2012 Lone Star Audio Fest

Here's the official press release I just wrote:

"CCI is proud to announce that we will be partnering with Polk Audio at the upcoming Lone Star Audio Fest in Dallas, Texas. Polk will be showing off their new LSiM705 speakers (we heard the flagship LSiM707 speakers last year at LSAF, and we were mightily impressed), and we will be hooking them up to a Unison Research Unico Nuovo integrated amplifier and Unico CDE CD player. The Lone Star Audio Fest will be held from May 4-6, 2012, at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Park Central. You can find out more info at http://lonestaraudiofest.com/."

Colleen and I went to the Lone Star Audio Fest last year, which I wrote about in this blog. I have to admit, we had a great time. It's the polar opposite of a trade show like CES, where it's business, business, business. LSAF is relaxed, casual and small--but fun. You'll see a lot of DIY rooms--which means you'll see a lot of speakers made out of unfinished plywood. That doesn't mean, of course, that they don't sound excellent--they often do! These primarily Texan DIYers, hobbyists in most cases, are selling schematics, kits and may not even have a finished product to show. It doesn't matter; these types of rooms are more often about the sharing of ideas than the making of money.

That said, there were quite a few "professional" rooms last year. Scott Warren of Advanced Home Theater in Plano, Texas really impressed me with a system that included a Luxman integrated amplifier and CD player, MIT cabling and the fantastic YG Acoustics Carmel speakers. I also heard great sound from rooms that featured such products as Vapor Audio speakers and Melody tube amplifiers. My other favorite room was run by our friend Russ Gates from Polk Audio. He was debuting the flagship LSiM707 speakers, and I had to admit that you get a LOT of speaker for just $4K a pair.

Russ asked us to partner with him this year because he really wanted to check out the Unison Research gear we carry. This year, he's showing off the LSiM705 speakers, the 707's little brother. These speakers, which retail for just $3000 per pair, look almost identical to the 707s--same amount of drivers in a slightly smaller enclosure. I'll look forward to hearing them.

Check out the LSAF website for more info, and we'll look forward to seeing y'all in May!