♫ 23-March ♫ New England Winter/Spring FrankenFest 2019

[w1jim]

Let's get ready for the March 23 2019 FrankenFest!

As usual we've locked in the American Legion Lodge in Sutton, MA for Saturday March 23, 2019.
We have the room from 11AM until 5 PM.

The location is just off of route 146 south of the Mass Pike (I90) - so this should be a little bit closer for most of us versus Clinton.

Dudley-Gendron American Legion
156 Boston Rd
Sutton, MA 01590

Here's a link to a map:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/A...24bd01d4435f98!8m2!3d42.1598864!4d-71.7401907

Here's the Barter Town thread (visible to AK subscribers only):
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....0-20-18-fall-frankenfest-stuff-thread.832568/

The room costs us $250.
I've already paid for the room for this event from excess proceeds from the March event.

Entry fee for this event will be $5 per person (kids and spouses are free).
This money will go toward paying for the next event's room fees.

There's more -
We are not allowed to bring alcohol onsite or drink out in the parking lots - but - there is a bar adjacent to our room for those who crave a brewski with the friendly and colorful locals.

There is a kitchen area where we can use the refrigerator and also warm food - but don't plan on cooking a meal there (sorry Ed).

As we saw last time there are tables available.
We should bring extension cords and power strips.
Also, if you're setting up a system bring extra cables.

They have an ATM in the bar (could be dangerous, I know).

Plenty of parking and no stairs from the parking lot so loading and unloading will be easy.

If anyone would like to put on a presentation or seminar that would be great - just let me know.

Glenn aka GD70 is going to once again coordinate some listening sessions (I know, like herding cats). That went very well last time.

It's wonderful that we can continue the FrankenFest tradition.
For now it looks like a Fall (October) and Winter (March) event schedule works out well so we'll stick to that.

 

[w1jim]

For the AK subscribers here's the "Stuff" thread on barter Town:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....inter-spring-frankenfest-stuff-thread.855397/

 

[Bobbyd38]

I just discovered this event... I live in Grafton, just minutes away... I'll be there!

It would be great if somebody put this on Facebook, to get some more promotion?

Bob

 

[w1jim]

I just discovered this event... I live in Grafton, just minutes away... I'll be there!
It would be great if somebody put this on Facebook, to get some more promotion?
Bob

Feel free to post a link, I usually do it about a month prior.

 

[GD70]

Looking forward to it, and seeing everyone again as well as some new faces.
As far as a demo system, I'm thinking my usual amp/pre amp and the Angelicas. I brought them once before to Clinton but thought it would be fun for others to hear these one of a kind mystery speakers.
Regarding the listening sessions, let's start around 12:30-1pm. At the last gathering, some were already heading out by noon, missing the great systems that were demoed.
Cheers, Glenn

 

[AdamAnt316]

As usual, I'm hoping to be there; wasn't able to attend the last one due to extenuating circumstances, but with any luck, things will work out this time. Not sure yet what I'll bring with me, but as always, it will likely make noise.

Sadly, I have some bad news to report about one of our Festers. Ian Baren, aka chinacave, passed away recently. I remember seeing him at several of the FrankenFests, including the one a few years ago where I accidentally fried the electrostatic panel on one of his B&W DM70s. I'm sure he's hanging out with Frank and Don in heaven by now. RIP, Ian.
-Adam

 

[w1jim]

As usual, I'm hoping to be there; wasn't able to attend the last one due to extenuating circumstances, but with any luck, things will work out this time. Not sure yet what I'll bring with me, but as always, it will likely make noise.

Sadly, I have some bad news to report about one of our Festers. Ian Baren, aka chinacave, passed away recently. I remember seeing him at several of the FrankenFests, including the one a few years ago where I accidentally fried the electrostatic panel on one of his B&W DM70s. I'm sure he's hanging out with Frank and Don in heaven by now. RIP, Ian.
-Adam

Wow - thanks for sharing the information about Ian, he was always great to talk to.

Here's another thread regarding Ian:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/ian-d-baren-ak-chinacave-r-i-p.856203/#post-12413601

 

[GD70]

OMG! So sad to hear this about Ian. He was a terrific gent with a love for tube gear. Ian attended the last Blue Mountain Lodge meet. He will be sorely missed. RIP Ian.

 

[cartop]

I am going to try and make it. They are always a good time. So sorry to hear about Ian. God speed, RIP.

 

[markus]

I'm down in Richmond VA now, but if I can get off from work I am sooooo there

I need to liquidate some of my stuff for sure aaaaaand probably but different stuff

It'd be great to see you guys.... Been way too long

 

[Bill Ashton]

Gonna BE THERE, Jim

 

[CT Jim]

Does anyone remember the 'reverse auction' last year? I enjoyed it, and sellers had the opportunity to not have to haul something back home.
It started a little late, so maybe we could set a time, say 1 pm and do it again. How about sign up for it, and limit to 2 or 3 items?
Thoughts?

