Forums https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> Capital Audio Fest 2015 https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1438004530 Message started by Randy in Caintuck on 07/27/15 at 14:42:10

Title: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 07/27/15 at 14:42:10 Just a heads up to let the forum members know that I will be attending the Capital Audio Fest 2015 as an exhibitor this year ..... room 423. I have no idea what to expect, but I have wanted to do something like this for a long time and the time has come. If everything fits into my SUV, the plan is to take several pairs of the open baffle speakers I am building in various configurations. It should be interesting to see what sort of reception I will get ..... but I plan to have some fun hobnobbing with the "big boys" ..... The dates are August 28 - 30 ..... so if anyone plans to attend please stop in and say hi. Happy listening, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by seikosha on 07/27/15 at 15:46:55 I just noticed the other day that you were on the list of exhibitors which was great as I'm really looking forward to checking out your designs.  Good luck with the show and set up!  I'll be sure to say "hello".

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Lonely Raven on 07/27/15 at 15:51:50 Cool Randy! Good luck! Just keep in mind, the room is your worst enemy at those shows! Plan on spending much time trying to get that right.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by lLance on 07/27/15 at 17:32:58 I will be there Randy, look forward to meeting you. Lance

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Palomino on 07/28/15 at 13:53:37 Cool.  What system(s) will you be running?

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 07/28/15 at 18:10:19 Hi Palomino, Very good question ..... Since I'm primarily aiming for the "sincere but broke" music lover market, I'm going to try to get the best sound possible for the least amount of money. Goodness knows that there will no shortage of $50,000.00 systems at this event ..... Instead of taking my $7000.00 digital front end, I will be using a very decent sounding Onkyo CD player that retails for under 200 bucks. For amplification, I'm going back to my roots and taking an early vintage Decware Zen which sounds absolutely amazing with all of my speaker creations. I will also have a nice "Spud" pentode vacuum tube amp and a couple of custom built chip amps that punch way above their weight. I will be taking five or six pairs of loudspeakers in various configurations based on either Eminence Alpha drivers or Wild Burro Audio Betsy drivers and tweeters that I have found that work well with these drivers.  At least one of the speaker pairs will be in the very cool solid hardwoods that I am now offering. I am really looking forward to this event ..... not so much as a money making venture (which it probably will not be) but as an "adventure" that I have had in the back of my mind for a long time. It should be interesting ..... Best wishes, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Lonely Raven on 07/28/15 at 20:18:44 Is the 2 watt Zen going to be enough you think? Remember, there are going to be people filing in and out of the room, music up and down the halls. So your ambient noise level is going to be quite high.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 07/28/15 at 21:15:18 Hi Lonely Raven, It should not be an issue ...... The speakers are 96 db efficient with absolute minimal crossover components. I attended this event last year and the vendor rooms are all "staggered" ..... with empty rooms in between and nothing directly across the hall from each vendor room. Most of the rooms I visited last year also kept the door mostly closed and the ambient noise was not bad at all. The "little" Zen lights up my 16' x 26' listening room at home with power to spare with these speakers ..... Appreciate the concern and words of wisdom ..... Best wishes, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Lonely Raven on 07/28/15 at 21:32:11 Awesome - I'm glad you have it all worked out. Best of luck to you!

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Palomino on 07/29/15 at 14:18:13 Sounds like fun Randy.  Also, I like the room positioning.  Should help.  There were times at Axpona when we had to wait for the room next door to stop rocking out. BTW, will you have any hot models luring people to your room like we have seen at Axpona in years past?  The Caintuck Girls? P.S. This has been a fantasy of mine for a couple years- to put together a bare bones Decware system and rent a room out at one of these shows.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 08/21/15 at 13:56:07 Hi Palomino, Sorry ..... no Caintuck Girls ..... maybe next year ..... Here are a few photos of the finished pieces I'm taking to the show : Among the amplifiers that will be powering the speakers is a "vintage" Zen "B".  It is one of the most musical amplifiers I have ever heard, period.  Steve knew what he was doing from the very start and there is something special about the 5Y3 rectifier ..... I hope to see lots of Decware forum members at the show ..... Happy listening, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Lonely Raven on 08/21/15 at 15:51:08 They look fantastic!

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by lLance on 08/30/15 at 00:32:47 I spent time in Randy's room at the cap audio fest. It was the lowest budget room there but one of the better sounding. I listened to multi thousand dollar systems and many with obvious room issues, not the best sounding but Randy was doing something right. He had a $200 CD player, $300 OB speakers, $100 plate amp with an Augie Woofer and a 2 watt Decware amp. I would say Randy put on a clinic on how to get real high fidelity sound with what some people consider pocket change. I was very impressed. This is the first time I had the privilege of hearing the 2 Watt Zen amp and I believe the first generation. Wow, I see what all of the fuss is about. My favorite room of the day was the Vinni Rossi LIO amp with Harbeth HL5+ speakers.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by lLance on 08/30/15 at 00:34:11 Randy's Room

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 09/01/15 at 01:02:53 Hi Lance, Many thanks for the kind words ..... It was a pleasure to meet you ..... Truthfully, the room worked out far better than I could have hoped for. As you heard, there was a wonderful synergy between the Zen amplifier and my speakers. The little Zen got a lot of attention and I am hoping that the show results in an even greater interest in Decware products. I had a link to the Decware website on my flyers and there were about 150 flyers that went home with the attendees ..... Best wishes, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 09/01/15 at 01:43:55 Photos ..... A couple of larger photos here and here. Enjoy, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by seikosha on 09/01/15 at 14:41:41 I really enjoyed stopping in and seeing Randy's room.  Those little Open Baffle speakers he has worked really well with the Zen and he had no problem at all filling the room with music. It was a great room to visit to sort of reset your ears after being blasted by some of the other systems.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Lonely Raven on 09/01/15 at 16:16:14 Quote: It was a great room to visit to sort of reset your ears after being blasted by some of the other systems. IMHO, that's praise right there!

