I was there with my wife for about an hour on Saturday morning--it was the first truly audiophile event I've ever been to. We only had a chance to duck into about a dozen rooms.
I will concur with the comments that there really is very little help for the uninitiated. Very little direction or clarity, especially when, for me, I had hardly heard of any of the vendors who were presenting. So our wondering around was mostly hit or miss as to what stood out.
At come, we've got Focal and Mirage speakers hooked up to Arcam gear (their entry-level stuff) and Harmon Kardon. I've got a DIY reconstruction project underway on a pair of old B&W Matrix speakers and I've used midrange Klipsch and Bose speakers in the past, along with a few DIY speakers.
Growing up, my Dad built speakers as a hobby and always had a mix of mid-range, all vintage, audio equipment around. As a point of reference, his favorite speakers of all time are Klipschorns.
My wife and I are in our early 30s, so I think we're part of the audience that events like the CAF need to expand in order to help sustain a high-end audio community into the future.
Once we finish paying off college loans in a few years, we'll have a little more disposable income, and may eventually be in the market for some of the mid-range gear shown at an event like CAF.
But for everyone I've ever encountered in audio, becoming an audiophile is seldom a short walk off a cliff; it's usually an iterative process, with each upgrade a small step inspired by a restless desire for audio perfection.
I will concur with the comments that there really is very little help for the uninitiated. Very little direction or clarity, especially when, for me, I had hardly heard of any of the vendors who were presenting. So our wondering around was mostly hit or miss as to what stood out.
At come, we've got Focal and Mirage speakers hooked up to Arcam gear (their entry-level stuff) and Harmon Kardon. I've got a DIY reconstruction project underway on a pair of old B&W Matrix speakers and I've used midrange Klipsch and Bose speakers in the past, along with a few DIY speakers.
Growing up, my Dad built speakers as a hobby and always had a mix of mid-range, all vintage, audio equipment around. As a point of reference, his favorite speakers of all time are Klipschorns.
My wife and I are in our early 30s, so I think we're part of the audience that events like the CAF need to expand in order to help sustain a high-end audio community into the future.
Once we finish paying off college loans in a few years, we'll have a little more disposable income, and may eventually be in the market for some of the mid-range gear shown at an event like CAF.
But for everyone I've ever encountered in audio, becoming an audiophile is seldom a short walk off a cliff; it's usually an iterative process, with each upgrade a small step inspired by a restless desire for audio perfection.