AXPONA 2024 Show Report Part Two

Our second and final round-up of the best in show at AXPONA 2024. Cited at the Schaumberg Convention Center in the north-western suburbs of Chicago, AXPONA has not only grown from a regional audio show but has also become the biggest audio show in the US, rivalling the audio industry’s CES and the Munich High-End show. Every audio enthusiast and industry professional should be aware of this growth and significance in the audio industry.

We’re often swift to criticise the music in shows because we move from room to room. You become quick to pick up musical trends. And in fairness to AXPONA 2024, while there was still a predisposition toward late 1950s jazz, there was a broader music spread in many rooms. We also noticed the trend toward high-end integrated amplifiers instead of pre/power designs finally reaching US audiences. This ‘big integrated’ concept has been trending in Europe and Asia for some time, but the US audio buyers – often with fewer space issues – have stayed with pre/power amp systems. We’re beginning to see that trend also reach the US.

Both musical and amplifier trends reflect the demands of new audio buyers. A new generation of buyers are not as interested in the music of their parents or grandparents… and that’s a good thing. Similarly, those carving out their lives in big cities rarely have the space for a ‘man cave’. Systems that deliver the goods without compromise but take up less space are now proving as popular to those living in downtown Chicago as to those living in a chic la septième apartment in Paris.

Another important consideration at this show is the significance of good partnerships. In particular, companies like Cardas Audio and VPI dominated the show thanks to their products being used in various rooms where people needed a turntable or good cables. This was a record for Cardas Audio, as its cable products were in more than 20 rooms. By being a ‘friend of the industry’ in that way, the products get as much exposure as having your room. It’s a trick learned by Lateral from the UK, as its stands were used in several rooms equally well.

Off-piste events – which have become increasingly important at Munich High-End and even the Bristol Audio Show – are relatively thin on the ground because of the relative paucity of rival spaces near the Convention Center. However, the show coincided with the launch of Musical Artisans store in nearby Skokie, IL, and the store had an evening party that was more than just an excuse for a slice of really good pizza. Honest!

There is no pecking order here. This is a ‘part two’ simply to break up the show’s highlights for the readers. We have a deliberate and conscious ‘reset’ as we enter each new room. That way, a $2,000 pair of loudspeakers gets the same gravitas as a pair of $200,000 loudspeakers.

Air Tight

Air Tight’s first power amplifier was the ATM-1. The ATM-1S followed this and was made up to 2023. The latest iteration of the popular EL-34-based push-pull amplifier is the $13,975 ATM-1e, which features a new output transformer and choke, and a new circuit design featuring an extremely accurate bias meter. It sounded really good in Axiss Audio‘s system comprising Reed vinyl and Soulution front-end and the new, $13,475 Franco Serblin Accordo Goldberg loudspeakers.

ATC

To celebrate the company’s 50^th year in production, British loudspeaker experts ATC launched a strictly limited edition of its popular SCM20ASL active standmount, in a striking blue lacquer with matching royal blue Napa leather front baffle. Just 150 pairs of this $13,999 SCM20ALS Limited Edition loudspeaker will be made. Even rarer, the company also launched its C4 Sub Mk2 Limited Edition. Designed to match the two-way, just 20 active subwoofers will be made.

Aurender

The $22,000 Aurender AP20 combines streamer, DAC, and Class D dual-mono amplifier as a complete one-box high-end solution. The ‘just add speakers’ approach certainly worked, as it sang sweetly in the company of a pair of Wilson Audio SabrinaX loudspeakers. As an elegant and sophisticated modern music system, this had to be one of the best.

Ayre Acoustics

We usually hold to a ‘what’s new’ policy in show reports, but the ‘what’s good’ sometimes bubbles up. Ayre Acoustics’ CX-8 CD player ($5,450), QX-5 Twenty DAC ($15,000), KX-R Twenty preamp ($40,000) and MX-R Twenty monoblocks ($48,000/pair) were both a fine sonic and visual match to YG Acoustics’ Carmel 3 floorstanding loudspeakers (£29,800/pair) and Argento Audio cables.

