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AXPONA, aka Audio Expo North America, was the vision of Steve Davis (his then store HiFi Farm was one of the first advertisers in my fledgling, late ‘nineties audio magazine Ultimate Audio magazine) and the late Andrew Spaulding, his close friend and audiobuddy. Steve speaks of his audiobuddy in very fond terms recalling Andrew as, "a brilliant and successful man who took over and successfully grew his father's insurance company as well as a pilot and yacht captain. Andrew was a major backer of AXPONA," and he added, "the show wouldn't have happened without him."

One fun piece of trivia, though, known only by a select few. AXPONA might never have been launched if not for the urging of two of Steve's then customers: the late Chris Sommovigo (Black Cat cable among other high-end audio endeavors) and Hiram Toro (who currently runs Supreme Acoustic Systems). Both men back urged Steve to hold a small high-end audio show at his audio store and this led him to believe that the time was ripe for a new high-end audio show.

Two years later, Steve, his wife Carmen and Andrew held the inaugural AXPONA Show in Jacksonville, Florida in March 2010. The next year saw Steve, Carmen and Andrew take AXPONA on the road and bravely hold two shows that year: the main show in Atlanta and a lesser show that few remember, thrown together in just two months, in New York City. AXPONA returned the following year to its Jacksonville roots where the show was held in concert with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

Then came the leap of faith. The following year Steve, Carmen and Andrew once again took the show on the road and set sail for the Windy City. The rest is history. The inaugural Chicago AXPONA Show was held at O'Hare airport at the Doubletree Rosement and there it stayed for four years before settling in at its current residence at the Renaissance Schaumberg Hotel and Convention Center. Two thousand tickets were presold for the initial three-day audio festival and some four thousand people attended. AXPONA had by its last year at the Doubletree Rosement grown to 6723 attendees and 140 exhibit rooms.

2013 was also notable for another reason. Steve and Carmen were running the show by themselves and as Steve recalled, "the show was growing so quickly that it was more than two of us could handle. The show," Steve said, "needed to and was ready to be taken to the next level (I'm sure many of you who have started their own businesses have come to this fork in the road too!)." So, Steve and Andrew began searching for a buyer and in October 2013 they sold AXPONA to JD Events. JD Events was chosen for, among other things, their extensive experience successfully organizing and running trade shows. Steve remained in a consultant's role until 2019 (in reality, until 2021 because of circumstances brought on by COVID).

2018 saw the first AXPONA Show at the new Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center site. Twenty more exhibit rooms were added to the show not to mention something exhibitors had been long clamoring for since the first show at the Doubletree Rosement. More ballroom or larger size exhibit rooms. And despite its faults, the sound of the rooms at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center was leaps and bounds better than the old Doubletree Rosemont!

Then two years later tragedy struck. COVID forced JD Events to cancel not only AXPONA 2020 but also AXPONA 2021. Many industry stalwarts didn't expect the show to survive the pandemic but survive it the show did and even prospered. Steve, in fact, feels, "AXPONA would have been as big as the Munich High End Audio Show were it not for the pandemic and the show being cancelled for those two years."

In retrospect, Steve and Andrew's faith in JD Events proved well placed. Mark Freed, Liz Miller and their team have fulfilled Steve, Carmen and Andrew's initial vision and developed AXPONA into the premiere high-end audio show in The Americas. 10,910 people attended this year's show, a 5% YOY increase in attendance. This year's 213 dedicated listening rooms are a far cry from the first show in 2013. AXPONA 2025 was, in fact, the second-best attended US high-end audio show in history. The best attended show ever? That honor goes to Stereophile magazine's earliest Waldorf Astoria NYC high-end audio shows that drew around 12,500 attendees. But those were very different times with only one high-end audio show a year that alternated coasts every other year (except for two ill-fated stabs at other venues). The last Stereophile Show sadly, became a casualty of their sale to Primedia and the last one being held in 2007.

JD Events have also made AXPONA more audiophile and exhibitor friendly. A downloadable exhibitors app for attendees. A public bathroom on every show floor (us older guys appreciate that!). A coat check (you never know what the weather is going to be in Chicago in April). Providing discounted room rates for other local hotels (the increase in exhibit rooms has decreased the number of sleeping rooms at the show hotel!). More places to catch a bite while on the go between rooms (Reviewers and exhibitors really appreciate that!). A show that just runs without a hitch (Everyone appreciates this!). And this year, the show's organizers added car audio to the exposition. About the only thing they haven't done is add a fourth day to the show! That will happen down the road.

The Game's Afoot

It's a challenging task to get an accurate measure of the sound of rooms at high-end audio no matter one's experience. So many variables, so many combinations, resulting in so many different reactions to different systems. Chief among the variables include: 1) Which day did you hear the room (eg. Friday, Saturday or Sunday; 2) Room size and furniture, etc. left in the room (encompassing dorm room to ballroom sizes); 3) Seating position (there are only a few primo seats in the room); 4) Number of people in the room (aka room treatment); and 5) Familiarity with the musical selections being played (not all music is well recorded). The biggest confounding factor of them all? Were the electronics, speakers, sources (such as cartridges) or cables broken-in ahead of time? It's quite common, in fact, for exhibitors to introduce fresh equipment at the show. Luckily, most, if not all, exhibitors are open to playing albums and music requests from reviewers at shows. Especially exhibitors that know me or are bored out of their brains by what they've been playing by the time I reach their room. Not unlike having to hear that top forty hits repeated every hour.For some unbeknownst reason, I brought along a bit more eclectic selection of LPs than in past years to AXPONA. Eclectic, but still recordings with which I'm intimately familiar and spun many times. These included:

Ali Akbar Khan, Master Musician of India. 45 rpm, Connoisseur Society (out of print

Fink, Low Swing Sessions. 45 rpm LP and 15-ips tape, Low Swing Records (available)

Poulenc, Organ Symphony. Pretre (Cond) and Duruflé (Organ). EMI (out of print)

Reema, Memories Fade To Tape. Low Swing Records (available)

Amemiya, Summer Prayer. Special 45 rpm edition, RCA Japan (out of print)

Soundtrack from They Live. Enigma Records (out of print)

First, a quick disclaimer about this AXPONA 2025 show report. The truth is that AXPONA's rapid expansion has come at a cost. The only person with any chance of covering the entire AXPONA show is The Flash. Even a team of magazine reviewers is stretched to the limit! What follows, therefore, is just a quick synopsis of the rooms and by no means is it an exhaustive report. My apologies in advance to any exhibitors missing. On several occasions, I visited a room that was already crowded and was unable to return at a later point during the show.

