| Editorial July 2002
Home Entertainment 2002: The Pros and Cons
Back in the summer of 1998, I attended what was then the Stereophile
show in Los Angeles, California. It was to be a more important journey than I imagined
at the time, not because of a new product or musical revelation, but because of a chance
meeting that changed my life. Heck, it didn’t even happen at the show, it happened at
Dennys!
On day one of the show, before everything got cranked up,
my friend Joey and I were eating the pre-show meal and generally gearing up for the
day’s activities. Then, out of the blue, came a squad of blue-shirted men all walking
single file towards a large table. Not knowing whether they were part of an FBI task force
or a traveling circus, I eyed them warily while eating my pancakes. Then I saw the SoundStage!
logo on one of their shirts. These were the guys that had that Internet website! The very
one I had checked the morning we left for the show. They already had coverage of
what we were going to see when we arrived in L.A., and we saw it before even leaving North
Carolina! Impressed, I leaned over the table they were at and told them, "I read you
guys regularly. Keep up the good work."
Little did I know that just four years later I’d be
managing editor for the SoundStage! Network and would have covered audio shows from
Frankfurt to Montreal to Las Vegas. I’ve learned a lot about show coverage during
that time -- Doug Schneider and Marc Mickelson have perfected the art -- but I’ve
also learned what makes a good show versus a mediocre one. When asked what the best one
is, I typically say the Frankfurt-based High End show. It is consistently great.
It’s much like the feel you get attending the excellent Montreal Son & Image
show, only it’s a bigger event.
A new show for me
Not having attended a Stereophile show since 1998, I
was anxiously anticipating the new version of that venerable occasion, now dubbed Home
Entertainment 2002 by Stereophile’s parent company, Primedia Inc. Would it
live up to my memories? One of my favorite show experiences of all time was at the 1996 Stereophile
show held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The rooms were large and solid and the
halls were wider than average, but what made this show so wonderful was the surroundings.
It felt like high-end audio. If it must be a hotel, the Waldorf is where you want
to experience high-end audio. This show took place when Stereophile was at its peak
(or at least it seemed that way) and the show was an absolute blast.
Home Entertainment 2002 paled in comparison to the 1996
show. The venue, the New York City Hilton, is no Waldorf Astoria, and every room on the
upper floors suffered greatly. It was really like two shows. The downstairs rooms, the big
ballrooms, and the conference rooms were spacious and easily accessible. The best sound
was to be heard in those rooms. The upstairs rooms were embarrassingly small, with no room
to set up properly (though more than a few brave manufacturers obviously sweated blood
trying), which left no space for attendees. Some rooms accommodated only three to four
seated people at a time. This can be uncomfortable when 10 folks are in the room.
Maybe it is a symptom of the economy; I’m sure a venue
like the Waldorf is a lot more expensive to book. But the show isn’t cheap for
manufacturers, from what I understand, either. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud anyone
trying to promote our industry, including Primedia Inc., but I would like to see justice
done for the exhibitors and attendees as well. The NYC Hilton is the wrong place for such
an event. Wrong quality, wrong rooms, wrong feel. I’d like to see it remain in NYC,
but take it back to the Waldorf Astoria -- or another hotel more suited -- because that is
where a hobby like this belongs.
...Jeff Fritz
editor@hometheatersound.com |
