At AXPONA 2026, Well Pleased AV's Mark Sossa talks about all the gear shown in the company's room at the show in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel..
A vanishing noise floor made this Well Pleased AV setup one of my favorite rooms at AXPONA 2026.
The system dropped profoundly low, taut bass that raised the hairs on my arms as miles of silence opened between notes. While playing music by Belgian jazz vocalist Melanie De Biasio, the Well Pleased AV system bathed each phrase in endless sustain, rich decay, and exacting organic tonality—the sparse arrangement given room to breathe and bleed.
Carmen Gomes's "A Fool for You" (originally from 2017's Carmen Gomes Sings the Blues, on Sound Liaison) hit harder and more conventionally, with guitars, drums, and bass orbiting her plaintive voice in a deep stage that welled with emotion.
Equipment list: Digital sources: Merason DAC 2 DAC ($15,000); XACT Audio S1 EVO music server ($18,600); XACT Audio N1 network switch ($7400). Preamplifier: Norse X2 ($2500). Amplifiers: Norse X1 (two stereo amps in mono mode; $5000). Power supply: Norse X5 ($5000; Norse gear stack shown below). Speakers: QLN Prestige Five Gen 2 ($20,000/pair). Ethernet isolator: AB-Tech STILL ($3000). Power conditioner: GigaWatt PowerMaster ($30,000). Interconnects: Next Level Tech Ether Series speaker and XLR interconnects. Equipment rack: SGR Audio Model V Statement ($5200).