1. A few key observations regarding this year's attendance. Friday was remarkably busy, Saturday was moderately busy (however, not as busy as last year) and Sunday was the typical Sunday. We'll never know either how much holding AXPONA over the Passover weekend affected attendance. Show dates, unfortunately, are locked in for the convention center years in advance and out of the organizer's control. Interestingly, there seemed to be more couples and families attending this year's AXPONA than in past years.

2. There was live music galore at this year's show including the Kyle Asche Organ Quartet and Adam Czerwinski and his group (performing in the Joseph, Doshi, Sikora and Cardas Audio room) on Friday night, Patricia Barber on Saturday night and Anne Bisson performing around the show. This was the second year JDS&C hosted this amazing trio in their room!

3. What stood out like a sore thumb was the presence (or conspicuous absence) in so many rooms of any sense of ambient recording space. A quality that separates the men from the boys, the contenders from the pretenders. Take for example, Poulenc's Organ Symphony or Fink's cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun." Some rooms sounded as dead as anechoic chambers whereas others gave you a real feeling of being at the concert or in the recording studio. Breathing life into the music.

4. Another growing trend was situating the speakers a country mile apart in the large ballroom/meeting rooms. It's not clear what the exhibitors are looking to achieve but it's simply unnatural sounding. The exaggerated width didn't make large scale music sound any more lifelike (like being in an orchestra hall) and in the case of smaller scale music it sounded downright silly at times. It was more like listening to a PA rather than high-end audio system.

Conversely, I felt sympathy for exhibitors like Burmester, Vandersteen, Monarch Audio, American Sound and many others trying to shoehorn their audio systems into spaces that made the college dorm rooms of my day feel roomy. For example, Angie Lisi/American Sound trying to properly demonstrate the larger Avantgarde horn speakers. It's becoming increasingly apparent that there's a sizeable demand for larger exhibit rooms at AXPONA and the show is once again outgrowing its current digs. There's, however, no larger, audio friendly site around that can accommodate this size audio show.

5. The best sounding rooms often belong to exhibitors who show in the same room year in and year out. That's why there was a bit of controversy with the room lottery when the show moved to its current site in 2018.

6. Lastly, source material at the show. Ugh. The name of the game was streaming. Shock of shocks? Even the Vandersteen room had digital (gone are the days of Richard's analog only rooms!). Sadly, the number of rooms with analog sources (turntables and/or reel-to-reel tape machines) was also shrinking. Or had turntables and wanted to play them. That was with the exceptions of analog stalwarts like Jeff Catalano of Highwater Sound (TW Acustics), George Counnas of Zesto Electronics (Feickert Audio), Bill Parrish of GTT Audio (Kronos), Luke and Bea Manley of Manley Electronics (whose room featured the new Grand Prix 3.0 turntable), Nick Doshi, Jeff Joseph, Robert Sikora and Jeff Fox (J. Sikora turntables), John DeVore (Devore Fidelity) and Mike Fajen of Sierra Sound (AMG turntables). You're my heroes!

Showing Up 

Massive systems were the theme of this year's AXPONA. Enormous speakers, amplifiers and turntables. Makes one hope that audiophiles are keeping in shape and hitting the weights at their local gym. But expensive systems weren't by any stretch of the imagination the only story at this year's AXPONA. But it's the attempts on the SOTA that piques my curiosity and interest. So, without further ado, here's the rooms I checked out at AXPONA 2025!

American Sound

• Avantgarde Mezzo G3 speakers: $103.8K
• Phasemation MA2000 Monoblock amplifiers: $49K 

It's always a pleasure seeing Angi Lisi at AXPONA. Angie, if we could put together a "White Hat" list in audio (as opposed to Peter Aczel's "Black Hat list), would top the list. Always smiling, always eager to discuss the products she represents, always eager to promote the high-end industry! There were lots of interesting things going on in her room, not the least of which were the 10-watts Phasemation Parallel Single Ended 300 B amplifiers driving the Avantgarde Mezzo G3 speakers. Also seen her room were the Synthesis electronics from Italy. Last time I saw these tube products was at the old Heathrow Audio Show in London! 

Audio Video Artistry/Burmester

• Master Artist Masterpiece Tower speakers: $75K
• Burmester 909 Mk. 5 amplifiers: $160K
• Burmester Reference Music Center III: $55K
• Burmester 077 preamplifier: $65K
• Burmester 175 Reference turntable with 9-inch cardanic mounted Carbon/Al tonearm: $60K
• Kimber Kable cabling

Hosting the room was a new high-end audio dealer out of Tennessee and the highlight here was the bespoke Master Artist speakers designed by an up and coming 26-year-old speaker designer out of Memphis, TN. The Master Artist Masterpieces incorporate a RAAL ribbon mated to more conventional Accuton drivers. The sound was unfortunately hampered by the size of the room and speaker placement but what I heard was promising. I would love to hear the speakers under better conditions.

