AXPONA 2025

Aldo Filippelli of Luxury Audio Group brought essentially the same system he showed at the Florida Audio Expo, where Mark Henninger and Julie Mullins filed a comprehensive video report. Familiar or not, the performance was still superb.

What stood out most to me was how different the rig sounded compared with last year’s AXPONA setup. This year, Filippelli showcased Estelon Extreme Mk II loudspeakers ($296,000/pair) driven by four Vitus SM-103 monoblock amplifiers ($81,000/pair). Completing the system were a Vitus SL-103 preamp ($42,000) and SD-025 DAC ($35,000), two SonoruS ATR10 tape decks ($35,000 each), a Taiko Olympus streamer ($95,000), Crystal Cable’s ART Series Da Vinci and Van Gogh cabling, plus limited-edition Infinity power cables ($300,000 total); hidden Audio Realignment Technologies ART EMI-absorbing devices ($130,000); and prototype diffusers from Ekustik.

Last year’s presentation was a powerhouse knockout, but it was also a bit dark-sounding. This year, by contrast, was all openness, light, and natural beauty.

Filippelli credited several changes: the sonic ease that four monoblocks can provide; the Ekustik prototype diffusers; wood paneling, hidden behind black drapes, that enlivened the acoustics of the otherwise dead-sounding, cube-shaped room; and the ART gear.

All I know is that the sound was great. Bass might have been a mite tubby, but for a room with such diabolical dimensions, it was still a triumph. Were B.B. King still alive, he’d be thrilled to hear how wonderful a tape transfer of one of his recordings sounded on this virtuosic system.