AXPONA 2019 Show Report -- Audio Expo North America

AXPONA 2019: Monstrous Fun in the Windy City
All I can say is, we enjoyed the music!
AXPONA 2019 Show Report By Greg Weaver

Utopia D – Vandersteen/Channel D
Loudspeaker Maven Richard Vandersteen was on hand to demonstrate the Vandersteen System Nine, his $152,898 flagship system. The System Nine is an amalgamation of four individual Vandersteen products, including the newest flagship loudspeaker, the Model Seven Mk II, (starting at $63,999/pr.), sitting on the System NINE Bedrock Granite Base, a special constrained layer base specifically designed for the Model Seven speakers (starting at $10,000/pr.). The Model Seven Mk II was driven by the liquid-cooled M7-HPA High-Pass Amplifier, (starting at $59,999/pr.), and augmented by the SUB NINE stereo subwoofers (starting at $18,900/pr.) and include all associated hook-up cabling.

LPs were spun using a Brinkmann Spyder and the 10.5 Brinkmann Tonearm ($19,990), with a Lyra Kleos SL cartridge ($3995). All analog was run through Channel D hardware and software, including their Pure Music software, ($129), Pure Vinyl software ($399), and using one of their phono preamplifiers, which included the Lino C MC ($2,499), the Seta L MC ($4,998), or their flagship Seta L20 MC (S63,000), and their Lynx Hilo ADC/DAC ($2,499). All cabling was from Audioquest (~$40,000), and they used six Harmonic Resolutions Systems SXR Silver isolation platforms ($29,625).

The Vandersteen Model NINE; four products as one.

That said, my experiences with this system were the most engaging I've had to date with either a Channel D or Vandersteen system. Listening to a Bach Cello concerto, I was taken by the amazingly natural presentation, with full body and nice texture. Listening to some Bonnie Raitt revealed wonderfully genuine vocals, with well detailed and excellently delineated instruments. During all my listening in that room, everything was very detailed without ever being etched or forced. But I came away feeling that the presentation of the deepest bass was just a bit light overall in impact and density.

1609 - T+A
When I walked into the Germany's T+A room on the 16th floor, I was more than pleasantly surprised to see a full-on T+A R series system. Fronted with either the new T+A G 2000 R Turntable, with its modified High-End Carbon tone arm from Clearaudio and integrated phono stage ($9,900), or the T+A MP 2500 R CD/SACD player/streaming audio client ($13,000), that also includes FM-, FM HD-, DAB+ Tuner capability, Bluetooth streaming, a Digital Connecting Board, and a High Res Streaming Client with music services Tidal, QoBuz, and Roon. Both sources fed the T+A PA 2500 R Integrated amplifier ($12,750), with 160 Watts stereo into 8 Ohms, which in turn drove the T+A Talis S 300 loudspeakers ($14,900), machined from solid aluminum. All cabling and conditioning were from the T+A Quad Carbon series.

A remarkably engaging all T+A system, fronted by a turntable with built in phonostage.

While this room was not exactly budget conscious, it was far from the most expensive room I heard. Yet I was absolutely taken by the remarkable transparency and resolution delivered here. The system was remarkably open and natural sounding, with very surprising extension, at both extremes, and its ability to convey accurate space and staging was exceptional for the room size and setup. Very impressive.

Aster - AXISS Audio
With two tables in play here, the Reed Muse 1C in wood ($13,500), with Reed Tonearm 5T ($20,000), a tangentially tracking pivoted tonearm, equipped with the Airtight Opus-1 ($15,000) really stood out. A second table, the Transrotor Rondino Nero ($14,000), used the Reed tonearm 3P ($5,500), and was fitted with the AirTight PC-1 Coda ($8,500), which replaces the long-standing PC-1, which has been my reference cartridge for the past several years.

An Air Tight smorgasbord!

The AirTight ATH-3 MC Step-up Transformer ($3,500) was used with the AirTight ATE-3011 phono stage ($25,000), and the linestage was the AirTight ATC-5 (9,500). Power was provided with either the AirTight ATM-3211, a sexy and seductive sounding pair of 211 based Monoblocks ($75,000/pr.,) or the brand-new AirTight ATM-2Plus, a KT88 based stereo amplifier (TBA). Speakers with either the Piega Coax 711 ($25,000/pr.) or the Piega MLS3 ($55,000/pr.).

The Reed Muse 1C turntable with the impressive Reed 5T tangentially tracking pivoted tonearm.

