The impressive PS Audio room, boasting their latest, continues to be a crowd-pleasing fixture at AXPONA
Despite current concerns regarding U.S. tariffs, this year's edition of AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) proved to be triumphant, bigger and better than its predecessors, boasting over 200 listening spaces on 12 floors representing over 700 global manufacturers, distributors, brands, and retailers treating 10,910 attendees to a vast array of consumer audio products ranging from modest to million dollar systems at the Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois on the weekend of April 11-13, 2025.
It's 9:30 AM Friday of this, the opening day of AXPONA (Audio Expo North America), and up in ATC's Room 1534, their brand new SCM20 ASL Active stand-mount speakers command attention in a smallish 13' x 16' room. Their larger active SCM50s sit idle in their adjacent suite as they're serving a media breakfast of bangers, eggs, ham, toast, and coffee (or tea, if you're British) there to toast their introduction of their new SCM20s.
If you're unfamiliar with ATC, they're a brand famous in pro audio for their ultra-linear, low distortion midrange drivers used worldwide by a "Who's Who" list of clients and studios, including Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, Sting, Diana Krall, and the Sydney Opera House, to name a few. What's more, their consumer line of loudspeakers bring such an astonishing level of clarity to the listening experience—particularly in the midrange.
The bangers (British sausage) and scrambled eggs are good, but the audio presentation is equally tasty. Priced at $9949 for a standard finish or $10,999 for a beautiful premium finish like those currently playing in the room, they boast a crisp and transparent presentation with surprisingly deep bass in "Queen Mary" by Francine Thirteen, rendering a bass-rich, hypnotic, and ambient sound she calls "ritual pop" (Ladygunn.com). They're very transparent, detailed and crisp, getting the sound of the piano and drums kit right in "Dreamers" by Hiromi (Alive album).
Playing close to a large cloth ATC banner at the front left corner at a 45-degree angle to listeners fronting the opposite corner in several rows of folding chairs, they make a strong case for further auditioning under more ideal conditions.
The new ATC SCM20 ASL loudspeakers boast a 150 mm 6" ATC "Super Linear mid-bass driver in a sealed cabinet, 25 mm (1") ATC "S-Spec" soft-dome dual suspension high frequency driver, on-bard ATC active 250-watt "Amp Pack" module, balanced input and second-order Linkwitz-Riley active crossovers, user adjustable input sensitivity and bass shelf controls, two class A/B MOSFET power amplifiers, 200-watt mid-bass and 50-watt high frequency amplifiers—all hand-built in England.
Brad Lunde of Trans Audio Group and Lone Mountain Audio, at right.
Brad Lunde, who's been importing ATC pro version speakers to the United States since 2001 through Trans Audio Group and, later, their consumer versions via Lone Mountain Audio, boasts about lending a pair of ATC monitors to a world famous pop star to share with his family during the making of an album, but then says it's best left off the record.
Leland Leard, Lone Mountain Audio's affable Chief Business Development Officer, bends my ear about the latest and informs me that some ATC engineers are available to talk, and as more visitors fill the room, I duck into the adjacent suite and talk with Richard Newman, an ATC engineer from their factory in Gloucestershire, England, and learn about their soft dome midrange drivers employed in their SCM50 and other three way pro and consumer line loudspeakers—like my new reference ATC SCM40 speakers.
ATC's engineer from their factory in England, Richard Newman, holds the robust S midrange driver of the SCM50 while, behind him, are chafing dishes holding eggs, bangers, and other breakfast delectables.
Some "Super" Shop Talk
A key feature of my ATC SCM40s is its coveted soft dome midrange driver. Although it's not the same "S" version that goes into their pro line and higher-end consumer models, like the SCM50s on up, they share similar characteristics.
"Billy was a keen jazz piano player," Newman says. Before he designed the soft dome, there were two design approaches to drivers: optimizing dynamic signal and HiFi detail maximization. Billy brought together both approaches with his midrange dome. Its invention provided low distortion with piano transients and timing, for example. The selection of a soft dome versus a hard one was for a specific reason: a hard dome deals with some resonances by pushing them into higher frequencies, yet some irritating artifacts remain.
On the flip side, the ATC softer dome midrange features highly damped moving structures, so when resonance occurs, they remove the energy, resulting in low coloration. And when driving them hard and loud, resonances remain controlled. Concentrating on constant performance and linearity with volume increases, "ATC speakers can do those gymnastics without adding distortion to accommodate high dynamics," Newman says.
Their midrange drivers are very efficient from 380Hz to 3.5kHz. "There's a hell of a lot of energy there," he adds. (Their bass drivers handle lower frequencies up to 380Hz.)
