Every year, there are stacks of shows at various exhibition centres, whether for business IT with CeBIT, whether for the family with Royal Easter Shows, whether boat or car shows, whether mind, body and spirit shows, and plenty more.
The thing is, they’re normally in exhibition centres of some kind, and while we’re all used to that, wouldn’t it be nice to see something different?
Well, the 2017 version of the Australian Hi-Fi & AV Show in Sydney, from the 28th to the 30th of July, is doing just that.
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That means you can finally see the products and services on offer in the kind of environment they’d be set up in a home, and it certainly sounds like a very clever way to re-imagine the presentation of a top notch Hi-Fi and AV exhibition experience!
Naturally, the show’s organisers are happy to proudly boast that “nowhere else in Australia can music and AV lovers appreciate 150 major brands from the world’s finest audio products in one place in such an appealing five-star location".
As is usually the case with these kinds of exhibitions, you’ll need to buy a ticket, which you can buy online at a discount, or purchase on the day on arrival, with full details of pricing here.
But what will you see and experience for the money?
Well, to start with, the show is encouraging you to BYO or bring your own music – anything from hip-hop to classical, and anything in between!
The show’s organisers say it’s “the best way to relax, hear and compare preferred music choices in as natural a home environment as possible".
When you’re at the show, you’ll be able to get “hands-on experience on all types of gear including speakers, electronics, turntables, headphones, music streamers and computer systems".
The show will be held over 2½ days, which some aficionados will use in full to “decide what their next purchases will be”, especially given that a lot of the high-end gear on offer comes at high-end prices delivering the discerning their cherished high-end experiences.
Roy Bird, chief executive of the Chester Group, the Show's organiser, said the top three things that music and AV lovers want to know is:
- How to stream quality audio and video;
- The real difference between analogue and digital sound; and
- How beneficial or not Hi-Fi cables are.
Bird added: “We know that visitors to the show care about the quality of sound reproduction and they want the best they can afford. That’s why it’s important for exhibitors to have the best acoustics possible in each room.
“All exhibitors ensure experts are on hand to address any questions and numerous seminar sessions help visitors learn: for example, how-to set up a sound system, stream music around the home, turn a computer into a high-end audio source, and control everything from a smartphone and tablet.”
So, what are some of the highlights on offer for the July show, and also, what are some of the Australian technologies on offer from the more than 150 international and local brands?
- Fiona Joy, Australian pianist, singer and composer will be performing concerts on each day in the Fort Macquarie Room.
- Arguably the best home theatre system in the world combining a Barco Residential ultra-high definition projector for a Cinema-at-Home experience.
- StormAudio’s immersive audio processors and amplifiers in the latest format Auro-3D, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X with Atlantic Technology loudspeakers.
- Wilson Audio/Gryphon amplifiers, loudspeakers and converters.
- Seminars on Auro-3D.
- Presentations by audio professional Peter Orehov from CDA Pro Audio.
- Mark Döhmann presenting his ever-popular Vinyl Masterclasses, which are always a full house.
Australian technology and equipment includes:
- Krix loudspeakers. From their factory in South Australia Krix is Australia's largest and most successful speaker manufacture in home hi-fi and commercial cinema sound.
- Redgum Audio. Based in Victoria, Redgum manufactures and designs high end hi-fi electronics.
- Legend Acoustics in NSW manufactures high quality speakers.
- Osborn Loudspeakers is a Melbourne-based high end Hi-Fi speaker manufacturer.
- Dohmann Helix 1 turntable. Designed by Mark Döhmann in Victoria and costing $80,000+.
Other top brands include:
- B&W (UK)
- Barco Residential (Europe/USA)
- HEOS by Denon (Japan)
- Marantz (Japan)
- Yamaha Music (Japan)
- Wilson Audio (USA)
- Dynaudio (Denmark)
- Gryphon (Denmark)
- Focal/Naim (UK/France)
- Pioneer (Japan)
- Triangle (France)
- Sonus Faber (Italy)
- Bluesound (Canada)
- NAD (Canada)
To sweeten the deal, there will also be prizes, and these include:
- 10 portable Bluetooth speaker units
- A $4000 amplifier
- A portable audio player worth $1500.00
- A $600 headphone
- and many more generous prizes!
We’re reminded that the last time the Australian Hi-Fi & AV Show was in Sydney was 2012 when it attracted nearly 3000 visitors, with the organisers stating they “look forward to another record turnout this year after the very successful event in Melbourne in 2016".
More information is here.
