AXPONA 2025 marked the debut of Computer Audio Design’s 1543 DAC Mk.III ($19,500), presented by CAD founders Scott Berry and Isabel Whitley. Also on hand were the CAD CAT (Computer Audio Transport, ca. $15,000) and a suite of CAD noise-reduction devices.

Room 1225 with Fidelity Imports offered a jolt of musical energy—vinyl spinning, bookshelf speakers punching, and a vibe that was more “groove and grind” than “rise and shine.” Even early in the day, the system sounded wide awake.

For me, one of the biggest surprises at Munich High End 2024 was the performance of Constellation’s new Revelation 2 stereo amplifier ($30,000), preamplifier ($25,500), and phono stage ($29,000). I’d expected refinement, but not this level of clarity; previous Constellation gear had sometimes struck me as a little dark. In Munich, the sound was beautifully illuminated, with wonderful colors and an ideal amount of brightness in the treble.

Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson: Bone Bells; Branford Marsalis Quartet: Belonging; François Couturier and Dominique Pifarély: Preludes and Songs; Noah Preminger: Ballads; Jim Snidero: Bird Feathers.

Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin: Electric Fields; John Field: Complete Nocturnes; Mahler: Symphony No.3; Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Le baiser de la fée—Divertimento, K.-M. Murphy: Curiosity, Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark.

Peter Perrett: The Cleansing; The Blasters: Over There: Live at the Venue, London – The Complete Concert; Inhaler: Open Wide; Ray Charles: Best of Country & Western; Teddy Swims: I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2).

In front of a passive hallway display in the lobby of the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, Mark Henninger and I caught up with TJ Goldsby, AXISS Audio's vice president of sales and dealer relations, and Takaya Inokuma, senior management director, Accuphase Laboratory. Together, we chatted about the first showing of the brand-new, entry-level Accuphase E-3000 integrated amplifier ($8975). Accuphase's new class-AB integrated outputs 100Wpc into 8 ohms.

“It’s Luxman’s 100th Anniversary,” Stereophile Editor Jim Austin told me in passing. “You’ve got to hear how good the sound is in the Rhythm Distribution room that Luxman shares with Marten and Jorma.”