More from the AXISS Audio Team: Gauder Akustik, Soulution, Transrotor, Nihon Onkyo Engineering, and Beaudioful
When “What a beautiful midrange!” is the first phrase that floats through your brain as you settle down to listen to a hitherto unknown system, you can be pretty certain you’re in for a rewarding time.
Notable Audio, DeVore Fidelity, J. Sikora, Aidas, Wireworld
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.
Our last AXPONA 2024 report: Playback Distribution, Amphion, Esoteric, Quadraspire, and Esprit
In the room opposite its smaller system, Playback Distribution presented Amphion Krypton3x White floorstanding speakers ($24,000/pair) driven by Esoteric’s F-12 class-A integrated amplifier ($18,000) and N-01XD-SE network streamer ($22,000).
Paradigm, Anthem, and Saturday Audio Exchange
A $20,000 system is probably no one’s idea of cheap, but it’s affordable-ish by AXPONA standards. And if the sound quality of such a setup is as good as it was in room 394, where Chicago dealer Saturday Audio Exchange had again partnered with Canadian marques Paradigm and Anthem, we’re getting into bargain territory.
Philharmonic Audio and Audio by Van Alstine
An old Dutch saying holds that "good wine needs no wreath," meaning that real quality sells itself. That probably applies to Philharmonic Audio, too. The Maryland-based speaker manufacturer, led by veteran designer and viola maestro Dennis Murphy, has never put much stock in advertising and marketing.
Porzilli Audio, Laufer Teknik, and darTZeel America with Liquid Cables
It was good to see Sam Laufer again after several years. It was equally good to hear how fine Mark Porzilli’s Porzilli Audio speakers plus subwoofers ($35,000/pair) sounded in the company of the fabulous darTZeel LHC-208 Mk II integrated amplifier with DAC/streamer ($27,585), a Laufer Teknik Mini Memory Player 64 ($7500), an SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer ($899), and Liquid Cables.
Quintessence’s take on Perfection: Wilson, Moon, Clearaudio, Hanna, Innuos, Kubala-Sosna, and Critical Mass Systems
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.)
Rhythm Distribution, Tannoy, Garrard, Goldmund, Lumin, AudioQuest, Nordost
Rhythm Distribution’s Craig Hoffman teamed up with Garrard, Goldmund, and Tannoy to unveil a beautiful-looking, primarily analog rig at AXPONA. Kat Ourlian—Global Head of Sales and Marketing for SME—was on hand to spin vinyl; she had Room 660 rocking from the first needle-drop.
Rutherford Audio: Stratton Acoustics, Accustic Arts, Vertere, Analog Signature, Antipodes, Solid Tech
In Schaumburg C, Rutherford Audio set up camp—and what a camp it was! Electronics by Accustic Arts, analog by Acoustic Signature and Vertere—two turntables—and loudspeakers by Stratton Acoustics, a speaker line I had not previously heard.
Sadurni Acoustics with Wolf Systems and House of Stereo
Jorge Sadurni, whose impressive horn speakers I first encountered at AXPONA during its pre-Schaumberg years, introduced his Spherical Dual loudspeakers ($4600/pair with integrated stands—see driver in the photo.) Each Spherical Dual contains two high-damped cast-metal modules with 5" cone dynamic drivers.