There's one common midrange dome diaphragm assembly but two different magnet configurations: the standard uses a six-inch diameter magnet while the Super version uses an eight-inch diameter magnetic one. The SCM50's midrange driver is a higher-specification version of the one used in the SCM40, delivering improved efficiency and bandwidth due to its stronger magnet and other refinements. The SCM40's standard version, while still a high-quality driver, is less refined and efficient than the S-spec version in the SCM50. The S versions are more efficient with lower distortion and required to partner with bigger bass drivers.
Later, I return to listen to their ATC SCM50s and am impressed with Imany's "Believer." The viola and vocals are extremely clean, while the violins, drums, and syncopated claps are very clear, her voice having an edgy and rich quality. Feeding it are the Innuos Plusar Streamer ($8000) and the ATC CDA2 ($5000).
Leard says, "Some people think the SMC20s sound better, but that's because they have $60,000 in the front end as opposed to $13,000 in this room," suggesting that their speakers are so transparent that they spotlight the differences in source components.
"If we put those ($60,000 components) in here with the 50s, people would be like, ‘Whoa!'" [he laughs.]
He adds that they were demonstrating the importance of the source by connecting the ATC SCM20 ASL in the adjoining room to their highest-end preamp, the SCA-2, feeding it a signal via the Innuos Zenith Gen Mk 3 with the Phoenix Next Switch, which re-clocks the signal.
"Make sure you mention that Wireworld provided all the cables," he says.
Dean Martin, at right, seen here with Sonny King, whom he boxed in their tiny apartment for cash early in their careers.
King said, "One time, after the bell rang, I turned my back to Dean. He punched me hard in the back and I went flying out the fifth-floor window. Fortunately, I grabbed the Venetian blinds and hung out the window on them...I could hear Dean laughing. When I pulled myself back up inside, I was so mad that I beat the hell out of Dean. His face was so puffed up that he couldn't sing at the nightclub he was at, so I took his place. But I got fired because I couldn't sing in Dean's key." (Source: Facebook/Legends page)
Room Factor Limitations
Still, Leard grouses about the acoustics in such tight environs—and who can blame him? Although Dean Martin and lounge singer, Sonny King, charged guests $5.00 a head to watch them box in their tiny apartment during their early days, you'd never see Muhammad Ali float like a butterfly and sting like a bee in such cramped quarters, much less audition world-class loudspeakers. They need proper room to breathe and give full expression to their considerable attributes. Let's face it: a room's shape, size, and the materials in the room's construction all impact how sound waves travel and interact within the space, which ultimately influences the perception of sound quality.
That said, smaller hotel rooms such as the ATC suites and larger spaces, like conference rooms, ballrooms and hallway exhibits at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel afford guests the opportunity to try out a myriad of equipment in one central local, and give them a hint of what they might offer in better controlled environments, such as properly setup listening rooms at HiFi stores such as Quintessence Audio in Morton Grove, Illinois or, better yet, their homes. (Read how I set up my home listening space HERE.)
REL Acoustic's Director of Sales - North America, explains the vertical integration of two stacks of REL S/510 subwoofers flanking Wilson Sabrina X loudspeakers
An example of creative compromising is the REL Acoustics demonstration, where two stacks of REL S/512 subwoofers ($2999 each sub) flank a pair of burnt orange Wilson Sabrina X loudspeakers ($18,999/pair). The integration of these subwoofers is so thorough, the question is repeatedly asked, "Are the subwoofers on?" at least four times during my visit. I notice that the rear ports of the Sabrinas are stuffed with rolled-up towels and, afterwards, mention it to Isaac Markowitz, the National Sales rep for REL. He says, "Given the size of the rooms, it's really easy to overload them with bass," hence the port plugging (this alters the characteristics of the loudspeakers, he adds, making them sealed cabinets versus ported).
It's a seamless presentation. Fronted by a SOTA Onyx Direct Drive non-vacuum Turntable ($30,000), Wadax Audio Studio Player, Audio Research phono, preamplifier, and amp, rendering a breathtaking performance from a cut on Antoine Dufour's Existence CD.
As I approached the REL Acoustics room, Lukasz Fikus of Lampizator DAC fame was exiting and beamed, "It's a very nice sounding room!" He was right.
Lampizator's Lukasz Fikus, based out of Glosków, Poland, who makes high end vacuum tube DACS (Digital to Analog Converters) and participates in regatta ocean races, sits with his team in their red jackets for breakfast on the opening day of AXPONA . As I approached him, I caught his attention by chanting, "Polska, polska, polska!" as fans cheered popular Polish fighters fighting in Chicago boxing events that I reported on for the Cyber Boxing Zone some years ago.
