2008 RMAF – – – all things analog.

For those that don't know.

RMAF -> Rocky Mountain Audiofest

At this link: http://audiofest.net/2008/index.php

Dre

I'll be there...room 464.

HI Dre,

I really enjoy analog too. Sounds like we would get along great. I hope to see you at the Audio Fest.

Tom!!

I'll be walking around with a big camera, covering as much as possible.

I'm looking forward to all the rooms, I make it a point to have a good time at RMAF and I'm never disappointed. Love seeing the people, even when a room could be better.

Hope to see you there, don't be afraid to walk up and say hello.

Hi Dre,

This morning, I received permission from the designer to showcase his AC motor controller. I learned this after you and I spoke yesterday.

This will be in the after hours session on Saturday night. During normal show hours, our tried & true legacy (DC) controller will be in use.

The controller is by no means ready for prime time, and motor selection will take quite a bit of time, as will shaking out the final design. At the end of the day, we may stick with DC, but there's only one way to find out.

These Saturday night (after show hours) sessions are intended for us to let our hair down ... get out of "show mode" and actually have some fun.

Same room as always (top floor in the Marriott - Suite 1130, along with being next door in the Lowther room - 1128).

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Hi Dre,

I'm also going to the RMAF. I'll keep an eye for you. Are you going to the Galibier Saturday after-hours session?

Mark

10-02-08: Albertporter
I'll be walking around with a big camera, covering as much as possible.

I'm looking forward to all the rooms, I make it a point to have a good time at RMAF and I'm never disappointed. Love seeing the people, even when a room could be better.

Hope to see you there, don't be afraid to walk up and say hello.

Hi Albert,

I am a photographer as well, and planned on bringing my camera. I glad I won't be the only one walking around with a big camera.

I plan to spend a lot of time in the Analog and 2-CH areas.

Darrell

I'm going! It would be worth the trip if I find an analog rig using the MySonicLab Eminent cartridge. It's on HP's Editor's Choice list in the latest TAS, but there wasn't too much discreption.

I learned about this cartridge when I was working in London a couple of years ago. The cartridge came from Japan, but was gaining a lot of press and popularity in Europe. I did a little research and found that it had also garnered quite a bit of prestige in the Japanese press as well for the past few years.

And, of course, the recently revised Graham Phantom arm!

FrankC

i'll be there with my eyes and ears open.....paying particular attention to all things analog....tt's and RTR.

Paul and I will be there, our first RMAF and we're looking forward to meeting some of the people we share with via the internet and email.

I'll be there, along with Trelja, and several others from our Listening Group including Badboss429. My oldest (23 yo son) will be his first RMAF. He and I are driving from the East Coast, making it into the Great American Road Trip...

DAMN! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL! And did I say, DAMN IT!

I'll be there on the main floor in the Evergreen Ballroom, like last year. We are showing with Tri-Planar. We finally have a remote for the MP-1 too...

Looking forward to seeing so many friends again!

To anyone who may not know: the RMAF is the most fun audio show in the US. Very low-key, relaxed atmosphere and its cheap for the manufacturers so you will see stuff there that you will not see at CES or the like. I've been doing shows since 1989, and I have to admit that they get old, but I'm always looking forward to the RMAF because it is so fun! Al and Marjorie really put on a good show.

Don't worry Dan, you'll be represented.

Just Fedex me two key lime pies and I'll share them around!!!

Ralph,
If you can tweak that remote so it operates the TriPlanar, I'm in!

Doug,

I know you and Paul will probably represent me better than I could myself. ;-) I just really hate to miss a party!

Lost of responses...

Mosin,

Room 464 is? Are you showing? If so, what is going to be in the room?

Tom (Slowhand),

Hope to actually see you this year. Last year was weird. I still can't believe I didn't see you at all the entire time I was there. At least this year, it's garenteed we will see each other. If not, no more jel pads for you! Yes, it's me. Dre

Albert,

Maybe this year you won't be surrounded by audiophiles and I won't be so focused on getting to the many rooms filled with analog.

Dre

Hello from Tripoint,
I'll be in room 538 at the Marriott. I'm looking forward to meeting some of you. Looking forward to seeing all the rooms.

