LATEST ADDITIONS

Join EMM Labs on Saturday May 31, 11am–4pm at Bending Wave USA, the new Boca Raton luxury retail location, for a special day of high-fidelity audio, fine timepieces, hors d’oeuvres, and distinctive spirits, all to celebrate the finer moments of life.

Fidelity Imports’ room 1221 featured electronics from Audia Flight and loudspeakers from Perlisten. Both brands are relatively new to the US market, though Perlisten has gained wider recognition more quickly.

The system consisted of an Audia Flight FLS1 preamplifier ($9999); two FLS8 monoblocks ($23,998/pair); Perlisten S7t SE floorstanding loudspeakers ($23,990/pair); and the new D8is subwoofer (price TBD). QED cables linked it all together.

AXPONA 2025 had the world premiere of ATC’s most compact active speaker, the ATC SCM20ASL ($9999–$13,499/pair, depending on finish). Designed for small to medium-size rooms, the sealed two-way speaker is hand-built in England and includes ATC’s proprietary 6" "Super Linear" mid/bass driver and 1" "S-Spec" dual-suspension tweeter. Both are powered by onboard class-A/B MOSFET power amplifiers that deliver 200W and 50W of continuous power to the bass and HF drivers, respectively.

AXPONA 2025 marked the debut of Computer Audio Design’s 1543 DAC Mk.III ($19,500), presented by CAD founders Scott Berry and Isabel Whitley. Also on hand were the CAD CAT (Computer Audio Transport, ca. $15,000) and a suite of CAD noise-reduction devices.

Room 1225 with Fidelity Imports offered a jolt of musical energy—vinyl spinning, bookshelf speakers punching, and a vibe that was more “groove and grind” than “rise and shine.” Even early in the day, the system sounded wide awake.

Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson: Bone Bells; Branford Marsalis Quartet: Belonging; François Couturier and Dominique Pifarély: Preludes and Songs; Noah Preminger: Ballads; Jim Snidero: Bird Feathers.

Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin: Electric Fields; John Field: Complete Nocturnes; Mahler: Symphony No.3; Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Le baiser de la fée—Divertimento, K.-M. Murphy: Curiosity, Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark.