Axpona 2023 Updates

[botrytis]

6 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

No! I missed those!

 

Esoteric really knew what they were doing. I have to say, that was the 2nd pair of Klipschorns I have heard that I actually liked. The other was an original pair from 1958 that another friend owned.

[botrytis]

Other things he had in his house.....

 

The little speakers on stands were mine. Those are a set of Rogers LS2's. The stand was some inexpensive MDF ones 30" tall (too high). The last pic is a Nakamichi rack system, never seen one together and he had one and two others he was putting back together.

 

 

[botrytis]

I didn't get a great pictue but this room, with Accupahse Electronics or Soulution? The Accuphase sounded fantastic and the Soulution sounded so shrill, and this was with the same source material (same LP).

[botrytis]

More importantly, what was the standout music and what drove you to distraction? NO MORE BILLIE EILISH please.......

[The Computer Audiophile]

14 minutes ago, botrytis said:

I didn't get a great pictue but this room, with Accupahse Electronics or Soulution? The Accuphase sounded fantastic and the Soulution sounded so shrill, and this was with the same source material (same LP).

I would've loved to listen in that room, but it was like a nightclub. Long thumping bass tracks that eventually turned me away, and I never found the time to head back there. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, botrytis said:

More importantly, what was the standout music and what drove you to distraction? NO MORE BILLIE EILISH please.......

 

This is a big deal. Shows can be great for music discovery. I usually end up with the iPad, and playing my own music in systems I really want to hear. I've only played room clearing songs a couple times :~)

 

I played Lady Black Bird's Black Acid Soul in a few rooms, as well as The War on Drugs album I Don't Live Here Anymore. 

[botrytis]

This was my go to..... A little long though.

 

 

 

One room wanted people to suggest some electronic music - I threw this in......

 

 

Early electronic music - around the same time as Joy Division. This LP is a trip using headphones.

[botrytis]

Then I threw in once, what I called, 'The exitentialists version of 'Dock of the Bay' by Inger Marie Gundersen. Don't get me wrong, I like it - it is unique but the mood it conveys....

 

 

[botrytis]

What did you think of these? The 33K Clarisys Minuet. They sounded great with the Hegel equipment. They sounded great in the other room also.

[botrytis]

Beautiful looking system, horrible sounding Wilson-Bensch speakers.

 

I much preferred this speaker, the Anniversary Falcon LS3/5a.

[botrytis]

So, one of the first rooms I saw was the Plasmatron plasma tweeter room. The speakers are ESS (?) but only up to 1000 Hz (just the woofers), then it crosses over to the plasma tweeter. Yes, OSHA would have a fit!!! A full helium cylinder lying there, while open.

 

It was really amazing sounding, if you got over the ozone smell.

[botrytis]

Many people were scared to go in there. I have worked in worse places than that, trust me.

[botrytis]

The head in the above pics is my wife 🤣

[PeterG]

41 minutes ago, botrytis said:

The head in the above pics is my wife 🤣

Your wife went with you to a hifi show?  You're the man! 😊

[botrytis]

 

18 minutes ago, PeterG said:

Your wife went with you to a hifi show?  You're the man! 😊

She is more if an audiophile than me. It is probably due to music background.

[left channel]

19 hours ago, botrytis said:

 

Even this? It was in the special sale bin..... No, I didn't buy it, my wife, ever the consummate logician said, "You don't like MQA, why waste the money?" She does have a point.

 

I know the work that goes into putting on a room like that. The forum, Audiokarma.org, used to have a member get together at a hotel and show off their systems (NO, NOT YOU CHRIS, I wouldn't want to pay for the truss and back surgeries) I did that a few times. It was quite fun and learned more about me, than anything really (nothing wrong with that).

 

I would love to do it again. 

 

LOL, and thanks for the inspiration: am listening to that album now, for the first time in a very long while. I still have the 16/44.1 release on my server, but I found the 30th anniversary edition on Qobuz at 24/192 and 24/96. And the MQA version is not on Tidal.

[botrytis]

Heck  - I forgot about Rough Trade by Peter Townshend. I heard in one room and dragged it out of mothballs.

[austinpop]

Just got home from AXPONA. As always, the best part of the show was meeting up with audio friends and making new ones.

 

 

@ray-dude @The Computer Audiophile @austinpop @Nenon

[ray-dude]

Proof that we're not ChatGPT bots!