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Core32 on 09/01/15 at 16:59:34 Randy, If it's not inappropriate to ask, how has the follow up response been from exhibiting? Hopefully you will benefit from the experience more than just "getting one under your belt".  :) I am considering trying out a set but I need to decide how I'm going to get them properly placed with my monster BP-2000s in the way.   :-/ Too big to move == too big to ship == very difficult to sell.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 09/01/15 at 21:52:54 Hello seikosha, Thank you so much for the kind words ..... I must say that I was more than happy with the sound in the room. I really didn't know what to expect in a hotel room with very little acoustic treatment ..... but the sound was nearly as good as what I hear in my own listening room at home. The interesting thing is that I took a $200.00 Onkyo CD player to use as a front end instead of my $7000.00 digital rig ..... primarily because I wanted the attendees to hear the speakers with a "modest" front end. I was not disappointed at all ..... the little Onkyo sang its heart out ... Hi Lonely Raven, For a fact, there were many visitors to the room who stated that they were sent there by folks who had been there and enjoyed the musicality of what they heard ..... Hello Core32, Most of the visitors to the room took my business card with them as well as the two flyers I had prepared for the show. One flyer contained information on the completed speakers (as well as links to recommended websites including Decware) and the other flyer was for the "flat pack" baffles that I have been selling. Quite a few people like the baffles I am making (both barrel and tombstone shapes) but want to install their own drivers and crossover components. If they don't have any decent woodworking tools, I have provided the unfinished baffles and bases and all they need is a jigsaw to make the cutout(s) for their drivers. If a person wants something more than the standard plywood baffles, I have been offering some very nice hardwood options as found here. I'm not very secretive about what I'm doing and have provided information on drivers and the very simple crossover setup I am using in my speakers. Truthfully, for a person with a taste in music similar to my own ..... a pair of Wild Burro Audio Betsy drivers in my baffles can be all the speaker that they ever need. If a Hawthorne Audio Augie and plate amp is added to the mix, it makes for an extremely musical system. That is what I ran at the show and the setup received some very positive feedback. It will be interesting to see how much response I get from potential customers over the next few weeks. Best wishes, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Steve Deckert on 09/02/15 at 01:45:53 Randy, Congrats on the show!  I wanted to attend myself just to get away for a couple days, to see your room specifically, but it wasn't in the cards.  It's Junior's fault. Hopefully your fine speakers will make it to Decfest this year again! I am anxious for you to hear your favorite little amp with the UFO transformers!   Steve

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 09/02/15 at 13:11:49 Hello Steve, Thanks for the good wishes ..... For a fact, the Zen amplifier was a big hit at the CAF. There were quite a few visitors to my room who had always wanted to hear a Decware amplifier and were pleased to have the opportunity. Many people were blown away to hear what two quality watts per channel sounded like with suitable loudspeakers. On the last day of the show, a gentleman and his lady friend were seriously thinking about purchasing a pair of my speakers. I had the Zen amp in the system and they had brought their own music and we listened to a variety of things in their stash. As a final test, he decided to pop in a full orchestral piece with pipe organ.  I thought .... uh oh ..... However, the Zen amp grabbed the music by the neck and sailed through it with amazing control and authority ..... The gentleman purchased the speakers ..... Looking forward to seeing the Decware family and all of the attendees in October ..... Best wishes, Randy

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Palomino on 09/02/15 at 14:25:53 Congrats Randy.  Glad it was a good experience.   Bummed I missed your speakers last year.  I think I was leaving as you were taking them inside. And yes, I am UFO-curious.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by stone_of_tone on 09/02/15 at 16:25:35 Congrats as well Randy. Instead of keeping my SE84CS from 2001-I sold it forward~=good Karma. I will be buying a SE84CKCSelect/UFO, this winter. Of course, it will drive my modified Adagio's (now configured with a single cap). However, I have a nice REL Sub integrated nicely. I hope to buy and try a pair of your Speakers. I like them. ....and no, I won't be selling my ZDSD/PCM, CSP3 or ZMA.....I however, do need the SE84CKCSelect/UFO.....in rotation!

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Lon on 09/02/15 at 17:19:00 Congrats Randy, you handled that show like a true demi-god!

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by stone_of_tone on 09/02/15 at 20:41:29 I remember this from Decfest 2005! Or, even before that, on the Forum I think?! Randy, is a demigod!

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by agustinf on 09/05/15 at 13:37:15 It's been said here already, but add one voice: Randy's room in the show was a feast. For people who dislike the idea of spending a fortune in gear, or who can't afford it, it was the place to be. Plus it compared really well with the big boys, the more so with the right music. And with Randy's music on, things went really really well. He clearly got what he wanted with his designs.

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by lLance on 09/05/15 at 16:01:10 I went to the Capital Audiofest and all I got was this T shirt (all I could afford)

Title: Re: Capital Audio Fest 2015 Post by Randy in Caintuck on 09/06/15 at 02:44:15 Hey guys, If I remember correctly, I sold my "demi-god" hat to someone for ten dollars and a four pack of Guinness pub draft ..... One of the highlights of the Capital Audio Fest was meeting Lance and Agustin ..... I even got to briefly meet Agustin's family ..... All of the above are really good people and made me feel very much at home while I was far away from my home. Looking forward to Peoria in October ..... Randy

Forums » Powered by YaBB 2.2.2! YaBB © 2000-2008. All Rights Reserved.