Axpona 22’ pictures

[caesar]

I did return to the Acora/VAC/Horizon room multiple times yesterday and am there now.

other times when they were playing the Horizon it was always loud vocals. I tried sitting in the front but could not. Today I’m sitting back.

Seemed like they couldn't tame the large room. Potential, but no "magic".

 

[caesar]

we don't need mega gear or rooms to find the magic.

how do you define magic?

 

[SCAudiophile]

Mike, thank you for the great coverage in photo and all the commentary!

I've heard JMF Audio several times including Munich in 2019,....they definitely do things differently and do have "that talk track..."
however the sound of their gear and speakers I have already found very, very impressive and incredibly musical.

 

[caesar]

So Marty, what's the point of all this bad sound? Surely if you have the means and you're in this hobby, you'll be aware of the Wadax Ref. So there's absolutely no need to hear it this poorly. You're either going to buy it or you're not. However if you're an aspiring tech entrepreneur (or West Coast Honda chief lol), you'd be aiming for the Wadax. Isn't this demo now going to lose potential sales?
Put it another way, would you buy a Ferrari if you're first experience was a shit drive on the pockmarked streets around Axpona?

the (in)famous wadax could not save the reference stenheim speakers and vtl (with vinyl) sounding so sterile , it could kill Covid.

And I have heard Stenheim in a different room sound awesome with low powered tube gear from Sweden (and sterile with CH precision in the past).

 

[caesar]

There is a buzz for new and more expensive. Period. Yet people comment some of the best sound came from modest rooms. Makes you wonder.

big speakers in small hotel rooms are a b!itch to set up right

 

[caesar]

In my experience trade shows are alike… you choose the space you want/can afford. First come first served, and if you exhibited in the past and had history with the show you had better choices. Many this year may have chosen a wee-little room just to see if post-pandemic it was worth even being there. The cost for display space at a show can be quite high, and many have strict union rules as to movement of pieces in and out. If it has to be shipped and delivered to the hotel, then union rules kick in for movement from the dock to the display location, then there is storage fee for crates, etc. It is all a major marketing expense for the mfg, distributor, and / or dealer.

Shows my little company attended were often a couple grand for a 10ft x 10ft space. After shipping, union fees, travel, etc the cost to attend was typically $7500 - $10k. That was just me attending, no employees or extra staff. And that was years ago!

The Bayz speakers , driven by a tape machine, were one of the highlight of the show! Job well done!

 

[Gregadd]

Too bad. For me Avantgarde Trio would have been worth the price of admission. Honorable mention to WADAX.

 

[caesar]

That AC Cerat speaker is the ugliest thing i've ever seen. At $137k, do better.

But it sounds so gorgeous!!!

 

[caesar]

Too bad. For me Avantgarde Trio would have been worth the price of admission. Honorable mention to WADAX.

my friend , who is a real music lover and plays guitar with his friends, and is not biased by an "audiophile education", also thought the Avantgarde Trios were the most amazing speakers he has ever heard. And that was his exact quote, as everything else was so meh, in comparison. He told me he will take to his death hearing a couple of familiar tracks the way the Trios presented him.

 

[caesar]

Not surprisingly then, the best sound, hands down, that I heard at AXPONA 2017 was the BorderPatrol/Triode Labs/Volti system, with a 20 W/ch BorderPatrol push-pull triode amp driving 100 dB sensitive Volti Rival horn speakers to excellent dynamics at quite high volume, with good tone.

Border Patrol was incredible this year also. Crowd packed. People were fighting the nasty smell of the sweat of the fellow participants to hear it!

 

[caesar]

Scaena room was outstanding. With Harry Pearson dead, not many people talk about Scaena, but it is amazing

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Hi Ron,
You are a very influential guy! I was fortunate to attend the show for a bit, and yes, the new Trios G3 seem to have a very solid, industrial looking, metallic structure. Thanks for harping on this, as this has been fixed by Avantgarde!

Sound-wise, it was BY FAR the most realistic sound of the show - for guys who find realism in macro and micro dynamics and tone. The usually sterile dCS vivaldi did not have any negative impacts on the experience (and it was a vivaldi new acme upgrade).

Regular audiophiles, who imagine their music to sound real or good with conventional box speakers, and are acclimated to that box sound, will probably hate it.

One important note in judging perceptions: The shape of the room was non-ideal. And the room was packed when I stopped by. However, the only really good seats were on the sofa. Those not sitting on the sofa in the sweet spot did not get to experience the speaker to its full potential.

I was on the sofa in the sweet spot 4 times. I never wanted to stay long out of respect for those waiting. Just landed in Seattle

 

[caesar]

but horns and SETs always win.

MBL is the BEST! Hahahaha

 

[caesar]

The $1,000 JBL speaker , actually on sale at 20 percent off/ $800 , sounded more alive and conveyed more emotion than 90 percent of the audiophile dreck at the show.

What a hobby!!!!

 

[caesar]

Magico M6 sounded very sterile with both Luxman and in the Synergistic tweaks room.

But Magico sounded like real music in a (non-ideal) room driven by CAT.

 

[Al M.]

welcome to a hobby based on subjective experiences. the brands supported by the loudest mouths win

Really? Not with me.

 

[microstrip]

my friend , who is a real music lover and plays guitar with his friends, and is not biased by an "audiophile education", also thought the Avantgarde Trios were the most amazing speakers he has ever heard. And that was his exact quote, as everything else was so meh, in comparison. He told me he will take to his death hearing a couple of familiar tracks the way the Trios presented him.

Nice to know that people who are not biased by an "audiophile education" can love the dCS Vivaldi APEX stack.

 

[caesar]

Really? Not with me.

Yes, you are your own man. Marcus Aurelius would be very proud of you. Wish there were more guys like you. Would be a much better hobby.

 

[caesar]

Nice to know that people who are not biased by an "audiophile education" can love the dCS Vivaldi APEX stack.

Yes, I loved it to too, the context of that system. That avantgarde system is one of top 2 or 3 I've heard , along with MBL Extremes.

Likewise, I find the MSB reference, and its bigger brother, great in very musical, dynamic systems. Otherwise, I find MSB boring and sterile.

But I couldn't help wondering if the Avantgarde room had a Lamipizator, Aries cerat, or a TotalDAC in that system, and how much more emotion the system would convey .. Maybe all the Avantgarde naysayers in this thread would love it too.

 

[T Boost]

I don't see a belt. Is this a new TT for TW? Direct drive?

I wish that shot was a bit more clear, I steal it for Instagram.