Axpona 2016 Thoughts, Best Of's and more...

My first major audio show...drove up from St. Louis.

Great time. It was good to be able to hear a lot of the equipment I've only read about. I agree with Mike's notations on the favorite rooms (Tidal, Scaena, Il Cremona, Gamut, Avantgarde Uno's topped my list from his mentions)...a couple of others:
- Von Schweikert V55 Active's with VAC amplification
- Spatial Audio M3's...I was blown away when I learned the price
- Joseph Audio
- AudioKinesis powered by Atma-Sphere...great transparency
- Gershman Acoustics' new entry level model
- Bricasti into Bricasti into Tidal (Bricasti room)

The other thing I enjoyed was meeting the manufacturers and manufacturer reps...particularly Brian Zollner from Bricasti (I'm an M1 owner), Lars from Raidho/Aavik/Ansuz (I have the Sparkz TC), Kerry St James from YG Acoustics (I'm a Carmel owner) and Clayton Shaw from Spatial Audio (I'm a former Emerald Physics owner). Benno from GamuT gave a speaker setup discussion in their room...he definitely knows from whence he speaks as there was nary a piece of acoustic treatment, he'd removed the heavy curtains in the room, and the sound was crisp and fantastic.

All told, a great experience and I look forward to next year.

PT, What did you think of the Sonjas with the MSB Select. I thought it was phenomenal. The YG's realism, imagining and balance really impressed me.
 
Yes Mike thanks for all the great pictures and commentary. I was not able to attend but did have some friends there. Based upon your postings I was able to guide them to some rooms and items that they missed. It was the next best thing to being there and you literally trounced any other reporting on the event. Perhaps Axpona should hire you as their PR person. Job well done.
 
Anyone go to the "Making of a State of the Art Recording" session? If so, what were your thoughts? I came out of there thinking soundstaging is all based on how the recording artist puts it together. He had one recording where the piano was in a separate enclosed room away from the drums, etc. The mike on the drums were right against the drums. In real life, an instrument sounds different when you are really close vs. out in the audience.
 
Paul, I thought all of the YG rooms (MSB Select into Sonja's, AudioNet into Haley, Mola Mola into Carmel 2) had great sound consistent with what I love about the YG speakers
 
I question Stephen Stones ability to accurately assess an audio system.


Oh c'mon, I said this:

PT, What did you think of the Sonjas with the MSB Select. I thought it was phenomenal. The YG's realism, imagining and balance really impressed me.

Steve said this:

"I’d also never heard the YG Acoustics Sonja 1.2 ($72,800) sound more natural and incisive as it did with this source."

I also said this:

[h=2]Re: Axpona 2016 Official Pictures Thread[/h]
I want to get this out early so people don't think I am copying off the kid in front of me. After a long second day today, here is where I come out. Please remember I have a hearing impairment.

Top Five
1 YG and MSB
2 Wilson Alexx and Doshi with tape and vinyl3 Raidho D1.1 and Aavik
3 Avantegarde Uno XD and Av Amp
4 Wilson and Dag
5 Martin Logan and McIntosh (seriously)



Steve said:

"Best Sound (cost no object)
Paragon Sight and Sound’s room on the second floor won easily, populated by Wilson Audio Alexxloudspeakers ($109,000/pr.), Doshi Audio 3.0 linestage ($16,995), Doshi Audio 3.0 phonostage($16,995), Doshi Audio 3.0 tape stage ($16,995), Doshi Audio Jhor mono amplifiers ($29,995/pr.),"

He can't be all bad.:P
 
I am sure Mr. Stone is a delightful person and an avid audiophile. Pressures of being associated with TAS can surely sway an opinion.

Oh c'mon, I said this:



Steve said this:

"I’d also never heard the YG Acoustics Sonja 1.2 ($72,800) sound more natural and incisive as it did with this source."

I also said this:



Steve said:

"Best Sound (cost no object)
Paragon Sight and Sound’s room on the second floor won easily, populated by Wilson Audio Alexxloudspeakers ($109,000/pr.), Doshi Audio 3.0 linestage ($16,995), Doshi Audio 3.0phonostage($16,995), Doshi Audio 3.0 tape stage ($16,995), Doshi Audio Jhor mono amplifiers ($29,995/pr.),"

He can't be all bad.:P
 
I am sure Mr. Stone is a delightful person and an avid audiophile. Pressures of being associated with TAS can surely sway an opinion.

Ya, I take your point and don't disagree. We just happened to both like those two rooms.....or maybe he had other reasons. :)
 
All the rooms using the YG sounded very good except the MSB room which to me was marginal. They especially sounded good in the Mola Mola room.
 
