California Audio Show – Oakland, July 28-30, 2017
The California Audio Show will be celebrating its 7th year when it opens its doors on July 28th at the Hilton Oakland Airport in Oakland, CA. The Bay Area’s only show skipped a year as organizers paused. The show is the brainchild of Constantine Soo, publisher of Dagogo. While smaller than either the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest or the new LA Audio Show, CAS7 will give attendees the change to spend time with manufacturers and hear some truly impressive gear. The large Von Schweikert room was a standout at the recent LA Audio Show and should not be missed. Also on site will be a new version of American Made Audio member Burwell & Sons neo-vintage horn speakers. From the show organizers:
“We have 22 Exhibits this year, among them are 9 large rooms featuring mega speaker systems, such as: Acapella Audio Arts Cellini (Boardroom V), Genesis Advanced Technologies Maestro (Boardroom I, official U.S. debut), MartinLogan Neolith (Forum Room), Sound Lab Ultimate 545 (Boardroom IV, official U.S. debut), and Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 11 (California Room, Bldg IV).
The other four large rooms are no less impressive, flaunting feats such as the official launches of Burwell & Sons Plain Jane, PureAudioProject Quintet15, the Margules Group Orpheus, and a Zu Audio Druid VI-based powered subwoofer, a 140-pounder called “Presence,” all having its debut. The 13 Standard Room Exhibits feature a complete Audio Note UK system, the exciting debut of the Tannoy Eaton bookshelf, an Exogal Comet/Ion PowerDAC system so highly praised by senior reviewer Doug Schroeder that it is bound to make serious music with the MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A!”
American Made Audio will be on site – it’s our home turf. Locals should be sure to look out for members of the excellent San Francisco Audio Society. For those with extra time, be sure to visit some of the East Bay’s best record stores and retailers:
- 1-2-3-4-GO! specializes in punk, but has a wide array of indie, rock and jazz.
- Groove Yard Records is dedicated exclusively to jazz, and the stacked bins always have gems in them. Rick Ballard was the original imorter of ECM records to the United States and is always willing to share his passion.
- Stranded showcases a curated collection of rock, jazz, electronica, ambient and experimental records in Oakland’s Lake District.
- Nearby are the big two in Berkeley: Amoeba and Rasputin: larger stores with large selections and a mix of new and vintage vinyl.
- High-end retailers Music Lover’s and AudioVisionSF are also local stalwarts, and are likely behind several of the rooms (but are not listed).
California Audio Show Details
July 28-30, 2017
Fri, Sat, 10a-6p, Sun, 10a-4p
Location: Hilton Oakland Airport
1 Hegenberger, Oakland, CA 94621
Ticket Price: $20.00 at the door
18 yrs and under : Free
19-25 yrs with ID : $5/day
Hotel Parking $8 all day (with validation)
800+ parking spots
I’m interested in what equipment is being demo’d in the various rooms. I can’t find this info anywhere. E.g., what Magnepans are being demo’d? Are any Audeze headphones being demo’d? Are any AirMotiv • Emotiva speakers being demo’d? Can anyone help? Why isn’t this listed anywhere on the site?
The best way to find out is to ask the manufacturers, but even then, you’ll not know for sure unless you go to the show. Why is this? While some manufacturers will announce ahead of time what they are planning on bringing, they often make changes at the last minute. Sometimes this is due to new products, or different marketing priorities, but often due to shipping problems like damaged goods, or changes once they get into the room and hear its acoustics. Also, a lot of makers of individual products will show with other goods from other manufacturers that they don’t know much about, or are from their personal collections. You’ll see a lot of PS Audio and Pass Labs amps because makers of other gear own these themselves and think they sound good – but they don’t always promote them because the focus is their own gear.
I did notice that there will be some Audeze headphones for demo, but the specific models weren’t mentioned.