Ken Redmond's AXPONA 2023 Highlights
An International Flavor
As AXPONA has grown, it has now become simply impossible to cover everything in two and a half days. Rooms get missed, time spent in each room is less than you would like to devote, and I always feel rushed. Exhibitors worldwide come to get exposure and to be heard here, along with the introduction of new products. In the next few years, AXPONA may have to expand to three and a half days, much like the Munich Show.
Several distributor friends at the show mentioned how this year's AXPONA show had a more international feel with more global brands on display. It was also encouraging to see the diverse ethnicity of the showgoers and many couples traversing the corridors. This trend seems to be on the increase in recent shows.
A troubling trend I see with audio shows, in general, is that by 2 pm on Sunday, many exhibitors are starting to pack up even though the show hours are till 4 pm. I overheard multiple comments by showgoers that they were disappointed a manufacturer they had come to see was disassembling their room before the show's end. Having exhibited in audio shows myself, I know this happens for several reasons, but it aggravates the very people we want to draw into our industry.
Overall, AXPONA 2023 was a very successful show from the perspectives of showgoers, exhibitors, and reviewers, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Many "laundry list" style show coverage reports cover the usual suspects. What I would like to offer up for your consumption are some of the lesser-known brands that caught my attention this year, and keeping with the global theme, almost all International companies. I hope some will be new to you. I will follow up with complete product reviews on a select few later this year.
As always, these are presented in no particular order.
Seawave Acoustic
Manufactured in Seoul, Korea, all Seawave Acoustic speakers have cast AC4C aluminum enclosures, allowing for a complex curvature cabinet to address standing waves and resonance. Technical features include specially produced resistors that use silver adhesive to bind the connections, hand-made inductors that use a nickel core and 12AWG 6N copper foil with PTFE film insulation, and a non-soldering technology on all connections to avoid the use of solder.
The smaller AM 23 ( $20,000 /pr) I heard playing features a titanium compression horn driver with a top-mounted Beryllium super tweeter extending the high frequencies to 35 kHz.
Published specifications are 32Hz-35kHz plus/minus 1dB.
The sound was immaculate, with excellent dynamics and transparency. I ran into a few people in the halls talking about this speaker. The larger AM45 Floorstander comes in at $150,000/pr, but sadly, I never had an opportunity to hear it.
Aretai Loudspeakers
Next up is the Aretai Contra 100S from Latvia at $9000.00/pr
I was intrigued by this speaker at the Florida Audio Expo, but their setup at this show got my attention. Aretai uses a unique filter design combined with a bi-pole radiation pattern. It employs a custom-designed waveguide with a neodymium tweeter extending to 25kHz. The sealed enclosure with the two 6" drivers delivers a surprisingly deep bass response that extends to 30Hz and combines seamlessly with a coherent midbass and treble balance.
I visited this room twice during the show and talked with designer Jānis Irbe. His laid-back personality belies his knowledge and enthusiasm for the product.
While listening, I experienced a large, wide-open, coherent sound field with great focus and placement of individual instruments. I hope to hear their floor-standing speaker at a future show. Lovely sound, indeed.
Dutch and Dutch
Yes, you guessed it. The Dutch and Dutch Model 8C speaker system is manufactured in the Netherlands. When I walked into the room, I immediately thought, "What in the wide world of sports are these guys thinking!?"
With the speakers placed near the room corners with a large sheet of glass between them, I am unsure if I could have created a more challenging environment for a speaker.
The Model 8C is an all-in-one music solution that contains high-end DACs, amps, subwoofers, and a DSP with room correction, all residing in the speaker.
Designed by a company with deep roots in the Pro Audio and Mastering circles, the 8C provides the reference level accuracy needed in these applications. It contains a lot of technology and engineering expertise, including:
Cardioid Midrange design that is side slot vented.
Waveguided Tweeters
Boundary Coupling Subwoofers ( rear-firing)
DSP used to time align the front-facing drivers with the rear-firing subs
Room EQ Wizard is used to tame room modes below 200Hz
The system also comes with room matching and streaming capabilities and retails for $14,950.
