PETALING JAYA, July 26 — With 72-inch Ultra HD 4K televisions and hi-fi sound systems now easily available for the masses, its predecessors like vinyl record players and radio boomboxes don’t get as much attention as they used to.

Or so I thought.

During a visit to the KL International AV Show (KLIAVS) 2019, my perception of the "vintage” AV equipment’s fan base has completely changed.

I was taken aback by the fact that over a hundred AV enthusiasts showed up for the first day of the exhibition.

This year’s exhibition, held at the Vistana Kuala Lumpur Titiwangsa Hotel, is the 26th edition of the KLIAVS, with its chairman Dick Tan at the helm once again.

In an interview with Malay Mail, Tan said that he wanted to not just focus on the "tech” side of things, but also on the art and culture that comes with it.

Chairman of the KL International AV Show, Dick Tan, showing off a vintage audio player to Vistana KL Hotel assistant sales manager Sammy Liew during the first day of the exhibition. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

"Think of it as a Tech + Art exhibition. I want to remind people and expose the younger generation to the technology of the past.

"Without it, the ones we have now in the future would not have been made possible,” said Tan.

He added that the so-called "obsolete” equipment transcend time and can actually teach the younger generations to appreciate movies and music more, as some may take the ease of online accessibility for granted.

"Back in my day, in the 60s and 70s, the only way to get entertainment was to go down to the movies, or buy records to listen to music,” said Tan.

Avid vinyl fans will no doubt enjoy seeing these artistic record players inspired from days past. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

That’s probably why many of the AV enthusiasts in attendance were from the baby boomer generation, which Tan had an explanation for, considering that he is an avid AV geek as well.

"I think it’s because, last time when we (baby boomers) were younger, we couldn’t afford record players and stuff like that. So now that we’re older and have more money we buy as much as we can,” he said.

Well, he was right too, as many of the attendees were filled with glee as they got to walk around an AV paradise with over 65 exhibitors from Taiwan, China and even Denmark, which were uniquely spread across five floors (1,2,3,5 and 6) at the Vistana KL Hotel, with the rooms on those floors being turned into exhibits.

Some of the products from CMY Audio & Visual Sdn Bhd on display at the exhibition. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

Exhibitors like Linn Products, CMY Audio & Visual Sdn Bhd, Furutech, Dali, Jaben and even Bowers & Wilkins, the official headphone and speaker partners of the iconic Abbey Road Studios, have all set up shop at the exhibition.

And all of it is for sale too, new and old, with some equipment being over 50 years old.

As Tan said: "If it’s AV, we’ve got it, some of these equipment only came in yesterday, but if you want to buy it, why not?”

Although, some items like the rare Vienna Philharmonic Turntable, with only 175 editions made, will set you back around RM30,000.

This year’s exhibition will be the first time that it will be held at the Vistana KL Hotel.

It takes place from July 26-28.

The entrance fee of RM12 will also get you a commemorative CD filled with tracks from the good old days.

If you’re interested to know more about KLIAVS, just pop-by the Vistana KL Hotel, alternatively, you could also surf over to https://www.3dotevents.com/.