Any Raves Scheduled for the Summer ??

[BobM]

Maybe Oct. 19th?

Hey Mike, please give yourself enough time to set things up and burn things in. It was unfortunate that the cartridge you were using last time was so new. I'm sure it sounded far better with some more hours on it. One of the few times I think you will even admit the digital sounded better 

[machinehead]

I have sprayed pro gold on my balls and am ready for ANY rave! 

[rollo]

Honestly I don't think raves are good place for Manufacturers to showcase their gear.
We have the NJ Audio Society , the NY Audiophile Society , the Connecticut Audio Society, these guys have scheduled meetings, with formats. That is where a manufacturer should send a piece for people to hear.
Raves are parties for people to eat drink and BS, manuf's are ill served if they are hoping to sell gear at a rave.

If you want to really understand a piece it has to be in your system, having everyone hear a piece in a strange system may give you an idea, and that idea may translate well into your system, or not. But you really won't know unless you try it in your system, and not with a bunch of people eating and drinking and talking all over the house.

That is my opinion, raves are parties to show off our systems, and to get everyone together and socialize, and you know what?...they are a lot of fun.

Perhaps they will come back again, I hope to do one in Sept or October, and it will be vinyl and PC audio only

  First let me start off with I agree 100% that Raves are a social event more than a critical listening event. Yes they are lots of fun.
 
   I think the problem got down to WHO was going to bring gear. Clicks began to form and personalities just got in the way.
  As an original Raver I started going when Levi would host it was a gas. I believe Boris of Vista fame and Phil were the only Manf/dealer involved. They demonstrated their gear with no issues. As the Rave grew and more attended some were manfs/dealers. Some were Ravers before they were Manf/dealers. So all of a sudden they have agendas to sell their wares to other Ravers. I don't think so. If they did it was at a VG price.
    On a personal note we have built our business around home demo. That is what we do. Showing at Raves  is a nice courtesy extended to its Ravers by hosts. It is not about sales it is about exposing new gear to our fellow Ravers.
   In the future the host should determine who/what will be there. If one wants to help a friend demo their wares great. If we just enjoy the system at hand great.
  Having a good time is the key not selling gear. When we came to your last Rave four dealer/manf were there. Slagle, Kaplan,  Wes and GTAudio Works. You even did a cable demo. Hey no problem for me Kaplans' cables were a pleasure to hear.
   We can all get along and Rave away we just need hosts.


charles
   
   
   
 
   

[machinehead]

I would like to apologize for my obvious attempt to push the product Pro Gold on yall per my last post.... I am not just a Pro gold owner, Im bald and have been wearing a long hair wig for as long as I can remember. 

[BobM]

Please don't elaborate on where that wig is placed on your body. Inquiring minds really don't want to know.

[machinehead]

hahahahahahahaha... so funny Bob!

[topround]

I'll be blunt and honest and say what I believe. Others may feel different.
Please take what I say with a tone of love and joy and friendliness. Tone can be hard to discern in a digital format but the tone here is LOVE!

People bring gear to raves, usually it is gear they own, or are borrowing. Chris is famous for bringing gear, and almost always did. He rarely brings gear now because I think he ran out of gear to bring, and most people have heard what he has brought several times.

Charles in your case everyone has heard the Arion amps several times and if anyone was going to buy them they would have already. Same goes for the Merrill amps, if any of us wanted to buy them(or could afford them) they would have bought them  already.

We mentioned doing raves by invite. This is a little strange for me. I think everyone is equal and all should be invited. If you do not have the room that is another question, and mini rave is more appropriate. But if you pick or choose who can come some will be offended. We all form into clicks, by nature, by the type of music we like, by location, lots of reasons to become friends with people.  So there is no easy answer to how to do it. I know I have no idea what to do. I would invite everyone to my rave. I really like Emils idea about a gift for the wife.

At my rave I used Kaplan cables, this is something i wanted to do but it also bothered me that I knew I was offending my friend Triode Pete. No offense was ever intended, but I know I would have felt a littlle slighted. Pete is a bigger man than me and handled it as a true gentleman, and I am glad to know him, a real standup guy.

I also did not want any amps at my rave, because I did not want it to be a sales opportunity,it was my rave and I wanted to play with what interested me.
Did i offend Pete and Charles and Merrill? To some degree yes.
As a host that is a sucky feeling.
Boris or Phil never allowed anyone to have that sucky feeling, in fact for the longest time I never believed Phil held raves to sell gear, I just thought he liked our company! I certainly liked his!

So I am saying as a host, when your friends become involved in the business aspect of the hobby, it takes a bit of the fun away from it, and we have to tread carefully.
Perhaps in the past you would bring a piece of gear you were using or one that was lying around. As a dealer the ONLY piece of gear you will bring is what you sell, and that limits the fun we have as audiophiles

It is fun to say a hosts system sucks or his amp sucks or whatever. It is nice to have the freedom to be honest, and when your friends are in the business you have to be quiet on certain issues.