Balanced Audio Technology

BAT showed its new VK-85 preamplifier ($12,000) and matching REX-300 power amplifier ($15,000). We covered the launch and the technology behind it in our news section (https://hifiplus.com/articles/bat-introduces-the-bat-vk-85-preamplifier-and-rex-300-power-amplifier/), but the 200W/channel stereo power amplifier was both playing and on display. It looked as good as it sounded!

DeVore Fidelity

John DeVore has been splicing his orangutans! DeVore Fidelity‘s new O/bronze ($30,000 per pair) bridges the gap between the O/96 and O/Reference. It uses the O/Reference tweeter and a combination of O/Reference chassis and O/96 motor system in the mid-bass driver. It also uses O/Reference crossover parts. The O/bronze is the same design as the strictly limited Twenty design. DeVore also showed the first of the short-run Komuro designs, the 300B-based, seven-watt K300S ($20,000) with a EMT turntable source, Mola Mola preamp Box equipment support and AudioQuest cabling.

ESD/AURALiC

Winner of the “It’s not home, but it’s much!” award, the giant system from ESD Acoustic from China was huge. It featured a five-way horn system, active crossovers, mono power amps, power supplies for the crossover, dual mono preamplifier and more. Normally, this system would cost around $1.7m, but thanks to the extensive use of lacquer, it came in at a whopping £4m! Dwarfed by the system, in the middle you can just see an AURALiC ARIES G2.2 Streaming Transport feeding a VEGA 2.2 DAC and a LEO GX.1 clock.

Garrard

Rhythm Distribution showed the Garrard 301 Advanced turntable, complete with SME Series V tonearm ($54,000) coupled to an Ortofon MC Diamond cartridge ($9,999). This was used with a Goldmund Mimesis PH3.8 NEXTGEN phono preamp ($48,000) and a Lumin X1 network player ($13,990) into a Goldmund Telos 690 integrated amplifier ($36,000) into a pair of Tannoy Stirling III LZ special edition loudspeakers ($12,500/pr) and matching supertweeters ($2,195).

Goldmund

In an adjacent room, Rhythm was also showing the Asteria Wireless Active loudspeakers ($95,000 per pair). Running from a Lumin U1 network streamer ($5,799) and a Goldmund Mimesis 11 Wireless Hub ($16,000). This system shows the notion of making a good wireless audio system is not a myth, contrary to the suggestions of others.

Infigo Audio

This was a new one to me, and I found their system entirely captivating. So captivating, in fact, that I completely forgot to take note of prices! However, the Infigo Audio Method 4 DAC, Method 7 preamp, and Method 3 Class A mono amps sounded sensational when played through the powerful room shaking $50,000/pair new Aphrodite loudspeakers from Alta Audio. These electronics could make me a Methodist!

JMF Audio, Ideon Audio, Stenheim

There’s a bit of a theme here. Stenheim loudspeakers were seen in more rooms than ever at AXPONA. JMF Audio and Ideon Audio were also in several rooms. And they were all making good sounds. So when the three companies met in the Fidelis Distribution and Audio Skies room, magic was sure to happen. Sure enough, the Ideon Absolute Epsilon Meta DAC ($49,900), Meta Stream streamer ($24,000) and Time clock ($11,000), coupled with JMF’s $39,000 PRS 1.5 preamp, the dual mono stereo HQS 6002 power a,p ($45,000) and PCD 102 power filter ($22,000) made a pair of $48,000 Stenheim Alumine 33E floorstanders sing… almost $27,000 of JMF Audio cables and a $35,000 ictra design Proto AS three shelf rack helped too.

Joseph Audio

It’s a shame we at hi-fi+ only get to hear Joseph Audio’s loudspeakers at shows, because they always show a lot of promise. Here, the $52,000 Pearl Graphene Ultra three-way floorstander was driven by a J.Sikora turntable and Doshi Audio amplifiers in a large room. The room was constantly crowded – always a good sign – and the overall performance was powerful, deep and always musically satisfying.

