Seminars

Join our distinguished panel with over 200 years of cumulative audio experience as they share their thoughts on where the industry has been, its current state and future direction (s). Our panel drawn from the ranks of audio manufacturing, retailing and journalism will discuss among other topics the future role of audio retailers, product development, new technology on the horizon, audio shows, marketing and industry growth, music and more in driving the industry over the next decade. Be sure to bring your questions as we anticipate a lively question and answer session!

Join us for a rare opportunity to meet some of the greatest living legends of high-end audio in this lively panel discussion moderated by Robert Harley, Editor-in-Chief of The Absolute Sound. Hear firsthand how these pioneers started their iconic companies, what they think of the state of high-end audio today, and where the industry is heading. The discussion will include Q&A from the audience.

Ever wonder how your favorite recordings were made? The process of making music mixes art and technology, and there’s no better team to share a behind the scenes look than the award-winning duo Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz.  Throughout their careers, Jim and Ulrike have pushed the sound quality standards to the next level and developed their own technology to release brilliantly-recorded records in multiple formats. Their most recent project, Patricia Barber’s Clique!, was recorded, mixed, and produced in Digital eXtreme Definition (352.8kHz/24bit). The critically acclaimed recording is nominated for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 64th Grammy Awards as it renders every inflection of renowned jazz star Patricia Barber’s voice with astounding presence and clarity, perfectly complementing her nuance in ways that continue to redefine the standards of sound.

Join Jim and Ulrike for a presentation on recording in High Resolution DXD before a fireside chat with audio  journalist Michael Fremer. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and listen to a preview of Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz's "state of the art sonics" (The Absolute Sound).

Bonus Sessions!

Friday 4/22:

2:15-3:15 PM: Fireside Chat, Seminar Room 
4:00-5:00 PM: Playback Session,  Quintessence Knowledge Room 
5:00-6:00 PM Playback Session CAT Nirvana C 

Saturday 4/23:

10:30-11:30 AM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C 
12:00-1:00 PM: Creation Story Clique!, Quintessence Knowledge Room
2:00-3:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C
3:15-3:45 PM: Short Playback, Luxman/Magico Prosperity
4:00-5:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C

Sunday 4/24:

11:00-12:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C 
12:15-12:45 PM: Short Playback, Luxman/Magico Prosperity
1:00-2:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C 
3:00-3:30 PM: Short Playback, Luxman/Magico Prosperity

 

Hearing a great song or album composed by legendary musicians like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Springsteen is something we all cherish. But who, exactly, controls the rights to these lucrative, culturally significant works? And what does it mean for fans when they hear the news that artists have sold their catalog? Recent years have seen an explosion in the trend of artists selling intellectual property to powerful entities such as Sony, Universal Music, and Hipgnosis. This seminar will discuss the current wave of sales and acquisitions, the history of this development, and what impact it could have on royalties, licensing, and the specific songs that fans can stream on services like TIDAL, Qobuz, and Apple Music.

Whether you’re dreaming up a new Listening Room or looking to fix a Listening Room gone wrong, hear from the Pro’s on the Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to acoustic and interior design. Building a dedicated space for listening is the ultimate dream for any audiophile and music lover. But how do you know the room will sound good? There are steps you can take to improve your room's performance from layout to gear set up and placement to flooring to padded walls and everything in between. Join Dave Malekpour, president of Malekpour Design Partners and Pro Audio Design (and US/CAN distributor of TAD Labs products), with 30+ years of experience designing high-level recording studios worldwide and Luis Roquette Valdez, Managing Director of Jocavi Acoustic Panels, founded on Acoustic Engineering, Predictive Modeling and Architetcural Acoustics and Carly Moeller of Unpatterned, registered interior designer and licensed architect in Illinois with a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as they explore the essentials, and some important details, of creating great sounding and visually engaging high-performance Listening Rooms.

In this one hour "hands on" seminar you will learn how to correctly set-up a turntable, install a cartridge and optimize its performance. A question and answer period follows, time permitting.

Audio Reviews! We rely on them, not only for entertainment, but to assist in purchasing decisions, and to learn about what’s new. At their best, audio reviews can do even more: they can provoke us to examine our own personal audio experiences by comparing them to those of the reviewer’s. Over time, reviewer-reader relationships can become quite intimate: morphing into powerful tools that assist us with refining our understanding while developing our own personal audio aesthetic.

Fortunately, reviewers are all different. Their personalities, methods, and viewpoints, are as personal as their fingerprint. As readers we naturally connect with some more than others.

This seminar will provide an opportunity for a range of audio reviewer’s to explain a little about who they are as people, how they do their job, and what they wish consumers knew. Most importantly, it will present an opportunity for audiophiles to ask those questions they wish they could have asked while reading the reviews.

