How many shows or bake offs have you been to?

Don't attend shows, find them fucking pointless, IMO. Much prefer bake offs.

S.

Interesting to see the different viewpoints. Bake offs wouldn’t really interest me because I don’t particularly value comparative listening. I’m also not a social/sociable sort, so I don’t really enjoy meeting people. That’s what I liked about the old shows. You could hear lots of stuff and remain anonymous. I’m glad I made the effort in a “golden era” of the industry. Maybe it’s an age thing but I’m not sure i would travel all the way to Heathrow today, even if the show was as big and impressive as the old ones were.

Been to loads of shows, but not bothered for over twenty years. Never been to a bake off.

I know the original term 'bake off' implied some sort of competition but aside from a couple that were convened to specifically try various models of whatever, mostly the ones I have been to it has been either just either people demming their entire systems or making up mix and match systems with whatever people have brought along. At MiBO we didn't do any formal comparisons at all and of all the NEBOs I went to I can recall just two: pre-amps and phono stages. And that only took up a couple of hours out of a 12 hour day. 

Actually, I tend to own gear nobody else is likely to use or in some cases even have heard of, so a bake off at my place might be interesting. Shame I'm not likely to be doing one. 

I suppose there is a downside which is that if I had never gone to bake-offs I would have stopped working on my system years ago as it was already on a par with the best I've heard at shows (barring a couple of stupid money set-ups).

Bake-offs opened my eyes to the fact that there is a whole higher level of sound quality that it is possible to get to. The imaging and soundstage on Gordon's system for example, I've not heard anything like that ever, not even in a studio. Everyone there was pretty much of the same opinion so it wasn't just me.

Also heard some user-modified turntables that were so far ahead of the storebought versions it wasn't funny. A TD160 that sounded better than 100K super deck? Yes. A Rega that had been so modified you could not tell what it was any more, with the bearing shaft polished so fine you had to put your face 1 inch from the platter to see if it was actually spinning. You don't get any of that at a commercial show.

🤣🤣

I'm happy to hold a bakeoff anytime but haven't got the room for more than one other person, which is a shame.

I do make the effort to visit as many folks as possible and that has been great fun and incredibly eye opening. As Macca said, it's a path which costs a lot of money because once you've heard something you like, it's difficult to go back.

Anyone is welcome here, shout up if you want to visit!

Bake offs.....

I would luv to attend.....Alas im stuck in the Highlands of Scotland where the locals pay more attention to sheep shagging, beer drinking, and fighting,

IT JUST AINT FAIR.



THIS PASSTIME COULD KILL YA.......THANK FUK IM RICHER THAN RUDI.

Bet there wouldn't be a winner though. They'd both be great, but different! 

Just noticed I'm a 'forum stalwart' now. I think that means I'm a fat bastard doesn't it  ? 

I'd rather not! 

Do you get any updates on your Radford or is it just a case of being told when it’s done?

lol
to laugh at audiofools

I go to Bristol most years for a boys out with my Dad. Have to say that the last two years were pretty crap.