Tripoint Audio
Miguel Alvarez

Hi Thom,

I'm happy that you will at least be able to show the controller in the after-hours gathering. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs on another table/motor combo other than my own.

Mark,

Yes, I'll be at the Saturday after-hours session. Last year that was one of the highlights on my time in Denver.

Darrell, FrankC, Mike, Doug, Paul, Ralph, Slipknot & co., Hope to see you all there.

Dan, hopefully one of these days we will get to meet. I think you should plan for next year now...

Dre

"
Mosin,

Room 464 is? Are you showing? If so, what is going to be in the room?"

Dre,

I will be there with my turntable, Saskia. It will have the Schroeder Reference tonearm, so Frank will be in and out. Also, Johnathan Weiss will have his speakers there, and he and I will work the room together. Wire will be Cris Kline's Tel-Wire. Amps will be provided by Techtron, as I understand.

I hope to see you!

Win

Dre,

Unfortunately, it is not a matter of planning. I can be on a plane tomorrow. But, alas, my wife just can't get enough time off at this time of year to make the trip worth while.

I hope all of you heading out to RMAF have a really great time and raise a few glasses for me. Please be sure to take lots of pictures of all you guys. The heck with the gear, Albert has that covered. :-)

Of course, Tektron is the proper way to spell the name of the amps. (It's been a long day.)

Miguel & Larry, Hope to see you at RMAF.

Win, Your table looks interesting. What cartridge will you be running?

Dre

Could everyone of you attending the show use this thread to give live reports for all of us who cannot be there, that would be great !
Thank you in advance and have fun !!!

Larry Diaz, your photos are great, and the only solace for those of us who can't attend. Thank you!!!
Cheers,

Spencer

I'll be there on Saturday and Sunday. It would be great to meet some of you guys.

I'll be there. Maybe with a camera or maybe not. I have a few things I very much want to hear. I will be hanging out w. High Water sound a bit and listening to some horns and "new technology" speakers.

On to the comment of the My Sonic Lab Eminent above. The Air Tight PC-1 is very close in sound, and maybe a little bit better. They are almost he same cartridge. There is a new My Sonic Labs Hypereminent that is out on the market as well. I want to hear the strain guage this time. It was not working in Munich this past May. We might be doing some cartridge shootouts in the Highwater Sound/ TW Acustics room if time permits or at night. I have a cartridge specially prepared for me to pick up at the show. It should be interesting.

Dagd ,I dont have to go to Denver to hear great gear.
I just have to get to your house and listen.
I'll be at Jeffrey's Loft when he returns to listen to his new stuff
ALL- Enjoy the show

Very true unless you are neurotic perfectionist like myself who should be happy but is always looking for more. I need to get off this merry go round. Only 1 more show to do after Rocky Mountain. CES in a few years.

Hey Darren

I will see you at Jeff's room. I am very excited about attending this show. I have been wanting to go for too long.

Paul

RMAF....Meet & Greet
.
.
Rest your Ears, Put faces to the Audiogon screen names you have come to know and love and get a chance to meet some new friends, and enjoy a drink or two or three.

We will be providing Free Name Tags and a Sharpie, you just have to pay for your drinks and be able to write legibly.

We have organized a Happy Hour at Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant on both Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 – 7:30 PM (just after the RMAF show closes each night). Garcia’s is kindly offering us a Happy Hour with Two for One Drinks (..limit of 20 drinks per person).

Garcia’s is located directly across the street from the front entrance & parking lot and of the Marriott Tech Center (where the convention is being held).

Looking forward to seeing you all !

Cello (Larry Howkins) & Vetterone (Steve Dobbins)

The Meet and Greet sound good.

Hopefully I'm able to stop by Saturday. If not, I'll definitely be in Thom's room later that evening.

Dre

No remote on my Triplanar chez Galibier either, Doug, but know that Ralph's electronics will also be in our suite (1130) this year.

* Galibier Gavia (Stelvio Platter) / Triplanar / XV-1s
* Atma-sphere MP-3 preamp
* Atma-sphere MP-60 amps
* Classic Audio T-3 speakers

I'll have Yip's MintLP protractor on display for those of you who are curious about it.

