AXPONA 2025

Steve Jain of Fidelity Imports seeks out high-quality audio brands poised for greater recognition. While some, such as Wilson Benesch—now distributed in the US by Fidelity—are already well-established in the industry, Jain’s commitment is evident in his support of respected manufacturers like Perlisten, Knosti, QED, Unison Research, and Audia Flight.

Fidelity Imports brought so many rooms to Chicago that Stereophile’s show reporters had to draw straws to divide them up. I landed in Fidelity Imports’ Room 1210, which held an AVM Rotation R 5.3 MK2 turntable ($8999) and three off-camera digital machines: an AVM CS 30.3 streamer/CD/receiver ($4999), an AVM CS 2.3 streamer/CD/receiver ($6995), and an AVM CS 5.3 streamer/CD/receiver ($11,995).

An AVM PAS 5.3 streaming preamplifier ($9999) fed a pair of AVM MA 30.3 monoblock amplifiers (300Wpc into 4 ohms, MOSFET output stage; $5295/pair). The amplifiers powered Wilson Benesch Discovery 3zero standmount speakers ($29,999/pair) and a Perlisten R210s subwoofer ($4995).

Power conditioning was handled by an AVM PC 5.3 ($7999). ViaBlue cabling tied the system together.

This Fidelity Imports system sounded startlingly precise. Ludovico Einaudi’s piano notes beautifully decayed into silence. Kraftwerk’s “The Robots” punched with taut, mechanical drive. On markusphilippe’s version of “Pink Panther,” every playful phrase landed with intent. The presentation wasn’t just clean; it was exacting, purposeful, and marvelous.