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To say that I had good memories of the Luxman-Magico room at an earlier AXPONA would be an understatement. Two years ago, I heard Magico's phenomenal, $185,000 M6 speakers driven by two just-launched Luxman M-10X stereo amplifiers running in mono. The preamp was a Luxman C-900u. I wrote that "the sound pressure changes in the large room were felt more than heard, but they came as a package alongside top-notch dynamics, slam and impact." The combination made such a strong impression that I still occasionally thought and talked about it through the rest of 2022 and '23.
Rich Pinto of Treehaus Audiolab, which is based in Southport, Connecticut, has been dedicated to developing SET amplifiers and high-efficiency speakers since 2017. Here at AXPONA, he introduces the A/Machines monoblock amplifiers ($39,000/pair), which showcase his commitment to classic design, in the sound and the aesthetics.
Engineered and built by Radu Tarta (of simplepleasuretubeamps), the 6Wpc A/Machines consists of a 10Y/801A tube driving a Western Electric 300B though a Finemet-Core interstage transformer made in Japan for Treehaus Audiolab. The output transformer, also with a…
Steve Jain and his Fidelity Imports crew presented six rooms at AXPONA, stuffed with debut products from across the world.
Room 1215 featured Soulnote electronics—a D-3 DAC ($24,999), Z-3 Network Transport ($14,999), X-3 Clock Generator ($4999), and A-3 Integrated Amp ($24,999)—and Opera Callas Diva loudspeakers ($11,999/pair), connections by QED cables and Titan Audio power cords.
This gorgeous-looking system played cool of tone but engaging of soul. A stream of cellist Jacqueline du Pré’s classic recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto with Sir John Barbirolli and the…
Last year in the large Schaumburg F air-walled room in the Convention Center, Stenheim, VTL, and Nordost put together one of the finest sounding rooms I’ve heard at any show. This year, the sound was again among the best I encountered in the over 40 rooms I auditioned.
Given the room’s sponsors, it's not surprising that classical music was given the volume it deserves. If the first two selections, Jordi Savall’s interpretation of the Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem and “Le Spectre de la Rose” from Berlioz’s Les Nuits d'Été, sung by the magnificent Sandrine Piau, were too downbeat for a…
As last year, Gryphon devoted the large Schaumburg E space to static displays. Most notable was the new Gryphon PowerZone PZ3.10 power purifier ($14,000) which has eight Furutech AC sockets and 20-amp current capacity and utilizes Quantum Resonance Technology.
Also arousing interest were the Diablo 333 integrated ($24,800), first unveiled at last year’s Munich High End; the Eos 5 loudspeaker system ($52,500/pair); the superb Ethos CD player and DAC ($39,800), which I reviewed at the end of 2019; the Kodo Carbon speaker system ($439,000/pair); a Commander preamplifier ($67,000); an Apex…
At audio shows, we don’t look back much. AXPONA is mostly about what’s new, what’s hot, what’s happening. Yamaha proudly bucked the trend and delved into the past. In two adjoining rooms on the 14th floor, the Japanese brand celebrated its 70th anniversary as a hi-fi company. The room on the right had been transformed into a history museum of sorts, with key products from yesteryear that helped lift the audio brand to global fame.
Those products included the boxy "Hi-fi Player," an F-11 turntable from 1954. The company says it was the first commercial product to use the term "hi…
After achieving Serenity and acquiring Knowledge, do we end up in the land of Perfection? The room I visited after Perfection was Connection, which was occupied by Quintessence Audio. So perhaps we can say that Serenity + Knowledge + Perfection produces a Connection to something higher than ourselves, which in this case would be Nirvana. (There's also a Nirvana room.)
Or might the best way to achieve Perfection be to forget about room names and focus on the music and equipment at hand?
On Flight Path, by Sphere—that's Kenny Barron, Charlie Rouse, Ben Billy and Buster…
Does this star-studded brand lineup from Quintessence Audio Ltd. of Chicago sound familiar? It should, not only because it’s frequently encountered at audio shows and dealers, but also because it consistently earns plaudits as one of my Best Sounding Rooms.
I can’t imagine that anyone who heard Sandrine Piau sing “Chanson triste” or Marcin perform “Kashmir” on guitar could miss how gorgeous and open the midrange sounded. The blend of low, mids, and highs was peerless, the sense of power awe-inspiring. Despite a pesky room mode, Yello’s “Electrified II” sounded remarkably clear and strong…
Another big system with a midrange to love, with speakers well-matched to the space. I wasn't converted to the style of singer Vanessa Fernandez, whose cut from her new platter seemed more derivative than inspired, but the midrange sounded excellent, and there was also lots of bass to attract attention.
The system’s midrange again proved a high point on a hi-rez digital recording of a bit of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1, where Anna Fedorova’s piano shone. The system, which would retail for $364,750 without the Kubala Sosna Realization cables, was headed by Vivid Audio…
Damon Von Schweikert, CEO of speaker manufacturer Von Schweikert Audio, did something interesting in the room (1621) he shared with Gary Leeds of WestminsterLab. Faced with a challenging room whose opening to a second inner chamber of similar size all but guaranteed that bass would be a mess, set up two Von Schweikert V-12XS MkII Shockwave subwoofers ($33,000 for two), facing each other. One was in the listening room toward the rear along the side wall; the other was in the opening. Operating 180º phase, the two subs equalized pressure at their positions and canceled standing waves, resulting…