AXISS Audio Room 1

• Gauder Akustik Elargo 200 speakers: $47K
• Accuphase E3000 integrated amplifier: $8975
• Accuphase C57 phonostage: $14K
• Yakiseimitsu Audo AE-01EM turntable: $32K
• Glanz MH-1000 tonearm: $8975
• Glanz MH-98T tonearm: $4975
• Accuphase AC-6 cartridge: $6975
• Koetsu Vermillion cartridge: $8300
• TARA Labs cables
• Notable Accessories: Telos Power Station: $92K

 

Accuphase's newest integrated amplifier was driving the smaller Gauder Akustik Elargo 200 speakers from Germany. The sound was shockingly good, exhibiting particularly good resolution and soundstaging especially for show conditions.The most exciting news of the day, however, was that the former AXISS Audio owner and current Analog2Fidelity owner Art Manzano's company will take over manufacturing and servicing of Koetsu cartridges. Most people had have given up Koetsu for dead (it's been a four-year hiatus) and it's good to welcome them back into the fold once again. Arturo's first order of business will be to set up a cartridge service center and then manufacturing new transducers. AXISS Audio was named the official North American Koetsu distributor. Oh yes. Attendees got a glimpse of and chance to hear the new Koetsu Vermillion during the show.

AXISS Audio Room 2

• Franco Serblin Ktema speakers: $38K
• Air Tight ATM-3211 mono block amplifiers: $100K
• Air Tight ATC-6 preamplifier: $15K
• Air Tight ATE-5 phonostage: $13.6K
• Air Tight ATH-3H SUT
• Reed Model Muse 3C (friction drive): $28K
• Reed 3P 10.5 Panzerholz tonearm: $7400
• Air Tight Opus 1 cartridge: $16K
• Tara Labs cabling

It's always breaking news at 6 PM when Air Tight announces an update or new product (the last being decades ago?). Air Tight and AXISS Audio showed and played at this year's AXPONA the latest iterations of Air Tight's ATC-6 preamplifier and ATE-5 phonostage. Hot stuff! On the analog front, Reed debuted their new 10.5 Panzerholz tonearm.

AXISS Audio Room 3

• Gauder Akustik DARC 250 speakers: $250K
• (prototype) Soulution 717 Monoblock amplifiers: $129k each
• Soulution 701+ Monoblock amplifiers: $130K
• Soulution 757 De-emphasis preamplifier and phonostage: $85K
• Soulution 727 preamplifier: $90K
• Transrotor Artus FMD turntable: $200K
• Transrotor TRA 9 Chrome arm: $8975
• Transrotor TRA 9 Ruthenium arm: $9975
• Transrotor Tamino moving coil cartridge: $20K
• DS Audio Master EX optical cartridge
• Tara Labs cabling

 

There was a whole lotta top flight gear filling out Axiss Audio's upper floor, super system room. Top among the new products pressed into service was a prototype of the now currently shipping Soulution 717 amplifier. The Soulution 717 features an entirely new circuit architecture and is rated at 150-watts in stereo, doubling down to two ohms; in mono the amp is rated at 600-watts into eight ohms doubling down to 2400-watts to two ohms.

Combing visual art with sheer mass was Transrotor's 484-pound Artus FMD turntable. Lastly, tunes were played through Gauder Akustik's top-of-the-line DARC 250 speakers featuring both diamond coated midrange and tweeter drivers. Sonically, the room was a mixed bag, in part I suspect due to the new equipment in the system. Not to mention Soulution amplifiers take forever to break-in (say 400+ hours) and days after powering up to sound their best. The system was a bit bright on the first day of the show but showed signs of calming down and starting to settle in by the end of the show. There's no question in my mind—given my experience with Soulution's more modest components—that the system is capable of much more than delivered at the show. Yet there were some glimpses of that magic here and there such as the system's incredibly low noise, resolution and huge sound.

CH-Precision

• Magico S3 Mk. 3 speakers: $45K
• CH Precision CHI1 integrated amplifier: $35-55K
• CH Precision D1.5 CD/SACD/MQA CD Transport: $38K
• Nordost cabling

A super sounding combination here. The sound was really laid back and relaxed and showed the gear at its best. Many will be impressed by Magico's new S3 speakers.

Constellation Audio

• Magico S3 Mk. 3 speakers: $45K
• Constellation Audio Revelation 2 Stereo amplifier: $30K
• Constellation Audio Revelation preamplifier: $25.5K
• Constellation Audio Revelation 2 phonostage: $29K
• TechDas Air Force III Premium S turntable: $44.5K
• TechDas Air Force Air Bearing tonearm: $45K
• TechDas Air Force TCC-01A cartridge: $19K

Constellation Audio premiered the latest iteration of their Revelation Series components at this year's AXPONA. Cherry on top? Vinyl listening sessions guest hosted by Motofumi Hirata TechDas turntables. The latest Revelation Series 2 products with their latest switched mode power supplies (C-SMPS) offer a 20% increase in power and a 20 dB drop in the noise floor. Unfortunately, the room was always packed and didn't get a chance to do any critical listening here.

DaRTzeel America

• Stenheim Alumine 3 speakers: $45K
• DaRTzeel LHC-208 Integrated amplifier and streamer: $27,585
• DaRTzeel NHB-108 Dual mono amplifier: $62,205
• DaRTzeel NHB-18NS Mk. II preamplifier with phonostage: $65K
• CSPort TAT1M2 turntable: $35K
• CSPort linear arm AF1-2: $11K
• Air Tight Opus 1 moving coil cartridge: $16k
• Cabling: Nordost
• Notable Accessories: Audys Soundboards

Much has been written about DaRTzeel's future but the Swiss-based company was at AXPONA. But nary any official updates about what's going on at the company's HQs. The sound here was a little disappointing, a bit dry and lacking in dynamics. I've heard better from them at shows.

Devore Fidelity

• Devore Fidelity Gibbon Super Nine speakers: $9900
• Leben CS-600X integrated amplifier: $8995
• Leben Audio RS-30EQ MM phono amplifier: $3495
• Fonolab Pacto Step-Up Transformer: $2750
• Well Tempered Lab Versalex Turntable and tonearm: $4850
• Well Tempered Lab Kauri Mk. II moving coil cartridge: $2000
• Black Cat and Cardas cabling

John Devore is another exhibitor who year in, and year out gets great sound from his hotel room. Always musical. Always a room to escape to when one needs to rest their weary ears. His consistent success can be attributed to exhibiting in the same hotel room annually, allowing him to become thoroughly familiar with its unique acoustic characteristics. The diminutive 32-watts Leben Audio integrated amplifier also proved the perfect partner for his Gibbon Super 9 speakers; pleasantly missing was that upper midrange/lower treble grittiness heard in earlier demos. In its stead was a very smooth and coherent yet resolving picture.