We're planning something a bit different from the stodgy old type of room, as my buddy Al Helo (Lee Island Audio) and I will be co-exhibiting. Our number 1 goal is to have fun, because if we can't have any, we don't know how we can expect anyone else to do so.

Sure, we run the risk of offending some with music that is other than pristinely recorded and typical of shows, but you know what? If I hear Patricia Barber one more time I'll ...

The theme will be that of a radio station. We'll be blocking time on Saturday for different types of music, so you can plan on bringing your tunes in at the appropriate hour (e.g. Saturday morning bluegrass, aftenoon Baroque, etc.). As soon as we hash out the schedule, I'll publish it on the website.

As you can guess from above, there will **NOT** be an audiophile hour. The last time I checked, audiophile is not a genre of music.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Hello from Larry at The Palace,

I will be visiting all the rooms at the RMAF, listening and taking photos like
always. I personally think that every audiophile should make it to Denver for
the RMAF if it's possible. It's a beautiful experience to go to these shows,
it's an opportunity to see and hear lots of components and see many high-end
brands in one place. You also meet many music lovers and audiophiles. The food
is real good too, check out Brooks Steak House guys, you'll remember me;
www.brookssteakhouse.com.

Take a look at last year RMAF event for those that did not make it, there are
two pages full of photos, it's under the ROCKY MOUNTAIN AUDIO FEST at our
website.

Thank you!

Warm regards,
Larry Diaz
President of High-End Palace
Tel: 786 388-8050
Fax: 786 388-8051
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.highendpalace.com

Loudness of the demonstrations
One thing that seems to get over-looked while making comparisons at events like RMAF, or smaller shows like VSAC is the decibel level of the demonstrations. For that matter, it often fails to get mention during equipment reviews in the major audio mags. Yet it is important.

How can you discern the difference between equipment when one demo is heard at less than 70 db but the next one is heard at 78db? Does this make for a fair comparison? I'm leaning toward the negative. No. You have to compare the equipment under similar conditions, including loudness levels.

I request the following for attendees and participants....and the press. If you have an spl meter, bring it and use it. When reporting back about the event, if you do, include the listening levels heard within your comparisons between rooms. It would be useful commentary.

tia

-Steve

Agreed, Steve, and furthermore, the best gear is at a disadvantage as the "look at me" exhibits across and down the hall from most rooms blast at mega-levels which can't help but leak into your exhibit room.

It's unfortunate that for the most part, systems with low noise floors don't get to strut their stuff at shows because of this. Subtlety, to a large extent is lost.

It's one reason they'll have to pry the end suite I've been occupying since the first year of the show from my cold, dead hands. In addition to being one of the largest rooms at the show (apart from the 5 ballrooms, that is), we can position the listening seats far from the door. This coupled with having only one neighbor, means there's minimal (but still some) sonic polution from other rooms.

The worst of it as you'd guess is that the rooms with the worst systems are the worst offenders in the loudness department. A system has to be pretty mediocre to sound bad in the hallway walking by, and you can tell in a heartbeat the rooms you absolutely don't want to set foot in. In this sense (and only this sense), they're doing you a favor.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Thom,

What hour is reserved for the "Scissor Sisters" at ear drum piercing levels?

Dear friends: WoW!!!!, with all of you there I'm sure that we are all lucky enough at Agon because we shall have the best Audio Show " review " ever.

I'm sure that the people like me that can't attend this time are and will with very high expectation your in peace return to home to start posting all your wonderful findings out there.

Have fun and good luck to all of you!!!

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

What hour is reserved for the "Scissor Sisters" at ear drum piercing levels?

I figure on being tired and needing to clear the room around 4 in the afternoon ;-)

Seriously however, I need to get with the "program manager" to figure this out and publish.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

I hope that all of you will have time to drop by and visit us in the Evergreen Lobby, and take a moment to register for our attendance prize drawings. We will have drawings on both Saturday and Sunday.

We have several new products and product lines as well.

I hope to have a chance to visit with each of you.