Wharfedale Deliver Delights with the Hifi Rose
Wharfedale's Aston Heritage loudspeakers, fed by the Hifi Rose; Quad 33 preamp and 303 bridged monoblock amps, delivered delightful deep bass and striking electronic percussion in "Differently" by Mariah Hill, with crisp vocals by Astrud Gilberto and a resonant and detailed piano and bass in Getz/Gilberto's "Girl from Ipanema."
ELAC Delivers Elevated Textures and Timbre for the Money
The budget-friendly Elac DB 63 Monitor in their new Debut 3 series ($649 each) delivered great vocal texture and timbre—and value for the money—in Billy Raffoul's "Acoustic," and rendered thundering mid-bass slam in a subsequent bassy electronic track.
Devialet Whispered to be "Wife-Proof"
The Devialet Astra is an all-in-one streamer, DAC, and 300-watt amplifier (into four ohms), and teamed-up with a pair of YG Acoustics Carmel 3 loudspeakers, it makes for a compelling package deal for a mere $50,000. (Cough, cough!)
Playing Miles Davis's "In a Silent Way," the slow and somber electric guitar are lucid and clean. Individual guitar strokes, the warm warbling keys, Wayne Shorter's soprano saxophone, and Miles Davis's pensive trumpet are are smooth and accurate.
Next, Aurora's "Everything Matters" is a hotbed for pretty, layered vocals and electronic percussion. Years ago, the YG Carmels made an impression on me, and now teamed up with the Devialet's "all-in-one" solution—the politically incorrect "wife-proof" remark not withstanding—I can see why.
The R-Rated Kuzma Stabi R Turntable
Seated on a Platis 65 isolation base ($4560), the Kuszma Stabi R turntable (just under $12,000 in a wooden box) with the Ref 313 vertical tracking angle tower ($8200) with Silver Arrows II phono cable and a Kuzma 2200 cartridge delivered a very pleasant guitar, acoustic bass, piano, and brushed drums in "Cotton Tail" from Duke's Big Four album.
Good and SPLenty
The song, "I Shot the Sheriff" plays on vinyl via a Project Signature 12.2 Turntable ($15,000) feeding into a bright red faced Director Mk2 Phonostage ($2,400)and matching red SPL M1000 Monoblocks ($6300 each), delivering a lovely rendition over the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II. Floorstanding Loudspeakers ($18,000 per pair).
Booyah for Borresen
One of my friends, "Joe", is an ex-marine who likes his speakers like his dress blues—crisp and clean—and hence he loves Borresen. The brand did not disappoint in their premier of their new M2 speaker ($190,000), delivering very clean, crisp, defined, punchy, and thumping electronic music. The S's are more pronounced in the highs and the contract between the rich, dark choir's vocals and Simon's lighter ones is vivid in Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes."
The Techdas Airforce II Turntable
The Triumphant Techdas Airforce II and the Constellation Audio
A thoroughbred by any stretch, the TechDas Air Force II turntable ($42,000) looks formidable sitting on its platform, like a B-52 Stratofortress bomber parked on y0ur driveway and, today, sitting in a hotel suite, it wowed with its teammates, the Constellation Audio Revelation 2 preamplifier ($25,500) and the Magico S2 loudspeakers ($17,000). Milton Jackson's "Soul Route" is particularly gorgeous with its vibraphones in an altogether satisfying analog presentation! Dave Brubeck's "Take 5"—with its cymbals, snare, bass drum and sax is very clean, present, and well defined.
Christan Griego of SOTA Turntables says the type and quality of belts used in a turntable really matter in their performance.
Commenting on the belts used in the Tech Das, SOTA Turntables' Christan Griego pointed out that it matters how they're made. "Round (cross section) belts are easier to manufacture," he says, adding that flat ones which are usually cut from a sheet. If it's inconsistent, it's a problem. "The better ones are welded together," he concludes.
Acora Yodels and Apes the Alps
Sheathed in granite as the sheer cliffs of the Alps, and ensconced in a large ballroom, a pair of Acora Audio VRC Loudspeakers ($218,000/pair) continue to impress in their annual appearance. With a VPI Direct Drive HW40 Turntable ($22,000) and VAC electronics (if you've got to ask, you probably can't afford them!), they render the grain, breathiness, timbre, and edge of Diana Krall's vocals and piano with nuance and aplomb in a cut from Diana Krall Live in Paris. You can hear some ticks and pops but the organ, deep drums, wailing female vocals, and rattling percussion are very vivid in a cut from Dead Can Dance.