Doshi Audio/Joseph Audio/J. Sikora/ Cardas Cables Notable Audio/

• Joseph Audio Pearl Graphene speakers: $52K
• Doshi Audio Evolution series Monoblock amplifiers: $46K
• Doshi Audio Evolution series preamplifier: $23K
• Doshi Audio Evolution series phonostage: $23K
• J. Sikora Ref. SE turntable: $49,250
• J. Sikora KV-12 Max tonearm: $14,500
• Aidas True Stone Violet Ltd. cartridge: $6500

This quartet is another tour de force/group who consistently obtains good sound at AXPONA. The sound here was really transparent, musical and involving. And one only heard a fraction of what these components can do. The only downside—as in past years too—was in the bass region.

The four motor, 220-pound J. Sikora Reference SE table is simply a massive attack on the state-of-the-art in turntable design. The other side of the coin is J. Sikora's new entry level, belt drive Aspire turntable featuring a Delrin platter and inverted ceramic ball bearing that was on static display on the side of the room. Lastly, Jeff Fox, importer of Aidas cartridges, brought along the limited-edition True Stone Violet cartridge that uses Mammoth Gold generators.

Lastly, for the second year in a row, the two Jeffs, Nick and Robert hosted on the first night a live music event starring the trio of leading Polish drummer Adam Czerwinski (one of the most sought after jazz drummers in Europe), tenor saxophonist Geof Bradfield (among his many recordings include his Geof Bradfield Saxophone Quartet on International Phonograph Inc and highly talented and in-demand bass player Matt Ferguson. The trio performed five songs dedicated to five Chicago area tenor sax greats including Gene Ammons, von Freeman, Eddie Harris, Johnny Griffin and Clifford Jordan.

 

 

Fidelity Imports

• Wilson-Benesch Omnium speakers: $150K
• Wilson-Benesch IGx infrasonic generator: $35K
• Audia Flight Strumento No. 8 Monoblock amplifiers: 35K each
• Audia Flight No. 1 preamplifier: $30K
• Audia Flight phonostage: $7K
• Wilson-Benesch GMT One turntable and arm: $370K
• Via Blue cables

It was a real flashback moment when I walked into the Fidelity Imports room and glimpsed equipment from Wilson Benesch and Audia Flight. Back in the late 90s I reviewed WB's original carbon bodied Analog 1 cartridge and carbon fiber arm for my magazine and more recently the Audia Flight Strumento No. 4 Mk. 1 stereo amplifier for AVShowrooms. Nothing like catching up with old friends. The Audia Flight Strumento No. 4 Mk. 1 was one of the first solid-state amplifiers that I could listen to for a prolonged period. It also ran as hot as a tube amplifier!

The star of the show here, though, was Wilson-Benesch with their state-of-the-art turntable "system" and speakers. This modular table features advanced technology, such as unique motor pole design, and starts at $90K for the basic version, with upgrade options available as budget permits. The sound? This room was a casualty of inordinately lofty expectations and didn't quite live up to them. This setup needs better conditions for optimal listening. 

Gershman Acoustics

• 30^th Anniversary Grand Avant Garde speakers: $19.5K
• PASS Int 250 Integrated amplifier: $13K.
• Lampizator Genya DAC: $17.5K
• Lampizator Gulfstream server: $9.5K
• Cardas cables

Easily the best show sound to date from Gershman! These speakers with Eli Gershman's patent pending back wave control technology were exceptionally clean and open sounding combined with a delectable midrange tone and palpability. Extremely easy on the ears.

GTT Audio

• Vivid Audio G1 Spirit speakers: $105K
• Audionet Schrodiner Monoblock amplifiers: $58K/pair
• Audionet Mach linestage: $30,400
• Kronos Audio Perpetual turntable: $70K
• Kronos Audio SCPS-P power supply: $20K
• Kronos Discovery RS tonearm: $24K
• My Sonic Lab Signature Platinum cartridge: $11K
• Kubala-Sosna cabling

Bill Parrish is another exhibitor found in the same room every Axpona; chances are, too, he isn't giving up his exhibit room any time soon. The GTT room is a perfect size for an exhibit room, too. Large enough to hold a decent size crowd but not too large like some of the barn-sized ballrooms.

GTT premiered Audionet's latest Schrodiner monoblock amplifiers and Mach linestage as well as Kronos' new Perpetual turntable. Despite being the Heisenberg's "little brother," the Schrodiners are no slouch and quite capable of driving most speakers with its 400-watts into eight ohms output. Bill's show systems always excel at soundstaging, resolution and transparency and this year was no exception though the sound was a touch more resolving last year. But the room still ranks among the best at the show.

High Water Sound

• Cessaro Horn Acoustic Mendelssohn speakers: $65k
• Alieno 250 Ltd SE 300B amplifier: $80K
• Alieno 6H30 linestage: $75K
• Alieno Phono Extremo: $60K
• TW-Akustic Raven LS-3 copper: $25K
• TW-Akustic 10.5-inch tonearm: $6000
• TW Akustic 12-inch tonearm: $6500
• Assorted cartridges including DAVA Soul field coil ($9500); Fuuga ($9000) cartridges
• Stein Music cabling

Here's another of those digital-free pit stops where I can always rest my weary ears and put my tired paws up, too! The sound in Jeff Catalano's room, in fact, was markedly better than last year. Last year's edginess was gone and in its stead was a more effortless sound, fleshed out midrange and instrumental palpability. The Mendelssohns, in contrast to Cessaro's better known horn-based speakers, employ conventional midrange and bass drivers mated to a compression drive, spherical horn tweeter.

