axpona

AXPONA 2017: Trends, rants and John’s Best of Show

June 11, 2017

The audio-show year kicked off for me with an eardrum-flexing snare shot in Chicago at Audio Expo North America. If those three hectic days near the end of April are any indication, we’re in for a heck of a ride. AXPONA was the first of what will [...]

AXPONA 2017: Music From Another Room, Part 3

June 11, 2017

A photojournal by Eric Franklin Shook You can’t just say “It’s awesome, buy it.” Eliciting a gut reaction of confidence in consumers who speak your name in conversations of top tier service and products is neither straightforward, [...]

AXPONA 2017: Well Pleased with Rethm and Aqua HiFi

June 11, 2017

Mark Sossa of Well Pleased A/V was, once again, show off his penchant for nifty-yet-affordable gear here at AXPONA. Mark is one of those guys with a reputation for exploration: all the brands he carries are just off the beaten path. Gems, all. But [...]

AXPONA 2017: Music From Another Room, Part 2

June 11, 2017

A photojournal by Eric Franklin Shook Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, proving again that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Axpona is to me an ensemble interpretation of beauty, ruggedness, finesse and power; all tangled in a whirlwind [...]

AXPONA 2017: New products gush from Mark Levinson

June 11, 2017

Mark Levinson has been on a comeback in recent years, adding top staff and developing an ambitious plan to revitalize its brand in the luxury home-audio market. Those moves started about five years ago when parent Harman International hired Todd [...]

AXPONA 2017: ZMF Headphones appeal to your ears, brain, soul

June 10, 2017

I first met Zach and Bevin Mehrbach four years ago at AXPONA as the young couple was just getting going with their new brand, ZMF Headphones. I was in Chicago on my first assignment for Part-Time Audiophile and, not knowing any better, was trying to [...]

AXPONA 2017: Merrill Audio’s Christine preamp is ultra quiet, ultra cool

June 7, 2017

Merrill Wettasinghe, owner of Merrill Audio Advanced Technology Labs, is one of those guys in the high-end who seems able to coax a bit more performance out of his components than the average talented designer. I’ve heard Merrill (we’re going to [...]

AXPONA 2017: Less is more for Neat, Audia Flight

June 6, 2017

Some audiophiles have an unfortunate tendency to judge equipment at first glance by appearance alone. Often they are guilty of stereotyping products, as in, “Small speaker? Probably small sound.” Some visitors to the High Fidelity Services [...]

AXPONA 2017: Daedalus goes deeper with new 10-inch woofer

June 5, 2017

The last time I listened at length to a pair of Daedalus Audio speakers at a show, they were flanked by the company’s custom subwoofers. At AXPONA, I again was impressed by the low frequencies coming from a Daedalus design; this time the new [...]

AXPONA 2017: Classic Audio Loudspeakers mix power and poise

June 4, 2017

I was approaching an open door on the lower level of the Westin O’Hare when I heard an unmistakable rhythm track kick in. From outside, the crack of the snare and the slinky, pulsing bass sounded like the musicians might actually be in the large [...]