Loudspeakers
Acoustic Energy AE509 Loudspeakers | REVIEW
Spring of 2023 was a busy time for PTA, with the team having hit up several shows in a row. The end of February brought a welcome trip to Tampa for FLAX 2023, and mid-April […]
axpona 2023
Analog
Luxman LMC-5 Phono Cartridge | REVIEW
There’s a saying among high-end audio reviewers: “They don’t need reviews.” This saying usually pops up when a writer is interested in a certain brand or product, considers reaching out, and is told by a […]
Components
ampsandsound Arch Monoblock Amplifiers | REVIEW
There are certain amplifiers that audiophiles know by name because of their legendary status–the McIntosh MC240 and the Harmon Kardon Citation V are two examples. But there is another amplifier that is even more well […]
AXPONA 2023
Top Rooms at AXPONA | AXPONA 2023
Man oh man, I knew it was going to be tough to pick out the Top Rooms at AXPONA 2023. It reminds me of one of those cooking competition shows on the Food Network where […]
AXPONA 2023
Fidelity Imports | AXPONA 2023
Fidelity Imports is relatively new to the audio scene, but this distributor was there in force as AXPONA 2023 by exhibiting in six rooms in the Tower at the Renaissance Schaumburg. One of their reps, […]
AXPONA 2023
Ultra Fidelis | AXPONA 2023
Audio Research, one of the stars of the main floor at AXPONA 2023, also snuck into the Vandersteen room hosted by Ultra Fidelis. For the life of me I can’t understand why this Wisconsin dealer […]
AXPONA 2023
BorderPatrol, Triode, Volti | AXPONA 2023
BorderPatrol Audio Electronics, Triode Wire Labs, and Volti Audio are perhaps better known as the Three Amigos. Or as I like to call them, the Three Musketeers. And that makes their usual fourth, Innuos, perhaps better […]
AXPONA 2023
Quintessence Audio | AXPONA 2023
Quintessence Audio was prevalent at the show, commandeering several rooms next to the escalators on the first floor. In a dedicated Audio Research area, the very popular ARC i50 integrated amp was displayed in a […]
AXPONA 2023
Nordost, VTL, dCS and Stenheim | AXPONA 2023
It was in the Nordost room at AXPONA 2023 that I might have discovered the best low frequency performance of the show. All the essential ingredients were there–Stenheim‘s flagship Reference Ultimate Two speakers ($155,000), VTL […]
AXPONA 2023
Wynn Audio | AXPONA 2023
The Wynn Audio room at AXPONA 2023 was also revelation–with brands such as Vimberg and Kalista and Karan and Crystal Cable, how could it not be? Wynn Wong is a North American distributor based near […]
AXPONA 2023
Innuos and Vinnie Rossi | AXPONA 2023
There were two $39,000 Vinnie Rossi Brama integrated amplifiers at AXPONA 2023. One was in the Vinnie Rossi room, obviously, with an Innuos digital source. The other was in the Innuos room, with the Vinnie […]
AXPONA 2023
Luxman and Magico and AudioQuest | AXPONA 2023
Here’s a great example of why AXPONA 2023 may have been the best-sounding high-end audio show ever. I’ve visited the Luxman and Magico room at many shows over the last few years, and it always […]
AXPONA 2023
Artisan Fidelity and TIDAL Audio | AXPONA 2023
I had a few questions when I walked into the Artisan Fidelity room at AXPONA 2023 and came face to face with a full TIDAL Audio system. Is TIDAL Audio going to sound okay in […]
AXPONA 2023
Music Hall, Amped and Acoustique Quality | AXPONA 2023
At this year’s “Reviewers on Reviewing” seminar at AXPONA 2023, moderated by our own Scot Hull, Roy Hall of Music Hall rose from the audience and commented on the importance of reviews on high-end audio […]
AXPONA 2023
Audio Note Schaumburg | AXPONA 2023
Audio Note Schaumburg? Don’t I mean Audio Note UK? Of course I do, but back in my Florida coverage last February I called it Audio Note Florida, which amused me if not anyone else. So […]
AXPONA 2023
Heretic and Lab12 | AXPONA 2023
This is the second time I’ve heard this Fidelis Distribution system, with Heretic Audio loudspeakers and Lab12 amplification, at a high-end audio show. I wasn’t so sure about these high-efficiency speakers with the coax design […]
AXPONA 2023
Alma Audio, Technics and Boenicke | AXPONA 2023
Alma Audio, a dealer in the San Diego area, hosted two rooms at AXPONA 2023. Both rooms featured Technics, but I made a bee-line for the room with the gorgeous $20K Technics SL-1000R turntable. I […]
AXPONA 2023
Credo: The Swiss Switcheroo | AXPONA 2023
I’ve heard this system at least a half dozen times now, and I think I know it pretty well. This is the room from Credo of Switzerland, as well as John McGurk’s AudioShield Distribution–we’re talking […]
AXPONA 2023
Steven Norber of PranaFidelity Delivers | AXPONA 2023
Insiders, intelligentsia, and those-in-the-know, know that Steven Norber has got the mojo — and they know that his demos are always among some of the most engaging, liquid, analog-sounding, and real-to-life to be heard. I […]
AXPONA 2023
Usher, McGary and Dr. Vinyl | AXPONA 2023
Didn’t I just spend a weekend with this system when I flew to Baltimore a few weeks ago and visited Dr. Vinyl? When I first walked into this room, I felt like Dr. Vinyl just […]