AXPONA 2024

In room 1126, I encountered one of many marriages of convenience between brands and distributors that prove to be matches made in audiophile heaven. In this case, it was the union of new Mon Acoustic PlatiMON VC One bookshelf speakers ($6000/pair) on top, joined by jumpers to the PlatiMON VC Two bass module ($11,000/pair), mated with components from AXISS Audio distributors and other companies.

Given how dynamic the system sounded on “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars, the Force Awakens, performed by violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and conducted by John Williams on Across the Stars, and the start of Riccardo Chailly’s interpretation of Mahler Symphony No. 5, a long-term relationship might be a good idea.

The 2-way virtual-coaxial PlatiMON One’s aluminum cabinet holds a proprietary, made in the USA 3.5" AMT tweeter that crosses over at 3.1kHz and extends to 25kHz, plus two German-made 5.5" drivers. The One’s frequency range is specified as 40Hz–28kHz, impedance as 4 ohms, and sensitivity as 91dB. The PlatiMON Two bass unit contains a French-made berrylium tweeter and a Mon-designed South Korean-made 8" driver. The Two has a range of 20Hz-40kHz with 6 Ohm impedance and 91dB sensitivity.

Mon importer Young Byun spent a while demonstrating the Two’s supertweeter, which only adds information from 25kHz up. When it was active—it can be set to various levels—the presentation benefitted from significantly more air and ambiance. I’ve experienced supertweeters that sound bright and metallic, especially when they’re AMTs, but that was not the case here. From what I heard, these speakers are a win-win.

Also in the system: from Accuphase, an A-80 stereo amplifier ($26,575), C-2300 preamplifier ($14,975), and PS-550 AC power supply ($12,575); a Metronome DSC DAC/Streamer; and the U.S. premiere of the HZ Project HZ Core E Roon server. Sanctus F5 Signature flagship power cables connected stuff together, and the TAOC CL Series 3 shelf held stuff up.

Final words scribbled by Serinus in his notebook: "These speakers sound really, really good with Accuphase. They sound great. I am a hopeless Accuphase fan."