Rogier van Bakel concludes his AXPONA 2026 ventures by spending quality time with Stenheim's Reference Ultime Two SX speakers, VTL Lohengrin Reference monoblock amplifiers, and a VPI Avenger Direct turntable.
At AXPONA 2026, T+A elektroakustik demoed two new top-level components: the A 3100 HV amplifier and the SDX 3100 HV streaming DAC/preamp. Rogier van Bakel reports on them both.
Rogier van Bakel grapples with his M6 dreams in the Studio Electric room at AXPONA 2026.
Rogier van Bakel investigates the large PS Audio room at AXPONA 2026, and he has a special, unexpected listening experience while checking out the company's lineup of Aspen speakers.
Rogier van Bakel reports on the massive system he encountered in the YG Acoustics room at AXPONA 2026—featuring YG's Titan speakers, four Moon by Simaudio's 888 monoblocks, and Taiko Audio's Olympus music server—and how he (and they) had to overcome from-the-hallway demo intrusions.
In a large but low-slung space on the 15th floor of the Schaumburg Renaissance, Magico premiered its S7 speakers at AXPONA 2026, the culminating statement in the company's S Series. Rogier van Bakel reports on his S7 "sonic waterfall" experience.
Two AXPONA veterans who don't know each other told Rogier van Bakel separately that they considered the system in the DeVore Fidelity room one of the highlights of the 2026 show—so off to room 646 he went to check it out for himself.
At AXPONA 2026, Rogier van Bakel checks out a system put together by Wisconsin retailer Ultra Fidelis that features Vandersteen M5-HPA monoblock amplifiers, a Vandersteen L5-ACC Audio Control Center, and Vandersteen Kento loudspeakers.
Rogier van Bakel visits a room at AXPONA 2026 that featured a collaborative exhibit from importer and distributor Bluebird Music pairing Swiss precision with Danish craftsmanship. The system he auditioned in that room included Peak Consult Sonora loudspeakers and a stack of Orpheus Lab electronics gear from their Absolute Line.