I always enjoy the systems Arturo Manzano of AXISS puts together for shows, and this room was no exception. With an undeniable delightfully buoyancy, this system was all about tone and texture, as one might expect given the Air Tight reputation. Resolution of instrumental voices, be they stings, brass, piano, or human, was just haunting. The system was rife with vivid color, engagingly truthful timbre, with disarming body, and an almost tangible sense of air and space.

Club Lounge - Göbel/Bending Wave/CH Precision
Göbel never does anything half way in my experience, and their presentation in the Club Lounge was no exception. Starting with the TechDAS AirForce One, fitted with their TechDAS TDC01 cartridge ($12,000), the analog front end handed off to the CH Precision P-1 phono stage ($31,000). Digital was sourced using the CH Precision C-1 DAC ($38,500), with the HD digital board ($2500) and USB Board ($3,000). A CH Precision L-1 line stage ($34,500), and a pair of CH Precision M-1.1 monoblocks ($108,000/pr.) drove the new Göbel Divin Noblesse ($220,000/pr.), using an all Göbel Lacorde Reference Cable loom, including a 10-foot pair of loudspeaker cables, ($23,000/pr.), 2-meter power cords ($8,500), 1.2-meter balanced Interconnects ($7,000/pr.), and a 1.2-meter USB cable ($5,100).

Massive and effortless: Göbel driven by TechDAS and CH Precision.

The Divin Noblesse is a departure from the other Göbel speakers I've heard, such as the remarkable looking, and sounding, Göbel High End Epoque Reference loudspeakers (€175,000/pr.), with the Epoque Baforce Petite active subwoofers (€72,500), and Epoque Baforce Controller, and active and fully analog subwoofer controller (€9500) that I was so taken with in Munich in 2017. This much more conventional looking and massive (nearly 600-pound per side) enclosure, houses a three-way, five-driver system, employing an AMT tweeter, two unique 8" driver "Bending-Wave" mids, and two 12" woofers.

The first word to come to mind was effortless. These behemoths acted as though nothing could daunt them, and they offered a degree of shimmer and air like few others at this event. With overwhelmingly neutral midrange (a hallmark of the more standard Göbel driver approach), and a seemingly boundless sense of energy and dynamic realism, they were clearly something special.

1528 - Kyomi Audio/Audio Skies
Two of my favorite people in the industry teamed to put this amazing room together. George Vatchnadze, Professor of Piano at DePaul University's School of Music in Chicago, and a world-class touring concert pianist, runs Kyomi Audio, solely because of his love of music. As a GamuT dealer for the Chicago area, George regularly teams up with LA's Audio Skies President, Michael Vamos, who is also the US GamuT importer.

LPs were spinning on the Pear Audio Blue Kid Thomas with Cornet 2 tone arm ($7,995), with its external Power Supply ($1,995), with a My Sonic Lab Hyper Eminent MC Phono Cartridge ($5,500). An Aurender N10 Music Server ($8,000) served up ones and zeros to the MBL 1621A CD Transport ($28,000) and MBL 1611F DA Converter. ($28,700). Both sources handed off to the superlative Jadis JP200MC, a four-chassis, dual-mono preamplifier, with built in MM/MC phono stage ($36,900). A pair of 200 Wpc pure Class A Jadis JA200 MkII mono block amplifiers, with KT150 tubes, ($35,900/pr.), drove the gorgeous looking and sounding GamuT RS7i loudspeakers ($41,990).

Beautiful looking and sound Jadis electronics driving GamuT Loudspeakers with Stealth cables.

Everything was wired using a full loom of Serguei Timachev's Stealth Audio Cables, my current reference, including single ended Śakra V16 interconnects ($13,800/1M), Dream Petite V16 Speaker cables ($10,000/8 ft. pr.), an Octava – T. AES/EBU Digital Cable ($4,500/1M) and using Dream V16 Uni Power Cords ($5,800/1.2M). All the gear sat on an Artesania Exoteric 4 shelf rack ($7,900), fitted with the Artesania Krion Turntable Platform ($4,300).

This room was a knockout! Utterly natural sounding, with superb weight and punch. Voices were so natural and relaxed, yet full of detail and articulation. While playing the MoFi Bill Withers Greatest Hits LP, drive and pace were just phenomenal, and the body of the tenor sax was out of this world. This system had a stunning sense of organic reality, and I could have stayed here all day.  

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