AXPONA 2024

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As We See ItAXPONA 2024
AXPONA 2024 in the Rear View
Jim Austin  |  Jun 14, 2024  | 
Photo: John Atkinson

If buying a hi-fi product from an internet retailer is like an arranged marriage, a hi-fi show is like speed dating. Not everyone, I realize, approaches hi-fi shows (or speed dating, for that matter) the same way, and anyway, the analogy between hi-fi and dating is far from perfect. Speed dating is how this year's AXPONA, America's biggest hi-fi show, held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center (above) near Chicago in April, often felt to me as I moved from room to room. Every new system I heard had the potential to become a long-term relationship. Could I live with this one forever?

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AXPONA 2024Spin Doctor
The Spin Doctor at AXPONA 2024
Michael Trei  |  Jun 13, 2024  | 
These days, there's a hi-fi show taking place somewhere on the planet pretty much every weekend, but for me, spring is show season. First, in April, comes AXPONA, which is held near Chicago. AXPONA is the largest North American high-end audio show, making it pretty much impossible for one person to see everything during the three-day event. Even with my focus on record-playing gear, I found myself skipping some rooms, telling myself that I could catch them a month later at High End Munich. Munich is even bigger than AXPONA, so we'll have to see how that plays out.

With that in mind, here are a few things that caught my eye at AXPONA 2024.

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AXPONA 2024
Our last AXPONA 2024 report: Playback Distribution, Amphion, Esoteric, Quadraspire, and Esprit
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 23, 2024  | 
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).
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AXPONA 2024
Left over from AXPONA: Sonus Faber, Accuphase, Clear Audio, Innuos, and more
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 21, 2024  | 
AXISS Audio saved one of the stars of its portfolio, Accuphase, for room 1129. Instead of showing the Accuphase A-300 monoblocks, which I will surely propose for one of our next Stereophile Product of the Year awards, Cliff Duffey premiered the Accuphase P-7500 power amplifier in bi-amp configuration ($25,975 each) and Accuphase DP-770 SACD player/DAC ($26,575).
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AXPONA 2024
The Sound Organisation presents Rega, Chord, and ProAc with HRS
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 08, 2024  | 
What a nice little system. The LP version of Paul Simon’s “Something So Right” sounded exactly that on TSO’s system, with an exceptionally smooth midrange and lovely bloom to the sound.
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AXPONA 2024
Zellaton and LTA with anything but grim Grimm Audio and Great Music
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 08, 2024  | 
What a perfect way to say goodbye AXPONA 2024. In a simple system consisting of Zellaton Emotion Evo speakers ($44,750/pair), LTA Ultralinear amplification ($7000), and a Grimm Audio MU2 ($17,500) serving as preamp and streaming DAC with a Roon core and analog volume control, we began with a 16/44.1 mastering of Janis Ian’s “Guess You Had to Be There.” Given my age, I expect I was.
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AXPONA 2024
JBL Classic
Mark Henninger  |  May 08, 2024  | 
JBL's AXPONA presentation began with a nod to the iconic "Blown Away Guy" tape ad for Maxell featuring the original JBL L100 speakers.
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AXPONA 2024
High Water Sound Earns High Marks with TW-Acustic, Fuuga, Cessaro, Alieno, Dalby, Stein, ADD-Powr and more
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 07, 2024  | 
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.
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AXPONA 2024
Fidelity Imports, the Listening Room, Diptyque, Audia Flight, Titan, and QED
Rogier van Bakel  |  May 06, 2024  | 
High-flying Fidelity Imports occupied seven rooms at AXPONA 2024—probably a show record. Since starting the company in 2018, industry veteran Steve Jain has signed up a bevy of brands from Italy, France, England, Japan, and beyond.
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AXPONA 2024
MoFi, HiFi Rose, Piega, Leak, Wharfedale
Rogier van Bakel  |  May 06, 2024  | 
I counted more than 40 audio products in the MoFi Distribution Schaumburg B ballroom. How to cover such a cornucopia? Making my job easier was that only eight of them were hooked up. The others were there to be oohed and ahed over, perhaps prodded and poked, but they’d (re)produce no music at the show.
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AXPONA 2024
Linn, Linn, and did I say Linn?
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 05, 2024  | 
It was great to finally meet Joe Rodger, a member of the young Linn team with whom I coordinated my review of Linn Klimax Solo 800 monoblocks ($90,000/pair) that appears in the May 2024 issue
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AXPONA 2024
Bayz Audio, Chord Electronics, Aurender, Shunyata Research
Rogier van Bakel  |  May 05, 2024  | 
Going to an audio show is a bit like being a finalist in that old Monty Hall show where your prize is behind one of three identical doors. At AXPONA, there are more than 200 identical doors.
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AXPONA 2024
JMF Audio, Ideon Audio, Stenheim, and ictra design
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 05, 2024  | 
Audio Skies and Fidelis AV teamed up to present some of my favorite emerging stars of the Audio Highlands. It was a joy to re-experience some of the special sound I heard in my music room when I reviewed JMF Audio monoblocks.
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AXPONA 2024
Porzilli Audio, Laufer Teknik, and darTZeel America with Liquid Cables
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 05, 2024  | 
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.
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AXPONA 2024
Mon Acoustic speakers, Accuphase, Metronome, TAOC, and more
Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 05, 2024  | 
In room 1126, I encountered one of many marriages of convenience between brands and distributors that prove to be matches made in audiophile heaven. In this case, it was the union of new Mon Acoustic PlatiMON VC One bookshelf speakers ($6000/pair) on top, joined by jumpers to the PlatiMON VC Two bass module ($11,000/pair), mated with components from AXISS Audio distributors and other companies.
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