Welcome back to my coverage of AXPONA 2025. I want to send out special thanks to our friends at Vera-Fi Audio, manufacturer of matchless amplifiers, loudspeakers, subwoofers, power conditioners, noise reduction systems, and isolation products for the budget audiophile, for selflessly sponsoring this coverage despite not participating in the show themselves.
PureAudioProject/Heaven 11 Audio
PureAudioProject featured their speakers in several rooms, including the Heaven11 room, which touted a pair of PureAudioProject TRIO10 Open Baffle Speakers, which sport full-size Heil AMTs (Air Motion Transformer) ($6,750/pr) run off of two Heaven 11 Audio BILLIE MK 3 DAC/Amplifiers (Classic ICEpower – $3,000, and Classic Hypex – $3,250) fed from an iPad Air running Qobuz via USB-C using Crescendo Cables.
PureAudioProject/Pass Labs/First Watt/Silversmith Audio/LAiV/Luminous Audio Technology/Aurender
In the Pure Audio Project room they were running Pure Audio Project Duet 15 Horn1 Speakers ($7,350) paired with an Aurender N100C Streamer ($3,300) connected to a LAiV Harmony DAC ($2,700) through a Luminous Audio Technology Axiom II Walker Preamp ($499) and First Watt SIT 4 amplifier ($5,000).
AXISS Audio/Gauder Akustik/Soulution/Telos Audio Design/Beaudioful/Nihon Onkyo Engineering/Tara Labs/Transrotor/DS Audio
One of the more beautiful analog set ups was the Transrotor Artus FMD Turntable ($199,975) fitted with a Transrotor TRA-9 Ruthenium 12″ Tonearm fitted with a Transrotor MC Tamino Cartridge ($19,975), a second Transrotor TRA-9 Chrome 9″ Tonearm ($8,795) fitted with a DS Audio Grand Master EX Optical Cartridge ($22,500) was listed on their product list but not in evidence at the time I visited their room.
This was connected to a Soulution 757 Deemphasis Preamplifier ($84,975) running through a Soulution 727 Preamplifier ($89,950) to a pair of Soulution 717 Reference monoblocks ($109,975/ea) and a pair of Soulution 701+ monoblocks ($129,975/pr) driving a pair of Gauder Akustik DARC 250 Reference Loudspeakers ($249,975/pr).
A digital source was provided by a Roon Titan Music Server (N/A) running through a Soulution 760 DAC ($79,975), and Beaudioful provided the furniture, while Telos Audio Design provided the power components, Nihon Onkyo Engineering the sound treatment, and Tara Labs the cables.
Aragon/Totem Acoustic/Cardas Audio/Lumin/Torus Power
It was a pleasant surprise to find a room featuring Aragon who I hadn’t run across in several years. Sharing a room with Totem Acoustic where they had two systems setup, one had the Totem Acoustic Element Metal V2 Speakers ($17,850/pr) paired with Aragon Iridium Monoblocks ($13,000/ea), via an Aragon Tungsten Preamp ($20,000), sourced from a Lumin U2 Transport/Streamer ($5,000), with power provided by a Torus RM20 Power Conditioner ($4,599) and Cardas cabling.
The other showcased the Totem Tribe Tower Thunderbird Loudspeakers ($15,000/pr), paired with a Lumin D3 streamer ($3,120), a Aragon Tungsten pre-amp, and a Aragon Titanium Dual-Mono Amplifier ($13,000).
Audio Note UK
One of the few rooms to be entirely dedicated to a single brand was Audio Note UK who were featuring their Audio Note AN-E/SPx Ltd Field Coil Loudspeakers ($65,000) driven by an Audio Note Meishu Konzertmeister 300B Integrated Amplifier ($65,000) with an Audio Note TT Two Turntable ($4,287), Audio Note Arm Three/II Tonearm ($2,465), Audio Note IO I Moving Coil Cartridge ($5,028), and Audio Note AN-S5 Step Up Transformer ($10,685) as analog source and an Audio Note CDT Four CD Transport ($21,119) and a new prototype Audio Note DAC 5.1x Ladder DAC ($TBA) on the digital front with Audio Note Speaker Cables and Interconnects throughout.
SPL/Sonus Faber/ProJect
A familiar name to the Personal Audio and Pro Audio worlds, SPL (Sound Performance Lab) was highlighting their two channel consumer audio products with a system consisting of an SPL Phonos RIAA Phono Preamplifier ($2,443), an SPL Director Mk2 Preamplifier/DAC ($4,000), an SPL Performer s1200 Stereo Power Amplifier ($7,999) and a pair of SPL Performer m1000 Mono Power Amplifiers ($6,332/ea). Not quite having the depth of product offerings to cover all the bases, SPL employed a ProJect Signature 12.2 Turntable ($15,000) to front their system and a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V Loudspeakers ($18,000/pr) to round out their two-channel system.
