The AXPONA 2023 Chronicles: Part 11
Sound systems singing with two speakers on the second floor.
Audio Expo North America 2023 Show Report By Rick Becker

Wynn Audio
Wynn Audio out of Toronto Canada has long been a favorite room to visit. Wynn Wong is an astute businessman who sells very high-quality products and takes big financial risks. His audio show spaces have been innovative over the years and have evolved to take on some of the trappings of high-end luxury stores that abound in the Toronto area.

The freestanding white wall at the entry to Utopia C blocked the view of the listening area and created an aura of a high a high-end jewelry store with three display cases showcasing fine audio products that bordered on fine jewelry.

Metronome's Le Player top-loading CD transport and Le DAC, while sleek and somewhat minimal in design, exude a very high quality that finds a ready market in France and achieves even more exclusivity in North America.

In the right-hand display case, an assortment of Crystal Cable products stole the looks from French chocolatiers and jewelry stores. The Diamond Series 2 replaces the original Diamond Series that ran for 12 years and is reimagined with new metallurgy, construction, and connectors, as well as improved insulation. They were released just a month ago and this was their first showing in North America as Wynn skipped the Montreal show this year in favor of expanding his presence in the USA.

Skirting the entryway, I came upon another superb presentation from Wynn Audio. The rig featured Vimberg Donda D speakers in piano white ($70k). While not quite the world-class style and finish of their parent company, TIDAL Audio GmbH in Germany, if you turn the lights down and listen, you would be hard-pressed to hear the difference. The difference in your savings account will be more easily recognized.

The backside of the rig revealed a variety of Crystal Cables from the Netherlands. Coming from the Art Series were the DaVinci speaker cables ($46.5k), DaVinci interconnects ($23.9k), DaVinci power cables ($14.6k ea.), and Van Gogh interconnects ($14.6k) and Van Gogh power cables ($9k). Major league players, for sure.

The wood box seen above is the Entreq Olympus Infinity Ten-Ten Groundbox ($12k) from Sweden. Entreq was one of the first, if not the very first, to address the importance of grounding components beyond just power cords.

The front ends included the Kalista DreamPlay XC CD/SACD player ($79k) which is as much a jewel as it is an audio component. It includes a DAC and digital preamp, unlike the similar-looking DreamPlay X CD transport shown last year that included a streaming feature.

On the analog side was the Kalista DreamPlay Twenty-Twenty turntable ($54k), also from France, that likewise is very jewel-like with its clear Lucite plinth and gold trim on the platter.

Amplification came from Karan Acoustics from Serbia, including the LINEa preamp with external power supply ($41k), PHONOa phono stage with external power supply ($38k), and POWERa monoblocks ($106k, pr.).

And who should show up here for a live & recorded performance, but Isabeau Corriveau? It was musical excellence either way in this room. World-class.

Dynaudio  And Octave Audio
Dynaudio is a large speaker manufacturer from Denmark with a footprint in the high-end as well as, pro-audio, automotive, and custom install areas. Dynaudio North America is also an importer of Octave Audio electronics from Germany. Last year they showed flagship speakers and electronics at AXPONA which I thought were very impressive. This year they moved down to more affordable products, highlighting the Dynaudio Confidence 50 speaker along with an Octave Audio HP700SE preamp and MRE220 monoblocks. A second rig comprised of a Dynaudio Confidence 20 speaker driven by an Octave Audio V70 Class A integrated amp was also shown. And a third system featuring wireless streaming utilized a Dynaudio Focus active speaker.

They posted a schedule so that attendees who wanted to hear a particular speaker could show up at the designated time without having to wait around for an unpredictable amount of time. I'm showing just the Friday schedule above, but Saturday and Sunday were just below it.

I arrived when they were exhibiting the wireless system with the active Focus speakers set up in a corner near the entrance. For apartment dwellers who move frequently and will never install a dedicated AC line, this approach makes a lot of sense. No speaker cables to worry about or need to change when you make your next career move. Note there was not even a cable between the speakers in this setup — just a power cord to the wall for each speaker. This rig sounded very respectable. Unfortunately, with my tight schedule, I was not able to return to hear the larger rig. (I still had the entire 1st Floor to cover.)

The main rig here featured the Confidence 50 speaker at the time, with the Octave HP700SE preamp and MRE220 monoblocks. The monoblocks were supplemented with Octave's Black Box technology which allows you to add extra capacitance by a factor of 4 (with the Black Box) or a factor of 10 with the Super Black Box as shown here. The Black Boxes allow you to drive inefficient or difficult speakers with impedance as low as 2 Ohms.

Clockwise, from the upper right in the photo above was the Octave HP700SE preamp, ($14,150 line stage, $1600 to add phono, and $2750 to add tone controls.)  Below that looked to be a Black Box, followed by a Moon power supply and a Torus power conditioner. Coming up on the left was a Moon DAC, a Brinkmann power supply, and a Brinkmann Taurus direct drive turntable, also seen below.

On a side table, open for display was an Octave Phono Module which has inputs for MM and two MC, as well as single-ended and two balanced outputs, one of which can be used to drive an amplifier directly. The three tubes boost the RIAA stage. And there is a separate power supply and remote control, presumably to control volume when using the balanced variable output.

Coming Soon! The 1st Floor Is Next!
It was now about lunchtime, so I found a bench and indulged in a Clif Bar and some Mt. Dew before heading down to the 1st Floor at the hotel end. There were still about 14 big rooms to cover, plus a fly-by of the Ear Gear Experience and a spin-through of the Expo Hall. Following that will be a wrap-up and I'll highlight some Best Rooms.

Keep spinning your favorite tunes until then and as always... enjoy the music!

---> Onward to the next part of Rick Becker's extensive AXPONA 2023 show coverage.

---> Back to main AXPONA 2023 show report page.