I usually attend rmaf each year and have attended CES a few times years
ago when I was something. Rmaf 2016 was the worst show I have ever
attended. Nobody knew that they were remodeling and most of the rooms
were way to small and sounded terrible. I didn’t go last year because I
heard the remodeling made the rooms worse for audio. The people that I
know who went indicated it wasn’t their finest.
Newport was an up and coming show until the rivalry between the LA show.
There
might be too many shows that will make manufacturers to pick and choose
which show they will attend which will make each show smaller.
Indeed, quite a few shows are competing for the same exhibitors and press.
Yes, Rocky 2016 was a disaster due to the hotel not delivering the remodel in time. It created a cascading effect of exhibitors pulling out. The place was like a morgue.
2017 RMAF was back to "normal". I honestly don't think the new rooms at the 2017 show were responsible for the preponderance of bad sound, however. Frankly, I find 85% of the rooms at any show to have terrible sound, so in this sense, RMAF was consistent with my expectations.
Some of this has to do with my taste of course, and some of this is just downright mediocrity (not in any way system price related). I heard some great sounding budget systems and atrocious sounding 6-figure systems that grace the covers of the glossy mags.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier Design
