Great Memories Of AXPONA 2024
A renewed energy and inspiration for the art of high-end audio.
Audio Expo North America 2024 Show Coverage By Professor Michael Bump

Room 1627   GTT Audio, Kronos, MolaMola, And Vivid Audio At AXPONA 2024
There were those rooms plentiful of incredible designs and engineering, and then there were those rooms that, in my opinion, were truly music rooms – Those pieces meticulously gathered whose synergistic interaction offered windows to reality few have achieved in high-end audio. For a professional musician such as myself, the gathering is analogous to the selection of individual musicians who serve to shape the body of a professional orchestra. Such was the ensemble performing in the GTT Audio room. Though I was unable to visit the smaller system of the two-room suite, the larger room represented an outstanding and well-thought amalgam, offering stunning musical presentations of every recorded sample put forth.

The analog front-end included the Kronos Sparta table ($26,000), Kronos Kronoscope RS tonearm ($14,000), Kronos SSCPS power supply ($9,500), and My Sonic Lab Signature Platinum MC cartridge ($11,000), while digital consisted of the Dejitterit Switch X Ethernet switch ($3,500), Grimm MU1 Roon core/streamer ($12,500), and MolaMola Tambaqui DAC ($13,500).

Power management honors were bestowed upon a pair of the amazing Audionet Heisenberg mono amps ($105,000), Audionet Stern line stage pre ($48,950), and the MolaMola Lupe phono stage ($9,800), with power distribution managed by the Kubala-Sosna Xpander ($5,400). Cabling was a full loom of Kubala-Sosna Realization. Delivering the musical message of this ensemble was a pair of Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit speakers ($105,550).

For the second year in a row, I am pleased to extend a Best Of AXPONA 2024 Blue Note Award to the GTT Audio & Video's primary system.

Room 1621    Von Schweikert Audio, LampizatOr, And Hear This
As with the GTT Audio & Video room, this is the second year in which this crew presented in this room, giving them a seasoned perspective on maximizing the acoustic potential of the space. Unlike the GTT Audio room, however, this room poses a few unique spatial challenges, but were overcome with aplomb.

As mentioned within my introductory remarks to this report, room tuning as a concept in hotel rooms seems fundamentally an oxymoron. Sonic maladies abound, particularly when factoring in traffic and countless distractions to attentive listening. And yet, those who persevere with patience and exceptional acoustical savvy win the day, for in spite of the odds, the collective musical instrument they have constructed recreates a level of reality in live performance that cannot be denied.

Such as it was with team Von Schweikert Audio, LampizatOr, and Hear This. Framed by the amazing VSA VR-55 Special Edition speakers (with Foundation / ARC bass controller, $85,000), the system consisted of an all-digital front-end (LampizatOr Poseidon DAC / preamp [$25,800], Sonore Signature Rendu SE Deluxe music streamer [$5,350], Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i9 / Gen 4 Roon server [$3,999]), driven by four exquisite WestminsterLab Rei Class A monoblocks (in a vertical bi-amp configuration)($67,800), two WestminsterLab dual Mono Quest balanced preamplifiers (full carbon edition, $53,800), Subbase Audio Vividuszwo grounding box (for source components, $13,000), brought together in harmony by a full loom of MasterBuilt Audio Ultra cabling.

A compelling contribution to the system this year was a pair of Von Schweikert V-12XS MkII Shockwave ARC (bass correction) Systems ($33,000), which, in tandem with the VR-55 Special Editions, were masterfully dialed in by artisan CEO, Damon Von Schweikert. Again, this was a rare opportunity for attendees to momentarily forget they were in a hotel room and be placed squarely in a live musical performance, with an awareness that the venue is all around you.

A faithful re-creation of the recorded moment, and a memorable Best Of AXPONA 2024 Blue Note Award. Kudos to Gary Leeds, Damon Von Schweikert, Lukasz Fikus, and their team for crafting this exceptional experience at this year's AXPONA.

1628 / Aster    AXISS Audio
Though the primary system of this two-room suite was indeed impressive both in optics and sound, especially the Transrotor Tourbillon Reference Turntable ($47,975) and Transrotor Tourbillon Stand ($15,975, photo below), it was the secondary system that caught my attention. This ensemble included not one, but eight new components, including the freshly-minted 3 Series Soulution pieces:

Soulution 312 power amplifier ($28,975)

Soulution 326 preamplifier ($21,475)

Soulution 350 phonostage ($21,975)

Soulution 360 DAC ($24,975)

Transrotor Bellini TMD turntable ($6,495) w/Transrotor Studio 9" tonearm ($5,595)

Gauder Akustik Capello 100 speakers ($25,975)

Beaudioful RAC-R (3 shelf) ($4,800)

I was not previously familiar with Gauder Akustik, but was pleasantly taken with their exceptionally life-like soundstage, speed, and organic truth-to-source. Equally so with the Transrotor Bellini TMD table (with Transrotor MC Tamino mc cartridge [$18,975.00]), offering an exceptional, tangible presence of the performance.

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