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Axpona's marketing director Steve Davis is also a singer and guitarist who performs locally in The Difference/Mumbleypeg, a North Florida-based rock band. Aware of the importance of the live reference, Davis arranged several live "reference" performances throughout the show. As well as The Difference/Mumbleypeg, Axpona showcased the talents of pianist John Yurick, veteran bass guitarist John Atkinson, and Mikhail Levitsky's Levitsky Violin Orchestra. Here's a photo of Davis rehearsing with his band for a performance that was recorded by Mark Waldrep of AIX Records.

<I>Stereophile</I> will be reporting live from 2010 AXPONA in Jacksonville, Florida - March 5th-7th.

At home, I’ve been playing around a little bit with my new Anniversary Ringmat 330 replacement platter mat for my Rega P3-24 turntable. However, I haven’t been in the best mood for comparative listening sessions&#151I came home from work with <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/100705advil/">a headache</a> the last two nights, and I’ve <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/030706dragonflies/">still</a&…; been suffering from some post-static stress disorder (<a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/armed_and_ready/">PSSD</a&gt;) while playing LPs&#151so I’m not ready to make any value judgments.

<B>THE PERSUASIONS: <I>Live in the Whispering Gallery</I></B><BR>
Hammer n' Nails HNCD 1988 (CD only). Frank Kulaga, Larry Collen, engs.; David Ackerman, prod. D&#150;D. TT: 34:39

How can you tell when a politician is lying? His lips move. How can you tell when a recording system is perfect? CBS tries to outlaw it.

A couple of friends came over this weekend to listen to records, and I’m happy to report that we experienced no trouble at all. No static, no distortion, no woman, no cry. Record after record, beer after beer, the Rega sounded just fine. I do believe <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/all_schmutzed_up_and_i_dont_k… days of vinyl misery</a> are over. But just in case the static monster decides to come round again, I also picked up a can of StaticGuard ($4 at DuaneReade). Before the dudes came over, I sprayed the stuff on the rug in front of my system, as well as on the curtains behind the system. The smell wasn’t so bad and the dry mist evaporated quickly. My apartment has never been so static-free.

The path to audio nirvana sometimes takes us in dark and difficult directions. We must fight terrible evils (such as room nodes) and stand strong against great adversities (such as <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/making_music_again/">static electricity</a>) to achieve sonic bliss. We have all encountered our fair share of audio demons. Describe your personal hi-fi hell, or tell us about your most treacherous hi-fi demon.