Messy and human, Shpongle's 2013 release, Museum of Consciousness, found much love from ampsandsound’s Weber-built system. The analog front end—an SME Model 20 MK2 turntable ($31,900) with an Ortofon Classic SPU GE MkII “nude” MC cart and Auralic Vega G2.2 DAC/Preamp…
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Ampsandsound's Justin Weber brought a big pile of black vinyl to Chicago, lining the small room's walls with album jackets. He had me at Sphongle, an electronic industrial act that churned out of the world-debut Ampsandsound Hudson 3-way speakers ($18,000/pair) like dirty psychedelic water erupting from a broken sewer pipe.
In the Innovation room, operated by Joe Corona of Chicago-based dealer Saturday Audio Exchange, two systems played, both featuring new components.
System one included the debut of the NAD Masters M66 BluOS streaming DAC/preamplifier with Dirac Live bass control and room correction ($5499); the NAD Masters M23 stereo power amplifier; PSB's flagship Synchrony T800 3-way, bass-reflex speaker with three 8" woofers, a 5 1/4" midrange, and a 1” titanium dome tweeter ($11,998/pair); and a PSB SubSeries BP8 subwoofer ($1499/each).
System two featured the NAD Masters M10V2 BluOS…
I walked into the pitch-black room operated by the affable Klaus Bunge, manufacturer of the popular Odyssey amplifier. I stumbled into a seat.
After my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed candles, a lot of them. 47 to be exact—I counted. Most were assembled in small groups on the floor, on ledges, in corners, behind lamps, peering like malevolent jack-o'-lanterns.
The back half of the room was devoured by a curtain of inky black linen. No light could escape or enter. Was this the prelude to some unholy pagan sacrifice out of a fever dream? Were we about to be bled…
Balanced Audio Technology’s chief designer Victor Khomenko and BAT rep Steve Shade unveiled new products in conjunction with MoFi Electronics in 334.
It was the debut of the all-new BAT REX 300 Power Amplifier ($15,000) and VK-85 Preamplifier ($12,500). BAT's clever tagline "Crossing the Rubicon: The New Romance of Solid State" hints at a bold departure, suggesting their new solid state designs capture the magic usually associated with tubes, in a new form.
The REX 300 Power Amplifier Power features only two gain stages, with zero global feedback in a fully balanced circuit from…
The Caladan loudspeakers from Clayton Shaw Acoustics ($3000/pair) were a sleeper hit at the Capital AudioFest, so I made a beeline to the fifth floor, slow-motion elevators not withstanding.
The room also presented the world debut of Linear Tube Audio’s Aero DAC ($3600) with an Innuos ZEN MK3 music server ($3649), Atma-Sphere MP-1 preamplifier ($26,000), and Atma-Sphere Class D monoblocks (that's their name; $6130/pair). Cabling was by Anticables: Level 4.2 Flex speaker cables ($350/pair), the new Perfect Music 4 XLR interconnects ($935/pair), Level 3.3 USB ($215), and Level 3…
Colin King and Doug K of Gestalt Audio Design of Nashville, Tennessee, presented one of the more unusual looking rigs at AXPONA, complete with a fantastical copper-colored turntable with a steampunk clamp, a pair of bug-eyed loudspeakers each with a field-coil midrange driver, and a master controller that looked like it had been rescued or stolen from a Russian submarine circa 1957.
That turntable was a TW-Acustic Raven GT2 ($12,500), its copper accents mostly obscured in the photos by a record, equipped with a Raven 10.5 tonearm ($6500) and a Fuuga MC cartridge ($9995). The…
For sleeping, past convention nights have sometimes been a nightmare, stuck next to the rooms of exhibitors who think "lights out" means "crank it up to 11!" Neighbor TriangleArt was a exception. They silenced their space by 7 pm, and their music was so good, it literally floated through the walls, beckoning me in.
One night, though, a low rumble vibrated through the wall. It was the unmistakable growl of Dave Holland's acoustic bass, weaving its way through "Sauerkraut 'n Solar Energy" from Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns. This was…
Audiophile dream team Mike Pranka (Dynavector, Well Tempered Lab, JM Reynaud) and Charlie Schnyder (Stereo Haven) transformed room 624 into a sonic oasis. This well-tuned system made up of meticulously curated equipment delivered precision and nuance.
The system included the Dynavector XX-2 cartridge ($TBD) in a world debut, a Well Tempered Lab Amadeus Jr. turntable ($3350), a Lejonklou Entity MC phono stage ($2795), a Lejonklou Boazu integrated amplifier ($4195), and a pair of JM Reynaud Bliss Jubilee loudspeakers with matching Magic stands ($3500/pair). Necessaries included a…
In Jeff Fox's Notable Audio room, a potential snag turned to genius, when a countertop that wouldn't budge required ditching stuffy seating and letting the equipment sprawl across the counter and floor, transforming the space into an inviting lounge.
Fox presented a J. Sikora Initial Turntable ($10,750) with an Origin Live Zephyr 12” Tonearm ($1700) and an Aidas Durawood Cartridge ($4950). A Sutherland TZ Vibe transimpedance phono preamp ($1400) fed a Naim Uniti Nova integrated amplifier ($6899) and two sets of DeVore Fidelity speakers: micr/Os ($3950/pair) and O/babys ($5700/…
The all-out AXPONA push by AXISS Audio of Nashville, now headed by Cliff Duffey, encompassed four rooms. The biggest presented three new headliners: Gauder Akustik’s DARC 25-0 Mk II 4-way Reference Loudspeaker ($249,975), Soulution’s 727 preamp with phono module ($89,950; review forthcoming), and Soulution’s 757 deemphasis EQ preamplifier phonostage ($84,975), designed for analog components.
We began on a sweet note with an LP: Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies from the score to I’ll bet you know which ballet. (Hint: It's the one that's not Romeo and Juliet or Swan…