AXPONA 2024

Steve Jain’s Fidelity Imports turned heads at AXPONA with a kaleidoscope of digital and analog sound. They filled no fewer than six rooms, each showcasing an array of products, new and less new, from all corners of the world.

In the first room I visited, a two-channel system built around the Primare SP25 Prisma Home Cinema Pre-Pro ($5299), which features a network player and Dirac Live room correction, and a pair of bridged Primare A35.2 stereo power amplifiers (200Wpc into 8 ohms, 400Wpc into 4 ohms, $3999 each), connected to Perlisten R5M Loudspeakers ($5990/pair), and the AXPONA-debut Perlisten R18 subwoofer ($5000 each) with QED cables. Titan supplied cables and rack, respectively.

The new R18 uses a 1kW RMS amplifier and an 18” driver with a glass-fiber diaphragm capable of linear excursion to ±23.7mm . It includes a 10-Band PEQ with 3 user presets to dial in your preferences based on room dimensions. A 2.4" LCD color touchscreen and iOS and Android app compatibility make controlling the R18 a breeze. It weighs 78 lb!

This setup impressed delivered Hank Mobley's "Remember," with ideal pace and subtle ambient cues. Carmen McRae's vocals on "Nice Work If You Can Get It" shimmered. Even John Coltrane's notoriously boomy bass on "Giant Steps" was reproduced faithfully, and the rest of the recording was rendered with surprising humanity.