Audiophiles and music nerds of Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe, Collier counties, if you're interested in meeting other hobbyists, now is the chance :-)
South Florida - join in and make a REAL effort!
Ok, I have browsed the periodic threads for the Miami and other South Florida areas for audio clubs. The interested parties are out there, but the thread posts are too few and far between, not to mention they span a few threads.
So, I will promise to act as the ring leader and gather the info and try to get something going! If you are interested, post here, tell us your city and e-mail. I'll make a list and if we get some traction, I will send out an e-mail to any interested parties so we can all make something happen!
In another post I was putting out a feeler to see if there are any vinyl fans who would like to share the cost of a high end record cleaner. That can be something that some local vinyl fans may be interested in.
I would be happy to connect and hang out with other music nuts from time to time. So, let it begin!
- Mark Tomaras mark (at) marktomaras (dot) com
So, I will promise to act as the ring leader and gather the info and try to get something going! If you are interested, post here, tell us your city and e-mail. I'll make a list and if we get some traction, I will send out an e-mail to any interested parties so we can all make something happen!
In another post I was putting out a feeler to see if there are any vinyl fans who would like to share the cost of a high end record cleaner. That can be something that some local vinyl fans may be interested in.
I would be happy to connect and hang out with other music nuts from time to time. So, let it begin!
- Mark Tomaras mark (at) marktomaras (dot) com
42 responses Add your response
I'll bite. I'm in Wellington (WPB). I'm curious, Tomaras....eres Latino? I've always considered the LACK of activity amongst the Latino audiophile community a curiosity. Never a peep from them anywhere, especially regarding the music! For literally, decades! I can attest to the fact that there ARE latino audiophiles, in abundance! In Puerto Rico I visited very high end salons and in S. Florida it goes without saying that there's a few but....they gotta be the quietest group of latinos on the planet!;) |
Ha! Well, I cannot help your theory, Tomaras is a Greek name! Though I am several generations American, so the Greek is pretty dilute. But glad to see you posted to my thread! Would you be interested in taking part in some sort of local group? Not necessarily the kind of group with weekly meet ups - who has time for that!? But perhaps a conversation here and there with an odd meet up perhaps. |
Great! Chazro and Himiguel, can you share your email addresses? The reason I ask is, it may take a little time for people to chime in here, and once I see that we have real interest, it will be great to send a note to everyone. As far as I know, there is no way to send messages to users on this forum, so email will be a good way to reach everyone simultaneously. If you're like me, people go through periods of time where you may not use audiogon for a while. |
I suggest using Meetup (an online Social Network focusing on aggregating folks with similar interests) to get a South Florida audio club going. Our local (Tampa Bay) Suncoast Audiophile Society quadrupled in size after we migrated to Meetup. There *is* a modest fee (monthly or semi-annual) for the group organizer (not members) but that can be easily recouped from the active membership. |
Sounds promising! Did you use meetup to find the members, or did you find the members on audiogon and then direct the group to use meetup for communications? One of the big problems I find with this forum is that if a user does not remain active with any particular post, even if he or she has interest, the momentum dies. If there was a way to more effectively communicate with a group, a club could get off the ground! |
I think a fun activity for a meetup could be that a host offers his home for some listening, and perhaps two other members bring some different speaker cables, to explore the differences in a particular system. Not necessarily because the host is in the market for cables, but rather just to educate our ears and have a group discussion. Another way to do that would be to use the cable company's lending library and chip in for the cost, and experience a cable comparison together. And of course, discuss the nuances over some nice malt whiskey! |
We had about 25 active members, but slow growing due to limited word of mouth. After migrating to Meetup, lots of local audiophiles started finding us! We now have over 100 members (60+ active), and a sister club spun off in Sarasota (also on Meetup). If you search Meetup, you'll find many audiophile clubs are using it worldwide. The platform has it's quirks, but overall lots of tools for managing meetings, RSVP's, discussion forum, uploading pics, etc. My suggestion is to make it a PRIVATE group, and vett your prospective members with a phone call and/or public meeting. |
marktomaras, I am in Chicago and have thought the same thing should happen here. But, I tend to agree with sleepysurf. A small private group of vinyl guys getting together. I have done the club thing in Juneau, AK and here in Chicago. Both Kayak Clubs/ Not Audio. A few people do all the work to make the club happen. Exhausted me eventually. Think that I will try Meet Up to try finding a few audio buddies here. So your effort has had good effect near and far. I will follow your efforts with interest. Best Wishes on this Journey |
