Reel Resurrection: Revox and Alice Cooper Spin Up Some Shock
At the same time that Ryan O’Connor, president of Revox North America, was pitching the reel-to-reel revival to dealers, Revox Deutschland—the brand’s German distributor—unveiled a slate of new products, including two that are Alice Cooper–branded. No, seriously. Swear on my eyeliner budget.
Refined and Ready: Audio Mirror, Cube Audio, and Taiko Add Shine
Refined Audio’s room 688 featured an almost entirely new system, with the exception of Dave Slagle’s familiar EM/IA gear. (Slagle, co-founder of EM/IA and a specialist in transformer-based designs, is known for his minimalist, high-purity audio components.)
Rhythm in the Room: Marten, Garrard, Engström, Luxman, and More
Craig Hoffman, co-founder and managing director of Rhythm Distribution, presented a system in Room 1229 built from components sourced across Switzerland, the UK, Sweden, and Japan.
Room Correction, Swiss Precision, and Serious Scale: Von Schweikert, WestminsterLab, Rockna, LUMIN
New York–based dealer New Life Audio teamed up with California distributor Hear This—representing WestminsterLab and Von Schweikert Audio—to build a system around those two brands. On a Bach Violin Concerto, played with characteristic sweetness—if not period authenticity—by Belgian violinist Arthur Grumiaux, both tone and texture came through with striking fidelity.
Sasquatch Stomps, Black Pearl Shines: Ampsandsound Presents a System Featuring OJAS, ANK, and Denon
Justin Weber of Ampsandsound greeted AXPONA with the world premieres of two products hand-built in his Aliso Viejo, California, factory: the Black Pearl XL SE 300B amplifier and the horn-loaded Sasquatch three-way speakers.
Saturday Audio Exchange, Monitor Audio, McIntosh, and AudioQuest: Style from Mars, Sound from Binghamton
With the debut of the futuristic Hyphn loudspeakers ($95,000/pair), Monitor Audio and Chicago’s Saturday Audio Exchange made an unmissable statement.
Sierra Sound, Aesthetix, AMG, Benz, ViV, Connected Fidelity: A Vinyl Victory Lap
Sierra Sound’s Michael Fajen assembled a system that stopped more than a few showgoers in their tracks—built around not one but two turntables.
Songs in the Life of Kii
On the 14th floor of the Schaumburg Renaissance hotel, Kii Audio CEO Chris Reichardt had a question about hifi’s future. “How many 30‑year‑olds say, ‘I need these seven components that will cost 50k?’” Reichardt asked, reasonably. “People are tired of wires.”
Sound Organisation Unites Rega, ProAc, and Chord in a British System Showdown
Steve Daniels's Sound Organisation showcased components from Rega Research, Chord Electronics, and ProAc—renowned British manufacturers known for their competitively priced, high-quality designs—and drew attention with several debut products.
Stream Syndicate: Innuos, dCS, D’Agostino, and Wilson Audio Make Waves
In two adjacent rooms on the 14th floor of the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel, Innuos launched its latest Stream1 and Stream3 devices. Conceived as “the gateway to high-performance music,” the Stream series works with the Innuos Sense app. The app’s latest additions include a portal to the IDAGIO classical-music streaming service, Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect, and more.