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I have some more information to grab from an email from MrEd, but right now I have typed up this:
So give some info if you have more to contribute. Then I will put it all together. It will be a review of the get together as well as a HOW TO guide so if we did something wrong or missed something you would have preferred to have, just say so. I have pretty tough skin so it wont hurt.
This is a bit of an instruction manual and a bit of a review. A “How To” and a “How It Was Done” for an audio get together.
An audio get together is a small gathering of audio enthusiasts. I have hosted two AGTs (audio get togethers) at my home and now one in a community center. The two at home were very small. Each time two other enthusiasts showed up. Each brought their own DIY and commercial gear. The events lasted about 4 – 6 hours and consisted of switching components in and out of the systems, listening to the changes and looking for a certain synergy of components. We also talked a lot about our background in DIY, what we had done with our systems, what we hoped to do with our systems, who our favorite sound engineers or remasterers were, life in general, gossip about DIYaudio and DIYaudioProjects and the members on those sites, share biases for SS vs Tube or Full Range vs Multi Driver speakers. We also have time to just talk about life and I have built a few new friendships having these AGTs. They are very rewarding and not a lot of work.
I recently had a larger gathering and , expecting higher numbers, I and a friend sought out a community center to have it in. More on that later. It was a great time!
So how do you put together an AGT? Easy. Honest.
If you have no “DIY Clout” per se then try to find someone that does to help you gather the masses. If you want just 2 people to show up then by all means forget the extra guy with clout and just go about it, but if you are looking to get a bunch of people interested you will need the reputation of the other guy.
So you found your guy. Now go to your favorite audio forum and post a message including a general date you would like to have it and a few bits about what an attendee should expect. For instance you might say:
“I am hosting an AGT in Texas, preferrabley Houston area, in 3 months and am hoping to get about 10 attendees. It will be a laid back and casual atmosphere so audio snobs are only entertainment for the rest of us. It would be nice if you would bring some well recorded music, any genre is fine and also if you could bring some of your own audio gear that you are especially proud of that would be nice. If its to heavy I am sure we can help you unload when you get here. There will be food and drinks available and donations are not required or requested, but also wont be turned away. Audio Guru Mr X will be there as well showing off his new Class A Monster Amp!”
Thats it for the forum invite. Each guy that responds you will want to ask if they have any friends or know any other DIYers in the area that might be interested. I have had guys intend to travel and infact travel from 900 miles away so don't pass up an opportunity to invite someone you would really like to meet simply based on the long drive or flight.
Here is the most important part to remember. YOU ARE IN CHARGE. If you start to cater to each individual request for change in venue or date you will drive yourself and the rest of the guys mad. After a half dozen or so guys show interest then give them 3 different dates to choose from and then you choose based on your availability and their responses. Then post that date and keep it solid.
From this point you can start looking for a place to hold the AGT. I liked the community center. No one was there except us and we got loud. Ask if you can get loud but also let the center know that this is an audiophile club and the music is not offensive. Another place to hold the AGT is an Elks club or VFW hall. Our local HAS Houston Audio Society holds their sessions at the library in large meeting rooms and we can use plenty of our volume knob without upsetting anyone. These types of rooms all have echo, so get over it before you even start looking. Think second grade classroom. Same sonic qualities will be in all these rooms.
Find the best route from several locations to the AGT and send everyone maps, or link to the google map of the AGT.
Be there early to check the room, set up tables and chairs, address anything that Murphy's Law has set into motion.
Things to bring:
1: Food, utensils, drink, cups, napkins, trash bags.
2: Your Gear (make sure you have at least a source, amp, speakers, preamp coming or it will fail for sure)
3: Power conditioner and extra interconnects, speaker cables, extension cords.
4: Name tags, stick notes for identifying gear or pricing if you have a sale table, pen
5: Well recorded music and a playlist in case your participants come up short on that end.
6: Make sure that either you or the facility has a hand truck or dolly to move heavy equipment. Bring some padding to put on the hand truck or dolly to keep scratches at bay.
Thats about it. Have fun!
Now to the review of our AGT in Austin, TX.
After everything in the above description had been addressed I arrived at the AGT a half an hour early. Two members, AudioFred and Lee were already there, waiting for the room. We had to wait for Sonidos to get there to open the room and do an inspection so we waited and talked. It was nice to get to know them a little before starting. I had to put up some signs to direct people to the right room, then we staged our stuff outside the door to the room.
The guy finally let us in and we started setting up our gear on the tables, one table per guy, and placing the chairs around. Gofar99, Sonidos, and Mr. Ed soon showed up and began doing the same. The AGT was to start at noon. We had our gear ready and most participants there by 12:30-1pm.
AudioFred suggested that every guy should describe his gear when it went into the audio chain and that the guy who drove farthest should talk and show his gear first and last.
I think I spoke first and thanked everyone for the drive and thanked Gio from DIYaudioProjects for sponsoring our AGT.
First up was Gofar99. After driving 900 miles to get there he deserved it. He is the designer and manufacturer of the Oddwatt KT88 monoblock tube amps and also showed off a prototype tube preamp. The Oddwatt is a 25watt, conservatively rated, class A tube amp. This amp can be biased on the fly from outside the amp and has selectable 4 and 8 ohm capability. NEED INFO ON PREAMP.
Both pieces were beautiful. The Oddwatts were a bit industrial but super classy and I love the look. They played with Bruce' Marantz CDP and my Audio Nirvana 12” BR full range speakers. The sound was very good and many people commented on how nice it was, but I knew they probably needed time to warm up and so I stayed tuned for changes and you should to. Things change, big time changes...
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