[austinpop]

Observations:

1. Excellent -- heck, even good -- sound was the exception rather than the norm
2. That said, I went in on Friday and Sunday, and the improvement in SQ from Friday to Sunday was big. As expected, and it happens every time.
3. My favorite rooms:
   • Vinnie Rossi - Rockport Atria II, VR Brama integrated, MSB Reference DAC
   • MBL - I always end up liking these. The SQ on Sunday was really excellent, although you have to go to High End Munich for the best MBL show sound.
   • T+A room with all T+A gear
4. Other good sounding rooms. Several based on comments made here!
   • Dali Kore in the lobby "studio." A challenging space, to say the least, and still managed to impress
   • Magna Risers room: Magnepan LRS with VPE dipole woofers on Magna Riser stands with Pass electronics
   • Yamaha room
   • Phillips Design Oh! speakers
5. Most disappointing
   • Wilson Benesch. I have heard these, or at least the Flagship Eminence model sound incredible at Munich and RMAF in the past.
   • The Qunitessence rooms downstairs: Wilson Alexia V, the Alexx, and the Sonus Faber. World class gear, but sounding terrible.

[WilliamWykeham]

41 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Observations:

 

Great summary, agree with almost all.

 

A few additional observations responding to other comments here:

 

I liked the Wharfedale Dovetails, they were easy to listen to, very British sounding, a real chiller.

 

This show sealed my impression of Magico. They just don’t sound that good. I’m a former A3 owner; I moved them all over my house, tried different sources, amps, could never get them to sound good.  Maybe I just needed to go up to the S line? Nope.  These are the opposite of disappearing speakers to me.  Not sure why I liked that A5 so much though, and I returned to the room to check, and liked it just as much. Weird. 

 

If I weren’t bleeding out my eyeballs from NYC childcare expenses for three under-5s, I might have a hard time deciding between the Clarysis and the Avantgarde. Avantgardes in the big room didn’t sound great to me.

 

Benesh -  I was pretty meh on these too.  Makes me question the upstream gear which you don’t see to often at shows.

 

There are some widely hyped concentric speakers that I was considering buying but won’t after this show.

 

I was also thinking about buying some notable active speakers making their debut at this show but won’t after hearing them.  

 

Vivid Audio.  I just don’t get it.  Sound or appearance.  

 

 

 

 

 

[botrytis]

My wife wouldn't allow Vivids, in the house, too Garden Gnome look or any Wilson speaker as they look like daleks...

[botrytis]

The big issue that Whardale has is the Lintons are priced so low, it looks like they want to cash in. It is all built in the UK, so that is part of the increase...

 

That said, I really enjoyed the Dovedales. I could have listened to the for hours and that is a complement indeed.

[The Computer Audiophile]

45 minutes ago, WilliamWykeham said:

 

Great summary, agree with almost all.

 

A few additional observations responding to other comments here:

 

I liked the Wharfedale Dovetails, they were easy to listen to, very British sounding, a real chiller.

 

This show sealed my impression of Magico. They just don’t sound that good. I’m a former A3 owner; I moved them all over my house, tried different sources, amps, could never get them to sound good.  Maybe I just needed to go up to the S line? Nope.  These are the opposite of disappearing speakers to me.  Not sure why I liked that A5 so much though, and I returned to the room to check, and liked it just as much. Weird. 

 

If I weren’t bleeding out my eyeballs from NYC childcare expenses for three under-5s, I might have a hard time deciding between the Clarysis and the Avantgarde. Avantgardes in the big room didn’t sound great to me.

 

Benesh -  I was pretty meh on these too.  Makes me question the upstream gear which you don’t see to often at shows.

 

There are some widely hyped concentric speakers that I was considering buying but won’t after this show.

 

I was also thinking about buying some notable active speakers making their debut at this show but won’t after hearing them.  

 

Vivid Audio.  I just don’t get it.  Sound or appearance.  

 

 

 

 

 

The Avantgarde speakers usually sound great at Axpona and so-so in Munich. This year, the speakers were setup differently, along the short wall, and I was underwhelmed. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, austinpop said:

Most disappointing

• Wilson Benesch. I have heard these, or at least the Flagship Eminence model sound incredible at Munich and RMAF in the past.
• The Qunitessence rooms downstairs: Wilson Alexia V, the Alexx, and the Sonus Faber. World class gear, but sounding terrible.

 

I have to agree Rajiv. As much as I love Wilson Audio, heck I own 12 of the speakers, this showing was a disservice to the brand. Way over damped rooms that made one only hear the drivers as if in a laboratory. Musicality was sucked out. A real bummer.