AXPONA 2025

Stenheim, VTL, and Nordost returned as AXPONA system partners, joined this year by several notable additions. The analog front end featured Grand Prix Audio’s Monaco 3.0 turntable ($56,250) with Fuel Station battery power supply ($15,250), Kuzma’s Safir 9 tonearm ($23,140), and a Lyra Etna cartridge ($8995). Nordost showcased four rare Odin Gold power cords ($43,999), alongside its familiar Odin 2 and Valhalla 2 cables and a broad range of accessories. Digital duties had shifted from last year’s dCS Rossini Apex to the full Vivaldi Apex stack: DAC ($46,500), Upsampler ($27,000), and Master Clock ($21,000).

Stenheim brought back its biamped Ultime Two SX loudspeakers with Reference Platform ($186,500/pair). VTL expanded its contribution, adding two pairs of MB-185 Series III Signature monoblocks ($30,000/pair), along with the TP-6.5 Series II Signature phono preamplifier ($17,000) and TL-7.5 Series II reference line preamplifier ($40,000).

The system delivered rich, impressive sound. I arrived just as David Solomon, chief hi-rez evangelist for Qobuz, was concluding a lovely demo of music selections from his company. After I promised that I would finally share my own Qobuz playlist, I settled in for some great music. On an early Patricia Barber LP, the midrange was supple and lifelike, the vocal presentation convincing. Thanks perhaps to the Odin Gold cords, the Grand Prix turntable, or both, I heard absolutely no hard edge on top.

Treble and midrange performance left little to be desired. Bass, however, was initially unruly. Another reviewer in the room, Andre Jennings of The Absolute Sound, later mentioned that the Barber disc we’d heard is known for its loose low end—an explanation that fit, given that bass was far tighter and more controlled on a subsequent Shostakovich track.