The 2008 Vacuum State of the Art Conference & Show will take place on May 24-26 at the Hilton in lovely Vancouver, Washington. VSAC was started in 1997 by Dan and Eileen Schmalle of the Bottlehead Corporation, designers of
some sexy vacuum tube kit amps and preamps. While the Schmalles are no longer involved in managing the conference, they will be on hand as exhibitors, along with many others offering some similarly sexy, tubey goodness (like
Experience Music's The Chase amplifier in the pic above).
Between 1997 and 2003, the show was held every other year in Silverdale, WA. The last five years have missed the show, and this will be the first time it's ever been held in the Portland area, so it is set to be a very special event.
Vacuum State of the Art Conference, as the name implies, is a conference which celebrates the use of vacuum tubes over solid-state devices in audio amplifiers. Although there is a strong emphasis at VSAC on the Do-It-Yourself approach to designing and building audio equipment, there is plenty to do and see for everyone interested in vacuum tube audio.
That comes directly from the website's mouth. But you know what? I bet there will even be plenty to do and see for people who
aren't interested in vacuum tube audio. There might even be plenty to do and see for people who like solid-state stuff, there might even be plenty for people who couldn't even build a model car, let alone a sexy amplifier. There will be music, of course. Music on tape and on disc and in grooves and in person. Live music to listen to once, and recorded music to own possibly forever. Music, that thing that transcends all.
Ah, music.
There will also be the Craftsman's Room, where amateur builders will get to show off their designs. In addition, there will be lectures, labs, discussion groups, and even an amp-building workshop. Fun, right?
For more info on the exhibitors, seminars, and live music performances, visit
the VSAC 2008 site.
