At AXPONA 2026, Sierra Sound co-founder Michael Fajen (in the foreground) and Aesthetix sales and marketing specialist Brent Hefley (in the reflection) both discuss the gear being shown in the Sierra Sound room in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel.
I'd been kicking down doors left and right at AXPONA 2026, demanding rooms spin or stream one of my guilty pleasures that is also one of the better-recorded rock albums in existence: ZZ Top’s 1973 masterpiece, Tres Hombres. More specifically, I wanted to hear "La Grange," or the back-to-back, album-opening gut-punch of "Waiting for the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago."
Blistering lead and rhythm guitars from Billy Gibbons, drums by Frank Beard with genuine thump and thwack, and bass courtesy Dusty Hill that wallows in the low end like something prehistoric—these tracks can expose a system fast.
The Sierra Sound room passed the test, mostly. Treble ran a touch hot and cutting, but the system locked into ZZ Top's swampy rhythmic pocket and never let go, delivering chunk, grease, and momentum in quantities that felt genuinely authentic.
Low bass turned muddy, though—almost certainly a hotel room casualty, as these unforgiving spaces have been destroying sound since the invention of the minibar. But tone, drive, and sheer exuberance? Off the charts.
Equipment list: Analog sources: Turntable 1: AMG Giro MK II Wood, with AMG 9WT tonearm ($19,300); Benz Micro ACE mono cartridge ($1200); ViV Laboratory Rigid Float Ha-9" tonearm ($4500); Benz Micro Zebra L Woodbody cartridge ($2500); Sierra Sound NAB-1 tonearm platform (for AMC Giro MK II Wood table; $500); AMG 12v Linear power supply upgrade ($1200). Turntable 2: AMG Viella, with 12JT Turbo tonearm ($26,800); Benz Micro SLR Gullwing cartridge ($4200); AMG Fortissimo arm base ($3360); Sorane SA-1.2 tonearm (silver finish; $2000); Ortofon SPU Classic cartridge ($1415); Aesthetix Rhea Signature phono stage ($12,000); Aesthetix Pallene line stage ($7000). Amplifier: Aesthetix Dione ($8000; all three Aesthetix products are flanked by Hefley, as shown below). Speakers: Vandersteen Treo CT ($11,095). AC Distribution block: Connected Fidelity Six Star ($950). RF Blocker: Connected Fidelity Gold ($500/pair). Cables and interconnects: Sierra Sound (by Cardas) phono cables; Cardas Clear Beyond interconnects, speaker cables, and AC cables. Rack: Butcher Block Acoustics rigidrack (3-shelf, Rack 42x18"; $1800).
