The AXPONA 2023 Chronicles: Part 2
Fine premium audio gear on the 15th floor.
Audio Expo North America 2023 Show Report By Rick Becker

Valorem Audio, High End by Oz, Thrax Audio, And Albedo Silver Cables
High End by Oz has put together large killer systems at Capital Audiofest, closer to his base in Norwalk, Connecticut. The presentation here was much more modest, in conjunction with the Valorem Audio Somnium M/B speaker system. Valorem Audio is made just south of Schaumburg and just west of Chicago, not far from the show. Their three-speaker line is sold factory direct.

Looking like a modern and more elegant version of Von Schweikert VR-4 systems of many years ago, several design elements visually elevated the speaker to match the fine sound quality. The top module is sold as a stand-mounted monitor ($12k) but the bass unit cannot be bought separately. There are a couple of reasons for this. The complete speaker, top and bottom, go for $30k. The woofer unit is an active bass reflex design with a 250-Watt Ncore amplifier and DSP crossover with three different settings allowing the bass to dig down to 27 Hz, in-room. The tweeter extends up to 35 kHz.

The sides and tops are covered with leather. Full grain on the monitor and split hides on the base unit. You wouldn't want to buy the bass unit later on and not have the leather match. Also, the vertically applied veneer(?) stripes would not be continuous as they are when you buy top and bottom together. You can select from different colored leather to match your décor.

The metal badge and the wood & metal footers were done in brass at a considerable cost. This may be scaled back to chromed units in the future. The finish on the wood is satin and very clear, allowing the variety of wood grain to add character to the speaker. Note the side in the photo is covered with black leather. This was an excellent first exposure to this speaker, which was backed up with Thrax Audio electronics and Albedo Silver cables.

Philips Design
Philips Design was another newcomer. The cylindrical omni-directional design immediately struck me as a lifestyle product suitable for an open floor plan with optional rug rats and dogs. Cats, I'm not so sure about. There is more than a faint resemblance to a scratching post. There are numerous advantages to this design that make it a viable option for people that need more than just good sound.

First of all, it is highly customizable. There are six colors of Corian solid surface for the two tops of the speaker. The main cylinder can be dressed in a variety of cloth, each in multiple colors or premium leather with French seams as was shown here. Even the wood slats are available in different species. Price will vary from $4500 to $6700 depending on the options selected.

Acoustically, this is a poor man's MBL speaker using an acoustic suspension sealed cabinet with coaxial upward firing midrange and tweeter. A downward-firing 12" carbon fiber composite cone woofer with a cast aluminum frame takes frequency response down to 30 Hz. A downward-facing cone disperses midrange and high frequencies in 360 degrees like those mega-buck MBL and Bayz speakers you lust after. Being a sealed design, critters will not hibernate in it and the wood slats will keep small hands away from the drivers after a certain age.

Moreover, if you're careful watering, you can use it as a plant stand. How's that for versatility? Major spousal acceptance factor all the way around. And it's made in Michigan, to boot.

They were streaming through Apple Lossless (24-bit/48kHz) with an LG OLED TV with a Gustard x16 DAC and Meridian 557 dual-mono 200 Wpc amp, bi-wiring with Kimber Kable 12PR and 8PR speaker cables.

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