AXPONA 2025

Audio Expo North America (popularly known as AXPONA) returned to the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois. Despite being a local, I haven’t spent much time at this show in recent years, but I was reminded of what a great opportunity it is to spend time with industry people and audiophile friends whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. The show seems different to me now. I longed for the days when companies like Krell, Conrad Johnson, Classe, and Jeff Rowland seemed to be in every other room. No sooner than I had that thought, I saw the familiar frame of Mr. Rowland himself coming out of an elevator. A few minutes later, I came across a setup featuring Audio Research gear and Wilson speakers, and for a brief moment, I was thrust back into the ’90s. I could swear I heard Patricia Barber’s Café’ Blue pouring out of every room. All I needed to see now was SOTA and Apogee. Sadly, the next room I visited did demonstrations only with Class-D amps and a digital streamer, and you could only choose from the music they had on their iPad. Welcome back to 2025, Mr. Thomas!

But despite the less interactive vibe of shows today, there is still a lot to be excited about if you can ignore the often-laughable price tags. Here are my thoughts on what I witnessed the day I was there (Saturday).

Strangely, one of the best and first systems I heard came from this setup, which was in an open area on the first floor just outside the Quintessence Audio (a local dealer) demo rooms. The system was comprised of a Clearaudio Signature turntable ($5,000) with a Hana Umami Blue cartridge ($2,500), dCS Lina DAC ($29,150), and the drop-dead-gorgeous Fyne Audio Vintage Fifteen loudspeakers ($39,999/pair). The components were connected with Transparent cables and sat on a Critical Mass Gateway rack ($6,500). I don’t quite remember the music playing, but I remember how beautifully rendered it was. Not only did it take advantage of the area’s spaciousness (vestibule?) with its imaging, but those images also had density, realistic height, and depth. Bravo Quintessence!

The other Quintessence rooms featured the usual state-of-the-art systems from ARC, D’Agostino, Wilson Audio, and Sonus Faber. But as good as they were, they did not captivate me like the vestibule system. I must visit this shop to hear more from these Fyne speakers.

The Linkwitz LX521.4MG loudspeakers easily get my “Where the Hell did you hide the subwoofers!“ award. Powered by a pair of their own 850-watt PowerBox amplifiers/analog active crossovers, it provided shockingly deep and effortless bass. The system was fronted by a T+A 200 DAC/Preamp and Grimm Audio streamer. These speakers may not be my cup of tea visually, but musically, they’d make me proud.

A couple of new companies were turntable maker Tien Audio and electronics maker Keces Audio. This system comprised the Tien Audio TT-5 turntable with w/Viora tonearm, DS Audio W3 optical cartridge, KECES Audio S4 preamp, and S300 power amps. The system was connected to a pair of Magico A3 loudspeakers. This combination sounded good when partnered with the Magico speakers—the definition of musicality.

One system that I was looking forward to hearing was the Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit loudspeakers powered by the Audionet SCHRÖDINGER mono amps and Mach linestage. The digital source was the Aurilic Aries 2.2 streamer, Master Fidelity NADAC D DAC, and NADAC C clock. All cabling was from Kubala Sosna. I have heard many excellent amplifiers paired with the Giyas over the years, and they never disappoint. The same could be said this year as well, though the choices in music left a little to be desired. Still, if ever there was a system that could make uninteresting music sound palpable, this was it.

The American Sound of Canada room featured Avantgarde Acoustics Mezzo G3 speakers partnered with Phasemation MA-2000 tube mono amps and the Perpetuum-Ebner (PE) turntable with Glanz tonearm.  The sound was just as luscious as you would expect from horns and brilliantly designed tube amps. I was careful not to spend too much time in this room for fear of being seduced. I still have ten years left on my mortgage, after all.

In the Upscale Audio room was this fabulous-looking and sounding system featuring the Fyne Audio F704SP loudspeakers ($25,999/pair), Pathos Adrenalin mono amps $47,990/pair, and Synapse Reference preamp ($26,995). The source being played was a Grimm MU2 streamer, and the AudioQuest Niagara power conditioner and SolidSteel rack were rounding out the system. There was also an analog setup comprised of the gorgeous Reed Muse 3C Friction Drive turntable ($27,975) with Lyra Atlas Lambda cartridge ($14,295) and Sutherland DOS LOCOS Phonostage ($9,800). Every Fyne Audio speaker I heard that day sounded special, and these speakers seemed to love being pushed by these lovely tube amps. Fyne Audio should be getting the attention of all music lovers, but especially tube fans.

The MonAcoustic room was a pleasant surprise for me. Upon walking into the room and seeing their Platimon VC One monitors ($6,000/pair) sitting atop Platimon VC Two speakers ($11,000/pair), my immediate thought was, “Okay, these are nice looking YG Acoustics knock-offs.“ But a closer examination showed me that these speakers were beautifully built, thoughtfully designed, and shockingly affordable. You can start with the VC One monitors and add the VC Twos later. Partnered with the Accuphase E-800S integrated amp ($21,575) and Grimm Audio MU2 streamer ($17,500), they rendered music with far more life and image specificity than their price tag would infer. Also present was a Reed Muse 3A turntable and tonearm, but I didn’t get to hear it.

