The AXPONA 2023 Chronicles: Part 12
The one, and only, 1st Floor.
Audio Expo North America 2023 Show Report By Rick Becker

The Expo Hall
Ride with me now as I return to those thrilling days of Yesteryear (the early 1990s) when I plundered garage sales for LPs at a dime or a quarter apiece! Actually, like any garage sale or flea market, there was some pretty cool stuff to be found in the Expo Hall. All it takes is an eagle eye.

Just before closing on Sunday afternoon, the place was just about empty of show-goers, giving me a largely unobstructed view of the tables. I'm not in the market for a new turntable, but what's that vertical yellow sign advertising "Speaker Snap" all about?

Ah-ha!!! The first gem!  Speaker Snaps! Fast and secure solderless banana plugs. Two pieces are $7.99; eight pieces are $24.99. Larger discounts on larger quantities. Insert your bare wire, snap down the yellow lever and you're done. Just what folks with a phobia about soldering need.

Crazy Lenny stopped a lot of old timers dead in their tracks with a wall of vintage receivers priced higher than they originally sold for back in the day. Of course, most of them looked better than new with LED lights in their faceplates. And probably sounded better than new if they had been re-capped.

I loved this Star Wars turntable that comes complete with a disco cartridge and a first aid kit in case you cut yourself on the plinth in a music-induced state of euphoria (Editor's Note: Rick is making sure Metallica fans are paying attention  :) ).

And not to worry if I did cut myself on the above turntable. There's a doctor in the house — Jonathan Monks, "The Original Record Doctor", selling modern-day versions of the original Keith Monks record cleaner, seen here announcing the new King Charles version in honor of the newly inaugurated King of England and a few other parts of the island. Next year I'll have to remember to slip a 45 into my briefcase for a free demo cleaning.

Elusive Disc was there with LPs and CDs as well as bottles of medicine for your record cleaning machine.

Music Direct went a step further selling turntables to go with the LPs and George Harrison black t-shirts proclaiming "Give Me Love" for those who wish to dress for success.

But this is the shirt that takes the prize! Socrates couldn't have said it better.

The woman here must have read my report last year as this time she was wearing a smile. Consequently, I picked up a copy of Hoodoo Man Blues to revive my memory of Junior Wells and Buddy Guy at the Newport Folk Festival back in 1968.

This vintage record brush looked like a quality collectible item from back in radio's heyday.

At prices like this, I should bring a few boxes from home and set up a tailgate in the parking lot before the show opens in the morning.

Direct Audio had a tidy table with LPs that ran around their entire block.

KingRex Electric was packing up its high-end panel box display with solid copper bus bars.

I couldn't read the titles of these Chinese LPs but the artwork caught my eye.

Yi Zhu set me up with some headphones to sample some of the music and I was genuinely impressed.

Ah, shades of the High Point International Furniture Show!

Just what you need to play all your Beatles remasters. Speaking of Yellow Submarines, it was after 4 p.m. and time for me to hit the road to visit the kids and kiddos in Michigan.

The Exploration Rooms: Echowell Audio
In examining the floor plan of the 1st Floor I realized I had missed the small Exploration Rooms in the hallway leading out to the parking lot to the east of the main entrance. Echowell Audio presented their all-in-one (including speakers) tube-powered table radios. They are cleanly styled with a contemporary look and are billed as a musical solution for nuclear families. I invite you to check out their website. They fill a niche at the edge of high-end audio that some of you may be interested in and I'll be sure to check them out the next time I come across them.

Within Part 13... My Best Of AXPONA 2023 Awards
Coming up in a few days will be my Best Of AXPONA 2023 Awards! These are the very best sounding exhibit room that I came across at the show this year, as well as sharing some final thoughts about the event. Stay tuned for the final wrap-up and enjoy your music until then... 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.