Sonic Spectacle - The Importance of Audio Exhibitions

Since Node was launched in 2018, it and the HYLIXA loudspeaker have attended the annual Salon Privé event held in Oxfordshire’s famous Blenheim Palace: the UK’s most prestigious automotive concours, Salon Privé brings together the finest cars and luxury brands in a shared celebration of the best of British design and craftsmanship.

Similarly, when Node was invited to showcase the HYLIXA at London’s Grosvenor House as part of Bentley’s centenary celebrations, this was again a joint demonstration of high-performance automobiles and products.

What these two events illustrate about modern loudspeakers is twofold: firstly, the artistic and technological standard that is expected of HiFis, that means they can be tastefully paired with these vehicles, and secondly the importance of physical demonstration and live audiences for the industry.

Indeed, for a field that is both technologically objective, while aesthetically and acoustically subjective, having listeners, listening rooms and a space for showmanship is essential for high-end audio companies. This may seem obvious, but it is nevertheless worth stressing that events like the Salon Privé and Bentley celebrations embody an important role, providing the HiFi community with an opportunity to flex its sonic muscles and exhibit the outstanding qualities of audiophile loudspeakers.

Under normal circumstances, stand-alone audio exhibitions are held annually across the globe. In Britain, these events include the UK HiFi Show, the UK Audio Show, and the Festival of Sound, which showcase a hand-picked range of brands in beautifully selected spaces.

Unfortunately, many of these were postponed because of Covid over the past two years. Yet Node was lucky enough to be able to exhibit HYLIXA at Salon Privé in September 2020 just before the second lockdown, and again in November 2020, when Node appeared at the 2020 Shanghai Design Show.

Thankfully, closer to home the UK Audio Show, held since 1997, again welcomed show-goers to the De Vere Staverton Estate in Northamptonshire.

At the October 2021 event, show-goers were able to experience some of the best audio equipment available, including Node’s HYLIXA. It was attended by some of the most illustrious designers and exclusive brands in the world (at Ascot in 2019, Node shared the reception space with an impressively liveried Lamborghini and BMW). But even without these extra features, the ability to experience high-end audio culture once again in a safe, shared celebration after such turbulent years sounds more than enticing.