Kanto Audio

Kanto Audio showed off its entire line of small active loudspeakers, including the forthcoming active REN design. First seen at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, this was the first US outing for the prototype REN, which will be eARC compatible, should cost $599 and be available from July. Kanto’s marketing guru Brett Smalley was on hand showing off the colour scheme for the upcoming pocket rocket!

Lateral and Lumin

All the L’s, all at once here. Lumin was showcasing a range of components, including P1 and T3 Network Music Players, U2 Network Music Transport with X1 linear regulator, L2 Network Switch and 160W AMP. These all sat on the excellent new Counterpoint flagship stand from Lateral. Away from the line-up of L’s, these drove Magico A5s extremely well, and power was fed from a Puritan transformer.

Linn

Linn showed up in two rooms; its own room showcasing a complete top-end Linn system (including the rare Jony Ive-tweaked 50^th anniversary LP12) and passive with active bass version of its $66,000 360 loudspeakers driven by the Klimax DSM streamer/pre ($42,000) and Klimax Solo 800 mono powers ($90,000 per pair). Elsewhere, the Klimax DSM/Solo 800 combination were driving a pair of YG Acoustics Sonja 3.2 ($99,000 per pair) loudspeakers and lots of Cardas Clear Beyond cable to great effect. Of the two, I think I preferred the Linn/YG room on balance, but both were good.

Marten

Marten was flipping between the Parker Duo DE stand-mount loudspeakers ($13,995/pair, stands £3,895/pair) and the Parker Trio Diamond floorstanders ($39,995) at the show. I heard the Trio Diamond. Both speakers were played through an Aurender N20 server ($12,500) into an Esoteric K1X SE acting as a DAC ($37,500), into a Constellation Audio Pictor preamp ($32,500) and Taurus Mono amps ($29,000/pair). Given Marten and Jorma work very closely together, the room bristled with Reference and Statement cables from the Swedish brand. This was one of the highlights of the show for me, a combination of grace and energy, with a bass that was neither exaggerated nor understated and a tonal balance that was just about perfect!

Musical Artisans

A 45-minute drive from the Convention Center, Musical Artisans new store in Skokie didn’t even have a name on the door. It’s that new. Inside, however, the store is brightly lit and has some of the best brands – and best listening rooms – money can buy. Sometimes a lot of money: a full-on CH Precision or Nagra system does not come cheap. The store showcased a carefully curated line of brands from Ayre on up… including the excellent Engström Arne.

Quintessence Audio

While we normally concentrate on individual brands, Chicago-based dealer Quintessence Audio pulled out all the stops in several of its rooms. New products of note include the new 891 combination preamp and streaming DAC ($25,000) and matching 861 stereo power amp (also $25,000) from MOON by Simaudio. This was fed by the new Clearaudio Signature turntable ($5,000) with Tracer tonearm and Hana Umami Blue cartridge ($2,500). This sat on a Critical Mass Systems Ultra Q equipment rack ($19,460) and was connected to a pair of Wilson Audio Sasha V loudspeakers ($52,000 per pair) by $32,850’s worth of Kubala Sosna Sensation cables.

The big hitter system featured all the best from Clearaudio, D’Agostino, dCS, DS Audio, Innuos, Stromtank, Transparent, Critical Mass Systems and Wilson Audio, culminating in Alexx V loudspeakers. It had a performance to match. And the total cost of the system? $1,092,225!

Ruark

There was a very strong British contingent at AXPONA. While some products were hardly new, they were shown for the first time in the US this year. One thing that seemed a common feature was the UK products tended to be a little different and at the more affordable end of the spectrum. Ruark’s $4,499 R810 High Fidelity Radiogram is a perfect example. With HDMI ARC/eARC, AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify and TIDAL Connect built-in, support for hi-res files and more, this is more than just another soundbar, and really does hark back to the radiograms of the 1950s and 1960s, just more up to date. Proof that audio can look traditional and act radical.