 

[w1jim]

Does anyone remember the 'reverse auction' last year? I enjoyed it, and sellers had the opportunity to not have to haul something back home.
It started a little late, so maybe we could set a time, say 1 pm and do it again. How about sign up for it, and limit to 2 or 3 items?
Thoughts?

That was Mike - aka @Sounds Good! - deal.
I'm all for it and if Mike wants to do it (which I suspect he will) it should start towards the end of the event. His original proposal was 3PM which I think would be good (maybe 3:30 before the actual bidding starts).

Currently the rough schedule is:
11AM - Doors open for setup
Noon - seminars if we can get someone to put one on
1PM - System auditioning (Glenn aka GD70)
3PM - Reverse auction (Mike aka Sounds Good!)
4-4:30PM - Clean up
5PM - we're oughta there - some folks may want to get together for pizza and brewski's

 

[Sounds Good!]

Does anyone remember the 'reverse auction' last year? I enjoyed it, and sellers had the opportunity to not have to haul something back home.
It started a little late, so maybe we could set a time, say 1 pm and do it again. How about sign up for it, and limit to 2 or 3 items?
Thoughts?

Jim,

Yes, that was me. I have been doing all kinds of charitable auctions for years. I would be happy to help out with another Reverse Auction. Reverse auctions are fast and the owner of the equipment controls the bidding. I would be happy to assist the equipment owners with the process or even function as the auctioneer (with the owner by my side). It takes about two minutes to auction a single item, so if we allocated 30 minutes we should get through 15 or so items, maybe a few more.

I'd also be up for going out for pizza and beer after the event.

Mike

 

[Sounds Good!]

Also on the reverse auction: this would be something you do toward the end of the auction to help unload that which did not sell; you'll probably get more for an item if you sell it early in the day via the conventional method. Toward the end of the day, take what you have left and decide what you want to auction off. I would suggest that the starting number is whatever you were asking for the item to begin with. If no one bids, you drop the price by $10 increments (or whatever increments you choose) until someone says "sold!" The first bidder to say "sold" at announced price gets the item.The equipment owner can decide that he or she is not going to drop the price any further, thus ending the auction. If I am the auctioneer, I would first ask the equipment owner to provide a brief description of the item to the potential bidders. I came with a printed list of everything I had for sale. As items sold during the day, I crossed them off my list. By the time I held the reverse auction, the items I had to auction off were those that hadn't been crossed off (items that hadn't sold).

 

[CT Jim]

I was there and enjoyed the auction. For some reason I thought we started the fest at 10, ergo my thought about starting the auction earlier.
Good idea, to limit the amount of time, but I still think 3 or 3:30 is getting so late that many have come and gone, so there are few bidders. I suppose it's a gamble if someone wants to wait till the end and get some savings, hoping the item doesn't get pulled or grabbed by someone else, but I am also aware that if the auction is too early, then everyone goes home.
Let's do another one, and get input at the same time from those who stay, both buyers and sellers.
CT Jim

 

[w1jim]

I think the lure of the auction may encourage some folks to stay later.

 

[Sounds Good!]

I'd like to make a recommendation to all PayPal users: download the app to your phone. I actually had a guy pay me that way at the last Fest. It worked great and no one had to run to an ATM.

 

[Ken Mitchell]

I enjoyed the last one, my first. If I was to come again, I would be inclined to "travel light" and bring the same LS50's, but with new stands and a new "amp." Last time I brought my 60w/ch Bluesound Powernode 2 DAC/Streamer/amp, the M&K V-90 sub I'd revived with an SB Acoustics SB34SWPL-76-4 driver & Dayton SPA250DSP amp, and KEF LS50's. If interested, I would bring the same sub and speakers, but I have some new stands, and a new 100w/ch NAD Masters M10 DAC/streamer/amp.

The showpiece is the M10. It's gorgeous (IMO) and apparently going to be hard to get for a time. I got one of only 2 my dealer is getting "for a couple months" as NAD shipped only 100 to the North American market via air and the next batch is coming via the slow boat from China. I'm finding it to be a substantial improvement on the previous, which has been gifted to my son. I'm tempted to bring a turntable but what I have is more of a mass-market step-above entry level one. I'd invite others to try any analog or digital input device with the amp/speaker combo.

 

[Dmitry]

Can someone bring in a toob tester? I've got two NOS Matsushita 6550 tubes in boxes that I'd like to measure.