LATEST ADDITIONS

I wrote much of this column, including the title, in early April before the Trump administration announced "reciprocal" tariffs on imported goods. A random example: Switzerland, home of CH Precision, darTZeel, Goldmund, Orpheus Lab, Piega, Stenheim, Thorens, and Wattson, among other hi-fi companies, where the tariff is 31%. Before this issue closed, the Trump administration announced a 90-day reprieve for everyone but China, then exempted computers and smartphones (and a few other categories) from the China tariffs. Importers and foreign manufacturers I talked to at AXPONA in April were happy for the reprieve but remained on edge. Uncertainty reigned.

I almost missed Audio Research and Acora’s pairing in the “Living Room” area of the mezzanine, adjacent to where people dined and lounged. I waited to stop by until first thing on Sunday morning, when music wasn’t blasting and people were in a far mellower mood than on eager-beaver Friday or crowded Saturday.

One advantage of distributing multiple categories of carefully chosen top-quality products is that you can assemble entire systems while remaining with your own network. Thus did AXISS Audio present room after room of sterling AXISS family systems on multiple floors.

As AXPONA wound down, I stopped by the Supreme Acoustic Systems room hoping to catch up with CEO Hiram Toro. Instead, I was greeted by another familiar face: distributor Philip O’Hanlon of On a Higher Note, who welcomed me into a space humming with last-day energy.