Florida Audio Expo 2020

This year’s Florida Audio Expo (Feb. 7th, 8th and 9th) was three times larger than last year’s show. The second edition of the latest regional American audio show covered 11 floors of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Airport Westshore Hotel.

The show appeared well-attended all three days, attracting a diverse crowd including women and young people. The show organizers—self-admitted amateurs—did an excellent job with signage and support. Both attendees and participants seemed happy with all aspects of the show.

The organizers smartly stayed away from seminars and a “marketplace” (in part because it doesn’t appear as if the hotel has appropriate rooms for such things), choosing instead to well-cover the basics. Mission accomplished.

AnalogPlanet’s video coverage includes just about every room at the show, whether or not a turntable was involved, though regrettably we missed a few: the Basis turntable room that also included VTL and Wilson Audio Specialties. We missed Scott Walker Audio’s room with Constellation/Rockport/Acoustic Signature/Soundsmith.And we missed the Pavilion, where the Minneapolis crowd held sway (Atma-Sphere, Tri-Planar, et.al). Apologies to all.

Like last year, this year the big second floor rooms all featured great sound, including MBL/United Home Audio, Magico/Luxman/Avid/Critical Mass/AudioQuest and VAC/Von Schweikert/Esoteric/Kronos/AirTight/Masterbuilt/Acoustic Sciences. I spun records in the latter two rooms to big appreciative crowds.

Florida Audio Expo has established itself as a successful, well-attended and well-run regional audio show that will surely have a repeat performance in 2021, but guys and gals, please include the venue and show hours in the guide and online (they were MIA this year).

A photo gallery concludes the more than an hour and a half video.