I’ve known Walter Swanbon of Fidelis AV and Fidelis Distribution for many years, and we usually see eye-to-eye on high-end audio brands. That’s why I’m especially glad to see JMF amplification in his exhibit rooms, because I now consider this French audio company to be one of the finest manufacturers on today’s audio scene.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
In the first of two Fidelis rooms, Walter teamed with Michael Vamos of Audio Skies to present a magnificent system comprised of JMF HQS-6002 power amp ($45K), PRS 1.5 preamp ($39K), JMF’s own line of cables and the $22K PCD 102 power line filter (yes, the same one 2L Recordings uses in the mastering studio), all matched the Stenheim Alumine 33E loudspeakers ($48K/pair). The same Ideon Audio Absolute Digital Suite that Greg Weaver reviewed and bought was brought to AXPONA 2024 to serve as the digital source.
In the other Fidelis room, which highlighted Harbeth P3ESR XD and SHL5plus XD loudspeakers as well as the new Nelson stand/subwoofer ($3,800/pr), I found Ernest Meunier showing off his new ArgentPur Monoblock GaN FET amplifiers ($6,000/pair)–which I’m currently reviewing. Ernie popped the top on the Monobloc and explained why he made certain decisions in the design, and to show how he augmented the Orchard Audio GaN FET module with his own pure silver ArgentPur wiring.
Returning to the first Fidelis room, I noticed that this was a truly ambitious, high-performance system that was placed in a room that was perhaps way too small. That said, the soundstage extended beyond the room boundaries with few reflections or room nodes (something that was an issue in some of the other rooms), which demonstrates that room set-up is essential for good sound. I know these brands well enough, which means I know how they should sound, and kudos to the Audio Skies and Fidelis team for creating some of the best sound at AXPONA 2024.
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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