AXPONA 2025

With the debut of the futuristic Hyphn loudspeakers ($95,000/pair), Monitor Audio and Chicago’s Saturday Audio Exchange made an unmissable statement.

The main system included a McIntosh MDA200 DAC ($4000) feeding a McIntosh C55 preamplifier ($9000), which in turn drove MC1.25KW monoblocks ($13,500 each). An AudioQuest Niagara 5000 power conditioner ($5900) scrubbed the signal.

Monitor’s Hyphn looks more like a Kubrickian sci-fi art object than a traditional loudspeaker. Twin vertical columns curve like the legs of a praying mantis, joined across the upper midsection by what appears to be an aluminum chastity belt—part exoskeleton, part engine mount. There’s no hint of nostalgia—no woodgrain, no cloth to soften the edges—just stark design, unapologetic form, and the vague, thrilling sense that it might be listening back. Each bifurcated tower houses four force-cancelled 8" RDT III bass drivers, six 2" midrange drivers, and a single MPD III folded tweeter.

System Two featured a McIntosh MA352 hybrid integrated amp ($7000), an MC275 VI tube power amp ($6500), and an MHA200 vacuum-tube headphone amplifier ($2500). These drove the US debut of Monitor Audio’s Studio 89 speakers ($2499/pair), perched on matching Studio 89 stands ($749/pair). AudioQuest PowerQuest 3 ($399) and PowerQuest 707 ($1299) power conditioners purified the incoming juice, while Pangea racks supported the hardware.

The more affordable rig remained static during my visit, but the main system snapped my ears awake with sparkling sound. Playing the O-Zone Percussion Group, the shoulder-linked Hyphns created a layered vista of marimba and snare drum, framed by exceptional transparency and imaging. Spinning some ’80s material from the Alan Parsons Project confirmed that the Monitor/Mac combo could be slick and detached as well as rich and layered; at times the equipment disappeared—no mean feat in a hotel room.

For a closer look, check out the video.