Vandersteen/Audio Research/AMG/Lyra/Aurender/AudioQuest
Richard Vandersteen has been an icon of the audio industry for close to 50 years and it was a treat to have a chance to talk with him. On display for your listening pleasure was the Vandersteen Quatro CT Evo Loudspeaker ($23,900/pr) being driven by Vandersteen M5HPA Monoblocks ($21,000/pr with 30″ High-Content Silver and Copper BiWire HPA Interface Cable) and Vandersteen L5-ACC Audio Control Center ($15,000) fed by an Audio Research Reference PHone 3SE Phono Preamplifier ($22,500) connected to an AMG Viella Forte Turntable with an AMG 12J Turbo Tonearm ($32,000) and a Lyra Atlas Lambda MC Phono Cartridge ($13,195). For digital source, they used an Aurender N30SA Server/Streamer ($25,000), Aurender MC10 Master Clock ($16,000), and an Audio Research DAC9 DAC ($12,000), with Audioquest cables and power conditioning throughout.
PLAYBACK Distribution/Vienna Acoustics/MJ Acoustics/Java Hi-Fi/Esoteric/Espirit/Quadraspire
Playback Distribution was demonstrating a Vienna Acoustics Liszt Reference Loudspeakers ($21,999/pr) driven by a Java Hi-Fi Carbon Double Shot 400 Integrated Amplifier ($18,695) coupled with an MJ Acoustics Henley 12″ Subwoofer ($4,999) with an Esoteric N-05XD Network Streamer ($12,000) and Esoteric G-05 Master Clock ($5,500) as source using Esprit power conditioning and cables throughout and furniture by Quadraspire.
Fidelity Imports/Michell Engineering/Q Acoustics/Primare/Opera Loudspeakers/Unison Research/Aurender
Fidelity Imports had the bulk of the twelfth floor but the systems that caught my attention were the Opera Loudspeakers/Unison Research system sporting Opera Quinta v.2 Loudspeakers ($6,999/pr) driven by a Unison S6 Black Edition Integrated Amplifier ($6,999) from an Aurender N150 Music Server ($3,500) with QED cables and the Michell Engineering/Primare/Q Acoustics room which housed a Michell Engineering Gyro SE Bundle player ($6,199), fitted with a Goldring E3 cartridge ($189), connected to a Michell Engineering Apollo and Muse phono preamp and power supply ($4,999) supplying a Primare I35 Prisma streaming integrated amplifier ($5,999), which drove Q Acoustics Concept 300 speakers ($4999/pr, w/stands) and a Q Acoustics 12″ Sub120 subwoofer ($1,199) and again QED handled cabling.
On A Higher Note/Supreme Acoustic Systems/Manley Labs/Benny Audio/AudioQuest/Odeon/Taiko Audio/Cardas/Albedo Audio/Lyra/Accustic Arts/Moonriver/SonoruS/Artesania Audio
Supreme Acoustic Systems had two rooms that drew me in, the first exhibited Odeon Semper Speakers ($50,000) driven by Manley Labs NeoClassic SE PP 300B mono blocks ($7,999), fed from a Manley Labs Precision Preamplifier (TBD) and Manley Labs Oasis Phono Stage (TBD) from a BennyAudio Odyssey Turntable ($36,190), Van den Hul Frog Gold Cartridge ($3,620), while a Taiko Audio Olympus DAC/Streamer ($95,000, Taiko Audio Olympus I/O, Taiko Audio Extreme router ($7,000), Taiko Audio Extreme Switch ($5,200), Taiko Audio Extreme DC distributor ($2,700) provided digital source and Cardas Clear Beyond Cables provided connectivity with a AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Power Conditioner providing AC.
The second Supreme Acoustic Systems presided over by Philip O’Hanlon of On a Higher Note. Albedo Audio Acclara SGS Tower Loudspeakers ($82,230) complemented a Benny Audio Odyssey Turntable ($36,190) with a Lyra Delos cartridge ($2,200), Accustic Arts Tube Preamp ($39,990), Accustic Arts Dual Mono 400 Wpc Power Amp IV ($40,990), Accustic Arts Player III CD & DAC ($14,995), Moonriver 500 Phono Stage ($5,995), and all cabling was by Cardas. As one would expect from Philip, a SonoruS / Revox PR99 15 IPS 1/2 Trk Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck was on hand to provide an ethereal experience.
Holm Audio/Cambridge Audio/KEF/Torus Power
Holm Audio had a pair of KEF Reference 3 Meta Loudspeakers ($15,999.98/pr) alongside a pair of KEF Reference 1 Meta Stand Mount Loudspeakers ($9,999.98/pr) running off of a Cambridge Audio EXN100 Network Player ($1,799) and a Cambridge Audio CXC CD transport ($599) via a Cambridge Audio EXA100 Integrated Amplifier ($2,399), and Cambridge Audio Edge A Integrated Amplifier ($5,999), with a Rega Planar 3 Turntable ($1,125) providing analog and a pair of Cambridge Audio Minx X301 Subwoofers for extra bass. A Torus Power RM15 Power Conditioner (2,999) and Torus Power RM20 Power Conditioner ($4,299) supplied AC.
That concludes Part 5 of my coverage of AXPONA 2025, once again, I would like to thank our good friends at Vera-Fi Audio for sponsoring our coverage. Stay tuned for Part 6
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