When I asked Gabriel Jones about the room setup, he told me:
We like the science and engineering in pro audio, but do have some concerns about an audiophile stigma that reference level equipment can't sound musical.To the contrary, it's our opinion, that "musical", at least in the context of playback, needs to be a combination of the source and the environment it's placed in. The two need to work together as an instrument.We didn't try to hide the speakers from the room by pulling them in to avoid acoustic interaction. We pushed them into the room to "enhance" the interaction between the source and the space.
So the unusual room setup was designed to demonstrate the real-world capabilities of the speaker system, and I have to say that it worked.
But it uses DSP Ken !!? Blasphemy you say!!
OK... I know many of you are already headed for that window between the speakers to jump out of, but I know what I heard in this horrible hotel room/setup; it was a quality sound that I was attracted to.
This product addresses real-world problems that many audio enthusiasts confront, like poor room acoustics or a partner that dictates "the speakers have to go in this position," just to mention a few.
These guys are on to something, and I look forward to hearing how good these speakers can sound in a less challenging environment.
I will be investigating them later this year with an in-depth review.
Serhan Swift
Let's stay with the stand-mounted theme and head to the Outback. Designed by Brad Serhan and Morris Swift, the Serhan Swift mu2 MKII speakers are manufactured in Australia. As I walked into the room, these diminutive bookshelf speakers caught my attention with their balanced sound profile and tight, well-defined bass. Music was sourced from a Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i5 Roon Music Server 9 ($1279.00) and powered by a Boulder Amplifiers 866 integrated amp ( $13,450) using the reasonably priced Finley Audio Cables. Upon sitting in the money seat, a broad, deep soundstage with razor-sharp definition formed before me. The sound was airy and expansive, with a lovely organic midrange and a sound I could listen to for hours. I heard some bass-heavy music played, and while they understandably did not explore much below 35hz, they didn't trip up on deep bass passages.
The 13" H x 7" W x 9.5" D cabinet is multilayered, asymmetrically braced, and uses constrained layer damping. It houses a Scan-speak Revelator series 1" ring radiator tweeter and a Revelator 5" mid/bass driver. Priced at $7950.00/pr
Yamaha Audio Flagship Series
It's on to Japan to hear a setup that I was, frankly, unprepared for. I can't tell you how many Yamaha NS1000 speakers with B-1 VFET amps and C-1 preamp combinations I sold in the mid to late 70s, but it was a lot. Alas, Yamaha has been treading water in mid-fi for decades. On a whim, I decided to drop into the Yamaha room, more for old times' sake than with any lofty expectations of great sound. Well, I am glad I did. Based on what I heard in that room, I can say that the glory days of old are back at Yamaha with the introduction of their Flagship HiFi Series. The NS-5000 speaker with the C-5000 preamp, M-5000 amp, and GT-5000 turntable front end immediately reminded me of my NS1000 days….. only better. The sound was fast and clean, with very low distortion, and unlike the NS1000, the NS-5000 bass seamlessly integrated with the mids and top end. Now admittedly, this was a short 20-minute sample, and I never got a prime seat, so I can't comment on the spatial characteristics. Still, it was unquestionably the surprise room of the show for me and one I plan to investigate further.
Linkwitz Audio
Manufactured in Germany, the Linkwitz Audio 521.4 MG is a speaker I have been intrigued by since I first saw it at an RMAF many years ago when Siegfried Linkwitz was still with us.
Each year after that, I would go by his room and marvel at the sound staging qualities of this speaker and how well it sounded in different rooms. Siegfried passed in 2018, but the speaker line lives on under the care of Dr. Frank Brenner at Linkwitz Audio. The speaker is well known to the DIY crowd, and Frank told me he is committed to keeping Siegfried's website alive and supporting the DIY community. He is also committed to exposing and offering the 521.4 speakers in a finished form for those enthusiasts that want an all-in-one turnkey product. I received an email before the show about the latest version that uses a new 8" driver designed explicitly for the 521.4MG by SEAS. It features a new ultra-low distortion motor and stiff magnesium cone to increase the speed and lower the harmonic distortion of that driver. Frank told me the new driver's 2nd and 3rd-order harmonic distortion is now below the human perception threshold.