So Charles, Pete, Merrill, as a host it hurt me to stop you from bringing your gear. I felt guilty, when I really shouldn't have to feel guilt.

In the end what i am saying is stop humpin those amps around unless someone wants to hear them, there are 30 -50 of us in the groups, certainly your business model is based on a much broader demographic.....no?

Be more audiophile and less salesman, because we are an audiophile group.

Again remember the tone. I am not trying to knock anyone just trying to express what I feel about the subject, because if the same people bring the same stuff over and over again it gets boring.
That why I like full raves, so many people eating and drinking it becomes a social event, not a sales event or opportunity, no one comes to a rave shopping for anything

Remember the tone....love

peace out

[Triode Pete]

I'll be blunt and honest and say what I believe. Others may feel different.
Please take what I say with a tone of love and joy and friendliness. Tone can be hard to discern in a digital format but the tone here is LOVE!

People bring gear to raves, usually it is gear they own, or are borrowing. Chris is famous for bringing gear, and almost always did. He rarely brings gear now because I think he ran out of gear to bring, and most people have heard what he has brought several times.

Charles in your case everyone has heard the Arion amps several times and if anyone was going to buy them they would have already. Same goes for the Merrill amps, if any of us wanted to buy them(or could afford them) they would have bought them  already.

We mentioned doing raves by invite. This is a little strange for me. I think everyone is equal and all should be invited. If you do not have the room that is another question, and mini rave is more appropriate. But if you pick or choose who can come some will be offended. We all form into clicks, by nature, by the type of music we like, by location, lots of reasons to become friends with people.  So there is no easy answer to how to do it. I know I have no idea what to do. I would invite everyone to my rave. I really like Emils idea about a gift for the wife.

At my rave I used Kaplan cables, this is something i wanted to do but it also bothered me that I knew I was offending my friend Triode Pete. No offense was ever intended, but I know I would have felt a littlle slighted. Pete is a bigger man than me and handled it as a true gentleman, and I am glad to know him, a real standup guy.

I also did not want any amps at my rave, because I did not want it to be a sales opportunity,it was my rave and I wanted to play with what interested me.
Did i offend Pete and Charles and Merrill? To some degree yes.
As a host that is a sucky feeling.
Boris or Phil never allowed anyone to have that sucky feeling, in fact for the longest time I never believed Phil held raves to sell gear, I just thought he liked our company! I certainly liked his!

So I am saying as a host, when your friends become involved in the business aspect of the hobby, it takes a bit of the fun away from it, and we have to tread carefully.
Perhaps in the past you would bring a piece of gear you were using or one that was lying around. As a dealer the ONLY piece of gear you will bring is what you sell, and that limits the fun we have as audiophiles

It is fun to say a hosts system sucks or his amp sucks or whatever. It is nice to have the freedom to be honest, and when your friends are in the business you have to be quiet on certain issues.

So Charles, Pete, Merrill, as a host it hurt me to stop you from bringing your gear. I felt guilty, when I really shouldn't have to feel guilt.

In the end what i am saying is stop humpin those amps around unless someone wants to hear them, there are 30 -50 of us in the groups, certainly your business model is based on a much broader demographic.....no?

Be more audiophile and less salesman, because we are an audiophile group.

Again remember the tone. I am not trying to knock anyone just trying to express what I feel about the subject, because if the same people bring the same stuff over and over again it gets boring.
That why I like full raves, so many people eating and drinking it becomes a social event, not a sales event or opportunity, no one comes to a rave shopping for anything

Remember the tone....love

peace out

Love you too, Mike!

"All you need is love"... 

[lonewolfny42]

People bring gear to raves, usually it is gear they own, or are borrowing. Chris is famous for bringing gear, and almost always did. He rarely brings gear now because I think he ran out of gear  to bring, and most people have heard what he has brought several times.

Mike....I ran out of room for new gear.....

But it did give many a chance to hear what was out there....

[topround]

Chris, My comments were meant as a compliment, I hope you took it that way.
My first rave you left a Butler amp and a Modwright pre.
To a newbie I was a amazed at the generosity of audiophiles.

[lonewolfny42]

Chris, My comments were meant as a compliment, I hope you took it that way.
My first rave you left a Butler amp and a Modwright pre.
To a newbie I was a amazed at the generosity of audiophiles.

Ah....it's you fault.....opened up space to buy more equipment.... to fill in that space....

Stay cool Mike....another hot day coming up....

