Welcome to my Saturday AXPONA highlights. (If you want to see the Friday highlights, click here.)
Is it time to start talking about awards for AXPONA 2024? If so, then I nominate this Garrard 401 from Artisan Fidelity for the Most Beautiful Turntable in Chicago. Artisan Fidelity is such an interesting company–they started off creating such beautiful plinths for classic idler drive turntables such as the Garrard 301, 401, and the Thorens TD-124, and now they have evolved into a company that also sells TIDAL Audio speakers–one of the very few dealers in the US to do so.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
I heard excellent sound from the TIDAL Audio Contriva G3s loudspeakers and electronics, which is a given when you’re dealing with this pre-eminent German speaker manufacturer. But this Artisan Fidelity Garrard 401 put a spell on me the second I noticed it. How did it sound? Superb.
The last time I heard the fantastic Perfect8 speakers from Germany, it was at the Florida show in February. Every time I’ve encountered these esoteric speakers with the stunning glass enclosures, it was the small Cube speaker with the optional subwoofer. The Cube, by the way, has some of the best imaging and soundstaging characteristics in high-end audio. But this time I walked in the room and was treated to a much larger Perfect8 speaker, a pair of $60,000 towers that created some of the deepest bass I’ve heard at an audio show.
The bass was so powerful, in fact, that Perfect8 CEO Jonas Rantila did the “Jurassic Park” test where he placed a bottle of water on the top of the speaker so the crowded room could watch the liquid jump with the beat. Very impressive.
YG Acoustics speakers were everywhere at AXPONA 2024, and in each room the performance was top-notch. In this room, the Sonja 3.2s–the same speakers I happen to be reviewing at home right now–were mated to a new generation of Linn electronics that really sounded fantastic. While I’ve always loved the LP12 turntables from Linn, I always felt the electronics were far too analytical for my tastes. But this system was one of the true Saturday AXPONA highlights.
In the Kubala-Sosna room, I heard an excellent system that included Vivid Audio speakers, a Mola Mola DAC and the True Life Audio TSI-300 integrated, which is a hybrid design. Here’s another piece I’m getting in for review in the coming months, and I can’t wait. I’ve heard TLA on a couple of occasions, and the TSI-300 might just be one of the finest integrated amps available today.
Speaking of both Saturday AXPONA highlights and products I plan to review, here’s a pair of speakers I’ve been anticipating for at least a couple of years. Yes, these are the new Qln Reference 9 speakers, a floor-standing three-way version of the Qln Reference two-way monitors that won PTA’s Product of the Year in 2022. Paired with Vinnie Rossi‘s brand new Brama 2 amplification, the Reference 9s sounded almost exactly like the Reference monitors, but bigger.
Now in this room, we have YG Acoustics Vantage speakers with Vinnie Rossi amplification. This room impressed the heck out of our PTA staff–during the upcoming Occasional Podcast, we discuss this room and it made almost everyone’s “best of show” list. This room sounded so lovely and balanced that I was slightly annoyed with the fact I had an appointment and had to leave before I was ready.
One of the biggest Saturday AXPONA highlights was seeing my old friend Arnold Martinez for the first time in a few years. Arnold was one of my dealers back when I was a distributor, and he has reappeared on the audio scene as the new president of Krell, taking the place of Rondi D’Agostino who is retiring. And you know what? I’m not sure if I’ve ever been a Krell fan, but this system sounded wonderful.
I’ve never listened to Treehaus Audiolab before, not even once. Some other PTA reviewer always gets in there before me for coverage, and they always rave about these products. Not only did I get to hear those gorgeous wood speakers, which would look perfect at my lake house in Oregon, but I heard them paired with their new four-chassis 300B amps. This may be “lifestyle audio,” but it sounds like a true high end system with clarity and a superb tonality. Plus, the midrange drive is a field-coil design, and I’ve fallen in love with field coil speakers a couple of times in the last few months.
The last Saturday AXPONA highlight was the Gobel High End room, which also featured Wadax and Riviera Labs. Gobel was my pick for the Best of Show in Munich a couple of years ago, and if I could get these down the 1.5 mile dirt road that leads to my house, I would do it in a heartbeat. Gobel speakers, I’ve discovered, are truly excellent with percussion and they capture all the dynamics and power of big drums better than just about anyone.
That’s it for the Saturday AXPONA highlights. Now it’s time for me to leave Chicago and start with the detailed show reports over the next couple of weeks. PTA writers Matthew Partrick and Graig Neville have been busy also, and I think we did a pretty good job of covering this massive audio show. AXPONA is huge, crowded and hectic, but it’s also the finest show we have in the states. The next show is even bigger–the 2024 High End show in Munich. I’ll see you there!
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2024, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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