Thanks Nkonor, coincidentally, I am also from Chicago! Hopefully something interesting will arise from this effort. I am not looking for much, just a new acquaintance or two who would enjoy getting nerdy about audio. It would be fun to host some people at my home for a high dB music session, and it would be great to hear other systems as well. Could be very educational. i recall a special moment back in the mid 90's in Chicago. I was in college at the time. I wandered into Audio Consultants in Evanston. I informed the salesman that I was a poor college student who would mind drooling over the equipment, and that I didn't want to take up any of the staff's time. The man told me to forget about that, he said he wasn't busy at all, and he was happy to assist in blowing my mind. He led me into a room with a pair of B&W Nautilus Speakers bi-amped with a pair of Mark Levinson amplifiers for each speaker. He asked me what I'd like to hear, and with out hesitation, I requested Dark Side Of The Moon. I don't recall if it was vinyl or digital, I only remember the crazy looking speakers and the huge Levinson amplifiers. Mind blown, seeds of addiction planted! |
Mark, Same here,just looking for a couple of audio buddies. Are you from Chicago with family here? If you come home for the holidays; your welcome to give a call. Classic rock&roll guy myself. Audio Consultants is a good dealer and Chicago does have a fair number of others. Good luck with your effort. |
I have been watching this thread with interest, living just outside of Chicago and having it seems just inherited a house in Tampa. I am curious of Audio stores around south Florida. I also use to frequent Audio Consultants in Evanston back in the late 1980's and early 90's. I liked to check out their used gear shelf in the front of the store. But I would not call them a serious stereo store. They (at least at that time) used switch boxes and didn't set anything up properly. The Audio Consultants in Hinsdale is still this way. I remember the first time I heard a pair of Martin Logans at the store in Evanston. I thought they were the worst sounding speakers I had ever heard. Then I heard a properly set up pair at Saturdays Audio Exchange which also had a store in Evanston. What a huge difference when you moved them away from the wall. I do agree that Chicago has a number of good stereo stores . We are very lucky in that way, I have gotten to hear a lot of different gear I wouldn't have had a chance to hear somewhere else. |
lostbears, There are a few interesting shops in the Miami area. Sound Components in Coral Gables, Deja Vu Audio South in Miami's Design District, and The Audio Salon in the Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables. Tampa is pretty far from me, so I am not aware of what they have going on. Though Eric Lang has a home automation shop in Orlando that has some nice hifi (Wilson Audio, Sonus Fabter to name two), and maybe a new hifi only shop on the coast somewhere that far North, not close to Tampa, but perhaps worth a visit. here's his contact: eric (at) wiredtechgroup (dot) com |
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Has South Florida retailer Sound Advice closed its doors and shut down operations? Does anybody have any information about this? I know for a fact the Miami store has been shuttered: A Sheriff’s eviction and writ of possession notice has been taped to the inside of the front door. When you call either the Miami or Ft. Lauderdale numbers you get a recorded message with no transfer to any person. I recently had a very bad transaction trying to purchase a PrimaLuna amplifier. |
There is a location in Pinecrest, FL (south suburbs of Miami for those who are not in this immediate area). It is next to a Trader Joe's. I was in there about 2-3 months ago. I have not noticed any signs of permanent closure. Give them a call. Pinecrest Showroom 9131 S. Dixie Hwy Pinecrest, FL 33156 305-661-6697 As to their service and quality, I cannot speak to that. It seems that they are dealers for the more main stream, though it is possible to buy the prima luna line as you mentioned as well as the martin logan line. At one point, they had a pair of either top of the line, or next from the top from martin logan in the pinecrest store. Overall though, I found it to be a more mainstream audio shop and not one that will cater to an enthusiast or audiophile. |
That's the location I'm talking about. I went on Saturday. Their space in the building has been emptied of all gear and a WRIT OF POSSESSION and SHERIFF'S EVICTION notices have been posted on the inside of the door. I have a photo I can send you privately. When you call either that number or the Ft. Lauderdale store you get a prerecorded message. Tried all day Saturday. No luck. I think they are gone. Along with monies they owe me... |
Calling all South Florida enthusiasts, I am about to sell my entire system save for the speakers. Moving to Europe! Probably selling the record collection too! If you’re curious, you can see my system here. if anyone’s interested, you can come over for an in home demo before you buy! |
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Hello people, I'm a 2 Channel purist that is into vinyl and looking for other people to share ideas with. Seems like a lonely hobby at times and it's the tweaks that are fun to figure out. SF needs a monthly club and meetup location. Let's get a good group together and figure out a path forward... Dave dgoodisfl@gmail.com |
Hey all, I've been looking around for something like this. Been into audio all my life (practically) and now have some extra time and funds to enjoy the hobby with some more "respectable" gear. Passions are 2 channel vinyl, but have recently gotten into some digital gear/ streaming/ downloading hi- res files. Needed another source to really appreciate and expand my collection, and digital has come a looong way towards getting close to a top notch vinyl recording. a great DAC makes a big difference! I'm in Broward, by the way. Email: garpt@live.com |
