Volume and Bass levels at LA HE Show


This was the first show I've attended and I was surprised to find that SPL levels were cranked up in so many rooms and that bass was so often overblown. While the Vandy 5a wasn't up yet (I was in and out early Friday) even the room equalized Quatro sounded bass heavy to me. I was wondering:

A) If my impressions were generally shared

and

B) If so, why don't the demos ease back on the volume knob?

BTW - I was pretty close to buying a pair of Quatro Woods and am now reconsidering,
martykl

Showing 1 response by ci_audio

Show conditions are generally bad and not really a good place to audition products. It's a means for manufacturers/dealers to show their new items and generate interest in them. Auto Shows are a better example of this because you only get to see the cars, not drive them and evaluate their performance.

We all try to make a reasonable presentation, but it's very difficult with poor power, noise from all the other rooms, fitting all the gear(& people) in a small room, and dealing with many other unknown variables.
We were givin a diagram of our room layout before the show, but when we arrived...it was nothing near the diagram, and had one day to set it all up and try to make music...all things considered, most manufacturers do a pretty good job.

The loudness issue is personal preference...personally I like to hear things at their natural level...so a cello sounds like a cello in a live performance, etc. At the show, we handed the listener the preamp remote and let them choose the volume. But when you have 15 people in a room, the music being played and the level will never suit everyones tastes.