[goldlizsts]

Honestly I don't think raves are good place for Manufacturers to showcase their gear.
We have the NJ Audio Society , the NY Audiophile Society , the Connecticut Audio Society, these guys have scheduled meetings, with formats. That is where a manufacturer should send a piece for people to hear.
Raves are parties for people to eat drink and BS, manuf's are ill served if they are hoping to sell gear at a rave.

If you want to really understand a piece it has to be in your system, having everyone hear a piece in a strange system may give you an idea, and that idea may translate well into your system, or not. But you really won't know unless you try it in your system, and not with a bunch of people eating and drinking and talking all over the house.

That is my opinion, raves are parties to show off our systems, and to get everyone together and socialize, and you know what?...they are a lot of fun.

Perhaps they will come back again, I hope to do one in Sept or October, and it will be vinyl and PC audio only

   First let me start off with I agree 100% that Raves are a social event more than a critical listening event. Yes they are lots of fun.
 
    I think the problem got down to WHO was going to bring gear. Clicks began to form and personalities just got in the way.
   As an original Raver I started going when Levi would host it was a gas. I believe Boris of Vista fame and Phil were the only Manf/dealer involved. They demonstrated their gear with no issues. As the Rave grew and more attended some were manfs/dealers. Some were Ravers before they were Manf/dealers. So all of a sudden they have agendas to sell their wares to other Ravers. I don't think so. If they did it was at a VG price.
     On a personal note we have built our business around home demo. That is what we do. Showing at Raves  is a nice courtesy extended to its Ravers by hosts. It is not about sales it is about exposing new gear to our fellow Ravers.
    In the future the host should determine who/what will be there. If one wants to help a friend demo their wares great. If we just enjoy the system at hand great.
   Having a good time is the key not selling gear. When we came to your last Rave four dealer/manf were there. Slagle, Kaplan,  Wes and GTAudio Works. You even did a cable demo. Hey no problem for me Kaplans' cables were a pleasure to hear.
    We can all get along and Rave away we just need hosts.


charles   

Talking from just the "Rave" angle, I'd have NO problem with whomever demos his/her gear.  Yes, the venue may not be good enough for the manufacturer.  But, since he/she is so gracefully willing to be there, one should greet him/her with open arms.  Why be critical.  We know our raves are social events, and so it is not so good as a place to demo, not being able to show the gear at its best.  So what?  I'd go to a dealer's showroom, and I don't think I'd get optimal sound either.  Some dealers' places I sometimes don't like either.  May be it's me, and not the gear!?

We darn well know raves are social events more than anything else.  Let's just stop "imagining" the negatives .  Let's just use the motto - A fine time is guaranteed for all, Y'all!!!!!!!!!!!

[rollo]

My understanding of a Rave was "all inclusive". however due to its popularity the crowd has grown. large crowds need large homes. feeding 40+ lunch and dinner can get expensive.
    Invite only is not "Rave" style. An RSVP is not asking to much as food needs to be ordered.
    As far as gear swaps. Back in the good Ole rave days we changed components like socks. Actually did not care for all the changes so often. Never really got a chance to evaluate anything.
    I remember my Rave when Mike was promoting his DIY genius. Blew up my AR amp changing it out. No problem just a fuse. Most of the gear brought were personal pieces with an occasional manf.
     Barry features Gallo and Tommys' Cherry Amps. Glad he did a nice demo. Zu, Melody and so on.
     If manufactures or dealers bring gear it should be cleared with the host first. Then the manf. for concerns of synergy.
     I was not insulted when GTAudio works was the main attraction. The Arions have a wonderfull synergy with them. GTAudio Works desired their use. Especially now that it is set up properly. I was demonstrating them with the wrong gain setting. The Duelund CAST caps have transformed the amps. Yes at $7500 not for all however a listening experience never hurt anyone.
      The Rave is a great concept. Fun for all, drink, eat and talk audio stuff is priceless.
       Let's get back to the good old days and just have fun.


charles
     

[Maxamillion]

Well, as a newbie to the group I have to say I've enjoyed the two Raves I've attended, both at Mike's place, and appreciated the feedback on the preamps I brought to each, the modded Supratek the first time and the "from scratch" 26 the second time. I also highly enjoyed the socializing with all! I have no inclination toward selling stuff, only to get others' opinions on the stuff I build - it's strictly a hobby to me.

Being a newb to the group, I hope I can be included in some of the future gatherings if they go to invitation-only. Once my 833C SETs are finished I'll host a Rave as I have room for people, and of course look for feedback on those new DIY amps as well! Taking too long to get my OPTs, but that's another story...

[topround]

Oct 19th the week after RMAF.

RM 200 amp
Custom made LR phono pre with Slagle iron built by Karl( the guy who blows up amps)
this  phono pre will be balanced driving the rm 200 directly with passive attenuators

A linestage will be on hand as well because I would like to run a computer audio based source.

No cd's please they sound aweful compared to the computer.