Russell Rubman
Auditioning
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2003
- Messages
- 3
This is the first announcement for something that I intend to be BIG and which is long overdue here in New York. Though smaller A/V groups have thrived throughout the years in the New York area it has always been somewhat wanting for a sustantial club that addresses the high end in both audio and video.
We are living in times of great change in this industry that we all cherish and here in New York the choices are limited at best for the average person looking to experience high end A/V:
1. Spend time at a high brow New York City A/V "boutique" whose intent is to sell you gear and not to indulge your whims or let you play and explore to your heart's content. Each of these stores will generally have one or two projectors set up for viewing and a small grouping of excellent components...but they are biased towards the products that they sell. This is not a condemnation. They provide an invaluable service but they are not going to recommend the Madrigal if they stock the Krell. Please don't post with your stories of how a specific Manhattan store really breaks the cycle and makes the experience of comparing components so much better for you. I am sure many of them have such merits but they are all motivated by profit and time is money...especially in retail.
2. Make the best of trade shows like CES and CEDIA where you can see everything together but, unfortunately, not in very ideal settings. I have been to a few trade shows and there are two problems that almost always play out and are diametrically opposed. On one end, the equipment never seems to be properly calibrated and it is plagued with problems that give the public a false impression of the component's merits/shortcomings. On the other end the equipment is overly tweaked and using very high end ancillary equipment to bolster it's image or sound. One example of this was the introduction of JVC's SX-21 projector, which debuted at CES using a Terranex scaler (which 99% of SX-21 owners will likely never own).
The third and best solution is the "club" or "society" that exists to act as a conduit for information and shared experience, as well as a platform for the introduction of new technology and equipment. This will be facilitated through visiting guest speakers, members' showcases, manufacturer's equipment loans and "field trips" to manufacturing sites. In return, we will give back to the a/v community by writing reviews, beta testing new products and offering advertising on our website and in our printed journal.
To bring about the Genesis of this group I would like to invite those living in the 5 boroughs to attend a preliminary meeting at my home in Port Jefferson, Long Island. I will have a night of starting as I plan to continue. I have two home theaters in my home for our viewing. The first is a modest room with a 50" Pioneer plasma screen, scaler, Sunfire and surround speakers by Aura using the famous "Linaeum" tweeters. It is a fantastic performer and it will blow you away from a cost/performance perspective. The second is a very high end dedicated media room with lots of surprises including one of the only "all-ribbon" surround systems in New York, powered by the Alpha Digital EAD full stack. Video is by the Yamaha DXP-1000 DLP and a 104" Diagonal Stewart screenwall masking Firehawk. Seating platforms include a Buttkicker riser powered by 3000 Watts of silent Crown amplification and a D-Box 2.4XL Odyssee motion controller. These are just a few of the surprises awaiting on our inaugural night.
Seating is going to be limited but I am going to make every effort to accomodate all who wish to attend. The date for this event is undecided but I am thinking of late October/November to allow enough time to get a few of you aboard with this idea and help me to plan it all. I need a lawyer to help me with the charter and by-laws and an accountant or bookeeper if any of you care to volunteer. Mostly, I want to hear from the New Yorkers who feel that the time has come for such a club.
O.K......in the words of the great Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley....let the pidgeons loose!
Russ
We are living in times of great change in this industry that we all cherish and here in New York the choices are limited at best for the average person looking to experience high end A/V:
1. Spend time at a high brow New York City A/V "boutique" whose intent is to sell you gear and not to indulge your whims or let you play and explore to your heart's content. Each of these stores will generally have one or two projectors set up for viewing and a small grouping of excellent components...but they are biased towards the products that they sell. This is not a condemnation. They provide an invaluable service but they are not going to recommend the Madrigal if they stock the Krell. Please don't post with your stories of how a specific Manhattan store really breaks the cycle and makes the experience of comparing components so much better for you. I am sure many of them have such merits but they are all motivated by profit and time is money...especially in retail.
2. Make the best of trade shows like CES and CEDIA where you can see everything together but, unfortunately, not in very ideal settings. I have been to a few trade shows and there are two problems that almost always play out and are diametrically opposed. On one end, the equipment never seems to be properly calibrated and it is plagued with problems that give the public a false impression of the component's merits/shortcomings. On the other end the equipment is overly tweaked and using very high end ancillary equipment to bolster it's image or sound. One example of this was the introduction of JVC's SX-21 projector, which debuted at CES using a Terranex scaler (which 99% of SX-21 owners will likely never own).
The third and best solution is the "club" or "society" that exists to act as a conduit for information and shared experience, as well as a platform for the introduction of new technology and equipment. This will be facilitated through visiting guest speakers, members' showcases, manufacturer's equipment loans and "field trips" to manufacturing sites. In return, we will give back to the a/v community by writing reviews, beta testing new products and offering advertising on our website and in our printed journal.
To bring about the Genesis of this group I would like to invite those living in the 5 boroughs to attend a preliminary meeting at my home in Port Jefferson, Long Island. I will have a night of starting as I plan to continue. I have two home theaters in my home for our viewing. The first is a modest room with a 50" Pioneer plasma screen, scaler, Sunfire and surround speakers by Aura using the famous "Linaeum" tweeters. It is a fantastic performer and it will blow you away from a cost/performance perspective. The second is a very high end dedicated media room with lots of surprises including one of the only "all-ribbon" surround systems in New York, powered by the Alpha Digital EAD full stack. Video is by the Yamaha DXP-1000 DLP and a 104" Diagonal Stewart screenwall masking Firehawk. Seating platforms include a Buttkicker riser powered by 3000 Watts of silent Crown amplification and a D-Box 2.4XL Odyssee motion controller. These are just a few of the surprises awaiting on our inaugural night.
Seating is going to be limited but I am going to make every effort to accomodate all who wish to attend. The date for this event is undecided but I am thinking of late October/November to allow enough time to get a few of you aboard with this idea and help me to plan it all. I need a lawyer to help me with the charter and by-laws and an accountant or bookeeper if any of you care to volunteer. Mostly, I want to hear from the New Yorkers who feel that the time has come for such a club.
O.K......in the words of the great Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley....let the pidgeons loose!
Russ
