Ok, technically this should probably be in the "Shows" forum but that seems to be largely ignored so thought I'd try here.
I've been sorting music for one of our rooms at the Bristol Show later this week and must admit it's quite a challenge. For the first time we're using a USB stick as the source through a Naim UnitiQute (as discussed in another thread) so I can't play visitor's CD's. This is a concern to me as I always try to be as open as possible at shows and avoid some of the pretentiousness that can be part the Hi-Fi industry, no timed demo's or locked doors, play any material etc. (sometimes these are necessary of course depending on type of demo)
The material is where the problem lies, you'll never please everyone! Now what I'm wondering is this; do I stick 200 tracks on the USB, including a large variety of good music of varying quality (this is how it's looking at present) or trim it down to 20 or so fantastically recorded pieces that will really show off the system? Most people won't spend more than a few minutes in the room so will not listen to much more than a couple of tracks anyway.
The thing that stops me taking the "perfect tracks" approach is that variety will be limited and it's something I've always hated at these shows that when you go from room to room you hear one tinkly piano after another - which doesn't really tell you much at all about a system. Very well recorded music can sound good on almost anything. On the flip-side I don't want to limit people's first impressions of the system based on walking into the room and hearing something less than impressive...
Basically my question is: What do you expect from a Hi-Fi show demo? Do you want "normal" music that you may listen to at home to be played or only the highest quality recordings to really show what systems are capable of? (these may be the same things of course - I'm generalising in presuming people will have plenty of music they like to listen to which was never fantastically recorded in the first place)
It's not really for advice as such, just general interest in what the public hope to get out visiting a show like this - we inevitably trim the selection of music down a little as we go depending on what seems popular, I've always wondered if people really like listening to all the solo piano/cello/violin pieces that seem prevalent at these events or indeed want more variety?
I've been sorting music for one of our rooms at the Bristol Show later this week and must admit it's quite a challenge. For the first time we're using a USB stick as the source through a Naim UnitiQute (as discussed in another thread) so I can't play visitor's CD's. This is a concern to me as I always try to be as open as possible at shows and avoid some of the pretentiousness that can be part the Hi-Fi industry, no timed demo's or locked doors, play any material etc. (sometimes these are necessary of course depending on type of demo)
The material is where the problem lies, you'll never please everyone! Now what I'm wondering is this; do I stick 200 tracks on the USB, including a large variety of good music of varying quality (this is how it's looking at present) or trim it down to 20 or so fantastically recorded pieces that will really show off the system? Most people won't spend more than a few minutes in the room so will not listen to much more than a couple of tracks anyway.
The thing that stops me taking the "perfect tracks" approach is that variety will be limited and it's something I've always hated at these shows that when you go from room to room you hear one tinkly piano after another - which doesn't really tell you much at all about a system. Very well recorded music can sound good on almost anything. On the flip-side I don't want to limit people's first impressions of the system based on walking into the room and hearing something less than impressive...
Basically my question is: What do you expect from a Hi-Fi show demo? Do you want "normal" music that you may listen to at home to be played or only the highest quality recordings to really show what systems are capable of? (these may be the same things of course - I'm generalising in presuming people will have plenty of music they like to listen to which was never fantastically recorded in the first place)
It's not really for advice as such, just general interest in what the public hope to get out visiting a show like this - we inevitably trim the selection of music down a little as we go depending on what seems popular, I've always wondered if people really like listening to all the solo piano/cello/violin pieces that seem prevalent at these events or indeed want more variety?