Announcing The Inaugural VINYL SUMMIT, Celebrating 40 Years of Acoustic Sounds, October 15-18, 2026

A Landmark Gathering of Craft, Community & Analog Sound in Salina, Kansas

Announcing The Inaugural VINYL SUMMIT, Celebrating 40 Years of Acoustic Sounds, October 15-18, 2026

A Landmark Gathering of Craft, Community & Analog Sound in Salina, Kansas

Behind The Scenes Access, Record Fair, Hi-Fi Show, Live Performances + More

Live Performances Each Night from an Array of Acoustic Sounds-Approved Artists Including: Taj Mahal, Chico Freeman, Big Mud Morganfield, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Finley and More

Tickets Here

May 14th – Salina, KS – From October 15-18, 2026, Acoustic Sounds will host the inaugural Vinyl Summit, a landmark gathering at the center of the analog universe, inviting audiophiles, vinyl collectors and dealers into an immersive, four-day experience at the helm of high-fidelity sound. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Acoustic Sounds production scale, record fair, hifi show, and world-class live performances in multiple venues, The Vinyl Summit marks 40 years of Acoustic Sounds, celebrating the past, present, and future of audio excellence.

Interested dealers can access more information on The Vinyl Summit here.

Founded in 1986 by Chad Kassem, Acoustic Sounds began as a one-man mail-order operation that has since grown into both a global analog powerhouse and the standard-bearer for audiophile vinyl. Over four decades, Chad has built a fully independent analog ecosystem spanning mastering, pressing, printing, recording, and distribution–all driven by uncompromising standards and an obsessive commitment to superior sound. Dubbed the “wizard of vinyl” by The New York Times, Chad has spent 40 years redefining what it means to hear recorded music at its highest fidelity.

As Acoustic Sounds enters its fifth decade, The Vinyl Summit stands as both celebration and culmination: a living expression of craftsmanship, community, and conviction. What began as Kassem’s personal mission to “save the world from bad sound” reaches its greatest heights this fall, with a four-day, fully immersive experience, offering attendees the opportunity not just to hear the music, but step inside how it’s made, preserved, and experienced at the highest level.

Set across the Acoustic Sounds campus, the event will feature a large-scale record fair and HiFi showcase; rare behind-the-scenes access to one of the world’s leading vinyl production and mastering facilities; the opportunity to rub shoulders with industry legends such as Daryl Wilson of Wilson Audio, Merck Mercuriadis of Hipgnosis Song Management, and Michael Fremer of The Tracking Angle, with more guests to be announced soon; and culinary fare ranging from Cajun classics to Kansas-style barbecue. With live performances curated by Kassem and the Acoustic Sounds team at venues including Blue Heaven Studios – a beautifully restored 1920s church turned recording and performance space – and downtown Salina’s historic Stiefel Theatre, the event offers a unique opportunity to experience the full spectrum of analog culture in one place, among the people who shape and sustain it.

In a moment when music playback feels increasingly ephemeral, Vinyl Summit is an open invitation to experience the real thing firsthand and IRL. To see the highest standard of record pressing, mastering, and recording in action, to meet, buy, sell, and trade with collectors and dealers who share the same depth of devotion, and to hear world-class live performances in an environment built for true listening. It is an entry into a living ecosystem–the world as Chad Kassem envisioned it, as Acoustic Sounds has built it, and as collectors and music lovers have long imagined it could be.

Performance Schedule

October 15, 2026 – Blue Heaven Studios – Jazz Night

General Admission - $100

Doors open at 6:00p.m. – Show starts at 7:00p.m.

Chico Freeman & Band

Jerome Sabbaugh

Dave Douglas

Becca Stevens
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with backing band of

Pete Washington (bass)

Billy Drummond (drums)

Elan Mehler (piano)