2023 Florida Audio Expo Show Report
This is one of the very best deals so far at the show ! The Prototype Eminent Technology Model 18 LS System for.. $15K, that is for All the Gear Too !.. They might get...
"Best Of Show too" ! 😲
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91ybrCypcKk
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In his YouTube of the Eminent room, Rick2000 is so busy listening to himself speak he failed to hear the vendor tell everyone there are 2 rear firing woofers configured out of phase. I guess in Rick2000's world listening is optional. I saw him in a couple rooms at the Florida Audio Expo show acting like he owned the place. Too bad there's no qualification criteria to have a YouTube channel. |
@gkr7007 Completely agree about the Clarisys rooms. Terrific sound,. What did you think about the entry level Minuet model? The specs say it goes down to 28Hz. I thought it could use a sub to add some slam. I used to have Maggie 20.7's and adding just a single REL S512 sub made all the difference in SQ. |
Joseph audio had the best streaming and all that was used was an older Apple TV box which had an optical connection that was connected to a streamer that impressed many with great sound from a YouTube video. YouTube video Quality is outstanding through a decent home theater system these days. Was simple enough. These shows are getting more ridiculous. Dealers come in with all their higher priced gear, most on loan from the manufacturers, mis-matched with other components and rooms that are not designed for sound. Very few Make money off these shows and attendance is very weak. you have YouTube video channels taping each individual room contending how great the sound is which is all done to promote their websites which really are geared to sell their latest promoted products, it's a very difficult business and profits are very difficult to achieve. It's all nice and occasionally you hear something of interest.  But the so-called eye candy of these visually stunning components is getting long in the tooth. Much of what is on display Is very overpriced and that's not news to anyone.  Absolutely ridiculous to look at a list of components when entering a room totaling $50k to $300,000 and who knows how well they've been matched. It just doesn't sound very good most of the time. The interconnects, Power cords and speaker cables, it's hard to comprehend. Look forward to the next show  |
I've been streaming audio via youtube to my system for quite a while now. So if I'm on the sofa watching a youtube music performance on my phone, or ipad, I stream it to my Bluesound Node, to my 2 channel system. The sound quality can be absolutely remarkable for many performances. One vulfpeck concert was "you are there" quality, same with many of the tiny desk concerts. |
Did anyone at the Show hear any modestly priced speakers that impressed them greatly, say with a soft upper price range of $10K? Â Reviews of these ghastly pricey speakers is equally as interesting to me as reviews of new biz jets: I read both such reviews with avidity, but they remain little more than a fantasy. Â At any rate, I booked a flight to Chicago to attend AXPONA in April. ;-) |
@whitestix A few moderately priced speakers stood out: Joseph Audio Pulsar - the Joseph Audio room has been mentioned a few times in this thread, but not a lot of credit was given specifically to the Pulsar speakers he had. For bookshelves, they filled the space quite nicely, and the tone was wonderfully warm and full with great detail and imaging. Borresen S3 - These are their newest floorstanders at $11K, likely meant to be their rebuttal on the Scansonic MB-B series (of which Michael Borresen also designed before leaving Dantax). Wharfedale Elysian 1 - While the Just Audio room focused mostly on quality mid-fi, the Wharfs with their AMT tweeter sounded pretty darn good for the price. |
I didn’t have a room, but I did work at the DH Labs booth for part of the show, have been to a number of these shows, and am in contact with distributors and manufacturers across the country. Show appearance is generally about relevance building, gaining press/share of voice, and brand building. There surely are some sales to be made from a few attendees, but I’ve found most are looking for bargains from sellers at the end of the show as it may be cheaper to sell things off instead of shipping demo equipment back and trying to sell it later. I would say that most people that attend the shows are also not in the demographic to be able to afford much of the show offering, similar to attending an auto show. That said, I would say short term sales are a benefit, and they do happen, but it’s likely not the primary reason for showing. At most of these shows, you will get a fair share of press - TAS, Stereophile, Enjoy the Music, Audiophiliac (Steve G), John Darko, etc, and getting coverage from them as well as chatter on forum threads like this one are a primary way of audio companies to gain exposure and clout on a broader basis. But it’s also not just for sales to customers, as these shows are ways for manufacturers and distributors yo forge new relationships with dealers, so there’s a huge B2B aspect to this as well  |
