AXPONA 2022

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AXPONA 2022
Robyatt/VPI/Miyajima/DNM Design/Finley Audio
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 12, 2022  | 
Robin Wyatt's Robyatt room wins my early, best sound of show. Playing recordings I thought I knew well, as well as those I'd never heard, his exacting, tonally true, vivid, physical, natural and extremely transparent system left my jaw on the floor and other's mouths agape.
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AXPONA 2022NewsThink Pieces
It's a Wrap: AXPONA Reflections
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 01, 2022  | 

Exciting. Engrossing. Exhausting. Enjoyable. Nothing but e-words from me. I could go on, but not without breaking out the thesaurus. —Rogier van Bakel, Stereophile's newest Contributing Editor

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AXPONA 2022New ProductsNews
MoFi Distribution, Part 4: Wharfedale, BAT, MoFi x Fender
Julie Mullins  |  May 01, 2022  |  First Published: May 02, 2022  | 

The MoFi Distribution classic gear fun continued in Suite 346, with two pairs of Wharfedale Heritage Linton speakers ($1799/pair), stacked, with the one on top inverted so that the two tweeters were in the middle. One Wharfedale Linton stand ($399/pair) supported each side's stack.

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AXPONA 2022News
Bending Wave USA: Göbel Audio, CH Precision, Wadax
Julie Mullins  |  May 01, 2022  | 

A large, almost loft-style suite on the 16th floor housed a big, all-out system presented by Bending Wave USA, the Florida-based distributor/dealer for Germany's Göbel Audio (among other brands); their name nods to Göbel Audio's bending wave drivers.

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AXPONA 2022
AXPONA: T+A Brings the A-Team
Jim Austin  |  May 01, 2022  | 

T+A elektroakustik GmbH & Co. brought the A-team to the 2022 AXPONA, including American rep Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations David Schultz, Chief Operations Officer (and heir apparent) Conradin Amft, and Founder and CEO Siegfried Amft. During a light Saturday breakfast in the big T+A room, the elder Amft briefed the Stereophile team on T+A's status and plans; expect some big announcements at High End Munich later this month.

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AXPONA 2022News
Aurender and Computer Audio Design: Two Different Companies, Same Peculiar Idea
Jim Austin  |  May 01, 2022  | 

Audio shows are great for hearing new components and systems—of course they are. But they can also be good for encountering new ideas. Over two days at AXPONA, I encountered the same curious idea from two manufacturers.

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AXPONA 2022New ProductsNews
Verdant Audio: Wilson Benesch, Canor, Weiss, Antipodes, AVM, Puritan
Julie Mullins  |  May 01, 2022  |  First Published: May 02, 2022  | 

Dealer/distributor Verdant Audio's room included a few important debuts, including the new Wilson Benesch Geometry Discovery IIIZ standmount loudspeaker ($31,000).

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AXPONA 2022News
MoFi Distribution, Part 3: Piega Ace Wireless and Premium Wireless speakers
Julie Mullins  |  May 01, 2022  | 

In addition to exhibiting a plethora of "classic" hi-fi gear, MoFi Distribution introduced a modern lifestyle system in Suite 340: the new Piega Ace Wireless series.

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AXPONA 2022
The Eikon room at AXPONA
Rogier van Bakel  |  Apr 30, 2022  | 
Outside the Eikon room at AXPONA, sharply projected onto the hallway carpet, floated the company's logo in bright white. I like to think I wasn't the only one who reacted to it like a little kid from Hamelin, powerlessly compelled to follow the music that was now within earshot.

Inside, I was invited to audition the just-launched Image .5 standmounts ($12,000/pair).

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AXPONA 2022
Lenbrook: DALI, NAD, Bluesound
Julie Mullins  |  Apr 30, 2022  | 
Lenbrook of Canada has several modern hi-fi brands under its "umbrella," and I had the chance to check out some of the latest wares from DALI, NAD, and Bluesound in room 729 at AXPONA.
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AXPONA 2022
Perfection with Wilson, Moon, Clearaudio, Hana, Kubala-Sosna, and Franc
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Apr 29, 2022  | 
Are we truly moving closer to the alpha and omega of high-end audio, or are we still at the beginning of an ever widening—some would say deviating—path that now includes virtual reality 360° listening, Dolby Atmos, Apple Immersion, and so much more. All I know for certain is that showgoers who visited Quintessence Audio's Perfection Audio when Wilson Audio's Sasha DAW speakers ($39,000/pair) had their grilles on came away with only a partial sense of all this system could accomplish.
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AXPONA 2022New ProductsNews
Wilson Audio Dances with Audio Research, Clearaudio, dCS, Transparent, and Critical Mass
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Apr 29, 2022  | 
Of Morton Grove, IL dealer Quintessence Audio's three rooms at AXPONA, those in the ground floor Knowledge and Perfection showrooms remained. Since it's hard to imagine Perfection without Knowledge, reality cast the die to first cover a superb Knowledge set-up that mated Wilson Audio Alexx V speakers ($135,000/pair, or $151,000/pair in the show pair's special finish) with Audio Research electronics (see below), Clearaudio Master Innovation Wood turntable with TT-MI linear tonearm ($62,000) and Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement MC cartridge ($17,500), dCS's new Vivaldi Apex DAC/Clock/Upsampler system ($90,000), Transparent XL cabling with PWX power ($73,985 total), and Critical Mass Maxxum component stands ($75,000).
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AXPONA 2022
The McIntosh C12000 Preamplifier
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Apr 29, 2022  | 
"Cover McIntosh," Jim Austin wrote by text. "Sure," I replied. "But I don't see them listed in the show guide." "They're behind the escalator," Jim replied.

And there they were. Against a wall, with comfortable couches facing the system, McIntosh's Ken Zelin had set up a lovely system headlined by the new, two-piece McIntosh C12000 preamplifier ($16,000).

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AXPONA 2022
JS Audio's Original WAMMs at AXPONA
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Apr 29, 2022  | 
There was one room at AXPONA where I was too in awe to take notes. In shock is more like it. The brothers who own JS Audio have acquired and restored the very first pair of WAMM loudspeakers that the late Dave Wilson began to manufacture in 1981. It seems that after living with the model for a few months, Dave's other half in the truest sense, his beloved wife and life partner Sheryl Lee preferred a different cabinet color for their living room and encouraged him to move this pair along. (If I've got that wrong, please forgive me.)
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AXPONA 2022
The Innuos Statement Next-Gen PSU Upgrade and YG Vantage Live loudspeakers
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Apr 29, 2022  | 
Having reviewed the top-of-the-line Innuos two-piece Statement music server, I was eager to hear an A/B demo of the version I reviewed with an Innuos Statement that contains its forthcoming Next-Gen power supply upgrade. Thanks to two extremely helpful and enthusiastic Innuos staff people, Director of Sales Steven Gomes and North American Director of Sales, Kevin Jackson, it was easy to hear the improvements.
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