Luxury Audio Group and Scott Walker Audio

• Estelon Extreme Mk. II speakers (Bronze Royale): $296K
• 4 x Vitus Audio SM-103 amplifiers: $80K each
• Vitus Audio SM-103 preamplifier: $42K
• 2 X Sonorus ATR-10 reel-to-reel tape deck: $35K
• TAIKO Olympus music server: $95K
• Vitus Audio SD-025 DAC: $35K
• Crystal Cable cables
• Notable Accessories: A.R.T. (Active Realignment Technologies): $130K

This was another room with better sound in 2025 than 2024. Unlike some of my reviewer colleagues, I felt the sound last year was on the thin side, lacked coherency, and soundstage depth and the bass was boomy. The system was on a different level this year: much more linear sounding with no particular emphasis on any part of the audio spectrum. There was real soundstage depth and far, far better transparency, too!

In case anyone is wondering why there's two reel-to-reel tape decks in the pictures. One machine was playing one tape while the other machine was rewinding the next tape. One thing, too, that many people weren't aware. The tapes played here were subjected to Sonorus tape deck designers Arian Jansen's "holographic" process. Arian gets a tape, feeds it through his circuit and then prints a new copy on a second machine. So, consider these tapes "enhanced."

Magico

• Magico M9 speakers: $750K
• D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Relentless 800 Monoblock amplifiers: $195K
• D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Relentless Epic 1600 Monoblock amplifiers: $350K
• WADAX Atlantis Reference DAC: $350K
• Antipodes Oladra music server: $29K
• Vyda Lab cables
• Notable accessories: Telos Audio Earth Ground and Power Station

It took real cajones to not only bring your best speaker (one of the best transducers in the world) and expect it to perform at its best under show conditions. You [Magico] run the risk that if the M9 speakers don't live up to expectations that audiophiles will pile on and trash your product. Yet, there is another side of the coin: if M9s sound good under show-based conditions, especially a room that has given previous exhibitors fits, chances are they will work under most home conditions. Now that's confidence.

The six figure M9s (and seven figure system) didn't disappoint either. Alon and crew got the M9s firing on all cylinders: the speaker's most impressive attribute was its bass performance. The M9s displayed the most prodigious bass ever heard at an audio show. (Was I the only one, however, who wanted to hear the M9s with analog?) It didn't hurt, either, that the speakers were driven by the best of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems electronics (800s on the bass and 1600s on the mids and top end) and the best of WADAX and Antipodes digital playback. One can only imagine what the M9s sound like under optimal conditions if they sounded this good under less than perfect show conditions.

MBL

• MBL 101E speakers: $91K/pair
• MBL 9011 Monoblock amplifiers: $64K each
• MBL C41 Network Player: $11,100

What more can you say about the world's best omni-directional speaker that hasn't been said already? Jeremy Ryan has the set-up of these speakers down to an art and really knows how to get the most out of them. The MBL 101 speakers deliver ambient space, resolution, and speed unmatched by most other speakers.

Mobile Fidelity 

Mobile Fidelity has been quietly expanding its audio portfolio. No longer are they just a music label and that was very evident at the show with the various cartridge, electronic and turntable lines they distribute (Thales, Dr. Feickert Analogue, HiFi Rose, My Sonic Lab, EMT, Xquisite, etc.) as well as audio products they own and manufacture (Viktor Khomenko designed BAT electronics, Allen Perkins designed turntables, Peter Madnick designed electronics including the soon to be released MOFI transimpedance design Ultra Phono Pro and last, but not least, Andrew Jones designed Source Point 10 Master Edition speakers.) MOFI has assembled a murderers row of All-Star high-end audio designers!

Monarch Audio Systems

• Chario Audio Serendipity speakers: $57K
• audio B. amp in mono mode: $34K each
• audio B.dpr EX Reference preamplifier: $24K
• SME Synergy turntable (75^th Anniversary Diamond Series finish) with SME IV tonearm: $36,789 (black); $45K (diamond)
• Siltech cables
• Notable accessories: Franc Audio Wood Block 4.1 rack: $11.8K, TC-40 Record clamp: $340

Here was a room with a decidedly European flavor. Chario (Italy), B. Audio (France), SME (UK) and Siltech (The Netherlands). Now it's been a good 25 years since I've seen and heard Chario speakers (the mid-nineties when AXPONA founder Steve Davis imported their smaller stand mounted speakers in) and Siltech cables. Reconnecting with long-standing equipment is always a pleasure; Monarch Audio's performance, however, was significantly constrained by the room conditions. So, I'm going to give an incomplete grade and hope to hear this gear under better conditions.

PS Audio

• Assorted PS Audio speakers
• BHK Signature 600 Monoblock amplifiers: $30K
• PS Audio PMG Signature SACD/CD transport: $8479
• PS Audio PMG Signature Purestream DAC: $8479
• PS Audio PMG Signature preamplifier: $8479
• AudioQuest cables

AXPONA 2025 saw PS Audio add the new PMG Signature line products to their equipment line. PS Audio has been quietly revamping its product line over the last couple of years and the new SACD/CD transport and Purestream DAC caught my attention. In part because PS Audio is one of the few companies (Playback Designs is another that comes to mind) with the ability to extract the DSD layer from a SACD and output the data to PS Audio's external DAC!

Quintessence Audio Room 1

• Wilson Audio Chronosonic XVX speakers: $387K
• D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Relentless M800 Monoblock amplifiers: $195K
• D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Relentless preamplifier: $143K
• D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum HD phonostage: $32.5K
• Clearaudio Statement turntable: $300K
• Clearaudio Jubilee cartridge: $29K
• Transparent Audio Opus cabling

I couldn't, unfortunately, hear the big rig with any of my records. Dave Gordon of ARC, my usual DJ, was MIA (thanks Dave, I really appreciate your extra effort!). Sad, because I really was psyched to hear Clearaudio's new Jublilee moving coil cartridge. Oh well….. Nonetheless, what I heard was still on par with past years: incredibly quiet, dynamic and resolving.

