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Robert Harley on AXPONA Chicago

Robert Harley on AXPONA Chicago

The Chicago AXPONA show was a bit of a gamble—as is any first show in a city—but this is one gamble that paid off. The Doubletree Hotel at O’Hare airport featured many fine-sounding exhibits, excellent organization, and most importantly, throngs of enthusiastic attendees (the official count was 4386). The showgoers I spoke with were happy to have a hi-fi show in the Midwest after a 14-year absence.

My colleagues Jonathan Valin and Scot Hull (who is new to our staff) did such a great job covering the show that I’ll just include my highlights here. You can find extended coverage with more photos at theabsolutesound.com.

Robert Harley on AXPONA Chicago

Although it’s exciting to see and hear the most exotic and ambitious systems at shows, I really like it when exhibitors make great sound with “normal” products that the average music lover can afford, relate to, and imagine having in their home. Two such systems that met these criteria were shown by Chicago retailer Pro Musica. The first featured Naim’s UnitLite ($3000) integrated amplifier/server driving a pair of Dynaudio Focus 160 loudspeakers ($2900). The system fit the room perfectly, and sounded better than many expensive systems. Pro Musica’s other Naim/Dynaudio room was more upscale, but still decidedly “sane.” It featured the Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature speakers ($13,500) driven by a Naim NAP 300 with 300PS power supply ($11,495), Naim 282 preamp with the NAPSC2 ($6795) and the SuperCap2 power supply ($6595), a Naim NDS streaming player, and UnityServe solid-state server. This system sounded absolutely magnificent playing Pro Musica proprietor Ken Christiansen’s own recordings.

Robert Harley on AXPONA Chicago

 

The biggest thrill for me at AXPONA was hearing analog tape via the United Home Audio Phase 11 tape machine driving an MBL Reference Line system with MBL 101e loudspeakers. MBL’s Jeremy Bryan never fails to get spectacular sound at shows, but the analog tape put this experience over the top. The tape had a “physicality” of dynamics and weight that’s simply missing from digital and even the best LP. Dynamic peaks are also reproduced very differently from tape, which goes loud with ease and grace. These qualities were also apparent in a second room that featured MBL’s 116f speakers driven by a new monoblock from Jolida called the Luxor. The two-chassis (per side) Luxor features four EL34 output tubes that can develop 100W. The Luxor will be manufactured in the U.S. when production starts this summer. The estimated price is $12,000 per pair. The Luxor is a decidedly upmarket move for the budget-oriented Jolida.

Sony demonstrated its top-of-the-line SS-AR1 loudspeaker ($27,000) with Hegel electronics, and the result was one of the show’s better sounds. Even with standard-resolution digital, the SS-AR1 came alive on female vocals, sounding extremely open and neutral. In fact, this is the best showing of the SS-AR1 I’ve heard.

Robert Harley on AXPONA Chicago

Albert Von Schweikert launched his most ambitious loudspeaker yet, the $140,000 VR100xs. Although perhaps a little underpowered by the 25W Kronzilla tubed amplifier (but with Channel Islands Audio switching amplifiers driving the outboard subwoofers), the VR100 sounded a little thick on the first hour of the first day. But going back for a second listen, the VR100xs produced one of the show’s best sounds—big, spacious, tonally pure, and wide in bandwidth.

The big TAD Reference-1 loudspeakers sounded amazingly lifelike driven by Lamm ML2.2 solid-state amplifiers and sourced with another United Home Audio open-reel tape machine playing the amazingly present and realistic-sounding tapes from Jonathan Horwich’s International Phonograph. The sound had a decidedly “studio-monitor” feel.

I’d have to say that the show’s best sound was the room of retailer The Voice That Is. It featured the Tidal Piano Diacera loudspeakers ($37,690) driven by the 300Wpc Vitus RS-100 amplifier ($13,500), the new Vitus RD-100 DAC ($14,000), and the Aurender S10 music server. Cabling was all Purist Audio Design, and the equipment was on a Stillpoints rack. The sound was texturally luscious yet resolved, expansive, and dynamic. Although not as “big” sounding as some of the mega systems in the large rooms, this system was extremely involving.

Another great sound was produced by the YG Acoustics Carmel loudspeaker ($18,000) driven by Veloce electronics, including their unusual hybrid tube/Class D power amplifiers. The front end was a new Accuphase DP-550 CD/SACD player ($17,500) that can also play DSD files directly from a DVD-R. Cables were by Kubala-Sosna.

Tags: AXPONA

Robert Harley

By Robert Harley

My older brother Stephen introduced me to music when I was about 12 years old. Stephen was a prodigious musical talent (he went on to get a degree in Composition) who generously shared his records and passion for music with his little brother.

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