Yes, Italy. Home of
great food, wine, hospitality, the Milan Top
Audio & Video show, and of course Ferrari/Pininfarina! Me
amoré! During this show report i hope to share with you the glory of this beautiful
audio show held in a city much like paradise. Almost makes me wonder why i
should go back home to the USA! Oh yeah, they don't sell those yummy snakkie food
Little Debbies and Devil Dog Drake Cakes here... but the pasta and wine is well
worth the trade off (and they do sell Snickers candy bars in Italy).
Attendees
This show's public attendance was higher then any Stereophile show i have
ever attended. In fact there was not a Stereophile or The Absolute Sound magazine in
sight (though Sound Practices and Vacuum Tube Valley were seen quite often)! In fact
there seemed much more enjoyment of "real" music by the public over
"audiophile" music in the rooms. Pink Floyd, violin music, jazz...
Y'know, music real people enjoy. Also, the craftsmanship of the woodwork on
the Italian-made products was staggeringly wonderful. Of course this is the land of
Ferrari and Pininfarina. Speaking of Pininfarina, during my trip i had the privedge
of taking part in a rare tour of their lovely facility and museum! This tour will
soon appear on the Ferrari pages so please stay tuned. Back to the show at hand.
As usual, i have broken down the products into subcategories. This
makes it easier to find just what you are looking for. In the end all i can say is
that this was the single most enjoyable show i have ever experienced. The show
staff, manufacturers, and attendees made this show so enjoyable that i humbly suggest
everyone who can to please try to attend next years event. Besides the audio/video
show, you can also take part of the absolutely gorgeous historic sights and sounds that is
Italy. All prices are in Italian Lira unless otherwise indicated. As of
October 9 1998, you can get 1649 Lira for 1 US dollar.
