can’t use speakers basicaly at all
Overall it’s been interesting but confusing
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Not to say you’re necessarily wrong about any of it but I’m very surprised of your conclusions and am quite convinced it’s show conditions. With all my love to headphones it’s incomparable to a good speakers system
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Absalutely completely possible. Tbh my main gripe has been serious lack of detail on a lot of these setups. Stage I’m willing to write off as bad room, but I dint expect detail to take a massive hit, and lots of these systems are like 100-150k of source gear alone tbh
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Noise level at the show and room condition could hurt how much details you hear imo
Honestly, the rooms are pretty quiet asside from the music. Idk jack about speakers, but lots of stuff that probabaly looses to Arya in detail even in show settings
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I think that the more resolving your room the more resolution you’ll get out of your system, and that means room treatment (proper room treatment… not boxes filled with building insulation). Once energy leaves the speaker the room is in charge of it, and there’s no getting around that.
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I stopped by the show for a bit, it was nice to meet @Draaly in person. His assessments were right on, many of the vendors cheat by using REW measurements, then install the profile in Roon or other playback software, only 2 rooms seemed to have spent the time to set up with room treatment properly.
It was not like these speakers were set up in ball rooms, they were hotel rooms and their biggest drawback is too small of a space for larger speakers. Imaging was shit, resolution was shit. I heard someone complaining in just about every room we visited. It’s also a common occurrence at other 2-channel focused audio shows such as Capital Audio Fest, REW is their cheat-code and as such lose the elements these pieces are known for.
One other thing to note, many of these smaller speaker companies many enjoy are not great all-rounders, just like our favorite headphones tend to have limitations and compromises. These events are a buffet, hear something new, talk to the vendors, and if able set up a time to visit and have a proper listen in their showroom.
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I am really interested in this point, i mean it shouldnt be, but i wonder what they are adjusting to hear.
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You can sign up early online for a listening session on the HE-1 at CanJam Chicago 2023. The rule is 3 people per session. Each session is 30 minutes, so most likely 10-minute max per person. You can use your own source, but it might hurt the listening session time on setting it up. I will just stick with their local tracks/Tidal.
I got my songs ready to go! Super pump for CanJam Chicago 2023! Hope everyone that is going is going to have a great time and get a chance to listen to the HE-1.
My songs when listening to the HE-1. Will also try to listen to the Sony MDR-R10 (heard its coming to the Ray Samuels table on Sunday) with the same tracks on Sunday:
Isn’t It Romantic - Bill Evans Trio (Live version from Essential Standards) First 2:13
Windy Spring - WoongSan (The Best Woong San album) First 1:22
Movement II Andante molto moto - Beethoven (Pastoral) (Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Bohm) 6:58 - 7:45
Movement III Allegro - Beethoven (Pastoral) (Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Bohm) 1:35 - 2:31
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin IV Remastered Edition) 4:00 - 8:02
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I’m leaving for Chicago tomorrow morning. I’m driving there from MA with a friend in this area who’s also attending the show. Looking forward to it and I also signed up for an HE-1 demo on Sunday at 10:30 am. I heard it in NYC but will be fun to try again as I feel my sonic preferences have changed a good bit since I was in NYC.
Also I will have with me the dx320, Utopia OG, Aurorus Borealis and Australis, Campfire Andromeda, and the Zero:RED iems. If you want to try any of that stuff let me know. I won’t have all of it with me all the time but I can always run to my room to grab something.
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Drop your utopia OG off with me on your drive back
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I’ll give you the stock cable 
, have a new one on the way