Axpona 2015

[jiminlogansquare]

This thread is to discuss plans for AXPONA 2015, April 24-26 (AXPONA - Audio Expo North America). What are you looking forward to most, what are the must-hear/must-see things. What are the things you should rush to beat the crowds. Also, personally I would like to try to meet up and tour the event with other CA members. Jump in and post whatever you have that relates to AXPONA 2015.

[jiminlogansquare]

Bumping my own thread because, so far, no response. To be clear, as I was not before, this AXPONA will be the first audiophile convention of any sort I will have attended, and I am looking for some moral support and practical advice on how I should best undertake it, as a non-audio professional and also a non-deep pocket consumer. How does one go about touring such an event? What is some good newb advice? Thanks.

[aliaswolf]

Although I attended the Munich HighEnd (some say the most important HiFi show in the world) some years back, I feel like a complete newbie concerning HiFi shows.

This year I decided to visit Axpona. My 20y old son will accompany me, and after the three days in Chicago we will stay four days in NYC just for the fun.

Why did I decide to make the effort to fly from Germany to Chicago? In fact, there is no specific reason despite that it's my only hobby and I felt it was time to get my own impression of an US audio show.

I will concentrate on companies that don't sell in Germany so far. There is e.g. Legacy Audio, a producer of speakers for >30y, who gets great test results in US magazines. I got in contact with their sales manager and made an appointment to meet for lunch on the first day of the show. Very easy and friendly contact, so I'm really curious to meet these people personally.

There is Blue Circle, a small Canadian company, which never sold in Europe; but I'm lucky to have some old amps from BC, which were imported directly by the previous owner. I had a severe issue some month ago (four of six transistors of one amp went up in smoke). I emailed the owner of BC, Mr Gilbert Yeung, and he helped me out by sending new boards and transistors to me (I paid for it, of course!). I will take the time at Axpona to thank him personally for that service.

So my main concern is to get in contact with the persons "behind" the products. One of the most positive side effects of the HiFi hobby for me is to get in contact with interesting people. Sometimes I have the chance to meet them personally, most of the times it is "only" a contact by mail or in certain forums (as CA).

If you like to roam around with me a while at Axpona, send me a pm. I'll stay at the Westin O'Hare from Thursday 'till Sunday afternoon. So there will be plenty of time to get some common listening experience and maybe share some impression afterwards.