Reviewing Stereophile's Axpona coverage. They had an entire team of people and they can't even make it to every room? I'm shaking my head.

I like what Valin said about the new Avantgarde Uno XD's:

"While were on the subject of horns, Avantgarde debuted its $34.6k UnoXD digitally optimized three-way horn/cone hybrids, driven by Avantgarde’s XD amplifier with DSP for crossover and bass optimization. The source was a Bergmann Sindre ’table. On my Buena Vista Social Club disc, timbre was dark with terrific transient response and astonishing detail. (The liveliness of horns was goosebump-raising!) Though there was a bit of a room-induced thump in the bass (which seemed to be coming from a separate driver a la the Everests), the sound was otherwise superb—on voice and brass and percussion. Smooth and fast fast fast and rich in the mids and treble. (The Class D XD amps lack bloom, though, and were, as noted, dark in timbre.) All in all, I thought this was a very impressive introduction. But then I like Avantgarde horns."

Any room induced thump can be completely eliminated by adjusting the EQ on the back of the speaker (like I did on Saturday to remove that thump!)
 
Reviewing Stereophile's Axpona coverage. They had an entire team of people and they can't even make it to every room? I'm shaking my head.

I like what Valin said about the new Avantgarde Uno XD's:

"While were on the subject of horns, Avantgarde debuted its $34.6k UnoXD digitally optimized three-way horn/cone hybrids, driven by Avantgarde’s XD amplifier with DSP for crossover and bass optimization. The source was a Bergmann Sindre ’table. On my Buena Vista Social Club disc, timbre was dark with terrific transient response and astonishing detail. (The liveliness of horns was goosebump-raising!) Though there was a bit of a room-induced thump in the bass (which seemed to be coming from a separate driver a la the Everests), the sound was otherwise superb—on voice and brass and percussion. Smooth and fast fast fast and rich in the mids and treble. (The Class D XD amps lack bloom, though, and were, as noted, dark in timbre.) All in all, I thought this was a very impressive introduction. But then I like Avantgarde horns."

Any room induced thump can be completely eliminated by adjusting the EQ on the back of the speaker (like I did on Saturday to remove that thump!)

As for the Avantgarde Integrated amp they showed with - it isn't class D, it is class A - and I've always maintained - if you're getting horns, dude, seriously, you're getting tubes! 300b, 45, 211, 845, GM70, 6L6, some sweet little SET.
 
ROSEMONT, IL (April 21, 2016) - - AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) welcomed 5,934 attendees and 400 exhibitors to the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, IL, April 15-17, 2016, offering music lovers, audiophiles, and musicians three jam-packed days of incredible sounds, technology, seminars, live music and the very latest products in the industry. Attendance was up 16% over 2015 with 137 students at the show as part of the new Student Day Program.
 
Reviewing Stereophile's Axpona coverage. They had an entire team of people and they can't even make it to every room? I'm shaking my head.

I like what Valin said about the new Avantgarde Uno XD's:

"While were on the subject of horns, Avantgarde debuted its $34.6k UnoXD digitally optimized three-way horn/cone hybrids, driven by Avantgarde’s XD amplifier with DSP for crossover and bass optimization. The source was a Bergmann Sindre ’table. On my Buena Vista Social Club disc, timbre was dark with terrific transient response and astonishing detail. (The liveliness of horns was goosebump-raising!) Though there was a bit of a room-induced thump in the bass (which seemed to be coming from a separate driver a la the Everests), the sound was otherwise superb—on voice and brass and percussion. Smooth and fast fast fast and rich in the mids and treble. (The Class D XD amps lack bloom, though, and were, as noted, dark in timbre.) All in all, I thought this was a very impressive introduction. But then I like Avantgarde horns."

Any room induced thump can be completely eliminated by adjusting the EQ on the back of the speaker (like I did on Saturday to remove that thump!)

As for the Avantgarde Integrated amp they showed with - it isn't class D, it is class A - and I've always maintained - if you're getting horns, dude, seriously, you're getting tubes! 300b, 45, 211, 845, GM70, 6L6, some sweet little SET.

I had em third but they were right there with the best imo.


Re: Axpona 2016 Official Pictures Thread

I want to get this out early so people don't think I am copying off the kid in front of me. After a long second day today, here is where I come out. Please remember I have a hearing impairment.

Top Five
1 YG and MSB
2 Wilson Alexx and Doshi with tape and vinyl3 Raidho D1.1 and Aavik
3 Avantegarde Uno XD and Av Amp
4 Wilson and Dag
5 Martin Logan and McIntosh (seriously)​


 
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