Gentlemen .. Your Coments Please...

the heathrow show , opinions as to what..sad or glad.?

 

Glad: Park Inn
Sad: Renaissance

 

glad: some interesting and unusual hifi
glad: meeting some friends
glad: a wide variety of hifi to see/hear

sad: 2 shows and 2 tickets?
really sad: bloody awful music - the sad rubbish music, and the grey old men.

 

Please explain why.

 

it was like a saga holiday.

I didn't see anyone in their 20's (apart from the PR girls paid to be there)... and this wasn't helped by music aimed at the safe jazz noodling.

Nothing wrong with older people (I am not in my 20's) but you're not going to attract young people with music/cottage industry woolyness of this type

No wonder the industry is dying

 

23 <-

 

Chris has pretty much summed it up for me.

 

i think that what he is t saying is that they play music of their choice to impress the crowd as to say "look what it can do"(sic) i personally think that they should have allowed members of the public to bring and play their own music at the levels that they choose, overall the park inn was more of a busy and friendlier venue, in some cases i over heard someone saying loud to a family wearing a hi-fi news badge that they should be fing banned from here, not nice i thought, tried not to loose my cool, why this comments, mind boggles..yet i do agree and also disagree having two shows from different sponsers that they do have to charge two prices, i know it is unfair but that is the way they want to destroy the fun of familys enjoying a "what used to be " a great family day or days out, to convince the partner that a new hi-fi is what we need, perhaps i am wrong , but not to sound pesimist, i think that the days of the "great" hi-fi show are numbered, sorry i did not get to see any of you,regards nando.

 

I think they play well recorded and "safe" music that helps to show their kit in best light but not something that most visitors will listen to at home. In a couple of rooms the music chosen was so dire that I was just forced to do a u turn rather than sit down for a listen.

I was also able to appreciate the importance of the room after listening to a certain system which sounded hollow and muddled with some familiar music. However, I had heard the same system a couple of weeks ago in another room and it sounded great.

 

i agree, somehow the atmosphere has gone , maybe it could be that i have been too long in the industry that i can recall the enthusiasem that those days were about and forgot that time has passed me by, still i noticed that exivitors were not "mingling" with jo bloggs rather more with mr money bags, i am not saying that is wrong after all they are there to make money but to entertain the enthusiasst is also part of the duty , that is what i belive was missing , as a well known dealer they did give me time and space, sometimes i had to take over in some rooms to cater for the public and not only dem the equiepment but to answer their questions, to me i enjoy doing that, nando

 

Last year I upset Tim de Paravicini by walking into the EAR room and walking out within a few seconds. His took one look at my daughter and I and muttered something like "it's not a iPod". I was tempted to tell him that only walked out because I was familiar with EAR kit and there was nothing new on display there but instead I thought why bother rising to a patronising tw*t like him.

 

Taking account

The first Heathrow show I did as exhibitor was in 1974 when working for AR, I have worked them or attended them more often than I care to remember. I didn't attend this one and haven't attended one for 7 years and I hope I will never have to attend another one.

What you don't seem to realise is the unnatural energetic pressure it places on all concerned. Just staying at one of those hotels in the atmosphere and environment of Heathrow is enough to create a stress condition on its own. Add to that the additional pressure of masses of people in a tight enclosed environment and the people that staff those shows get into a very unhealthy state. I remember, especially when the show used to be in the Spring, if I had a bug lurking it came out into something full blown when I got back after the show. If not you could be sure someone was punting their pet bugs around the show and blowing them at you. Music is / should be a meditational enjoyable like pursuit, but in that environment it is impossible.

I have spent the last three days building some amps going to Canada and listening to John Redbourne, Bert Jansch, Willy Barrett, Ralph MacTell, Stephan Grossman, John Redbourn, Willy Barrett et al (I am in a strange Folk phase at the moment) So you all have my sympathies, I hope you get over the experience quickly. Universal *bakeoffs* seem to be the answer as far as I am concerned. A relaxed atmosphere, listening to a specific design / set of criteria / preferences. Time to appreciate sublety and nuance. Not polluted air, polluted mains, polluted energetic environment, stress creating desire.

AND feel sorry for the poor sods who had to put up with you in their rooms, when really the only thing they were interested in was blagging a dealer or distributor to try and get an order!!!!!!!

Richard

 

Most people are not interested in music quality and young people do not have money so why should there be an interest in having young people at the show.

 

there are many , "nose in the air" sort of thing, me well i don't think the show will go on, let's see the november show in the novotel in hammersmith, see what they have to offer..nando

 

richard , long time no see, remember me from nu-sound and everywhere, joseph?

 

Feel sorry for them for putting up with us? Then why bother turning up for a public show?, just have a trade only event. We are only potential customers after all.

 

hi richard, how the hell have you been, joseph here , surprised i did not see you lately , must meet some day regards nando.

 

Aren't there trade days any more??

A *rep* to be interested in punters, do me a favour Thats what retailers are for, to put up with *you*.

Nurds with plastic bags full of literature, getting in the way with stupid questions that you hear a thousand time. "How many watts is that speaker", good god man call yourself an enthusiast!!

OK 30 years ago that is what I felt about you, and a lot from the major companies still have this attitude. *I* do not feel this way, but a show environment tends to throw you back into it (if any other trainspotter tells me that XXX amplifier sounds better I will throttle them). Mutual respect deserves mutual respect, how many of you and your attitudes deserve it?

Richard

 

ric hard i know mate how you feel, we have being there, p.s what are you up to now days ? nando

 

Vaguely I have been holidaying off the Hi-Fi planet for the last 7 years.

Richard