Pure Audio Project a Pure Delight
A pair of Pure Audio Project's Duet 15s with Horn I's deliver Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You" with vocals, punchy drums, electric guitars, an organ, and a live crowd's cheers with a lovely organic and spacious sense of realism. They're sourced via an Aurender music Sever, through a Lav DAC, First Watt SIT 4 amplifier, and Silversmith Audio Fidelium speaker cables ($1395 per eight foot pair) and interconnects ($975 for three feet—XLR or RCA).
"If I put in Beryllium tweeters, people would be very impressed," says Pure Audio Project's Zev Schlik. However, with his open baffle speakers, they work with the space's ambiance, he maintains, adding "With no box, it's a blend of their drivers with the room."
No Mezzo Soprano - These Baritone Boys Can Sing!
Not surprising, Kenny Burrell's warm guitar, a sax solo, and vibrant cymbals wax resplendent on "Chitlin Con Carne" with the ever impressive Avant Garde Mezzo G3 two-way horn loudspeakers ($120,000/pair) in tandem with the Phasemation MA2000 monoblock amps ($51,000 per pair).
Not So Low on the Totem Pole
The Tribe Audio Tower Thunderbird loudspeaker ($13,500 per pair in Satin), a 90 dB efficient speaker that's due to be released this summer debuted this weekend at AXPONA. "They're full, smooth, and articulate...for a reasonable budget," the emcee proclaims. Backed by an Aragon preamplifier and 200-watt amplifier, they do have a hefty and rich delivery for the money.
Viva 'Audiano' Vivid Audio
The Giya G1 Spirit Loudspeakers ($105,000 per pair) that I playfully dub the "Elves" deploy the Master Fidelity NADAC D DAC ($23,000), Master Fidelity NADAC C Clock ($27,500) and Auralic Aries 2.2 ($6100), with an Audionet MACH Line Stage ($30,400) and Audionet Schrodiner monoblocks ($58,000 per pair) to enchant the GTT Audio and Video room with lovely presentations of brass (the trumpets, in particular), woodwinds, and bass sections of an orchestra with vibrance and a great sense of the hall. The cymbals! The piano solo! They're rife with detail and a deep soundstage.
The Tara Labs "Evolution" Solution
Presented courtesy of AXIS Audio, the Gauder Acoustic DARC Reference Tower ($109,955 per pair), powered by Tara Labs Solution amplification, and employing Beaudioful equipment racks, render a recorded piano upfront with a commanding presence with substantial weight, attack, and note decay.
The Rethm is Gonna Get You
The Rethm Maarga Sanskrit Active Loudspeakers ($20,000 per pair) uses an Aurender streamer with a Jeff Rowland preamplifier to dole out a trumpet and double bass acoustic duet that's resonant, organic, and catchy. The plucked strings of the woodsy bass sound round and weighty in Till Broner's "A Thousand Kisses Deep."
The Silent Max Speaks Loud and Clear
When I entered the room, the appearance of marvelous statuesque mirrored glass-finished diffusers adorning an entire long wall captivated all who entered. "They're the Silent Max 3D Absorbers, I'm told, featuring recycled plastic that's absorbent and covered with a printed image ($15,999 for 244 cm x 400 cm). Visually arresting, their enchantment gives way to the aural imagery of a saxophone, piano, upright bass, and drums playing over Paradigm 3F Persona loudspeakers ($5999 per pair) in a very present and accurate sounding presentation. Also on display are the M101 Power Optimizer ("An adaptive power Maximizer") and cables developed by the M101 founder, who's a physicist, May Anivar tells me. On display are a leveling device that tames "thousands of vibrations" which she says she's planning on marketing. "Throughout the building, the floors are not level," she whispers.
People with Glass Speakers Shouldn't Throw Stones
I could swear I saw the Cube T Laminated Glass Loudspeakers ($65,000 per pair) in an interior design magazine while sipping coffee at a Barnes and Noble store some years ago, and despite my initial impression that they were more style than substance at the time, fronted by a Trax Media Player linked to a laptop computer source, powered by an Ypsilon Phaethon Integrated Amplifier SE ($50,000), and playing Lene Marlin's "A Place Nearby," they're very clean sounding ("Low distortion," the emcee says). Madeleine Perroux's "Tango Till They're Sore" is a delectable blend of rich female vocals, mandolin, bowed bass, and guitar comps. Hmmm. They're smart and good looking!
Long Live the Mighty Magicos
I've read and seen blurry photos of 50 foot long pythons with heads a yard thick rearing up 10 feet high and threatening hovering helicopters above the African Savannah. Seated on padded folding chairs in Schaumburg, Illinois, these beasts are about as close as you'll get to that: Massive Magico M9 Loudspeakers ($750,000 a pair) the size of bull elephant legs utterly dominate their conference room, as smokey, larger-than-life female vocals and thundering bass envelop the room in "Long Live the Queen." Holy cow! The electronics? Fuh-ged-da-boud-it!