@snapsc I don’t think it has anything to do with price but about distinction and impact. Any brand, in order to be successful, needs to deliver a great experience with distinction and leave a lasting impact in its target audience. Many times brands that are too readily common or accessible just don’t deliver enough distinction to stand out. These shows are not about appealing to what the masses can afford, but to showcase the latest advancements of the industry. I made the comparison to auto shows earlier in this thread. When one visits those, they typically explore the vehicles that are completely out of their reach and find those experiences to be memorable. People tend to want what they cannot have. For anyone who wants a Honda Civic, they can visit their local dealer. The same principle goes with anything that goes to market through a scarcity model - sometimes brands attain fame by being able to milk demand at a premium. The sneaker industry is a prime example of this. But while these shows aim for the exceptional and often unattainable, this is where the value of dealers come in. It is the job of dealers like me to help people find derivative value that is more attainable and also guide brands/manufacturers to better meet people where they are. Unfortunately not enough dealers do their duty in this regard, in my honest opinion  For what it’s worth, some manufacturers did a great job of this at the show. Margules, while showcasing their separates, also spent a good amount of time demoing their I-240 integrated. Borresen, while receiving a lot of praise for their $100K monitors, also had another room with $11k floorstanders. |
@passthedutchie These three systems truly were the standouts, and in different ways. Margules/Raidho was the most soulful, emotional, but colored of the three. High End By Oz (Lansche/Thrax) was right in between with honesty, expansiveness and resolution while keeping body and warmth, and Audio Group Denmark excelled at ultimate transparency and imaging. In my opinion, nothing else came close to these three in terms of distinction. I wanted to like the Clarisys speakers, and while the detail and tone was there, I did not find the imaging and separation to be holographic at all. It felt completely flat to me. |
This might be the biggest bargain on the market right now but they cost much more than the Clarisys Audio Minuets though... Borresen Acoustics Z5 Cryo’d Edition Version Maybe one of these other Cryo’d Edition versions of the Z Series Speakers might get you closer to the performance of the Z5 Cryo’d Edition Speakers https://www.fidelity-magazine.com/borresen-acoustics-z5-cryo-edition/ https://www.fidelity-magazine.com/borresen-z5-cryo/  |
The Cryo'd Edition version of the Z Series Borresen Acoustics Speakers are much better... https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2023/02/05/borresen-z1-cryo-loudspeakers-review/ |
@mbmi Thank you for the correction, you're right, it's the X3, not S3. I'd love to hear these speakers next to the Scansonic MB-B line, which I am a dealer for. @rick2000 I agree the Borresen Z Cryo line is incredible. Up until this month, the Borresen Z3 Cryo speakers were my reference. I've decided to move on from them as I am not a dealer for them and will be carrying some new lines in the near future, but they still are the best speakers I've personally owned. I have a few other speakers heading in for my floor this month so perhaps I'll have some updates then. |
The top of the line Linn Gear might be the very best match with the Borresen Acoustics Z Series Cryo Edition. Some say this new Linn Gear is some of the very best in the world 🤔 |
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mc-audiotechs-tl-12-speakers-florida-show 😲Sounded like the Real Thing at only $25K |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G6eS_NLaYA  Michael Fremer feedback on the Clarisys Audio Minuets 😲 |
Here is what Jay’s iyagi had to say about our room Florida Audio Expo:
"Really good dynamics, really good neutral and smooth sound to it", "Good depth and sound-staging", and "Everything was fluid liquid and overall flew really very well in this room"
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The Clarisys Minuet room stayed packed the whole show and almost caused an uproar ! 🤔.. 😲..😈 https://positive-feedback.com/show-reports/florida-audio-expo-2023-part-1/ They will be at the Axpona Show next month ! |
I will be at AXPONA. |
