Of all the high-end audio shows I covered in 2023, the toughest was undoubtedly AXPONA. Why? Because this Chicago-based show has become huge post-pandemic, so much so that most people in the industry now consider it the “Main Event” in North America. It’s a big show, both in exhibit room numbers and the sheer real estate you have to traverse to visit those rooms, and it’s becoming more and more challenging to cover the show completely. The noteworthy excitement for AXPONA 2024, after last year’s success, is currently being displayed by a mountain of press releases I’ve received over the last few days. I’ll include a few tidbits from those press releases as my AXPONA 2024 Preview, along with those already on my must-see list.
Words by Marc Phillips
This year we’ll have a sizeable team covering AXPONA, just like we did last year: publisher Scot Hull, the Occasional Podcast editor Brian Hunter, writers Matthew Partrick and Graig Neville, and yours truly. So let’s get started on our 2024 AXPONA Preview by listing some of the rooms that have captured our attention in the week before the show.
These new cartridges from Lithuania are now being imported by Jeff Fox from Notable Audio. I had Jeff Fox at my home just a little over a week ago–he installed a J. Sikora Initial Max turntable with two KV12 12″ tonearms in my reference system. We started discussing Aidas–I think it’s amazing that this company makes a cartridge with a body made from mammoth tusk. I’ll be getting an Aidas cartridge for review with the Initial Max after AXPONA 2024.
“Created with ultra-precision engineering, The Mammoth Gold Limited Edition is artisanal hand-crafted with meticulous attention to detail and offers an exceptional listening experience for music lovers and audiophiles alike. The cartridge features carefully selected white, ultra-pure mammoth tusk material and offers a unique design that combines aesthetic elegance with ultimate performance.”
$100,000 IEMs? The very idea of a six figure pair of earbuds is one of those incendiary topics in high-end audio that make audiophiles red-faced with anger. But we’re intrepid journalists here at Part-Time Audiophile, and we’re just covering the story as it happens. But after hearing that Warwick Audio gear at the Florida International Audio Expo, I’m not taking anything for granted in the world of headphone gear. Big things are afoot.
“We fuse the world’s top audio and wearable technology with hand-made craftsmanship found only in fine jewelry and watch making to create objects of refined elegance and superlative technical performance: astonishing personal audio at a level never before heard, seen, and privately enjoyed.”
Plus, these aren’t just IEMs. T10 Bespoke calls them in-ear computers:
“We call it an in-ear computer because our advanced touch, voice, head motion, and other gestures allow hands-free, eyes-free command and control over your music, apps, assistant, and other connected devices.”
You know a Fern and Roby integrated amplifier is going to catch my attention. At AXPONA 2024, I’ll be able to hear the new Fern & Roby Amp No. 2 (starts at $8,500). Hopefully I can convince Christopher Hildebrand to let me review it.
“Amp No. 2 is our second collaboration with Michael Bettinger who has been designing and building amplifiers for nearly 40 years. Integrated amps make building a great high fidelity audio system easy.”
Did someone say Joseph Audio Ultra?
Come on, of course we’re in! Jeff Joseph is showing off his new flagship, the Joseph Audio Pearl Graphene Ultra, at AXPONA 2024. We’ll be there with bells on! Damped bells. Because we’re not RUDE.
“Having established a very high benchmark with the previous generations of the Pearl, we set out to scrutinize every aspect of its sound, looking to deliver the fullest possible musicality. New crossover components were chosen through careful listening and optimization. A redesigned subwoofer system afforded a superior level of bass precision and extension through a pair of newly developed Graphene/Magnesium woofers in each bass cabinet. We think you’ll agree -the result is the best sounding speaker in Joseph Audio history.”
“The NT-07 accepts sound files from local storage and music streaming services via Ethernet, USB, and HDMI, provides comprehensive playback control, then outputs audio to any external digital-to-analog converter,” said Jeff Sigmund, president of Luxman America. “As Luxman begins celebrating our 100th anniversary heading into 2025, we’re offering the Luxman NT-07 solution to all audio enthusiasts as a component allowing musical enjoyment with more depth and variety than ever before.”
The NT-07 network transport is available immediately at a suggested retail price of $7,495. I’ll be listening for myself at AXPONA 2024.
I’m biased since I love Qln speakers so much. We awarded 2022 Product of the Year to the Qln Reference Monitors–and the new $51,999/pr Reference 9s are a larger floor-standing version that we’ve been anticipating for a couple of years. Wow. Can’t wait to hear these.
“We at Qln prioritize designing speakers that faithfully reproduce the human voice and natural instruments. It is the balance between driver size, cone material and cone weight that determines how a speaker will sound and perform. The integration between all parts in a speaker is to us the most important thing in music reproduction. We don’t want to listen to any aspect of the speaker; we just want to listen to music and come as close to the original recording as we can. The Qln Reference 9 embodies these principles better than any speaker we have ever made.”
“The Technics Team will be presenting our full line of Technics Turntables, Components and Speakers including the new Delta Sigma Drive SL-1200GR2 Turntable! We will feature a special Reference Class presentation of our SU-R1000 Integrated Amplifier, SL-1000R Turntable with Ortofon MC Diamond and our legacy Technics SB-R1 Loudspeakers.”
Everyone’s been asking me about this new Technics, and I haven’t heard it. I do hear that buzz, however, building as it moves toward AXPONA 2024.
Treehaus Audiolab
“The A/Machines are confidently one of the top five 300B Single-Ended Triode (SET) amplifiers ever produced. It is the culmination of over a decade of research, development, and testing of a myriad of amplifier designs and components. Yes, the origins predate the formation of Treehaus Audiolab itself.”
I can’t believe I’ve never sat down and listened to the Treehaus Audiolab products. At AXPONA 2024, I will visit this room.
The original Brama is one of my favorite integrated amplifiers of all time. Do we need a Brama 2? I’m going to find out at AXPONA 2024.
Each component features several updates and refinements over the previous generation, including:
- A chassis machined from a solid block of aircraft-grade 6063 aluminum for low resonance, maximum heat dissipation, enhanced shielding from EMI, and a seamless aesthetic appeal.
- New power supply designs for lower noise, improved transient response, higher output power (INT and MPA models), significant EMI filtering, and active power factor correction.
- Updated Class A, 300B line stage that includes a matched pair of Western Electric WE300B triodes (PRE and INT models).
- Increased power for its Class AB MOSFET output stages while minimizing the number of output devices (INT and MPA models).
- Optimized signal and power paths throughout.
In addition, there will be several “secret unveilings” of new products from manufacturers including Audio Group Denmark, ATC, and more. We’ll keep you updated.
Our coverage of AXPONA 2024 will begin on Saturday, April 13. Enjoy!
Experience OePhi in room 656. Latest review: https://the-ear.net/review-hardware/oephi-immanence-2-5-the-speed-of-sound/