Welcome back to my coverage of AXPONA 2026
I would like to take a quick moment to thank VERA-FI AUDIO LLC, manufacturer of some of the finest audio products and accessories, including the Vera-Fi Audio LLC Main Stream – Master Class Dynamic Parallel AC Line Conditioner a truly amazing noise suppression device, for sponsoring our coverage of AXPONA 2026 in a gesture of goodwill for the audio community at large, as they do not even show at AXPONA.
AUDEZE
Returning to the Ear Gear Experience I visited AUDEZE who were displaying their extensive line of planar headphones from their wonderful flagship AUDEZE CRBN2 Electrostic Headphone ($5,995) and AUDEZE LCD-5s Reference Planar Magnetic headphone ($4,500) to the exceptional AUDEZE MM-500 Planar Magnetic Professional Headphone ($1,699) voiced by Manny Marroquin to provide the high level of sonic linearity required for use in the studio, to their impressive new AUDEZE Maxwell 2 Wireless Planar Magnetic Gaming Headset ($329) which were displayed with custom covers to add an aesthetic to their already class leading sound quality.
ETA AUDIO
ETA AUDIO were showcasing their ETA AUDIO ULI Headphone ($3,499), which offers a unique open baffle design where a tiny driver is placed in a floating module in a large earcup set before the ear in emulation of loudspeaker placement, to produce a more natural three-dimensional image.
WARWICK ACOUSTICS
WARWICK ACOUSTICS were displaying their signature isolation booth, and for AXPONA, they returned to the black versions of the classic WARWICK ACOUSTICS Bravura Electrostatic Headphone System ($7,795 in black) and state-of-the-art WARWICK ACOUSTICS Aperio Electrostatic Headphone System ($40,000 in black).
ZMF HEADPHONES
Distinctly scaled down from last month’s CanJam NYC, ZMF still had a massive selection of their bespoke headphones and amplifiers including their flagship ZMF Caldera Planar Magnetic Headphone ($3,499.99) and ZMF Aegis Amplifier ($3,499.99), with many limited edition headphones available in exotic woods.
MEZE AUDIO
On the tail of last month’s launch of their new MEZE AUDIO ASTRU IEM ($899), which gathered a lot of attention, as did the MEZE AUDIO STRADA Closed-Back Dynamic Headphone ($799). Of course, their whole line was on display from the new MEZE AUDIO 99 Classics 2nd gen ($349) to the MEZE AUDIO ELITE TUNGSTEN ($4,000).
REQUISITE AUDIO/RAAL 1995/ALLNIC AUDIO
Requisite Audio was demonstrating the RAAL 1995 Magna Dual Ribbon Driver Headphones ($6,270) and RAAL 1995 Immanis Triple Ribbon Driver Headphones ($9,460) with the all-new Allnic Audio ASRA Headphone Amplifier ($6,500) and Allnic Audio ASRA OTL/OCL DAC (TBA). Also on display were the Allnic Audio D-15000 OTL/OCL DAC ($26,400) and the Allnic Audio HPA15000 OTL/OCL Headphone Amplifier ($19,800).
AUDMA
Thanks to my good friends at Noble Audio, I was introduced to the new AUDMA PHPA1 BRIOSO Portable Headphone Amplifier ($5,000). What sets AUDMA apart from other offerings is their ELISA Circuit Technology, which allows the listener to adjust the “Angle” (phase) and “Stage” (depth of soundstage) to create a more realistic listening experience.
That concludes Part 3 of my coverage of AXPONA 2026, I would once again like to thank VERA-FI AUDIO LLC for sponsoring this coverage. Stay tuned for part 4.
Want to join discussion?
Feel free to contribute!