There are a lot of misconceptions of what goes into a great sounding record. We will show you the process of how a record gets made and discuss what makes a pressing sound superior. We will discuss where things can go wrong in the process and how a pressing plant can remedy the situation. In addition we will also outline the limitations of the process and how everything has to precisely come together to make a quality record.

Speaker: Andy Weber, Smashed Plastic

Everything in high-end audio is a compromise. No typology is best at everything. Every typology has its advantages and disadvantages. Digital is no different.

I’m going to attempt to explain each technology in layman’s terms so that all of you can decide for yourselves what compromises you want to make.

Speaker: Arjuna Das, Owner, Mojo Audio

Powered speakers have always encountered resistance by audio aficionados. However, shifts in lifestyle, technology, and media have created incredible category momentum, convincing enthusiasts not only of their viability, but even their superiority to traditional systems. This session will explore the principles, perceived advantages, and various designs of powered speakers.

Speaker: 

Jason Zidle, Brand Manager (North America), DALI Loudspeakers

Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, Audiodo™ utilizes the science of sound to provide a never-heard-before audio experience. Developed by innovators with a passion for music and over 30 years of experience in acoustical algorithms, Audiodo Personal Sound™ uses digital signal processing to give every music lover the best experience, personalized for them.

Speaker: Ajay Misra, Sales Director at Audiodo Personal Sound™

Optimization of turntable performance is 100% geometry and physics. There are three axes to be concerned with when optimizing: azimuth, rake and zenith error. While the ideal angle of one of these three parameters requires further research, two of them have alignment targets that are beyond debate. The question is: How to get them aligned perfectly? When a cartridge is not aligned perfectly, what happens and what will be missing from its performance? What are we giving up by aligning cartridges using test records or alignment by ear?

Speaker: J.R. Boisclair, WAM Engineering, WallyTools

The class will present the difference between the two methods of acoustically treating a room . Covering the advantage and disadvantage of both thoughts today.

Our hope is to show what is the best method for your room . How to accomplish this in the simplest possible way, while remaining faithful to the original instrument signatures .

Speaker: Bruce Jacobs, National / International Sales at Stillpoints.us & Owner of Audio Design & Marketing LLC

Does a simple internet speed test tell the whole story? Is your home Wi-Fi network good enough for all your wireless devices, including your beloved Hi-Fi? Join Bluesound’s Marshall Currier as he walks you through the various types of home networks, common setup mistakes, upgrade considerations, and more!

Speaker: Marshall Currier, National Trainer, Lenbrook America

The session will first review how records are made and where even with cleaning solutions and current processes, will explain why are records are only surface cleaned at best. Why use distilled water will be answered.

Review of various cleaning methods and results, simple illustrations why current ultrasonic designs fail and discover how one can test an ultrasonic test to determine what to look out for and how record composition and release agent comes into play.

Speaker: Charles Kirmuss, Founder, CEO, Kirmus Audio

David Solomon from Qobuz will talk about getting the best performance from streaming non-adaptive, Hi Res music and how to get the best performance at home and on the road.

Streaming is arguably the most convenient method of audio delivery today. Learn about Qobuz and their features: music selection, audio quality and more. Then discover which streaming configuration (apps, connect, dedicated streaming hardware, etc.) is best for your needs.

Speaker: David Solomon, Hi Res Music Evangelist / VP Business Development, Qobuz

Learn about the MQA content creation process for recorded and live music, and why award-wining mastering engineers work with MQA tools within the recording and remastering process. Insights around why this makes a difference when listening back on your hi-fi system at home. Presentation will include ‘The Montreux Years: a case study of live MQA recordings’.

Speaker: Spencer Chrislu, Director, Content Services, MQA Ltd.

(This session will be presented virtually)

Optimization of turntable performance is 100% geometry and physics. There are three axes to be concerned with when optimizing: azimuth, rake and zenith error. While the ideal angle of one of these three parameters requires further research, two of them have alignment targets that are beyond debate. The question is: How to get them aligned perfectly? When a cartridge is not aligned perfectly, what happens and what will be missing from its performance? What are we giving up by aligning cartridges using test records or alignment by ear?

Speaker: J.R. Boisclair, WAM Engineering, WallyTools

Dave Morrison Founder/President of IsoAcoustics Inc. discusses the interaction between speakers/audio equipment and the supporting surface, the acoustic impact, and testing at the NRC in Ottawa.

Speaker: Dave Morrison Founder/President of IsoAcoustics Inc

The session will first review how records are made and where even with cleaning solutions and current processes, will explain why are records are only surface cleaned at best. Why use distilled water will be answered.

Review of various cleaning methods and results, simple illustrations why current ultrasonic designs fail and discover how one can test an ultrasonic test to determine what to look out for and how record composition and release agent comes into play.

Speaker: Charles Kirmuss, Founder, CEO, Kirmus Audio