Even before 10am had rolled around on opening day, eager audiophiles were obtaining badges in the lobby of the Westin O'Hare. It looked like a very promising start.
Steve Davis, who founded AXPONA in Jacksonville, FL eight years ago, was just finishing up Friday morning's press briefing while people were already lining up in the lobby. Among other things, he led us on a tour of the new Manufacturer's Showcase, in which 26 manufacturers and distributors set up passive displays of premiering and recently released products. Even in this, its first year, the showcase ran short of…
Once Pro Musica Chicago discovered that one of the electrical outlets in their room was severely handicapped, as it were, and switched to another, the VTL TL5.5 preamp with phono stage ($10,500) and VTL S200 power amp ($12,500) delivered eminently neutral sound. On a classic recording of Falla's Three Cornered Hat, the presentation had all the midrange weight, warmth, and fullness I've come to expect from VTL gear. The sound was wonderful.
Storeowner Ken Christiansen, whose True Stereo recordings for NAIM are highly prized, used Chord Co. balanced interconnects ($500) and Super Lumina…
At every audio show I visit, there's always more live action, more vivo, more hormones, and surely less gray hair in those large rooms where people exhibit headphones, sell new and pre-owned LPs and CDs, and put on static displays of products that are just coming on the market. AXPONA was no exception, with their lobby-level Ear Gear Expo, Manufacturer's Showcase—which was stocked with excellent food and beverages for the show's opening party—and Marketplace.
Because the energy is so strong, I always feel drawn to these rooms, and once there, I lose time, spend money, and feel young again…
I became angry when I first heard Elac America's new UB5 loudspeaker. Why? Because, at the time, I was working on my review of another Andrew Jones's design—the Elac B6 ($279.99/pair)—and the $499.99/pair UB5 sounded so *%##@ good, I was thinking
well, damn! For $200 more I could be experiencing the Jones-designed coincident mid-tweet driver with its pinpoint imaging and slamming bass. Yes: I said slamming bass.
I always laugh at Andrew Jones's demonstrations, because every time he plays some bass-slamming blockbuster, the curtains behind the speakers start flapping in the breeze from…
I scored big this year, because my floors included High Water Sound's room. As usual, Jeffrey Catalano was a breath of fresh air, playing LPs of music not encountered in other rooms. First came a movement from Shostakovich's String Quartet 9 (performed by the Fitzwilliam Quartet, dressed in echt '70s slim-cut suits), which sounded gorgeous. Next, Lou Reed and John Cale's Songs for Drella, which showcased the system's strong but balanced midrange. Finally, The Cairo Gang's "At the Show," recorded in 2007 in Chicago, on which the guitar's sound was to die for.
It's not just Jeffrey's…
I was talking to a couple of oldster audiophiles standing outside the glass-walled Woo Audio room. They were raving about some Von Schweikert Audio speakers when I interrupted them to ask, "Have you heard the Abyss headphones?" They laughed and smirked: "Are you kidding me? $5000 for headphones? That's ridiculous!" I asked what kind of cartridges they used. Oldster No.1 said he has a Dynavector XV-1s ($5650), and swore he loves it more than his wife. Oldster No.2 said, "Lyra Atlas" ($9500). I smiled.
We could all see through the glass, and Jack Woo had the Abyss AB-1266 earspeakers ($…
I hope you can sense how much I enjoy attending audio festivals like this excellent AXPONA 2016. My pleasure stems, not from the gear—the gear is just boxes of stuff. What I like are the people and the adventure. Audio shows are tribal gatherings and, when they are going strong, they can become musical hoedowns. At every one of these tribal gatherings you can find Peter McGrath and Wilson Audio Specialties making the biggest campfire and singing the best songs. Why? Because they can. Decades of experience have made Wilson demos the Big Event—and this year's version, presented by dealer…
From left to right: Larry Marcus president of Paragon Sight Sound, Nick Doshi of Doshi Audio, Dave Wilson, Peter McGrath, John R. Quick, dCS America, Jon Zimmer of Transparent Audio.
At an after-hours press listening session sponsored by Paragon Audio/Video of Michigan, Dave Wilson was in a major upbeat mood for the show premiere of Wilson Audio's new Alexx loudspeaker ($109,000/pair). Not only was he overjoyed at his 50 years of marriage, but he also was extremely proud of his son, Daryl Wilson, who designed both Alexx and the Sabrina, the latter featured on the cover of the May issue of…
If you don't like digital it just means you've never heard it through a good DAC like the pin-you-to-the-seat with inner detail and palpable presence Bricasti Design M1 SE ($10,000). Bricasti's Brian Zolner has a way with amps too. I have only heard them with Tidal speakers but his $30,000/pair M28 mono amplifiers appear to be equally extraordinary.
But that is old news. At AXPONA, Brian was demonstrating his brand new M12 Dual Mono Source Controller ($15,995). This handsome new device combines the state-of-the-art dual mono digital/DSD performance of the M1 SE with wide ranging…
The AudioEngine team at AXPONA—from left to right: Brett Bargenquast, Morgan Day, Gavin Fish (also of LH Labs), and Patrick Carr—were really happy with their flagship HD6 self-powered loudspeakers ($750/pair). These handsome little babies integrate aptX Bluetooth and Toslink optical to play 24/96 files. They also stream Tidal, Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube wirelessly via smartphone, tablet, or good old fashioned computer. Optical yields the highest-resolution sound. You can even connect your TV or turntable. As always, those who purchase directly from AudioEngine online get a 30-day audition…