An MBL Embolism
One of my friends in the industry, Fred Kat, of Usher Audio U.S.A. and Katli Audio, once told me that if he'd have to pick his final loudspeaker, he'd go with either the MBL 101 or the ATC SCM50s. That's high praise from an industry veteran, but the MBL 101 E Mk II ($91,000 per pair) is mind-blowing in its extremely precise, full, and detailed delivery. The MBL 9011 mono amps ($64,000 each) and the MBL C41 Network Player ($11,100) help deliver the signal with great clarity and aplomb.
Pop star, Bruno Mars, is clean and sharp with his vocals, complimented by the funky and thumping electronic bass and percussion. The Ray Brown Trio's performance of "The Real Blues" features a sublimely detailed double bass. The clapping, laughter, piano solo, waking bass line, cymbals, and snapping fingers captured in this live recording are hauntingly real.
Budget Buy SVS Offers a Big Bang for Your Bucks
SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelves ($599 per pair) and the SV 5000 Revolution Subwoofer ($2000), teamed up with the Hegel H400 Streaming Integrated Amplifier ($6995) deliver deep bass, Dylan's patented raspy vocals clear and crisply in his rendition of "Man in a the Long Black Coat."
Kii Audio Keeps It Simple and On Point
Here's another one for Joe: Kii Audio's clear, punchy, and dynamic delivery of the snare, horns, bass, sax, percussion, and baritone vocals in the Tower of Power's cover of "Diggin' On James Brown" are catchy, lucid, and loud. Designed with recording engineers in mind, in their room, they conjure a touring sound engineer's mixes at church several years ago: they're extremely crisp and super defined in the treble region. However, like several other setups here present and past, their perception may be unduly colored by the hotel room. Next up, Bruno Mars' "Chunky" launches a full-on bright attack, chock full of thumping electronic bass and percussion, putting smiles on guests' faces. Teamed up with the inexpensive WiiM Pro Streamer ($149), the active Kii Audio BXTS Monitor System with the Kii 3's BXT Mid/Low Frequency Extension Cabinet ($31,155) make for a very lucid and compelling presentation.
Slip You a Few C-Notes for the Audionote Field Coils?
The Audionote AN-E/SPx Ltd Field Coil Loudspeakers ($65,00o per pair) deliver a crisp, heavy bass and percussion attack in Ofir Klemperer's "Forever" recording on vinyl. Rendered via an Audionote TT turntable ($6000), it makes fore a surprisingly big sound.
"We make everything from the capacitors on up!" says the emcee. And to good effect, I might add! A 1967 Boston Symphony recording has scale, nuance and sounds magnificent.
Link You Up with Linkwitz
As with previous years, the Linkwitz room is a powerful audio elixir. It's rendition of Pink Floyd's "We Don't Need No Education"—with the children's choir intro, lead vocals, electric guitar solo is clear, visceral, and emotive. And in the next track with the helicopter lead-in, it's quite realistic. Crashing cymbals and the kick drum's slam are a palpable textural treat. Ditto for the vocals and rhythm guitar. Utilizing the Grim MU2 Streamer ($17,500), Power Boxes ($4058 each), and four-way active crossovers, it's an rich and compelling listen.
"There's no passive network between the power amplifier and voice coil!" the emcee declares. A follow-up lively Prince instrumental in "When the Lights Go Down" rife with bass, percussion, and drums, followed by his seductive falsetto with a little rasp are captivating and underscore the salience of his point.
New and Improved Klipsch La Scalas
The New Klipsch AL-6 La Scalas ($14,998 per pair or, with active DSP, an extra $3499),t in tandem with the TEAC AP 701 amplifiers tri-amped ($3999 each) and TEAC UD-701 N Streaming DAC/Preamplifier ($4299), linking the streamer to their active crossovers to the 701 amps in play are packing an extra helping of that full, lush, rich, and round Klipsch sound with an extra jolt of their secret sauce! Stevie Ray Vaughan's solo guitar, with the low bass underneath in "Lenny" is vibrant, treating listeners to the rich tone, attack, and dynamics of Vaughan's Stratocaster. The ride cymbals and overall presentation are very pleasant and satisfying.
"Roy tuned the La Scalla's on these 701s," his PR person, Sue Toscano, informs.
Taylor Swift and Ivy Boniver's "Exile" is rendered full and lush, rife with piano, strings, and synthesizer.
