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

Club Lounge    Bending Wave USA, Riviera Labs, And Wadax
The 15th floor Club Lounge once again served host to Bending Wave USA and an eclectic brethren of some of the finest audio pieces anywhere. Yep, this was a big system. But it was not so much that the large Divin Noblesse speakers ($250,000) took an intimidating posture in the room, but rather the careful blending of like-minded design ideologies among all components that created a compelling illusion of live music.

Upon entering, the music enveloped visitors in this room, as it would in a performance venue. The scale seemed beyond room measurements, yet finesse and grip remained truthful to the musical moment. Members of this impressive audio team included an all-digital Wadax front-end (Atlantis Reference Server [$68,800], Atlantis Reference DAC [$166,420], Akasa Optical System [$20,400]), a beautiful pair of Riviera Audio Labs AFM-100 SE Class A mono amps ($82,800/pr), Riviera Audio Labs APL01 Special Edition preamp ($46,995), and a synthesis of GobelLacorde Statement and WADAX Reference cabling.

As previously mentioned, there were a plethora of informative masterclasses / sessions for this year's AXPONA attendees – A significant increase of learning opportunities from previous Chicago events and, in my opinion, one of the key ingredients that make this show a must for high-end audio enthusiasts of all backgrounds to attend. A stalwart of these learning sessions for many years is Michael Fremer and his "World-Famous Turntable Set-up Seminar," held this year on Friday, 1:15 pm, in the Schaumburg East ballroom. Now, I've certainly done my fair share of set-ups and can dial them in pretty well.

Then there are those who really know their way through the process, raising it to an art. Michael is certainly one such artist, who has written the book on this (or at least the DVD). If you have not seen his tutorial live, it is a must for any analog enthusiast. Even if you've observed his presentation before, it's well worth seeing again. This old dog learned a couple new tricks by attending this year's seminar. Practice makes perfect... (Thanks, Mike!).

Room 1505    Artisan Fidelity
Sublime. In a word, this was the seductive experience of the Artisan Fidelity system. An articulated fullness of music, rich in transient clarity, natural, tactile authenticity, all wrapped with a beauty that was as much the aesthetic visual presence of the collective being of this amalgam as it was musical indulgence... and with no room treatments! A true standout experience.

System Components:

Speakers - TIDAL Piano G3 Midnight Black ($64,000/pr)

Amplification – TIDAL Intra Stereo Amplifier (30,000)

Preamp - TIDAL Prisma (w/ phono)($41,000)

DAC – TIDAL Camira DMC ($42,000)

Streamer – TIDAL Arkas ($30,000)

Garrard 401 Statement SE Macassar Ebony w/ LDA power supply ($39,835)

Tonearm – Schroeder CB-1L (11", ($5,900)

Cartridge – VDH Grand Cru ($14,000)

Power Distribution – Signal Projects Filtron CX ($5,980)

Cabling – Signal Projects Atlantis & Stage II

Room 724    AGD Productions, Inc.
I've been an ardent admirer of Alberto Guerra's work via AGD Productions since our first meeting /conversation at the 2019 AXPONA show. It remains true that, within and beyond their price points, I feel AGD offers some true giant-killers in high end audio. IMHO, the Class D topic is too often put on the table as a debate chip with antiquated rationale. Just.... listen. The music running through these current efforts by AGD Productions speaks for itself. Gorgeous, three-dimensional imaging extending well beyond the room, macro and micro dynamic in spades, no noticeable sonic artifacts, all with lightening transient speed and tautness. Always an engaging experience.

I recently had the pleasure of penning the premiere review of AGD's two-chassis DUET ($11,500/pr, Enjoy the Music.com March 2024). At 300 Watts @ 4 Ohm, the DUET is postured in the AGD amplifier offerings between the Audion MkIII 200 Watt @ 4 Ohm ($7,850/pr) and the Vivace MkII ($15,499/pr, 250W/4 Ohm).

The DUET is the first such Class D amplifier utilizing 100% Gallium nitride MOSFET circuitry for both the output power stage AND the power supply. Forthcoming Enjoy The Music premiere review of the AGD Solo Limited Edition monoblock amplifier ($23,500/pr) later this year!

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