Issue 61    October 2008
Editorial By Roy Gregory

  Well, if the London show proved anything, it was to vindicate our decision to run our demonstrations across the road at the Renaissance. One of the prime considerations, every time we select the venue for one of the magazine's presentations, is sound quality — and the Park Inn isn't blessed with a large number of good sounding rooms that will accommodate a reasonable number of listeners. By going with the tried and trusted rooms in what used to be the Penta, the result was a worthwhile experience for all those who made the short trip across the Bath Road. I'll cover the demonstration's specifics in greater detail in the next issue, but first and foremost, a heartfelt thanks to all those who made the effort to visit and were so warm in their appreciation for our efforts. In fact, the differences demonstrated were so obvious that apparently, certain forum members are accusing us of rigging the results! To which the response is simple - how and why? What we did was completely transparent and open to inspection. It's also completely repeatable — in your own home and in your own system. If you choose to ignore that fact, then that's up to you...

But of far greater concern was the overall response to the show. According to the girls on our stand, the overwhelming reaction from visitors who'd been to our demonstration and the other rooms at the Renaissance was a variation on the theme of, "Why do the systems over there (in the Renaissance) sound so good, while the one's over here (in the Park Inn) sound so bad?" The answer, of course, is that the rooms are better - but more importantly still, the smaller number of exhibitors meant that rooms could be spaced out, creating lower levels of noise pollution and a much more relaxed environment. The lesson here is simple; even if the industry seems to have forgotten that sound matters and quality counts, the public hasn't - which probably helps explain the drop in show attendance. If we want better shows we need better venues and we need more companies to make a greater effort when it comes to giving people what they expect. The days of simply setting up a system and playing a bit of music are long gone. As the Wilson room at the Park Inn proved (the one honourable exception to the barrage of disgruntled complaints) we can - and should - do better.