Men in Black: Klipsch's Roy Delgado with Juan C. Ayllon (photo by Sue Toscano)
I visit with Roy Delgado, Chief Designer and Engineer, who informs me that the AL-6 La Scala is larger and up to date. Its tweeter features a wide dispersion phase plug that helps maintain the first response as it reaches the mouth of the horn. Now, the midrange horn increases from two inches to three inches and is now a Tractrix horn instead of an exponential horn, which helps maintain the integrity of the sound stage. The La Scala was horn-loaded but now it's vented before the horn, taking it down from 52Hz to 4Hz on the low end.
"It's a brand new horn," Delgado says. All the other horns in the Klipsch Heritage line are Tractrix horns, while the La Scalas, until now, were the last featuring exponential horns. As a result, the new La Scalas are "a lot more smoother." As a result, acoustic impedance is better matched with compression drivers, making a big difference.
The IsoAcoustic Edge
In the IsoAcoustic room, Gaia II Speaker Isolation Feet ($299 per four pack) are compared on loudspeakers with matched pairs standing on spikes, playing music and switching back and forth with A/B switches to demonstrate the differences. With the Gaia IIs engaged, the presentation opened-up, softening the edges in Steely Dan's "Hey 19." This rings true with my experience of the Gaia IIIs with my ATC SCM40s at home.
Verifiably Good with Von Schweikert Audio
The Von Schweikert Audio VR Thirty loudspeakers with the Foundation Hybrid Bass System ($59,000 per pair) sound luscious and ambient with a full bodied presentation top to bottom. Female vocals, drums, and congas with the synth below are rich. Supporting them are the Westminsyter LAB REI Class Four Monoblocks ($39,000 per pair), Westminsyter Quiet Balanced Preamp ($32,900), Rockna Wavedream Ref. Signature DAC ($26,900), PS Audio Power Plant 20 and 12 ($16,ooo total)
Playing Double Dutch
I was about to bypass their room, but overheard a guest telling the room's host that he was trying to simplify his recording studio, where he had scads of microphones and did not need more gear but less! Enter the Dutch and Dutch, a handsome all-in-one powered loudspeaker featuring an amp, DAC, and room correction DSP ($14,950).
Michael McDonald's cover of "Hallelujah" is cleanly articulated through the vocals, organ, drums, bass, and cymbals. It's vibrant and delightful. The emcee cautions, though: it has to be wired to Ethernet, adding that it also features analog and XLR inputs.
Altogether Altec-Spectacular
The Altec Lansing Ribbonacci speakers ($89,000 per pair) include two dipole woofer pairs. Supporting actors include the Lampizator Horzon 360 DAC ($59,000), Infigo andio Method 4 DAC ($35,000), an Infigo Andio Method 7 Preamplifier ($20,000), Infigo Andio Method 3 monoblock amplifiers ($55,000 per pair), and a Small Green Computer Sonore Rendu Signature Music Player ($4999).
The $59,000 Lampizator Horizon 360 DAC performs its Digital to Analog Converter duties from the far left.
Diana Krall's vocals in "Temptation" are crisp, warm, and detailed. The electric guitar, drum kit, and tambourine are very well articulated through the upper mids on through the treble region, and the piano and organ provide a lovely aural undergirding presence.
Dan's 'The Man' with the Magnepans
Danville Signal Modded Magnepan 1.7 i Planar Loudspeakers ($3000 per pair) deliver four channels each, and in a passive versus active crossover with DSP demonstration, the soundstage of a bluesy slow song is slightly crisper and more airy sounding. A subwoofer was added for low end reinforcement as the band kicked into uptempo.
Their DSP Nexus ($4000) features four DACs (with eight channels altogether in them). They help EQ the speakers and adjusts for the room and time delay for the subs. As part of the package, Danville's proprietor assists in setting up the DSP for paying customers.
Synergistically Your's - For a Price
With tall sheer glass windows behind them looking out onto the grounds, a massive pair of YG Acoustics SV3 Signature Loudspeakers ($498,000 per pair) resembling ginormous black champagne bottles hold court on the far end of the second story just off the Renaissance Hotel hallway at the Synergistic Research display. Backed by pricey equipment including four Soul Note monoblocks— two M3 monoblocks ($21,900 per pair) and two M3 MX monoblocks ($24,389), a Soul Note P3 Preamplifier ($22,900), X3 Clock Generator ($5495), D3 DAC, Bergman Modi Turntable, and a Phono amp Airtight ATE 3011 Reference, a Soul Note Z3 Network Transport ($14, 990), they're playing a Henri Mancini orchestral piece with a very crisp and full bodied delivery.
Next, female dubbed vocals in a chill-out recording accompanied by bass and electronic effects in "CRUSH" are loud and immersive. There's a lot of synergy and high quality audio to go in yet another home run system for consideration to those with deep pocketbooks!
