Warsaw 2015: Reunited and it feels so good!

by Norman Williams

Warsaw upped the ante in 2015.

My second visit here and as impressive as 2014 was, 2015 a big pleasunt positve surprise.

Show boss Adam touted:

“2 hotels (Sobieski Radisson Blu and Golden Tulip) + National Stadium with 56 rooms. 145 rooms total. The event is 50% bigger this year.”

Yes, bigger; but better?

In a word, YES.

The room at the National Stadium are used for TV broadcasts and are this sound-proofed to ensure good broadcast quality. This makes for a near PERFECT audio show staging, as finally there is a venue that needs much reduced room treatment in order for great sound to be realized. The only major impediment is the huge glass pane overlooking the soccer field. The Stadium itself is very multi-purpose and is used for all kinds of events, not all sporting related. It is essentially is a stadium and a convention centre. Wide walkways, elevators, stairs and escalators are the options available for making your way around this tasteful and pleasant facility. Munich and RMAF, eat your heart out! The downside is that there are only 56 rooms available, as the permanent offices on the other side are off-limits. Bummer!

Biggest letdown of the show this year, from a forum-buzz point-of-view, was the absence of Kii 3 speakers, Schiit Yggy Dac and the highly rated NADAC. However, we did have the anticipated Chord DAC, the MSB Select, Sonus Faber Cremonese speakers, Vox Olympian system, Cessaro Horns, Lampizator HeadDac, Goldmund Nano-Metis and Satya speakers, Amare Musica’s new tube DAC, Akkus Redwine speakers, a full array of Angstrom electronics and a host of other auditory treats.

Disclaimer: I did not make it to the Golden Tulip at all. Fatigue is a BIG factor at these huge shows.

Here are shots of some rooms showing the stadium view and general ambiance of the show. Goldmund/Zeta-Zero rooms.

I will follow up with some select focus on the interesting rooms and perhaps do a category view, like statement DACs, turntables or speakers. I will also speak a bit about the one special event I did attend (which I didn’t inadvertently miss thanks to Marcin “Mr Nice Guy” from Sound Rebels).