At SouthWest Audio Fest 2026, Van Zyl Audio's Johan van Zyl talks about the company's latest offerings—Equiem mid-horns, and the BB‐15 horn‐loaded subwoofer—in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel.
When Johan van Zyl first fired up the system in the Van Zyl Audio room at SouthWest Audio Fest 2026, the bass was a large blob, overhanging like a mountain devil. The company founder then dialed it back incrementally, and the music snapped into place.
There was no denying a certain home theater aura—I feel that vibe when subwoofers are dialed into a system—but once my fears abated, I was impressed with the system’s ability to disappear while floating images like fat fireflies.
Bob Dylan's ethereal "Man in the Long Black Coat" (originally from 1989's Oh Mercy) projected from a massive stage, its pinpoint images and silken treble finding old Bob practically rubbing my ears.
The Van Zyl sound in this SWAF room was immersive, vast, and physical. Treble- and midrange-endowed images floated and darted, while deep, visceral bass notes were as tangible as they were booty- and body-throbbing.
Equipment list: Digital source: iFi Neo iDSD 2 DAC/preamp ($999). Amplifiers: Found Music Lucky 13 KT150 monoblocks ($9650/pair; shown above, alongside the iFi Neo). Speakers: Van Zyl Audio Equiem mid‐horns (TBA; shown below); Van Zyl Audio BB‐15 horn‐loaded subwoofer ($7000). Cables and interconnects: Found Music GiFT power cables ($440); Silversmith Audio Fidelium speaker cable ($995.00 ‐ $1,595); Silversmith Audio interconnects.
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