Hyphen? Make that an Exclamation Point!
Monitor Audio Hyphen Loudspeakers ($95,000 per pair) linked up with McIntosh MC 1.25KW Monoblock amps ($13,500 each), a Bluesound Icon NODE Streamer/Music Server/DAC/ ($1199), and an AudioQuest Nagra Power Supply ($500) transport deep, resonant bass vocals, pounding drums, in the Weathermen's "Hoist the Colors" with clarity, smoothness, and power. Color me impressed!
New and Improved PS Audio Rocks the Renaissance
The PS Audio FR 30 loudspeakers and electronics featured in the lead-in photo ($30,000 per pair) rocked this 50' x 50' corner section of the Schaumburg East Ballroom on the main floor with a funky modern upbeat electric jazz piece featuring the bass and drums.
Supported by the new Paul McGowan Signature Series BHK 600 Monoblock Power Amplifiers ($8500 each), PMG Signature 512 DAC ($8499) 512 Preamplifier ($8499), Signature Phono Preamplifier ($8499 ) and SACD Transport ($8499); and their P20 Power Regenerator ($9999), they render the strings, brass, and timpani drum in Hahler's Symphony No. 2 with breathtaking prowess, while in Eva Cassidy's "Fields of Gold," her vocals are nuanced, tender, but powerful with her well-defined acoustic guitar accompaniment.
Dali's Luxurious Lyrical Llamas
The Dali KORE ($120,000 per pair) draws key supports from the McIntosh Ma8950 Integrated amplifier with 200 watts/channel ($100,000 per pair), a McIntosh DS DAC Streaming preamp ($4000), and McIntosh power conditioner ($6000) to transport you through a luxurious deep dub bass, the intermittent clicking of wooden claves, and Kendrick Lamar vocal rapping for a big, immersive, rich and warm, but clearly defined soundscape. It's quite impressive.
A/V RoomService's Norman Varney (at right) and his son man their booth in the Expo Convention Center of the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel
VPI Industries President, Mat Weisfeld (bottom center) joins friends in celebrating the Passover on Saturday eve in the Acora room. (photos courtesy of Facebook/Mat Weisfeld)
Dinner and a Concert
Prior to this evening's event, my wife Belle's boss heard that we were going to see the acclaimed jazz artist, Patricia Barber and she offered, "You hate jazz! Why don't you stay home and I'll go with Juan to the show!" Not so fast. Recently, Belle's expanded her horizons and taken a shine to some of the jazz playing in our listening and media room, and looked forward to this event. After all, Barber won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2003 for Creative Arts - Music Composition, became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019, and won a Grammy for her album, Modern Cool in its Pure Audio Blu-ray version. Certainly, that's worth a listen!
Belle digs into her Tofu Bibinbap at the nearby SGD Dubu So Gong Dong Tofu & Korean BBQ in Schaumburg
So around 5:00 PM Saturday as AXPONA winds down for the day, Belle arrives and, having procured her AXPONA pass and tickets for the Patricia Barber concert (free for attendees but required due to limited seating), we head out for dinner at the SGD Dubu So Gong Dong Tofu & Korean BBQ—a wonderful inexpensive Korean restaurant with crisp, generous portions five minutes away. Belle has Tofu Bibimbap (rice with assorted sauteed veggies and tofu served on a traditional Korean stone plate), I eat Beef Bulgogi (thin sliced sirloin with onions, a Korean marinade, carrot straws, and steamed rice), we both nosh on Kimchi and crunchy side dishes, and wash it all down with barley tea. Upon our return, we tour the Renaissance, greet friends, and pop into the Acora room, where VPI Industries president, Mat Weisfeld, and a dozen of his best friends at the show are celebrating Passover. He greets us warmly, hugging Belle saying it's been a few years, and invites us back for an after party following the concert.
The show had been announced to play in the Schaumburg East Room, which per the sign above, was a smaller subsection of a ballroom to the left. Having arrived back before 7:30 PM (the show was scheduled from 8:00 to 9:30 PM), we didn't see a line forming outside its entrance. After walking around a bit, we look 50 yards down the hall to the right and spot a thick line of people forming some hundred yards long! Walking briskly to join the fray, I ask Liz Smith, AXPONA's event director, why the concert was moved and she says, "This is the Schaumburg East Ballroom!" Clearly, they are hosting the concert in a much larger section of that ballroom! We stand in line for what seems a half hour, then pour into the ballroom with marching orders to sit right next to our neighbors, without spare seats in between, so that everyone could get a seat. As we wait, I count rows and numbers of people per row, and as people fill-in, I estimate that there's got to be some 600 people here. (Ha! The subsequent press release reports the number at over 600.)
