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Thursday, November 16, 2017

European Triode Festival, ETF 2017 - recap

Hi!

Back home from the ETF which was a blast! Time for a recap.




Yet again this was a very well organised event. Bjorn and Karsten set the bar very high for the next year. But I am sure Tim and his team will pull off something very nice.




This years shootout was very interesting and comparing speakers is much easier at such an event since differences are quite audible. This was reflected in the votes which always showed clear preferences of the audience while in previous years it often was close to a tie.




So many very interesting contestants, some of them slabbed together juste a few days before the festival.




And well organised with exact measurements before the actual shootout and levelling of each participant for the same volume.




Since such a large room had to be filled, the contestants all used the bass of the main speaker as sub.




This main speaker was a collaboration between very different people and it is amazing what they achieved and  how well the different philosophies combined in this set up worked together.




Most notably the horn mathematics of Jean Michel Le Cleac'h who sadly passed away a few years ago. His legacy however is alive.




Also so many different construction styles in amplifiers in one place.




This always reminds me of an editorial Joe Roberts once wrote in Sound Practices.




Sometimes a project is $5 parts in a $5000 box, sometimes it is $5000 parts in a $5 box or $5 parts in a $5 box. But most of the time this simply doesn't matter.




It is great how all these different characters and minds come together at the ETF and have fun.









As in previous years Stephan brought his array of measurement equipment to give others a chance to check their amp or preamp and to help them to debug or complete their projects.




And one never gets tired to gaze at those glowing tubes:












And the interesting chats, music and relaxed atmosphere!




We had a great time together. Looking forward to meet you all again next year in France!

Best regards

Thomas





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