From Big (GM100 transmitter triode) ...
Vacuum Tube Valley VSAC 2003 Show Report
Show Impressions
Lots bigger than last time, more than 500-plus attendees, plenty of exhibitors, and it seemed to be effectively one day longer than previous shows. Usually it took until Saturday morning for exhibits to be up and running (frequently set-up gremlins delayed good sound till afternoon), this time to my amazement things were well underway mid-day Friday. Part of the reason is that people were pouring into all of Silverdale's hotels on Wednesday and Thursday, again a first for the VSAC.I missed the irrepressible Dixie Bottlehead room of the 2001 show, but I can't say I blame them for passing on it this year. You have to be really nuts to drive 2500-plus miles with hundreds of pounds of tube gear stuffed into a van - they were nuts enough to do it once, but not twice! Still, the Dixie's room was just about my favorite hangout last time - those guys really know how to party, and have awesome taste in music. But they're Southerners, you know, and they really know music and great food.
I also missed the full-day schedule of Tech Talks of previous shows, scheduling one world-class speaker after another. That gave a real three-ring circus aspect to the previous VSACs, with simultaneous activities in the Speakers Room, the Craftsmans Room, assorted parties here and there, in addition to the main business of the show - the exhibitors on the Second and Third floors of the Silverdale Hotel. This year it was down to 3 talks on Sunday morning, followed by the "Fifteen Minutes of Fame" rapid-fire amp demos in the afternoon.
But making up for it were arrivals from the vacuum-tube clan all over the world, some of them staying right at my house for a "slumber party" on Monday night! We had Gary Dahl, Gary Pimm, Allen Wright, and Tony Ho all staying over and listening to three different systems stacked up in my living room - fortunately, Gary Dahl had the good sense to head back to home at 2 in the morning (Gary's only two miles down the road), but the rest of the gang ended up on sofas, chairs, and flat spots on the floor. A good time was had by all, many tunes, many stories, lots of fun.
One question I'm sure I'll get is this: "How did XYZ component/speaker/room sound?" Here's Allen Wright's reaction to the six-way SACD player shootout. Several posters in the Hi-Rez Asylum grumbled that nobody at the VSAC would commit to saying which player was "the best." Allen jumped on this comment with relish, and suggested that all six SACD modifiers at the VSAC should each make the same exact posting to the Asylum, saying "My player was great!!! Everything else was terrible!
This is typical Allen Wright humor - it's funny, but it makes a point. Designers, as a group, are a critical bunch, and by definition are never satisfied with the current state of the art. They also have strongly held points-of-view, and in audio, rarely agree with each other. Think of all the ways to build a speaker or an amplifier! But a trade show is a special place, where you're not looking at the latest product to sell or buy, but seeing (and hearing!) other points of view. It's about swapping ideas, seeing the sights, and meeting new people. Yes, fun sounds too, but that's part of the whole package.
Instead of Fair and Balanced - you'll have to turn on your TV for that - this is a personal tour of the show. I hope you enjoy it!
All Text and Photographs © 2003 Lynn Olson.
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