Brand new meet thread - Austin (2 Viewers)

Ok I been trying to think of something for this group to do as a meet, or hell just doing anything would be a good start.

So I have a couple of ideas to throw out.
Nils posted a while back that he is starting a search for a new pre/pro, and asked for recommendations.
One of our better meets was the original pre/pro blind shoot-out, how about resurrecting this shoot-out with our best attempt at getting together some more modern contenders vs. pretty much the king of the last shoot-out. I am curious to see how much things have advanced since then to see how viable the Theta Casa Nova still is today and it can also help Nils and anyone else pondering pre/pro purchases.

So this is what I know we have amongst the group as potential test subjects.
Theta Casa Nova (Colin and I)
Krell Showcase (Grisley)
Sunfire Theater Grand III (Prator)
EAD Theater Master 8000 (Chuck)
Rotel 1066 (Rich)
and probably a few others that I don't know about. I would guess someone owns an Anthem amongst the group, and probably a high end receiver from Denon or somebody too.

So what do you think? Interesting? Let's get the ball rolling, because right now there is a nasty odor rising up from these Austin threads due to stagnation.

Second idea, more of a something to do vs. an actual big meet idea.

I am going to assume that the folks in this group are into this HT/Stereo equipment stuff for two reasons: a love of movies and music.

As shown by the lack of success of most movie nights, most of the group like watching movies at home in the comfort of their own homes with loved ones primarily. And as someone who has gone to quite a few movie nights they also aren't that much fun, because you bascially go there, chat before the movie, sit quiet for two hours during the movie, then chat a bit afterwards and go home. Well to me that kind of sucks, because my favorite part of any meet is the chatting part. Thus some of the best movie nights ahvew been when we show bad movies where it is best if you have a runnning dialogue during the movie. So there is my rant on movie nights, but that has nothing to do with my actual idea.

What about setting up some nights up for the group to gather somewhere where some live muisc is being played to just chat about all things HT/ Stereo industry. Obviously, with the word chat thrown in there, I don't mean let's go to some concert where you can't hear more than a few feet from you, instead I mean gathering at a place that has just a nice relaxed vibe with a band playing, but not super loud, in the venue. A place where we can have a table to ourselves, sip on drinks, eat some food, chat and actually listen to some live music. From my experience, a place like Cedar Street Courtyard would work well in this regard, but I am sure there are several other places that would do. Elephant Room perhaps, Longbranch Inn, Central Market even, I don't know just some suggestions.

What do you guys think? Would you be willing to leave the house for some HT chat, food and drinks, plus the all important live music? For this type of function I am thinking once every other month or so, and it could be a weekend or a weekday soiree. Maybe even the almighty Happy Hour?

Sounds like a good plan to me im always up for some good food/drinks amongest friends and some good music also dont know how many gamers we have but also some kinda of LAN party or XBOX/PS2 CandyLand/Chutes and Ladders whatever tunes your fork.I know the last meet we had ended up with Nils driving the wrong way on some NASCAR game...ah Good Times
-Z

Scott,
I'd be more than happy to offer my Rotel 1066 for a shootout, although I'm not sure it's in the same class as the others, but it would be fun. I also seem to recall a potential meet to discuss HT-PC's (then again, my memory isn't what is used to be), which I think would also be a lot of fun. Finally, I believe that there has been some past events with some hands on construction/building which also sounds interesting. I'd be glad to offer my garage shop for any projects. I guess I'm easily entertained, so I'm sure this group will come up with something for the next meet.

Rich

Yeah Rich I know it is off in price fromt he others by a lot, but it also gives a good guage as to what improvements can be gained by spending a bit more money, if any. So it is a good ground item to build the test up from.

I wnet away from the HTPC and acoustics bldg. stuff, as we have had and or tried these meets in the past and they just do not bring up much interest. Mostly meets with these two items as the major theme end up being cancelled, so to me that says something about the true interest level in them. IMO

Anyhow folks keep the ideas coming lets get some momentum built up for a meet here. Place your opinion, processor shoot-out sound interesting, any other good ideas? Also if you know of a place that would be a good meeting place for my second suggestion, throw it out. A couple more I have come up with are the Nutty Brown Cafe and Freddie's Backyard as two good outdoor locations.

EVERYBODY: What has happened to our Austin group? Where are the core members? Doc and Igor, Colin, Big Dog, others?? All you who were in my garage building/watching the acoustic panels??

I've brought up the subject of another meet a couple of times in the last 6-9 months. Is everyone so complacent now that they've got their own personal haven system that they don't want to socialize and discuss gear, tweaks, improvements, MUSIC and MOVIES???

I am disappointed at our fizzled inertia. We once were looked up to (look at the number of hits) on this forum as leaders in a community of diverse people getting together for the love of music and movies and endeavoring to improve our equipment and environments to enhance that enjoyment and to socialize among friends of a kindred spirit.

Alas, I fear the end of an era is upon us and it saddens me.

Oh way to go Mr. Partypooper! Mr. Gloom and Doom! Now you've done it.

Hank's right. :frowning: Now where did I put that freakin' gun? I gotta go...

It was brought up before, but our meets were going very strong up until our fateful encounter with (excuse the Village reference) - "he whom we don't speak of"Interesting timing as I was recently told some interesting stats about our group's participation on HTF during the last four years (currently the stats only go back about four years, so the following stats do not include all our activity on HTF since Colin originally got things rolling many years ago):

29 = Number of Austin Threads in 'Meets' Forum
308 = Number of All Threads in 'Meets' Forum

6,277 = Number of Posts in Austin Threads
11,392 = Number of Posts in 'Meets' Forum

217,193 = Number of Views of Austin Threads
290,782 = Number of Views of all 'Meets' Forum Threads

120 = Number of Different HTF Members Posting in Austin Threads
+1,000 = Number of Different HTF Members Viewing Austin Threads

I was surprised how many different members have viewed our threads, and how even though our threads only account for 10% of all the 'Meets' Forum threads, our posts account for more than 50%, and they account for more than 75% of all the traffic to the 'Meets' Forum.