During a preshow Sunday morning listening session, the sound I experienced was even better than I remembered, with transparency, openness, and clarity in the midrange that I don't recall hearing in the original version. It possessed an almost electrostatic quality. The imaging and sound field recreation were mesmerizing, as it always was, but now even more so. I became so involved with the music that I forgot to take a picture of the room setup, hence the stock picture above.
Suffice it to say this speaker is getting a full review that should drop here in September.
$17,900 /pr Speakers only
$23,900/pr with five channel Ncore amps (2) and built-in 4-way ASP cascading crossover.
AGD Productions and Ocean Way
You sense an intensity when you first meet AGD designer/owner Alberto Guerra. I have visited his show displays several times and am always impressed with his passion for presenting music in his room. He is always mindful of the listener and plays the chosen song entirely through to the end.
If you want to discuss anything with Alberto, you will step outside the room to talk, unlike many manufacturers who speak loudly with visitors in the room. I mention this because it is readily apparent that Alberto loves music, and the equipment he creates is a vehicle to get him to his happy place.
Alberto pairs his excellent-sounding AGD Electronics with Allen Side's Ocean Way Eureka loudspeakers and gets a great sound that consistently receives accolades show after show.
This show was no different. As soon as I sat down, I was emotionally engaged with the music. I listened to two songs in the room, and when I left, I felt relaxed and recharged, just like my home system affects me.
Well done yet AGAIN Alberto!
AGD Gran Vivace 400W KT120 GaNTube Monoblock $18,500/pr
The Audion MKII $7,500/pr GaNTube 200W Monoblock
AGD Tempo di GaN $5,500 200W stereo amplifier
AGD Andante Pre-DAC Streamer Phono $12,999
AGD Alto Reference Analog Line and Phono Preamp $4,999
Ocean Way Eureka speakers ($14,800 with stands)
Many AGD products are available as an SE version with a fully polished
Mirrorlike finish.
Acora Acoustics, VAC Audio, Oracle Audio, Lyra
There were several excellent-sounding large rooms this year. If fact, I thought, as a whole, this was the best-sounding group of large rooms I have heard at a show.
But in the end, Acora Acoustic's flagship VRC loudspeaker ( $218,000/pr) with VAC Statement Series Line Stage ( $80,000), Statement Phono Stage ($80,000), and Statement 452 monoblocks ( $75,000 each) and Oracle Audio Delphi Reference turntable ( $19,920) sporting a Lyra Analog Atlas Lambda cartridge ($11,995) won the day for me by literally bringing me to tears. Yes, I will admit it. After listening to two tracks from the Ernest Ansermet Royal Ballet album, I had to wipe the tears from my eyes.
It is not the first time I have had this reaction listening to Acora Loudspeakers. Considering the nearly universal praise they have received, designer/owner Valerio Cora's Acora speaker line definitely has something going on. Of course, Kevin Hayes's outstanding VAC Statement Series electronics should not be overlooked as a huge contributor to the sound I experienced that day, nor should the Oracle/Lyra combination. While not the most expensive system on display at the show, it was the system that ticked ALL my boxes, including the rarely-checked Kleenex box.
Mobile Fidelity SourcePoint 8
At the other end of the $$$ scale was the introduction of the Andrew Jones-designed Mobile Fidelity SourcePoint 8 loudspeaker. In my Florida Audio Expo report, I said the SourcePoint 10 introduction set a new bar for performance at the under 4K/pair price range. Andrew did it again with the smaller SourcePoint 8's introduction at Axpona. Priced at $2750.00/pr or $2999.00 /pr w/stands and demonstrated with a HiFi Rose RS520 streamer/integrated amp, the SourcePoint 8 sounded every bit like a slightly scaled-down version of its big brother. This is a combination I could enthusiastically recommend to family and friends for a great-sounding system priced under 7K.
Axpona had a little bit of everything this year, including the weather. I arrived Thursday morning on my flight from Louisiana wearing shorts and a polo top. As I left on Monday, my Uber driver navigated snow flurries and freezing temps, which is weather for which this Bayou Boy does not have many clothes!
It was an exhausting, but fun-filled time. AXPONA 2023 offered a wide-ranging array of components, audio systems, software, and seminars where I spent four days delving deeper into the industry we all love. An industry that is alive and doing quite well thank you.
I am already looking forward to next year.