Quintessence Audio Room 2

• Wilson Watt-Puppy speakers: $39.5K
• Boulder 1151 amplifier: $48K/pair
• Boulder 1110 preamplifier: $24K
• Boulder 1108 phonostage: $24K
• Clearaudio Jubilee turntable: $30K
• Hana Red cartridge: $3950
• Transparent Audio Reference cabling

A pair of debuts here from Boulder electronics including the new 1100 series amplifier and preamplifier. The room was always crowded, so I couldn't listen in. 

Quintessence Audio Room 3

• Sonus Faber Stradivari speakers: $50K
• Audio Research Reference 330 tube Monoblock tube amplifiers: $90K
• Audio Research Reference 10 preamplifier: $42K
• Audio Research Reference phonostage: $42K
• Clearaudio Jubilee turntable: $60K
• Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement MC cartridge: $17.5K
• Kubala-Sosna cables

The music in Quintessence's third room was always being played too loud. So hard pass here. That was a shame, too, because I was really looking forward to the long-anticipated debut of ARC's latest Reference 330 Monoblock amplifiers. Oh well. Two swings and misses.

Quintessence Audio Non-Audio Room 

• D'Agostino Audio Pendulum Integrated amplifier: $18K with streamer and phonostage
• Al Dimeola turntable: $4900
• AF1 Flat.DUO LP Flattener and Relaxer: $2500
• Clearaudio Smart Matrix 2-sided record cleaner: $3500

Revox

• Revox Studiomaster M500 integrated amplifier (streamer and FM): $4950
• Revox Prestige G140 speakers: $4950
• Revox B77 Mk. III reel-to-reel tape machine: $20K (special Alice Cooper limited edition version, 28K)
• Revox T77 turntable: $9950
• Revox T700 turntable with internal phonostage in black: $4950
• In Akustik cables

Revox, after a long hiatus, threw its hat back into the high-end audio ring with several new audio products including a modernized version of their classic B77 reel-to-reel tape machine. Revox is also offering 15-ips tapes (and records for those without tape decks) to play on their new machine. Most importantly, Revox is a company with the influence and financial resources to obtain those tape titles that tapeheads have long been clamoring. Volker Lange of Revox and Horch House also had on hand several Revox/Horch House tape titles (including Paranormal from Alice Cooper) for purchase by those tapeheads who just had to bring some tapes home from the show!

Revox also presented the new and mighty sexy looking B77 Mk. III Alice Cooper limited edition version tape machine and Revox T77 turntable. Absolute eye candy! 

Rhythm Distribution

• Marten Parker Quintet Diamond edition speakers: $54K
• Luxman L-509Z Centennial Edition Integrated Amplifier: $13K
• Luxman PD-15 Mk II Centennial Edition turntable: $6K
• Luxman LMC-5 cartridge: $2695
• Jorma Design cabling

Luxman marked their 100^th anniversary with the release of several new products including the L-509Z Centennial Edition Integrated Amplifier. Marten Parker Quintets were the weapon of choice here with their ceramic drivers including a pure diamond tweeter and Jorma internal cabling. The sound was just okay and much better last year. 

Sierra Sound

• Vandersteen Quatro CT speakers: $20,150
• Aesthetix Dione hybrid amplifier: $7500
• Aesthetix Pallone hybrid preamplifier: $6500
• Aesthetix Rhea Signature all tube phono section: $12K
• AMG Giro Mk. II turntable w/AMG 9WT tonearm: $17.5
• Benz Micro Ruby Z cartridge: $4000
• Connected Fidelity Tri-Hub turntable with Sorane Ta-1 arm: $6K
• Benz Micro SLR Gullwing: $4000
• Cardas cables
• Notable accessories: VIV Lab Rigid Float tonearms

One of those rarer all analog rooms at AXPONA. Mike Fajan also debuted the new Connected Fidelity Tri-Hub from the UK outfitted with Philip Holmes' Sorane tonearm. It was, however, the 13-inch VIV Lab Rigid Float tonearm without any offset that drew my attention here. It would be interesting to hear one someday. 

Shunyata Research

• Magico A5 speakers: $27K
• CH-Precision 1.1 amplifier: $57K
• WADAX Studio player: $39K
• Shunyata Research cabling
• Notable accessories: Shunyata Research Altaira Noise Reduction Grounding Hub: $3000 plus ground cables

Shunyata Research was demonstrating the effects of their Altaira Noise Reduction Grounding Hub in their room. Admittedly, under the worst circumstances possible eg. an audio show but the Altaira's sonic effects were clearly unmistakable. No question about the improvement in the system's low end, transparency and reduced graininess. 

Supreme Acoustic Systems, Room 1

• Odeon Semper speakers: $47-49K
• Manley Labs Neo Classic SE PP 300B Monoblock amplifiers: $13K
• Manley Labs Neo Classic 300B preamplifier: $8K
• Manley Labs Oasis phonostage: $4K
• Benny Audio Odyssey turntable and arm: $38K
• Cardas cabling

Going to give this room a pass because I was sitting was too close to the speakers here for the speaker drivers to blend. 

Supreme Acoustic Systems/On A Higher Note, Room 2

• Albedo Audio Acclara SGS speakers: $82,230
• Accustic Arts Amplifier IV: $41K
• Accustic Arts Tube Preamp V: $40K
• Moonriver Audio 500 phonostage: $6K
• Benny Audio Immersion 2 turntable: $18K
• Lyra Delos cartridge: $2200
• Cardas cabling

Proprietor Philip O'Hanlon of On A Higher Note played host in the better sounding of SAS's two rooms. The hit, by far, were the Italian-made Albedo speakers (not to be confused with the Polish-made Albedo silver cables) but just as enticing was the Swedish-made Moonriver phonostage with its four inputs. The larger Albedo speakers at AXPONA 2024 sounded disappointing. Not their smaller brothers. The system with the smaller Albedos displayed a lush midrange and very balanced sound and really did justice to Fink's Low Swing Sessions Horch House 15-ips tape. 