Besides the exorcism , I think what this group needs is more new members to liven up the group with new topics, equipment, HT rooms. Perhaps we might want to consider turning friends and colleagues on to our group and see who shows interest?

Yep, I'm spreading the word, hoping to attract new members, and believe, as Nils suggests, that is the way to recesitate this near-corpse.

Nils, - I don't think "he" scared people off - he did disappoint quite a bit though. The fall-off in interest and attendance, from my viewpoint, began as Poker grabbed a large number of our long-time members' attention. Yes, our downfall began with the rise of the poker bug. Now, I like an occasional Texas Hold-'em, but mainly for the camaraderie and chance to discuss movies and music.

Can poker and movie nights/HT meets co-exist? Not to be gloom and doom, but I believe the evidence speaks for itself. Most members are married, and neither HT meets nor poker are of great interest to most wives, so I think the guys are reluctant to devote too many nights per month to being out alone. Per month? Heck, that should be per quarter.

Okay, let's have an exorcism (want to do it at my house with a screening of "The Exorcist"?

Does Colin still exist? Is Igor permanently chained to the hidden basement under Doc's house?

Quick
I need a young priest and a old priest.. I know me and the wifey are in and im sure i can get my brother and a good friend of mine to join us as well as long as they are not working on the day we have it
-Z

Hank you are way overestimating poker's effect on the group.

Nils, Jonathan, you, and I attend most or all of the the HT and Poker nights, and we primarily are the only ones who do both on a regular basis. The rest of the guys from this forum who play poker have barely attended any HTF meets. Stogels has gone to one meet. Robert Z maybe one, Jeff B. one or two meets. etc. etc. Different folks are attracted to different things.

What I want to know are other folks interested in my meet idea? So far we have one affirmative from Rich. Speak up for once we have something a bit more definative I will send out an email the fifty or so folks I have in my database.

Keep in mind that I'm just coming at this from a spouses point of view and from my own personal taste as I put in my two cents. If the events were tailored to fit both husband and wife you might have more interest and increased attendence. That is of course if you want us wives around. As far as the movie nights go... personally for me I haven't shown interest because of the choices of movies. I promise if you have a movie I'm interested in seeing and I'm available, I'll be there. Okay, let me amend that. As long as Hank has fajitas, I like the movie choice, and I'm available, I'll be there.

Atta girl!!

Scott, I was merely telling of my observation. When Poker took hold, movie night and meet attendance waned. Coincidence? Maybe. Most probably, it's a combination of poker and diminished enthusiasm of movie nights and, especially, meets.

And, Scott, in answer to your post following this, I think my years of constructive posts (advice to newbies on the DIY forum) have earned me the right to complain about our drastic decrease in interest and attendance at meets and movie nights. There, that didn't waste bandwidth on an extra post

And I'll post again, does anyone else other than Rich like the idea of my processor shoot-out meet suggestion?

Lets proceed with the planning process for something (my idea or not) and stop this bemoaning, as it is just wasting bandwidth.

I don't mind you guys that do poker nights. I never played poker and even all my buds at work play it, but they do it to gamble for money. There is even a guy here at work that gamble w/ the other folks at my work place and all he does is complain he got wacked out of all his money and then has greif about it at work towards the one's he plays with. It's just not my kind of crowd. As for me, I don't gamble. Heck I don't even believe in the Texas Lotto

I am always down for movie nights and meets. My main problem at this time is the fact that my wife works weekends and I have to my 2-kids w/ me. So if I ever throw a movie night, it will have to be a MOVIE DAY!! and you have to mind little ones @ that.

Hank does Fajitas? Heck I make the bomb a$$ hot catfish Cubion.

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Hank, I'm not sure what a hovie night is, but I'll try anything twice, count me in.

Scott, I don't see much interest in your shootout, but I'm interested. Obviously with my HTPC I can't offer a pre/pro for the shootout, but Claude, who hosted a meet previously, recently got an Anthem AVM20. I might be able to talk him into offering it up for comparison. He says it is an improvement over his B&K Ref 30.

I think part of the reason for the drop off in interest may just be because people don't pay as much attention to this board as they used to. We went from a large group of semi-regular posters to a small group of frequent posters. I think there is a direct correlation between the number of people actively reading these threads and the number of people who show up for meets. I don't know if the drop off was caused by the rise in poker talk, or if it was just people's lives getting too busy (crazy people with kids!). But I digress...

I am working on a listening test of lossy compression methods vs. lossless. I'm slowly building a media library on my HTPC of all my CDs compressed in FLAC. At some point the in the future I also plan to get a portable digital audio player (probably an iAudio X5) and I'll want to transcode the FLAC files into a lossy format to fit on the X5's smaller harddrive. Soooo, I want to do a listening test of OGG, MP3, AAC, and WMA formats to see which one is the best and if I can determine the difference between a high quality lossy file and a redbook CD track. I was planning on doing this alone, but if anyone is interested in torturing themselves through hours of ABX testing, feel free to join me.

Hey guys. I'll make my Krell Showcase Processor up for the shoot-out. I would like to hear how it sounds outside of my room, with other equipment.

Greg

Cool thanks Greg and Rich for offering them up.

So I guess we have a bit of interest started, I will email everyone and notify them of this thread and hopefully get some more interest and shoot-out participants offered up.

any new news? anyone Bueller?