G2Gs and Raves: How Do You Run a Successful First Audio Meet At Your House?

[Barry (NJ)]

I've not been to a Syndrome meeting yet, I'd like to get to one, but the fact that they're held on Friday evenings, across two rivers, makes it a bit difficult for me. I've been to a number of Raves, they're GREAT! I think the listening quality really depends on the size of the gathering. Get 20-30 guys together for a day and the listening can be difficult, IMHO there're just to many people around for it to be conducive to a good listening environment, but it's still great fun to gather with the guys do some casual listening and enjoy one another's company. Now a Rave with 5-10 guys with a bunch of gear is great for listening and socializing. I actually find it better for both, it's less frenetic so you can listen to the gear more intently, and also more intimate so you can get to know the few guys that are around, better.  I find conversation easier when the crowd is smaller. Just my 2¢

[richidoo]

Oh, and did I mention, D - you're not getting your speakers back!

Deepak, so your speakers and amp are out on loan? Mighty generous..  Hopefully you are not sitting in silence...   

[shadowlight]

Oh, and did I mention, D - you're not getting your speakers back!

Deepak, so your speakers and amp are out on loan? Mighty generous..  Hopefully you are not sitting in silence...   

Just returning the favor that other RAVE members have shown towards me.  I have a Onix A-120 interated which is good enough for the hr or so of listening session that I get on a daily basis.

[shadowlight]

Oh, and did I mention, D - you're not getting your speakers back!

Crap, I knew that was going to happen .

[mfsoa]

One thing that helped me with my 4 Raves, is my wife and some of her crazy friends.

If you don't have anyone to help out, be prepared to be doing more hosting than listening.

It's ironic - the host gets to set the rules ("DAC shootout" /  "monitor shootout" etc.) and then gets no chance to listen to anything!

And don't expect your system, carefully crafted with years of love and devotion, to stay intact for long (unless you are very good at battling entropy) In fact, many of the attendees will never get to hear your system as you hoped they would.

-Mike

[etcarroll]

Oh, and did I mention, D - you're not getting your speakers back!

Deepak, so your speakers and amp are out on loan? Mighty generous..  Hopefully you are not sitting in silence...   

Silence ??? He has a wife and 2 daughters.

[etcarroll]

Oh, and did I mention, D - you're not getting your speakers back!

Crap, I knew that was going to happen .

You know, they're great for rock and big symphonic pieces, but I'm not sure they're the thing for intimate combos like 50's era jazz, so you will get them back.

[tmazz]

But I like the free-form nature of the Rave vs. an agenda driven meeting. Music is organic, and the equipment carrying it needs to allow it to flow unfettered, as you may be surprised where it will take you, possibly someplace brand spanking new you never expected. I can see value in an agenda driven meet if you have a manufacturer present, or folks who spent money to be present with an expectation to experience some specific setup/music presentation. Otherwise, let it rip, and swap the gear!

Both formats works as is evidenced by the fact that both groups are thriving.

And I also think that the successful operation of audio clubs like these will be increasingly important to the industry as the demise of traditional high end brick and mortar stores is really starting to limit our ability to audition new equipment. Whereas club meeting used to be a way to supplement dealer demos, now they are starting to replace them. 

In addition to the reasons you mentioned the agenda drive format has also worked well for the syndrome because of the time frame we have for our meetings. You simply cannot go through some of the chaos that comes with large scale equipment swaps and still expect to get anything accomplished in a 2-3 hour meeting. I think another reason the Syndrome has stuck primarily with Friday nights is that many of our members could not deal with all day events on the weekend because of work and family obligations (and many of the ones who can end up going to raves as well  )

[mac5u]

Thanks, guys, for the input and terrific suggestions. 

I think my house will be conducive to a meeting.  There is a moderate-sized room upstairs for listening as well as a larger family room downstairs to listen to other gear.  The living room and the deck would make for convenient places to gather but not get in the way of those who want to listen.

Music.  Wow, I am just thinking about how limited (in terms of number and scope) my music collection is.  And no vinyl. Oh well, I have to start somewhere.

I don't have to worry about gear-swapping as my system is not even close to being finely honed.  And that, to be honest, is the thing that concerns me the most:  Holding a meeting and having bad sound.  I have not been to a meeting ever, and the only auditioning I have ever done has been at local B&M establishments that certainly weren't set-up properly.  So what do I know about really good sound or how good things can really get?  Synergy?  Still looking for it.

Well, I can get over that.  Certainly spending some time beforehand with speaker set-up will go a long way but not much in the way of room treatments will only take things so far.  From there, I can just take in the comments and critiques that others would bring and learn from it.

The other thing that interests me is inviting (convincing) some manufacturers to come and present gear after I get the first one or two gatherings out of the way.  We do have a few of them in the Carolinas. 

Fun.  Food. Drinks.  Music.  Space.  I can do all that and let the rest follow...

[tmazz]

Thanks, guys, for the input and terrific suggestions. 

I don't have to worry about gear-swapping as my system is not even close to being finely honed.  And that, to be honest, is the thing that concerns me the most:  Holding a meeting and having bad sound. 

Hey maybe there is an idea for part of your G2G. You can make it a kind of "Pimp My System" meeting.
You can even make it a pre-meeting session and send out an announcement that the G@G will start at 3  but if anyone would like to come over and help me fine tune my setup a little beforehand we will start the tweeking session at 1 (or something like that.) I would bet that a few of the local guys would be more than willing to give you a hand. (They get to play with new toys and it doesn't cost them and cost them anything. A good way to feed your Hi-Fi jones. )

[mfsoa]

Sometimes it's more fun to start w/ less than stellar sound -

At my GTGs I have an ad-hoc room where we just throw together maybe some spare gear I have but mostly just whatever people bring along.

It's fascinating (you know, the kind of things audiophiles think are fascinating) to hear the system evolve throughout the day, usually to become very satisfying!

-Mike

[mac5u]

Thanks, guys, for the input and terrific suggestions. 

I don't have to worry about gear-swapping as my system is not even close to being finely honed.  And that, to be honest, is the thing that concerns me the most:  Holding a meeting and having bad sound. 

Hey maybe there is an idea for part of your G2G. You can make it a kind of "Pimp My System" meeting.
You can even make it a pre-meeting session and send out an announcement that the G@G will start at 3  but if anyone would like to come over and help me fine tune my setup a little beforehand we will start the tweeking session at 1 (or something like that.) I would bet that a few of the local guys would be more than willing to give you a hand. (They get to play with new toys and it doesn't cost them and cost them anything. A good way to feed your Hi-Fi jones. )

tmazz, I had thought of that and wondered what kind of reaction I would get.  I'll definitely do that when the time comes and we'll see what happens.