Another new (to me) exhibitor making an impressive display was Supreme Acoustic Systems. Here was another room anchored by a pair of horn speakers. This time, the Odeon Semper horn speakers were driven by Manley 300B tube mono amps and phonostage. The analog rig was a Benny Audio Odyssey turntable with a Van den Hul Frog Gold cartridge. The digital setup was the Taiko Audio Olympus DAC/Streamer, Olympus I/O, and Extreme Router. The electronics were sitting on HIFISTAY racks.

Turnbull Audio may be a fairly new cable company, but they aren’t messing around when it comes to establishing themselves as makers of some of the most luxurious and highly priced cables on the market. Their initial offering is called Prestige. It is a pure copper product that uses premium materials and manufacturing processes that result in some of the heaviest and most beautiful cables I’ve held. Their demo system included the Vitus Audio RI-101 MK II integrated amplifier/streamer and Stenheim Alumine Two/Five loudspeakers. Sonically, the music was spacious, dynamic, and well-rendered. I suspect they can perform even better, and I hope to get them in for a review at some point this year. You can only learn so much under show conditions.

One of the Playback Distribution rooms featured the Audio Solutions Figaro S2 loudspeakers. I’ve had my eye on these drop-dead gorgeous Italian speakers for some time now, and hearing and seeing them for the first time did not disappoint.  With the help of the Esoteric N-05XD Network DAC, F-02 Integrated Amp, and G-05 Master Clock Generator, the sound was everything I had hoped for. The soundstage was open and airy when listening to live music, and the vocals were of realistic height and dimensionality.

The Triangle Art Suite. Admittedly, I’ve developed an affinity for horn speakers. Put tube amplification and an analog front end in front of them, and you’ll have something special. That’s just what I heard in the Triangle Art room. The speakers were the beautifully massive Metis horn loudspeakers. The I-20 Integrated amplifier and P200 dual mono phonostage were driving them. They had three turntables on display, but the one I heard was the Heather with the Horus 12″ tonearm and Zeus cartridge. All of the magic you might expect from a setup like this was there. Though the speakers, with their 15″ horns, take up a lot of real estate, musically, they don’t overwhelm the room. Instead, you are enveloped by the warmth and naturalness when combining tubes (20 watts of pure Class-A) and highly efficient (95dB) horns.  

In the T+A room, I ran into Dave Nauber, their North American CEO and one of the true gentlemen of high-end audio. He walked me through their demo setup, which featured the gorgeous Solitaire S 540 loudspeakers ($54,900), SDV 3100 HV Reference Streaming DAC/Preamp ($38,500), and M40 HV tube mono amps ($62,850/pair). The sound was impressive, given the room and activity taking place just outside the room. I thought more about how good the system would sound in my quieter listening room. Still, the sound was very enjoyable and engaging. T+A will be on my short list of review requests for this year.

Chester Anderson of Candmo, Inc. is the maker of the vinyl repair and maintenance system called The-M.V.P. I bought it, tried it, and it works well. For $20, you get The-M.V.P. Cleaning Brush, Solution, and Pad. It was handy during a lengthy vinyl session with friends after the show.

Ironically, one of the biggest bargains at the show was found on a rack next to equipment known to be rather expensive. CH Audio had its usual fabulous sounding setup featuring the CH Precision I1 integrated amp ($38,000 to $55,000 depending on configuration), CHD1.5 CD/SACD/MQA CD Transport ($38,000 – transport only), Dr. Feickert Analog Woodpecker turntable, Acoustical Systems Aquilar 10“ tonearm and Archon cartridge, Magico A3 loudspeakers and Nordost cables. The equipment sat on a Finite-Elemente rack. But sitting next to the CH gear were a couple of elegant-looking, yet small, boxes. The one on the top shelf was the Wattson Audio Madison LE Streamer at just $4,995; on the shelf beneath it was the Wattson Audio Madison Amplifier, which cost $6,495). I sat and listened for two songs before realizing that I had been listening to the Wattson components and not the CH Precision. CH acquired Wattson Audio to offer a high-quality and highly affordable solution to those who can’t afford to live in the CH neighborhood but are still discerning music lovers. The Wattson Audio products are well-built and render music in a way that is engaging. Be on the lookout for these charmers.

That’s all I’ve got, folks. There was more to see, but unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of everything I wanted to discuss. I’m already looking forward to next year’s AXPONA and plan to spend more than one day there. While writing this report, I saw an email where AXPONA reported that the 2025 show set records for attendance and exhibitors. So, it sounds like high-end audio is alive and well, Trump tariffs be damned. The Ear Gear Experience continues to grow and attracts younger consumers, and for the first time (that I know of), there was even a car audio showcase. I hope you can join me next year. If this year was any indication, there will be an awful lot to look forward to. Cheers!