SOTA

The prototype of the SOTA Orion Emerald turntable (from $22,500) is a direct-drive design that is the first deck from the brand to accommodate multiple arms. The Swiss-cheese like appearance of the aluminium plinth is there to act as scattering to prevent any resonance. It also featured the Alphason HR-200S tonearm that has quietly been doing the rounds at UK audio shows. It was late in the show when I heard this turntable – played through Doshi Audio amplification, KEF Reference 3 speakers and REL S/510s with lots of Cardas Clear Beyond cable, and it had a lot of potential for a late prototype.

Stratton Acoustics

Fresh from showing the new Element 12, also shown here, Stratton Acoustics were showing the Chicago crowd just what $165,000 worth of Elypsis 1512 was capable of in the Rutherford Audio room. This was driven by an Antipodes Olandra streamer, Accustic Arts electronics and an Acoustic Signature turntable. And “what it was capable of” was playing Leftfield’s ‘Afro-Left’ at club levels without a hint of strain.

Synergistic Research

It’s a bold move. A company best known for some ‘out there’ devices calls its new $14,995 streamer ‘Voodoo’! First shown at Capital Audio Fest, this Roon-based streamer/server bristles with Synergistic Research’s developments and techniques from a range of the company’s products. It was feeding an Ideon Audio Absolute Epsilon DAC ($49,900) and Time Signature V clock ($22,000) through a JMF Audio PRS 1.5 preamp ($36,000) a pair of JMF’s HQS 7001 monoblocks ($77,000 per pair), into a pair of Estelon X Diamond Mk II floorstanders ($90,500 per pair) in a lovely Cobalt Blue liquid gloss finish. This system was in too small a room with walls made of Kleenex, but still managed to sound extremely good!

Totem Acoustics

The Totem Loon ($1,299) is named after the aquatic bird (known as a ‘Diver’ in British English). It’s a small, two-way bookshelf design (as opposed to a stand-mount, it really is small enough to fit in a bookcase) and proved extremely impressive in a deliberately less-than-ideal setting to show just how plug-and-play these loudspeakers really are. Designed to work off-axis and on with surprising bass given the small size, these loudspeakers got off to a flying start!

VTL, dCS, VPI, Lyra, Stenheim, Nordost

Another of the top-sounding rooms of the show, this large room dominated the ‘what’s good’ lists. It comprised VTL‘s TP-6.5 Series II Signature Phono Preamp ($15,000), TL-7.5 Series III Reference line preamplifier ($35,000) and two pairs of MB-185 Series III Signature Monoblocks ($27,000 per pair). This was connected to a dCS Rossini Apex DAC ($32,800) and Rossini Master Clock ($10,850) on the digital side, a VPI Titan Direct turntable ($60,000) and Lyra Etna cartridge ($8,995). The loudspeakers were the $186,500 per pair Stenheim Reference Ultime Two SX. All of which was connected with Nordost Odin 2 cables (except for the Valhalla 2 Ethernet cable), a plethora of Q products (from the $284.99 QKOIL (QK1) AC enhancer to the $17,999 QBASE Reference) and Sort Kones, Sort Füt and Sort Lifts. Despite being separated from some very loud rooms by basic conference room dividers, this sounded beguiling and room-filling.

Zellaton

Zellaton doesn’t launch new loudspeakers that often, so the introduction of the $44,700 per pair Emotion Evo two-way floorstanders was something to experience. A complete set of Grimm Audio electronics drove them. Despite being a comparatively small two-way, the Emotion Evo pumped out a realistic and powerful bass, some good stereo separation, and very likely overawed the small hotel room in which it was housed. This has a lot of potential, and made me realise that in the very dark room, I should really bring a flash unit next time!

There were many others unable to access, including the Focal room pictured at the head of this feature. When there is a steady stream of bodies between you and the product, something good is going on, and that was a constant feature of AXPONA 2024.

AXPONA 2024 Show Report Part One

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