In the
first part of our review, we began to talk about interesting exhibitions of audio and video equipment taking place around the world. Today - we continue to acquaint you with the most famous events in the field of Hi-Fi industry and musical equipment.
/ photo from our reportage from the exhibition Munich High End Show 2018Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA)
The exhibition of electronics and home appliances IFA is one of the oldest in Europe. Its history begins in December 1924, when the first international exhibition devoted to new products in the field of radio equipment was held in Berlin. The event quickly became popular and became annual. From the very beginning, IFA was interested not only in experts in radio engineering, but also in scientists: in 1930, Albert Einstein gave a welcoming speech at the opening. The exhibition had a wide coverage and in the twenties attracted up to two hundred thousand visitors. It is not surprising that many world manufacturers presented their inventions here, among them: a
magnetic recording device (AEG) and the world's first audio cassette (Philips Electronics Corporation).
Currently, the exhibition is held annually in Berlin and is divided into 6 main areas, one of them - IFA Audio Entertainment. It is dedicated to the achievements in the field of Hi-Fi equipment, loudspeakers and sound amplifiers. Among the latest premieres: the presentation of Sony's powerful MHC-V90DW audio system with an impressive
height of 170 cm .
One of the most interesting audio
products at IFA last year was the
JBL Soundgear . The gadget is a combination of a portable speaker and a hands-free headset, and looks like an inflatable neck pillow that we use when traveling. The weight of the device is 349 grams, it is easy to put on and allows you to listen to music content and answer calls. The device definitely resembles something noticeably improved version of the "tape recorder on the shoulder," although initially conceived as a gadget, working in tandem with the TV and allows you to achieve "immersive" sound.
Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Another show with a rich history is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is held annually in Las Vegas. The first CES took place in 1967 as part of the Chicago Music Show, the largest consumer electronics exhibition at the time. The main event, which at that time brought together more than a hundred participants, was the announcement of televisions on integrated circuits. To date, the list of technical innovations presented at the exhibition at different times
occupies most of the CES page on Wikipedia. Among them are well-known audio media - CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. Look at the CES exhibits from 1967 on
unique historical photographs published by The Verge online edition.
In 2018, the exhibition gathered more than 4 thousand companies and 180 thousand people. One of the audio trends of the exhibition was “new retro”: from jukeboxes to cassette players. She pleased fans of vinyl with absolutely new and updated models of players in an interesting design. At CES, for example, the Pro-Ject VT-E BT vertical wireless player with an integrated Bluetooth module was introduced. You can listen to and watch audio clips in more detail in John Atkinson's detailed
video review (John Atkinson), editor of Stereophile magazine.
CanJam
Among the exhibitions dedicated to a particular kind of audio equipment, you can call
CanJam , which specializes in portable acoustics, headphones and accessories for them. The exhibition is organized by the online community
Head-Fi.org and takes place at different times of the year in New York, Singapore, Los Angeles, London, Denver, and Shanghai. At the exhibition, well-known manufacturers (JH Audio, Astell & Kern, Audeze, etc.) share their inventions, and there are many listening stations.
One of the coolest new products on the show, already passed in 2018, was the
Shanling M0
nano- player (gadget weights 38 grams), Voce electrostatic headphones, and
Empyrean headphones with Isodynamic Hybrid Array technology.
/ thematic section of our " World Hi-Fi "The Internet publication The Verge
calls CanJam "an event where headphone lovers meet their idols." At the exhibition, you can talk with people who determine the future of the industry: Rob Watts, the creator of the
Chord Mojo digital-analog converter; Dan Clark, engineer and creator of the famous brand of headphones MrSpeakers and many others.
NAMM Musikmesse Russia
The exhibition is dedicated to musical instruments and accessories and has been held in Russia since 2012. The organizers are the Russian office of the company Messe Frankfurt and the American Musical Instrument Manufacturers Association (NAMM). Each of these organizations holds other specialized events - Musikmesse in Frankfurt am Main and the NAMM Show in Anaheim. Every year, these major exhibitions devoted to musical instruments and equipment are visited by tens of thousands of people. In order to orient the audience, the NAMM organizers distribute the participant’s reference book, and
The Music Trades music publication publishes special editions of magazines dedicated to the exhibition.
NAMM Musikmesse Russia is also popular with fans of audio and musical instruments. Last year more than 30 thousand people visited it and about 140 brands were represented. The theme of the pavilions was devoted both to the equipment of individual companies (for example, Yamaha) and certain musical instruments (Pavilion Classique, Drummers United).
The exhibition is aimed not only at developing business and strengthening partnerships, but also at promoting music education. Within its framework, master classes are held from teachers of conservatories and famous musicians. For example, at the first exhibition you could listen to the sound of famous models of Gibson guitars performed by Ryan Roxy, as well as get an autograph by virtuoso guitarist Zach Wilde.
NAMM Musikmesse Russia runs alongside Prolight + Sound NAMM. The direction of this exhibition is light and sound equipment, as well as equipment for events. Among the companies that present their inventions at the exhibition are: MixArt Distribution, Asia Music, SiM Group, ChainMaster, LTM, etc.
Last year, special technical tours were conducted for sound and lighting professionals (sound engineers, lighting designers, theater engineers) so that visitors could get acquainted with the new products and create a full impression of the exhibition. In Russia, specialists of the largest theaters and educational institutions in the field of film production, theater and music
take part in the events of the exhibition: the State Academic Bolshoi Theater, the VGIK, the Moscow State Conservatory named after PI Tchaikovsky and others.
Additional reading on the topic: