November is unlikely to be anyone’s favorite month – which makes it all the more fortunate that you can stock up on good cheer at the Audio Video Show in Warsaw, October 23–25.
We’ve written before about how much we look forward to AVS every year. Quite simply, we know of no other show that is as free of pretension and artifice, whether on the part of its visitors or its exhibitors. The fact that one of its three venues is a soccer stadium already tells you something about the character of the event.
The other two venues are more conventional. You’ll find most of the demonstration rooms are at the Radisson Blu Sobieski, while just across the street, the Golden Tulip offers a handful of large conference rooms where spectacular high-end systems are demonstrated. The PGE Narodowy soccer stadium can be reached either by the regularly running shuttle bus or, if you have about an hour to spare, on foot – preferably with an absolutely worthwhile detour through the Old Town.
For several years now, we’ve been hearing that the Warsaw show has reached the limits of its growth potential and that all three venues are packed to capacity. Yet even last year, additional rooms were opened up at the stadium. For the upcoming show, the number has increased again, to 196 rooms, where around 230 exhibitors will be showing some 700 brands – making Audio Video Show the second-largest show of its kind in the world – looks like where there’s a will, there’s a way…
In fact, there is so much to see and hear at AVS that seasoned visitors reportedly put together checklists of events they absolutely don’t want to miss. Experience has taught us that covering every room in three days is an impossible feat, even if your goal is merely to “intensively skim” them all. Some degree of selection is therefore essential – which isn’t easy given how spoiled for choice you are. The sheer variety of manufacturers and approaches is enormous. Every year, amid all the established names, we discover tiny, delightfully quirky manufacturers whose sometimes eccentric, often surprisingly clever concepts pique our curiosity enough to keep us in their rooms far longer than planned – and leave us with even less time for the remaining 195 rooms. It’s an embarrassment of riches; one we’ll solve the old-fashioned way: with manpower.
We’re looking forward to the audience just as much as to the many manufacturers. Few shows have a more diverse mix of ages and genders. Gen Z – and increasingly Gen Alpha as well – moves through the show with complete naturalness, not only in the enormous headphone section but just as readily in the rooms of McIntosh, Wilson Audio, or Aavik. In between, of course, there’s some PS5 gaming going on, complete with immersive 11.2.4-channel sound.
The seasoned gentlemen with more refined listening tastes are here, too – after all, this is very much a hi-fi and high-end show – but unlike at most other events, they tend to bring their wives and kids along. The unpretentious coexistence of colorfully flashing party speakers, imposing ultra-high-end setups, and headphones of every conceivable type and price point means there’s something for everyone. A supporting program of giveaways and live DJs does its part to maintain the relaxed, easygoing atmosphere.
Another thing we see year after year is the same kind of diversity in the music program. Carefully produced classical and jazz recordings are played alongside electronic music, rock and metal albums of younger vintage than the 70s, and genres you may not even have known existed until now. If you make it to Warsaw, I’d encourage you to try a little experiment: Find a long hallway in one of the hotels – or, better yet, at the PGE – walk from one end to the other, and count how many different musical genres you hear along the way. I, for one, am looking forward to entry-level systems playing classical music, Polish hip-hop blasting through exotic planar electrostatics, and sophisticated little Italian stand-mount speakers breaking a sweat because, for the first time in their lives, they’re being asked to reproduce melodeath.
But I’m at least as excited about the many demonstrators who have a very clear idea of what constitutes a great recording and yet flatly refuse to play Miles Davis or Anette Askvik yet again. Instead, they pull out sonic gems you would probably never have discovered without their guidance.
There’s still about a month to go – Warsaw is calling!