Tidal Audio/The Voice That Is (Doug White)

• Contriva G3 speakers (in smoked roseweood): $84K ($77K in black)
• Ferios G2 amplifier: $95K
• Tidal by Bugati MP1 preamplifier, champagne finish: on display
• Tidal Bugati MC 1 digital controller/preamplifier/streamer/DAC: $125K
• Turnbull cables
• Notable accessories: prototype Ictra Proto equipment stand

Three Tidal dealers along with Tidal Audio's CEO Jorn Janczak celebrated Tidal Audio's 25^th anniversary offsite at the local Chicago Marriott Schaumberg. The first room visited was hosted by Doug White of The Voice that Is and had in the system the latest version of the Tidal Audio's Contriva G3 speakers (with completely redesigned drivers and crossovers) and Ferios G2 amplifiers. The sound here is what I've come to expect from Tidal speakers. Extremely clean, fast, and musical. One difference that I noted, however, was the current Contriva tweeter blended better with the rest of the speaker's drivers than the earlier designs. 

Tidal Audio/Audio-Ultra (Ed DeVito)

• Tidal Audio AP1 active speaker: $189K (smoke Macassar veneer); $199K (piano lacquer)
• Tidal Contros digital controller: $61K
• WADAX Studio player: $39K
• AudioQuest and Turnbull cables
• Notable accessories: StromTank 6000 Alpha: $80K
• Seismion Reactio 2 Active Isolation table: Price depends upon size.

Room number two was hosted by Ed DeVito of Ultra-Audio out Seattle way with the highlight being the US debut of Tidal Audio's brand-new active speakers. Beautiful speakers but somehow the sound just didn't move me.

Tidal Audio/Artisan Fidelity (Chris Thorton)

• Tidal Audio Contriva G3 (piano midnight black) speakers; $64K
• Tidal Ferios Monoblock amplifiers: $85K
• Tidal Audio Intra stereo amplifier: $30K
• Tidal Prisma preamplifier with phono: $42K
• Garrard 401 Statement SE, Macassar Ebony, w/LDS PS: $43K
• Schroeder CB-1L (11-inch) tonearm: $6400
• My Sonic Labs Signature Platinum cartridge: $11K
• Siltech cables

The final room was hosted by Chris Thornton of Artisan Fidelity located in St. John, Indiana. Here were Tidal's new Contriva G3s, which were shown in a quite different, but equally stunning finish. And the only of the three rooms equipped with a turntable. Not just any turntable either but Chris' special Garrard turntables. There was also a battle royale going on here for sexiest looking product between Chris Thorton's Garrard turntable and the Tidal Contriva G3s. One glance at the pictures and you'll know why. The sound was mellower here than in the other two rooms, but the bass wasn't as tightly controlled. 

Unique Home Audio/Popori Acoustics

• Popori Acoustics WR2 electrostatic speakers: $34K
• Atma-sphere Class D amplifiers: $6202/pair
• Bacch SP stereo audio purifier with DAC: $34K
• HiFi Rose RS130 network transport: $5200
• Via Blue cables

This was the second time hearing the Popori Acoustic electrostatic speakers (the first being CAF 2024) and once again the sound proved very disappointing. There was no imaging outside the outer edges of the speakers and image height was squashed. In addition, there was little of that fine electrostatic resolution and finesse that seasoned stat lovers like me have come to expect. Hopefully one day will get to hear these new stat offerings under better conditions.

VAC/Acora Acoustics/MIBS Distro/VPI

• Acora VRC-1 speakers: $218K
• VAC 455iQ Musicbloc (KT88) Monoblock amplifiers: $82K each
• VAC Statement Line preamplifier: $82K
• VAC Statement Phonostage: $82K
• SAT XD1 Record Player System: $238,500 without arm: $307,500 with arm
• Lyra Atlas Lambda cartridge: $14.3K
• Cardas cabling
• Notable accessories: Seismion Reactio 2 platform

I really wanted to like this super system; the widely spaced apart speaker set-up, however, just didn't work for me.

Shane Buettner of MIBS Distro also gave a demo of the new Seismon Reactio 2 platform under the megabuck SAT turntable. Surprisingly—or not—the Seismon improved the sound of even the megabuck, SOTA SAT turntable.

Vandersteen

• Vandersteen Quatro CT Evo speakers: $23,900
• Vandersteen M5HPA Monoblock amplifiers: $21K/pair
• Vandersteen L5-ACC Audio Control Center: $15K
• Audio Research Reference Phono 3SE phonostage: $22.5K
• AMG Viella Forte turntable with 12J Turbo tonearm: $32K
• Lyra Atlas Lambda moving coil cartridge: $13,195
• AudioQuest cabling

Vandersteen displayed the direct connect EVO version (no in-line high pass filter) of the Quatro speaker along with a production version of their long-awaited preamplifier (an earlier prototype was shown at CAF 2024 in November).

VTL

• Stenheim Ultime Two SX speakers: $186K
• VTL MB-185 Series III Signature Monoblocks/biamped: $30K/pair
• VTL TL-7.5 Series II Reference Line preamplifier: $40K
• VTL TP-6.5 Series II phonostage: $17K
• Grand Prix 3.0 turntable: $56,250
• Kuzma Saphir 9 tonearm: $23,240
• Lyra Etna cartridge: $8995
• Notable accessories: Nordost QSource and QKore

Same spacious room as last year, big system, big speakers, big sound. There were a few changes from last year's system including the introduction of Grand Prix Audio's latest Monaco 3.0 direct-drive turntable and a pair of VTL MB-185 Monoblock's amplifiers driving the Stenheim monsters. The sound was classic VTL and tubes. Creamy and delicious with a beguiling midrange and transparency. The type of sound you could listen to all day without any listening fatigue. I did prefer, however, the final sound last year by a small margin. 

