Florida Audio Expo 2024

Showing in the US for the first time in years, Metaxas & Sins by Kostas Metaxas offers audio gear that straddles the line between technology and art. The company refers to its components, justifiably, as "high-end audio sculptures." The aesthetic is unique.

But appeal of the gear is more than just visual; it sounds spectacular, starting with the Tourbillon reel-to-reel player ($49,000), which features a tourbillon timing mechanism (in case you're not into horology, "tourbillon is a watch thing; watches are big in the Metaxas design aesthetic) to improve the accuracy of the deck. The 150W/channel Solitaire integrated amplifier ($41,000) then powers a pair of Siren loudspeakers ($128,000/pair), which feature a 1.2" ceramic-dome tweeter, a 4" ceramic-dome midrange, and an 8" ceramic woofer (all sourced from Accuton) placed in a cabinet that's carved from a block of aluminum (or, if you're feeling especially spendy, titanium). The rated frequency response is rated at 30Hz–50kHz. Sensitivity is specified as 92dB/W/m.

The system sounded clean, clear, crisp, and transparently holographic. There are larger and more powerful speakers at the show, but only those at the topmost echelon of performance matched the Siren's transparency and resolution or looked as good doing it.

In a separate room, Metaxas and Sins had what is easily the most eccentric and design-forward headphone amp I have ever seen and heard: the Ethereal ($32,000). It is dedicated to driving electrostatic headphones and (like the Siren loudspeaker) is made of solid aluminum using a 5-axis CNC milling process. Modeled after the human form (a quality also shared with the Siren), it doubles as a headphone stand and offers a novel method for adjusting volume, as you can see in the photo.

I demoed a pair of Stax SR-X9000 headphones ($6200) on the Ethereal amplifier using one of my favorite electronic demo tracks, "Blaze Mountain" from the album Binary by Sounds from the Ground. The Ethereal lived up to its name, rendering the detailed, layered mix with a lucidity that escapes less capable systems. Dreamy.

You can see (and to an extent hear) for yourself how the main system sounds in the video that follows.