I went on the first day at about 5 pm. Spent a couple of interesting hours !
Like ALL hi-fi shows ( even the dedicated RMAF at Denver ) this one suffers from acoustic issues. Even very highly regarded systems could sound just 'ordinary' and maybe even 'bad' ! They can't set them up in 'ideal' conditions in a hotel room with so many noisy people in them. You will find a lot of visitors to such shows globally always complaining of "how bad everything sounds" in the hotel rooms !
BUT we do get to see what all models are available currently and maybe get to see what 'potential' they have. Some systems were really poor and it's funny how after so many years of development they still haven't got it right !
When I went, there weren't too many people. So the first day is the BEST day to visit. I could even talk to the people but no techies around. Just marketing guys with typical marketing blurb of which some were really funny !
The HT setup was all about boom, bang, bust ! Nothing new there. But I must say the Pioneer HT amps do have good slam when playing action movies. Their new generation HT amps with a classD power stage do sound impressive. None of the others came close either due to movie selection or pairing with speakers or maybe even just the setup.
I got to hear some known tracks on a pair of Elac speakers which did sound very good. Pity I didn't carry my test music disc which I usually do to every hi-fi show I go to. Dali was there too along with Jamo. Apparently the Jamo open Baffle 909 (?) is on (working) display at their show room. I will check that out next time.
Atmos isn't worth it till they have enough recordings with that available. Paying a premium now at the introduction stage is a waste. Besides all the effects pale in comparison to really good stereo music ! While most HT systems produced a lot of LF with the sub's , something in the bass was missing ! Looked like the region around 30 to 60 Hz was subdued. Phase cancellation ...room resonance effects ? Maybe.
Anyway it's always worth visiting these shows as we get to see all the stuff in one place. Then you can decided which ones to audition at the showroom later on. A pre-evaluation filter !
I didn't see anyone mention the 2.6crore speakers !
Didn't see it ? It was in the ballroom on the ground floor. A HUGE pair of Focal speakers. A giant version of what they had in their demo room on the 6th floor. these had golden coloured sides . Someone said it was gold plated ! Did the air particles move smoother with the gold plating ? Bit it was a whopping Rs 1,29,99,000/- EACH ! The Focals on the 6th floor were better set up !
There weren't too many people there and we got to pick the tracks we wanted to hear. One was the first few tracks from The Wall ( Pink Flyod ). I have heard this so many times over the years at very loud ( pleasurable) listening levels that it's hard wired (!) into my brain.
The Focals didn't have the slam or bass weight that I'm used to . The one with the helicopter should have had tremendous energy and the crash that comes after that should give you goose pimples ! It was missing ! The amps were two huge McIntosh mono blocks ! Could the room be too big ? Don't know what , but the demo reduced it's real value to about Rs 12,999/- !
Besides it's size was enough for you to get an instant divorce at home !
BUT I was glad I went for the show. In spite of the disappointment with the sound in many rooms ( which I did expect!) I will still go for other shows ( like in Chennai next !) as no two shows 'sound' alike. And sometimes you do come across something that really interests you. Just for that it's worth it !
Cheers.
For those who want to hear their own music, make a compilation on your own CD AND USB drive. However in some shows abroad most guys play off a HDD or some networking system and so often a CD wouldn't help. A USB drive probably has a better chance of being useable. I can see that this is slowly happening here also.
