Listen In, Listen Out- or Get your Road Trip On
by David Hicks
Have you noticed? COVID has been delisted as a Global Health Emergency- and Audio Shows are once again teaming with vendors and audiophiles coming to look and listen in rooms filled with electronic gear.
Last month we got a recap of AXPONA from SFAF member Jeff Kalina. Other SFAF members also attended, including David Snyder & Stephen Sharf, and surely many more that did not correspond with me. And there are numerous other shows, local and regional, that I have not named, as well as the European circuit of shows, including last month’s Munich, which has a reputation as the pinnacle event, being the largest venue with the most gear from around the world, including many manufacturers that do not have any retail presence in North America.
But the West Coast shows are happening this month! These are the shows you could drive to. Not that there was a prohibition against driving to AXPONA in Chicago, or the Florida Audio Expo in Tampa in February earlier this year. And while you are unlikely to drive from the Bay Area to The New York Audio Show in September, or the Capitol Audio Fest in Washington D.C. in November, T.H.E. Show in L.A., and the Pacific Audio Fest in Seattle, are the West Coast shows that I know many SFAF members will be taking road trips to attend.
Time, money, and other commitments often get in the way of our ability to see everything there is to see in the world of audiophilia. We participate in an interest group where there is an overabundance of variety for whatever floats your audiophile boat, be it turntables, DACs, amplifiers, preamplifiers, speakers, streamers, power conditioning devices, cables, tweaks, and media to stream or purchase in a digital or a physical form. So, while you are listening in and enjoying your home audio system, take a look at the calendar of shows that takes place during the year and get out and experience the greater world of hi-fi gear and socialization that awaits you. You can even do this as part of a group by posting on our Forum page and getting together with other SFAF members at one of the shows.
See you out there!