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Sounding Off at EHX
It’s my belief that a vast majority of the systems installed by CE pros are reflective of their clients’ desires, but that’s not to say there isn’t some validity to the audiophile genre’s claim.
As a whole I also believe that installers should be offering quality audio systems, especially in today’s economy where video is marginalized to the point where it’s practically a loss leader for most businesses.
Installers that share my opinion about filling in those revenue gaps with audio, and are interested in learning more about audio should investigate the happenings at EHX this week in sunny Orlando.
EHX Spring once again plays host to Demo Alley, which is an exclusive area of the show in which many of the top A/V companies demonstrate their products to attendees in a live system environment.
This year’s show features exhibitors such as THIEL Audio, Bryston, XLO, B&K, Sherwood, Monitor Audio, Straight Wire and Earthquake Sound in Demo Alley, as well as companies like Russound, Sencore, Elan and SpeakerCraft.
Personally, I am always excited to see what THIEL Audio, Monitor and Bryston are doing and I always make a point to see these manufacturers at every show. This year I think it will be interesting to see what these companies are doing to help installers combat the economy and the general malaise that’s hanging over the entire audio industry.
I am also curious to see what B&K and Sherwood will be doing in Demo Alley, and how Russound will be showing its retrofittable Collage system at the show.
Based on the ratio of audio exhibitors vs. total exhibitors at the show, a case could be made that EHX offers more audio than any other electronics trade event and the highlight of its audio emphasis is Demo Alley and its exhibitors.
Now it’s time for attendees to take advantage of the opportunity to experience these brands and to ask these manufacturers how they can help their businesses.
Live Music Begins Wednesday
I’ve been wearing a CE Pro EHX All-Star Band marketing hat for quite some time to help promote a project I’ve been a part of.
The band as some already know is scheduled to play on Thursday night in the Valencia D Hall in the convention center.
However, prior to that show, the band will be playing at Club 57 West in Orlando on Wednesday March 24 at 9 p.m. If you are in town and looking to have a few frosties before a week of education, product demonstrations and show floor meandering come out to the club and see us.
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Article Topics
Blogs · Audio · Amplifiers · Multiroom Audio · Receivers · Speakers · Acoustics · Wire and Cable · HDMI · Events · EHX Spring · Home Theater · Earthquake Sound · Russound · Ehx Spring ·About the Author
23 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
In a world where the iPod rules and your clients are way too busy to sit down and listen, the future of audio installed in the home belongs to Sonos and its descendents. Yes “Hopeful” you probably are wasting your money.
This was always a regional show competing with CEDIA.
It grew, now its shrinking. A for profit regional show vs a national not for profit show doesn’t stand a chance in a time of diminishing budgets.
Sherwood, Earthquake Audio, Bryston, Straight Wire, THIEL, XLO Ultralink and Monitor Audios total annual combined sales and industry impact are barely measurable.
This will likely be the last EHX.
Enjoy
Anyone willing to bet no matter how bad the attendance is for this show that CePro will report a rise in attendance. Any takers???
I’m just glad I didn’t have to pay the $99 and airfare to attend. EHX is a joke this year. There is a Pet Expo going on and is 5 x the size.
Oh and the food voucher is a joke too. They “give you” a $10 voucher (which is only good for a $2 sandwich they charge $10 for). Plus $3.25 for a coke? And another $3 for chips? Who are they kidding?
Will the last dealer (of the 9 total dealers who actually attended this Spring EHX Show), dealer please turn the lights out as you leave the exhibit hall?
Big Props to CE Pro for letting this type of blog stand.
No one ever agrees with everything anyone says but they are truly a balanced view of the industry and we need forums like this to continue.
Here is hoping the changing world keeps room for CE Pro to stick around.
Instead of food vouchers, the EHX management should have supplied decks of cards to the exhibitors so that their idle booth staff can play solitair!
With such a small number of attendees and exhibitors at EHX Spring, instead of the EHX All star Band, a “BoomBox”” would have been quite sufficient!
I wanted to go to EHX but, couldn’t. Can a dealer who attended and an EHX exhibitor, give us the an honest overview of the value of the show?
I think the show went great from the point of view of a manufacturer’s rep. The show was an excellent chance to spend quality time with a lot of great dealers and vendors.
It was a great show for a few reasons.
My rep firm, WSR Sales has partnered with JUST ADD POWER (A scaleable hdmi matrix over ip). We got a chance to show a video distribution system that is totally game changing for our industry. We never had more then a few moments to catch our breath the entire 3 days. Plus the response from the dealers was amazing!
Lastly, if you are a dealer who is direct, or even buys from distribution from any of the EHX vendors, this show was a great chance to spend time with the regional sales managers, VP, or even Presidents of a lot of wonderful companies.
Yes this show was very small, and having CEDIA in Atlanta has definitely put a damper on EHX for now. But I have to say that a chance to get out and spend time with our industry is never wasted, or ever a bad idea.
It is early Sunday morning as I am writing you this e-mail from the Orlando airport.
To say that the show for Innovolt went well
is a major understatement, We as a company put on over 25 new dealers as well as writing up several thousands of dollars worth of orders, Granted the show was small, However do all of you not realize, That anytime, anyplace, anywhere,
& anyway we have a chance to get together it just helps us all grow, to better serve our industry ? Please also remember that you can not always control the situation that you are in, Though you can certainly control it while your there !
On behalf of the entire Innovolt team I would again like to thank the CE Pro & EHX Staff for making this a great show !
Innovolt rocked. Next year, they’re sponsoring a St. Paddy’s day fest.
Julie,
If this was such a great show. Please place this blog back on front page to make it easier for dealers and distributors to find and comment on this.
Thanks!
Maybe next year the Peabody is where EHX should be held. The venue would be more appropriate and wouldn’t be such a far walk. Just a thought. Also, why are so many in the industry so negative? Is it frustration or what?
I sure hope that the EHX All Star Band doesn’t turn out to be the “HiLite” of the show. With so few exhibitors, I’m “hopeful” I’m not wasting my money flying in to attend!!