We manage a seat around the fifth row back from the stage and, after a few peeks from behind the curtain, Barber emerges onstage between 8:10 and 8:15 and begins a meandering but brilliant piano solo that borders on the abstract.
Wearing a black frock with a colorful print shirt underneath, hunched low over the keys, and hair pinned back in a bedhead messy ponytail, she's hard to see behind the bulk of the grand piano in front of her. Belle, who brushes her hair first thing in the morning and takes pride in her fashion sense, is surprised at Barber's austere presentation and scant engagement with her audience.
After several minutes, her female bass player walks onstage and solos. The drummer joins the jam session—and then the guitarist, whose solo is brilliant, but somewhat dissonant and disjointed from the rest, as if accompanying a different tune. All take turns soloing in free-form counterpoint style with scant attention to melody. A punchy drum solo draws hearty applause at the conclusion of this tune.
An emcee representing Wireworld, an audio cables manufacturer, announces the re-release of Barber's The Cool album.
The commercial ends and without further ado, Barber sings "Across the morning sky/ all the birds are leaving..." in a slow ballad while playing the piano. The guitarist jumps in, comping on an acoustic hollow body as light mallets on cymbals swell and the double bass rumbles low. Gone is the discordant riffing, now, as the acoustic guitar plays tasty, first plaintively, and then in flashy flourishes. Barber's vocals and piano take over as she intones the mournful lyrics, "Who knows where time goes?"
Then there's an upbeat, satirical, and self indulgent song about a wealthy, but boring husband, and her fling with a dashing Australian song follows, culminating with her running off with him—"and another" she adds at its conclusion.
Brimming with pride, during a break, she addresses the crowd about the pressure to perform well since "everyone" knows her music. No doubt many here have some of her recordings in their collection, as they are standard issue audiophile fare (I purchased her Cafe Blue CD as a burgeoning audio dude at Pro Musica in Chicago in the 90s). However, I'd venture to guess that many here aren't fully familiar with her catalog of music. Light laughter and applause gives way to her next song, "Heavenly Bodies," rendered in a compelling Bossa Nova beat. Brilliant acoustic guitar work and the catchy melody makes it a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable performance.
A brisk electric guitar shuffle kicks off the next song that's greeted with loud applause. Barber takes over with yet another brilliant piano solo accompanied by occasional voicings (involuntary grunts and growls conjuring her inner Keith Jarrett). More hearty applause! The bassist solos next.
I lean close to Belle and wonder aloud if Barber is saving her voice with so much time spent on instrumentals; as I recalled the last time she performed at AXPONA circa 2016, she sang a lot more! This performance conjures jam sessions at the Green Mill Lounge in Chicago that I enjoyed with friends from Chicago's LaSalle Street Church (some who actually performed there) from the 90s and onward—and where Barber has often performed through the years.
Nevertheless, as is often the case at the Green Mill regulars, they're excellent musicians. Hearty applause follows a frenetic drum solo. A guitar solo's next, with successions of drums, piano, and again the drums, then the bass in vigorous turns, energizing the crowd's enthusiastic response. After the applause dies down, Barber introduces the band: Neal Alger on guitars, Emma Dayhuff on acoustic bass, and Jon Deitemyer on drums.
Next, Barber sings a slow song, accompanied by her piano and a fluttering bass. The bassist then employs long strokes of the bow in a moving, emotive, and sorrowful solo. It's rich and resonant, and deft in its expressiveness. After a spell, Barber resumes singing, "You touch me...you thrill me..." It's an oddly sad sounding song that's passionate and undergirded with dark and contemplative undertones.
It's a lovely performance, but anticipating a clogged parking lot after the show, in typical Chicago suburbanite style, we exit a few minutes early to beat the traffic! Unfortunately, I think we were the only ones with an early exit, as everyone else sat in rapt attention. Doh!
An ongoing struggle: Chicago Audio Society president, Rich Sax (at left) waits at the elevators with friend and fellow DAS member, Mark Massura.
Denouement
As we drive off into the night, it dawns on me that we missed out on Mat Weisfeld's after party (sorry, Mat!), as well as a slew of many excellent rooms. And I missed meeting Oscar, the son of Hi-Fi Pig's Stewart and Lynnette Smith, who's covering AXPONA for them; I was supposed to meet up with him this weekend! Total oversight (sorry, Oscar!). It's been a rush, and with Sunday attendance nixed due to a grandchild's birthday party that morning, I feel like I've hardly scratched the surface. However, it's been an amazing experience. And, if the past is any indicator of the future, this year's show will be eclipsed by next year's AXPONA. I can hardly wait.
