Audio shows remind me of large cycling tours like Ragbrai, a huge rolling circus of cyclists riding across Iowa. It is a chance to be around kindred spirits and see lots of gear but you have to deal with crowds, porta potties, insular groups attending insular parties, fat people who can barely pedal a bike, and boring flat scenery.
I went to Axpona this year-it was my first audio show after 40 years in this hobby. It was much the same but with audio gear to gawk at rather than bicycles. And hotel bathrooms rather than porta-potties (advantage Axpona). Other than a few hip looking people of all ages, mostly European (because gawd knows we Americans tend to dress like slobs unlike our European counterparts who have style), I saw a ton of fat old white guys with money who possessed little in the way of couth. The sound mostly sucked with a few exceptions. The entire experience left me feeling empty with the exception of a single visit with a dutch cartridge manufacturer and a Garrard 301 specialist. And a French cello player.
I went to Axpona this year-it was my first audio show after 40 years in this hobby. It was much the same but with audio gear to gawk at rather than bicycles. And hotel bathrooms rather than porta-potties (advantage Axpona). Other than a few hip looking people of all ages, mostly European (because gawd knows we Americans tend to dress like slobs unlike our European counterparts who have style), I saw a ton of fat old white guys with money who possessed little in the way of couth. The sound mostly sucked with a few exceptions. The entire experience left me feeling empty with the exception of a single visit with a dutch cartridge manufacturer and a Garrard 301 specialist. And a French cello player.