Is anyone going to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest?

inna

I remember one of my first visits to the CES. I was looking mostly for speakers. I found " spectacular " sounding room. I was smitten. I ordered the demo speakers they were using for my show room in Colorado. All wood thick face plate 1.5" thick. Horn 12" horn speakers with a carved face for the drivers. I was in " wow " heaven. 

After two months of listening in my demo room with some fine tube amplifiers, Art Audio, Juele Electra, Atmas-sphere, I came to despise them. What had sounded spectacular in the demo room was killing my ears. Bright and forward. 

The moral to this anecdote, My opinion is that when a room sounds spectacular or fabulous, that may mean it is way to much in your face.

It may be, sure. Almost every time I am reading about people's impressions, it is Gryphon, Ypsilon, Lamm and Nagra electronics with various speakers that get the praise. Oh yes, and Wavac. And sometimes VAC too. They must be all doing something very right. I also increasingly hear good things about Thales table/arm plus Ikeda cartridge set-up. Perhaps not quite a reference level but very very high. 

One thing I noticed at RMAF, as I rode the elevator up and down and up and down the Denver Tech Center Mariott hotel: There were way more 40-60 year old men than 20-40 year old men. Way More. Where does that leave the future of high-end audio? I'm concerned.

So am I. I think, the more digital everything goes the less connection to the sound becomes. There are still young people interested but not many, as far as I can tell. Next generation is more computer dependent than they or us realize. From this angle, it is totally irrelevant whether or not one day digital sounds better than analog. True connection will be lost. Even most jobs that they do make no sense whatsoever, they are not real jobs, sometimes anti-real.

Well here is a nice show report. 

https://www.stereophile.com/content/jvs-works-his-way-marriott-tower