NY Audio Show 2014

This weekend's New York Audio Show at Brooklyn's Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge Hotel opens to the public Friday, September 26th at 2PM. Press access is in the morning. The event has seen its share of controversy from the get go.

The Brooklyn location immediately raised some eyebrows. Show sponsor The Chester Group said it was the best possible location since last year's Manhattan venue was unavailable. Chester Group defended the choice saying it is directly over the bridge and that Brooklyn is now home to dozens of new record stores (including the large Rough Trade store) and a young population that is now the targeted demographic.

Also problematic is that the dates fall in the middle of Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year, one of the two most holy holidays in the Jewish calendar.

The industry includes many Jewish retailers and manufacturers who were both surprised and offended by the chosen dates but again The Chester Group says it was the only weekend available to it at the hotel. Some retailers who participated last year will not this year. Secular Jews are likely to attend (yours truly included). If I'm struck by a bus or get food poisoning, you will know why.

Another issue for some in the industry is the close proximity to The Rocky Mountain Audio Festival, which begins in Denver, CO two short weeks later on October 9th.

Were that not enough, the forecast for New York's weather this weekend calls for gloriously sunny skies and temperatures around 80 degrees—probably the final summer-like weekend until next year. This extra bump in the road cannot be good news for show organizers.

When I write less than "rah rah sis boom bah" pre-show openers, or post-show closers, I often get angry emails from those involved, but my job is to report honestly not to act as a publicist. I'm just doing my job.

I've volunteered to do two turntable set-up seminars, one Saturday and one Sunday afternoon along with a late Friday one about the state of the "vinyl revival" with panelists Mat Weisfeld (VPI), Peter Ledermann (Sound-Smith), Chad Kassem (Acoustic Sounds/Analogue Productions/QRP pressing plant) and Stephen Mejias, former Stereophile assistant editor, reviewer and columnist, now working for Audioquest.

Hope to see you there! If you can't make it, look to analogplanet.com for show coverage of all things analog.