Jim Pendleton
Osage Audio Products, LLC

It's unfortunate that for the most part, systems with low noise floors don't get to strut their stuff at shows because of this. Subtlety, to a large extent is lost.

That's always been our fear, and somewhat explains why we've never gone to a show. Aside from the unavoidable noise pollution, the overworked hotel electrical circuits won't help such systems either.

But we'll crash Larry's bash, drop in unannounced on all our favorite exhibitors, annoy Thom by bringing 52 Baroque LP's that need a super low noise floor to appreciate and generally be nuisances. Should be a blast!

Doug, has Larry never heard your Andolusian LP? :-0

.
Doug,
.
Crashing won't be necessary....You are more than welcome.
.
The Joy in the show is seeing all of your friends....for a weekend
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

I'll be there. Look forward to meeting fellow audiophiles, especially 'Goners.

All ...

Definitely write in your A'gon handles on your name tags. You'll meet the nicest folks ... even ones you've been disagreeing strongly with on this and other forums ;-)

A note about show strategy: sheep-like behavior manifests itself, as a large majority of attendees wander around the show aimlessly without a plan - especially in the early hours as they struggle to orient themselves. You'll find most end up working their way from the ground floor to the upper floors.

Reverse the flow and start at the top!

In the Marriott, there are 3 main exhibit areas:

1. The Tower where we are located (1128 & 1130)
2. A central, shorter tower (5 floors?)
3. The the main floor and mezzanine ballrooms - with both exhibits and vendor booths (records, accessories, etc.).

This is the first year that a second, adjacent hotel (The Hyatt) is in play, so I don't know the logistics there.

Invariably, Saturday is the big day, and we find that the top floor of the main tower where we are located gets most crowded in the middle toward the end of the day.

The general trend on the rest of the 11th floor is the same. So (the secret is out), start at the top floors and work your way down. Use the stairways as comfort and physical condition permit.

Oh yes ... as far as the Scissor Sisters is concerned, there's an appropriate volume level for every type of music. You wouldn't listen to The Who at the same level as you would Corelli. So, Jazzdoc ... bring it on, and I'll have a very special Jefferson Airplane live cut to play you from "Bless It's Pointed Head".

Having said that, once we pass our 20's, our tolerance for things loud diminishes with each passing decade. At the last Little Feat concert I attended this Spring (wow!), I was more than happy to have my 25dB attenuators in my musician's earplugs (highly recommended).

Back to show prep now ...

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Dan,
I'm holding the Andalusians out as an incentive for Larry to visit! (Nudge...)

That LP's too rare to risk bringing to a show, and ours is a first pressing. (Maybe the only pressing?!) Not bad for $3, eh?

Thom,
Thanks for the tips on how to make the most of our show time. Very helpful.

I'll be there, my first RMAF. Looking forward to meeting up and to it being a step from the usual CES insanity.

Cello,

I will miss meeting you and buying you a bottle of champagne or single malt for turning me on to the rollerblocks. Well, maybe someday I can repay you with some really excellent pie.

Damn! Damnit! Damnit all!

Dan, I'm very sorry you are not going. We have some things in common. It would have been fun to meet you. Hopefully next year.

The hard party of the show is being so focused on getting to the rooms one can forget to look up and observe those individuals around us. If one of you happen to notice me walking around, Please stop me and say hello...

Jloveys, I think it is a great suggestion to use this thread to give a recap of our RMAF adventures - Especially deserving are our analog ones. I'll make a point of, at the very least, giving a small summary of my adventures.

Guess I better start packing,
Dre

Dan,why the angst? Be happy!!

You've got some great "working" equip,and warm weather to look forward to.

Maybe your friend Doug,will bring you back a nice Lamm T-shirt.It should look nice in the sun.

My close friend is going for the second straight year.He'll bring me back "maybe" a spec sheet,if I'm lucky.

Well,you're better liked than me anyway -:)

There's always the Stereophile show.

Suggestion to all attending Cello's welcome gathering, save your name tag and wear it the next day. I know we'll all have show name tags, but the sight of a different one lets you know that the wearer is probably another A'goner.

HI HO! HI HO!
IT'S OFF TO PACK I GO!