Axpona 2015 - Best...and not so best of....

Mike

Mike

Audioshark
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This was my first visit to Axpona and by the looks of things, it won't be my last. I had a great time and met some great folks from Audioshark. We hung out, shared some laughs and really enjoyed the show and each other.

People ask me whether they should go to Axpona or RMAF, my answer is: BOTH! You can skip CES, because ironically, the CONSUMER electronics show treats consumers like second class citizens. At Axpona and RMAF, it's all about the consumer, the music lover and the audiophile.

Yes, there were some rooms which really caused issues for the manufacturers, but there were also rooms which sounded really good. There were the regulars like Volti Audio, Acoustic Zen with Triode Corp and others that seem to get good sound show after show, no matter what.

Here are my thoughts...

Best Speakers for the Money:
Scansonic 2.5's. They would handily beat some of the $25,000 speakers I heard this weekend.

Biggest Surprise:

MQA. Meridian's demo of MQA was outstanding. MQA is the future folks. I had a private meeting with Meridian and the wheels have been moving on MQA for a long time. They didn't just invent some encoding/decoding technology, they have had this in the bag for a long time and have all the major players on board for distribution. Their plans for MQA are scale, not just audiophiles. They want every kid with a pair of headphones listening to MQA files. In addition to that, MQA isn't just about going back to the Master Tapes and using a new encoding technology. It's about going back to the microphone, mixing boards, etc. and "fixing" any known faults with those items for a result, many times, better than the Master Tape. It sounds like BS, but I heard it for myself. MQA IS THE REAL DEAL.

The decrease in vinyl/turntables at this show was also a big surprise.

As a product surprise, I really liked the Gershman Acoustics speakers out of Canada. They're ingenious way of handling bass problems was very cool.

New Trends:

A lot less Mac's and PC's and a lot more Aurender's, Auralic's, Lumin's, etc. Thank God.

Biggest Disappointment:

Magico Q7 Mk.2 room. Not much more has to be said. It didn't live up to expectations - all three days. And I can tell you, I know the organizers were not happy with the results either. Obviously their was a mismatch somewhere.

Best Sounding Room:

OK, I might be a little biased, but the Resolution Acoustics room which showed off the best of the best in home acoustic treatments, combined with Sonus Faber Stradivari's (same speakers I own), Pass amps and WireWorld cabling throughout sounded amazing. The room sounded like you were listening in a recording studio. Many forget the importance of the room, but this innovative two room demo (one untreated, one treated room with the exact same systems) showed once and for all the VALUE in a properly treated room. The difference was MORE than any component change someone could make. The room really is 50% of the battle - or more. Resolution Acoustics had this part nailed. I also like their consultative approach. They just don't point you to some website, they hold your hand and their stuff is gorgeous and unique and it works.

Best Overall System:

Sonus Faber Lilium/ARC GS150/ARC GSPre/ARC CD/AMG V12/Kubala Sosna Cabling

I went to this room more times than any other. It never failed to impress me. Often times, it was simply, off-the-charts good.
 
Thanks for the comments, Mike!

Any strong recommendations in the same price class as the Scansonics? Or would you say to go ahead with those in that price range?
 
amatuerholic said:
Thanks for the comments, Mike!

Any strong recommendations in the same price class as the Scansonics? Or would you say to go ahead with those in that price range?
Click to expand...

Focal 936 was excellent. Harbeth Super HL5 too.
 
Mike, is Resolution Acoustics a vendor of room treatments? I Googled it, and an audio store in Tampa was the hit.
 
Nice wrapup Mike , it was great to catch up with you and some of the AS inmates/escapees . All my perceptions of widespread lunacy combined with unbridled delusions of self-importance were confirmed in spades. Thank you for that :)

My opinions ?

Best Overall SystemI'll deviate a little here the ARC/Sonus room was very good but my vote (just to be ornery) goes to the Triode/Acoustic Zen Crescendo setup. I've heard this before and it's just a well-sorted, time-tested combination that has a wonderful warm tonality . This with CD's and what looked like an entry level Triode preamp. With a top-flight analog front end , it could only get better. Those Triode 845 amps are the bees-knees. Close behind was the room with David Berning amplification and (unknown to me ), Lahave speakers and gorgeous turntables from Artisan Fidelity. One room that was not ashamed of analog and put it front and centre. If you wanted to know why David Berning has achieved cult-status amongst many audiophiles - you just had to hear this system. Fantastic.

Bang for the buck: No question - the Scansonic MB2.5's . Just great , a little boomy but the room was less than ideal. Immersion and holography, Raidho-style. Ryan-Auralic were close behind - lovely setup and exceptionally nice sonics for very little money.

Biggest Trend : Judging by this bunch, the death of analog is imminent (either that or the exhibitors were just lazy, probably the latter) . Servers & renderers everywhere. Convenience trumped sonics.

Biggest surprise : Increased attention to room treatments. The Resolution Acoustics was very good but I was struck by how many people were using the Stillpoints Apertures panels. On a Higher Note did a very effective A-B about the impact of these, Stillpoints isolation and simple Shunyata cabling . The Apertures seem like a simple and relatively affordable way of addressing overlooked issues for most audiophiles.
 
Bobolaclune said:
Nice wrapup Mike , it was great to catch up with you and some of the AS inmates/escapees . All my perceptions of widespread lunacy combined with unbridled delusions of self-importance were confirmed in spades. Thank you for that :)

My opinions ?

