Fidelity Imports: Opera, Soulnote, QED, Titan Audio
Steve Jain and his Fidelity Imports crew presented six rooms at AXPONA, stuffed with debut products from across the world.
Fine Sounds America, Rotel Michi, Sonus faber, Pro-Ject, and Cardas
My only regret about visiting the Fine Sounds America room was that I went there at 10 in the morning. Considering how excellent the system sounded, this set the bar for the rest of the day almost impossibly high, and I like to ease into things. Despite the fact that I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet, I was instantly awake.
Focal and Naim Bring the Power
On Thursday night, Chris Shaw, one of Focal’s setup men, was having a tough time. He’d almost finished dialing in the 584-lb Focal Grande Utopias EM Evo speakers, but their bass (14Hz at -6dB) caused a ceiling light fixture in the large Focal/Naim room to rattle. Shaw pushed a printed show banner out of the way to make space for a ladder. A few minutes later, thanks to some sticky tape, the distracting noise was gone.
Gestalt Audio Design, Wolf von Langa
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.
Groovin' with Stillpoints, Bricasti, Rockport Technologies, Viola Audio, Shunyata
Sometimes I wonder what the etiquette is at audio shows. I mean, nobody tells you anything. It’s fair to assume that playing windmill-style air guitar to songs by the Who is generally frowned upon, at least in public, but is it gauche to sway and groove in your chair when the music moves you?
Gryphon Audio Designs’s New PowerZone
Just as they did last year, Gryphon devoted the large Schaumburg E space to static displays, including the debut of the Gryphon PowerZone PZ3.10 power purifier ($14,000) which has eight Furutech AC sockets and 20A current capacity and is said to utilize Quantum Resonance Technology.
GTT Audio & Video presents Audionet, Kronos, Grimm and Mola Mola, Kronos, Vivid, Kubala Sosna, Dejitterit, and My Sonic Lab
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.
Harmonia Distribution: Fyne Audio, Pathos, PrimaLuna, Cabasse
Harmonia—the recently renamed distribution arm of hi-fi company Upscale Audio—had four rooms on the 12th floor at AXPONA.
High Water Sound Earns High Marks with TW-Acustic, Fuuga, Cessaro, Alieno, Dalby, Stein, ADD-Powr and more
When everything arrives intact and Jeffrey Catalano has the time to create a set-up as stunning visually as it was aurally, High Water Sound’s systems invariably earn accolades as a Best of Show. This one certainly won my vote, as well as my applause and heart.
IFi's tiny Kensei DAC/amp produces big sound
During each AXPONA, the makers of head-fi products set up their booths in the ground-floor central ballroom of Schaumburg's enormous Renaissance hotel. The Ear Gear Experience, they call it. I always have a look and a listen, in part because the products there aren't crazy expensive: three and four figures, mostly.