Wynn Audio

• Vimberg Mino speakers: $40K
• Karan Acoustics POWERa Monoblock amplifiers: $100K
• Karan Acoustics L1NEa preamplifier: $39K
• Karan Acoustics PHONOb phonostage: $26K
• Thiele TT-01 zero tracking error turntable: $31.5K
• Fono Acoustica cabling
• Notable accessories: Entreq grounding blocks: $23K

Proprietor Wynn Wong wasn't around and could only listen to unfamiliar material. So, this room receives an incomplete.

 Yamaha

GT-5000 turntable

I love the classic design of Yamaha's top turntable. 

Zesto Audio

• YG Acoustics Hailey 3 speakers: $35K
• Zesto Audio Eros 500 Select Monoblock amplifiers: $35K/pair
• Zesto Audio Leto Ultra II vacuum tube preamplifier: $11.9K
• Zesto Audio Athena Tube DAC: $15K
• Zesto Audio Andros Deluxe II vacuum tube phonostage: $8300
• Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable: $9900
• Tri-Planar V11-U2 w/LPS (9.8-inch) tonearm: $7500
• Ortofon 90X moving coil cartridge: $5500

Zesto Audio debuted its new non-oversampling Athena tube DAC at Axpona (I've always had a warm spot for tube DACs with two of the best coming from the long gone Altis Audio Reference and Audio Note). Zesto's new Athena DAC can play 24-bit/384 kHz files, and three DSD and eight PCM sample rates.

What I was more curious about, however, was Ortofon's new 90X moving coil cartridge. I wasn't a huge fan of the original model, but the latest model based on what I heard here is a definite improvement. Finally, the overall sound of Zesto Audio's displays took a monumental step forward ever George and Carolyn Counnas opted for YG Acoustic speakers several shows ago!

The Exhibit Hall

I could have sworn saw a "Shop Until You Drop" banner hanging over the entrance to the exhibit hall. Well maybe my glasses were dirty. Nary a scowl or sad face here with tons of software (CDs, XRCDs, SACDs, UHQCDs, new and used LPs and 15-ips tapes), hardware, cables, record cleaning machines, equipment racks and more here for the right price! Me. I saw a few things of interest but decided to wait until I got home so didn't have to carry the items back onto the plane!

Show Wrap-Up 

The Crème de la crème of AXPONA 2025 (In No Particular Order)

• GTT Audio (Vivid speakers/Audionet electronics, Kronos turntable/Kubala-Sosna cables)
• Joseph Audio speakers/Doshi Audio electronics/J. Sikora turntable/Cardas Cables
• VTL electronics (Stenheim speakers/Grand Prix Audio turntable/Nordost cables)
• Magico speakers (D'Agostino Master Audio System electronics/WADAX digital/Antipodes music server, streamer and re-clocker/Vyda cables)
• High Water Sound (Cessaro speakers, Alieno electronics, TW-Akustic turntables/Stein Music cables)
• Zesto Audio (Zesto electronics, YG Acoustics speakers, Dr. Feickert Analogue turntable, Cardas Cables)

Pleasant Surprises

• Gershman speakers (Gershman speakers, PASS electronics, Lampizator digital)
• Supreme Acoustics (Albedo speakers, Accustik Arts electronics, Benny Audio turntable)
• CH-Precision, Magico S3 Mk. III speakers

Products seen most around the show

• Electronics: CH-Precision/PASS/D'Agostino
• Speakers: Magico/Stalheim/Marten/YG Acoustics
• Turntables: VPI/Well Tempered/Reed/AMG
• Digital: WADAX/DCS/Laminator/Taiko
• Cables: Cardas/Nordost/Turnbull/Audioquest/Kubala-Sosna

Auspicious AXPONA/World Show Equipment Debuts

• AFI Flat Duo Record Flattener and Relaxer (Musical Surroundings)
• Albedo Audio Acclaris SGS speakers (Supreme Audio Systems)
• AudioNet Schrödiner Monoblock amplifiers (GTT Audio)
• AudioNet Mach linestage (GTT Audio)
• Benny Audio Odyssey turntable (Supreme Audio Systems)
• Clearaudio Diamond Jubilee cartridge (Musical Surroundings)
• Connected Fidelity TT-Hub (Sierra Sound)
• D'Agostino Momentum C2 preamplifier
• D'Agostino Pendulum Integrated amplifier with DAC and phonostage
• Grand Prix Audio Monaco 3 turntable (with Kuzma Saphir arm)
• Magico M9 speakers
• PS Audio SACD PMG Sig. SACD/CD Transport
• PS Audio PMG Sig. Pure stream DAC
• Reed 3P Panzer Holz tonearm wands (AXISS Audio)
• Redox B77 Mk. III reel-to-reel tape machine
• Seismon Reactio Plus 2 platform (MIBS Distro)
• Solution 717 Monoblock amplifiers (AXISS Audio)
• Tech Das Air Force 10 tonearm (The Audio Salon)
• Tidal Audio Contrive G3 speakers
• Tidal Audio AP1 speakers
• Trans rotor Argus FMD turntable (AXISS Audio)
• Wilson-Benesch GMT One turntable (Fidelity Imports)

Auspicious AXPONA Show Reintroductions

• Koetsu cartridges (AXISS Audio)

Auspicious Demonstrations

• Shunyata Research Altaira grounding system
• Seismon Reactio 2 under SAT turntable

Product (s) Most Want to Bring Home

• AFI Flat Duo Record Flattener and Relaxer
• Franc Audio Accessories, especially their equipment platforms
• Revox B77 Mk. 2 tape machine
• Seismion Reactio Plus 2 platform

Signing Off

Finally, a big shout out to the exhibitors who made the job of covering AXPONA much easier by: 1) Emailing me a list of equipment in their rooms; 2) Providing a cheat sheet of products on display at the show; and 3) Those technically inclined who offered a QR code linking directly to information about the gear being shown (gone are the days of handing out memory sticks)! Bonus points to exhibitors who indicated the new components or components making their world or US/AXPONA premiere on their lists! You made life a thousand times easier!