Best Overall SystemI'll deviate a little here the ARC/Sonus room was very good but my vote (just to be ornery) goes to the Triode/Acoustic Zen Crescendo setup. I've heard this before and it's just a well-sorted, time-tested combination that has a wonderful warm tonality . This with CD's and what looked like an entry level Triode preamp. With a top-flight analog front end , it could only get better. Those Triode 845 amps are the bees-knees. Close behind was the room with David Berning amplification and (unknown to me ), Lahave speakers and gorgeous turntables from Artisan Fidelity. One room that was not ashamed of analog and put it front and centre. If you wanted to know why David Berning has achieved cult-status amongst many audiophiles - you just had to hear this system. Fantastic.

Bang for the buck: No question - the Scansonic MB2.5's . Just great , a little boomy but the room was less than ideal. Immersion and holography, Raidho-style. Ryan-Auralic were close behind - lovely setup and exceptionally nice sonics for very little money.

Biggest Trend : Judging by this bunch, the death of analog is imminent (either that or the exhibitors were just lazy, probably the latter) . Servers & renderers everywhere. Convenience trumped sonics.

Biggest surprise : Increased attention to room treatments. The Resolution Acoustics was very good but I was struck by how many people were using the Stillpoints Apertures panels. On a Higher Note did a very effective A-B about the impact of these, Stillpoints isolation and simple Shunyata cabling . The Apertures seem like a simple and relatively affordable way of addressing overlooked issues for most audiophiles.
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No arguments here. All great rooms. And yes, Bruce must have been busy handing out Stillpoints like candy on Halloween.

The sheer lack of turntables was quite surprising.

Another thing....the only room selling speakers on the spot (seemingly as fast as they could type up the receipts) was the Scansonic room. They could have sold those demos 175 times over.
 
Everything Mike wrote rang true of my experience. My novice status made me hesitant to express just how disappointing the sound of the Q7 Mk2 room was. It was bright and flat and unappealing. Thanks for confirming my impressions. Yes, the guy from Resolution Acoustics deserves to get some business after going to such elaborate lengths to give attendees a chance to experience effects of acoustic treatments firsthand. Note that identical rooms (one treated / one (mostly) bare) had identical systems that were being fed simultaneously by a single front end. Very cool.

If I could nominate an honorable mention it would be the MBL room on the lower level. The operator Jeremy participated in the late-night tape event where he was spinning reel-to-reels of diverse mix at high volume in low light for hours. It was a peak experience for me.
 
Great summary, gentlemen, thank you.

I would love to hear a pair of Lilium's now...:P
 
BayStBroker said:
Everything Mike wrote rang true of my experience. My novice status made me hesitant to express just how disappointing the sound of the Q7 Mk2 room was. It was bright and flat and unappealing. Thanks for confirming my impressions. Yes, the guy from Resolution Acoustics deserves to get some business after going to such elaborate lengths to give attendees a chance to experience effects of acoustic treatments firsthand. Note that identical rooms (one treated / one (mostly) bare) had identical systems that were being fed simultaneously by a single front end. Very cool.

If I could nominate an honorable mention it would be the MBL room on the lower level. The operator Jeremy participated in the late-night tape event where he was spinning reel-to-reels of diverse mix at high volume in low light for hours. It was a peak experience for me.
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Thanks BayStBroker. Yes indeed, the MBL room was fun. It's always the amusement park ride at the audio shows. I'm just glad they didn't bring the 101 Xtremes. I'm not sure my wallet could take it. If you haven't already, I hope you get to hear those one day. Absolutely mind blowing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks Mike for the rap-up.

I could not agree more on the MQA thing by Meridian. Finally, a format that makes sense, I love the concept.
 
BayStBroker said:
Everything Mike wrote rang true of my experience. My novice status made me hesitant to express just how disappointing the sound of the Q7 Mk2 room was. It was bright and flat and unappealing. Thanks for confirming my impressions. Yes, the guy from Resolution Acoustics deserves to get some business after going to such elaborate lengths to give attendees a chance to experience effects of acoustic treatments firsthand. Note that identical rooms (one treated / one (mostly) bare) had identical systems that were being fed simultaneously by a single front end. Very cool.

If I could nominate an honorable mention it would be the MBL room on the lower level. The operator Jeremy participated in the late-night tape event where he was spinning reel-to-reels of diverse mix at high volume in low light for hours. It was a peak experience for me.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, did you listen to analog or digital, did you bring your own software and where did you sit in the room?

What is curious to me is that both systems used totally different electronics and front ends but everyone seems to know the issue was the speakers.
 
Myles B. Astor said:
Out of curiosity, did you listen to analog or digital, did you bring your own software and where did you sit in the room?

What is curious to me is that both systems used totally different electronics and front ends but everyone seems to know the issue was the speakers.
Click to expand...
I'm baffled; to what part of the quote were your comments directed??
 
Overall what a great show, really enjoyed and a blast!:yahoo1:


so many good rooms, and hand full of not so good, but still was great to me
 
rbbert said:
I'm baffled; to what part of the quote were your comments directed??
Click to expand...

None just overall information to better understand the comments. I often could reach two different conclusions at a show depending upon whether I'm listening to digital or analog and the software. (And some rooms won't play just anyone's software.) And let's say you listened to the exhibitors or another attendees software that you weren't familiar with that was bright, you could erroneously reach the wrong conclusion.

More so, these rooms ALL have a sweet spot for listening that is set up by the exhibitor. If you don't because of a packed room, get this optimal seat, again one could reach the wrong conclusion. In fact, it was interesting when listening to the Alexia and Sabrina, that the former had a much wider listening sweet spot than it's smaller brethren.
 
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