The Big AXPONA 2024 Show Report
The largest, most well-managed, and most amazing show in North America!
Audio Expo North America 2024 Show Coverage By Greg Weaver

Nirvana C – Convergent Audio Technology
Ken Stevens, the founder and chief designer behind New York state's Convergent Audio Technology, or CAT, products has been building some of the most magnificent looking – and exceptional sounding – valve-based electronics since the mid-1980s.

System Details:
Audio Arrow Capitol Classic CD Player - $6,000 when discontinued in 2000
VPI HP40 turntable/tonearm – $22,000
Van den Hul Crimson MC Cartridge - $5,000
CAT SL 1 Legend aGS Extreme preamp - $99,996
CAT The Statement aGS Extreme monoblocks: $249,990/pair

CAT JL7SE aGS Extreme monoblocks - $74,990/pair

CAT JL5LE aGS Extreme amplifier - $34,995
Clarisys Audio Auditorium speakers - $180,000/pair

Clarisys Audio Piccolo - $19,999/pair

Arcici Suspense Racks - $2,000 when discontinued in 2000

Ginkgo Arches – isolation for amplifiers - $179/set of four

Black Path Audio Cables:
Black Path amorphous Gold/Silver "Hot Rod" interconnects - $8,000/$2,000 per each 0.5- meter
Black Path prototype loudspeaker cables – no price given
Essential Sound Products:

Reference 1.5m power cord - $2,499

Reference Power Distributor 2m: $4499

Renaissance 1.5m Power cord - $4,999

Renaissance Power Distributor 2m: $6,999

Essential Sound Products ESP Eloquence: power cord - $20,000

Eloquence Power Distributor 2m: $27,000

Clarisys Audio is a Florida-based firm that has offered full-range magnetic ribbon loudspeakers, manufactured in Viet Nam, for about the past decade-and-a-half. By the time I got there Sunday, the larger Auditorium loudspeakers were dormant, and the much smaller Clarisys Audio Piccolo had assumed their duties.

This diminutive prototype model of the Piccolo had only been finished days before the show opened and was so new that they didn't even have the pricing sorted out or printed on any of its literature.

Unlike some historically monstrously difficult-to-drive ribbon loudspeakers (can you say, "Apogee?"?) the Clarisys models are said to present a much less demanding and challenging load to amplifiers. I didn't have a lot of time to listen, but I got to hear the Piccolo's playing a reissue of "The Doors" LP driven by the smaller 120 Wpc CAT JL5LE aGS Extreme amplifier, and the system was not only capable of filling this large room, effortlessly, but it also presented convincingly faithful instrument tonality, a large and spacious stage, and offered a very convincing sense of scale and dynamism.

Serenity Room – Audio Group Denmark
Every once in a while, you walk into a room at an audio show and have one of those "Holy Shite" moments. The Serenity Room, where AGD presented their $280,000 a pair flagship Børresen Acoustics loudspeakers during AXPONA 2023, a product that I had the opportunity to be the first to review, had taken a completely different approach this year. Instead of an all-out, cost-no-object assault, they were presenting some of their newest, and most affordable products. Everything was driven with the Axxess Forté 3 All-in-One, and we got to hear the world premiere performance of the new Børresen C1 stand-mounted loudspeakers, the Axxess series 4 outlet power distribution bar, and many cables from the just introduced Axxess series cable stable!

System Details:
AXXESS Forté 3 All-in-One Streamer/DAC/Integrated Amplifier - $11,000
Børresen C1 speaker - $16,500 – with stands/Stainless Steel Darkz isolators – NEW!
AXXESS 4 Outlet Power Distribution Bar - Estimated MSRP $1000 - NEW!

Ansuz Ethernet Switch X-TC3 - $2600

AXXESS AC Power Cords - 1 M - $385 - NEW!

AXXESS Speaker Cables - 3 M - $825/pair - NEW!

AXXESS Ethernet Cables - 1 M - $360 - NEW!

First, this entire system had a retail cost that was just under $35,000. Now, I'm not suggesting that is budget pricing, but what this system delivered – at that retail price – was well beyond any level of audio performance I would have any right to expect for less than perhaps twice its sticker price!

This system, with these new C1 stand-mounted monitors, presented an unbelievable level of impact and low-end extension. Its degree of musical articulation, resolution, and transparency was simply stunning as was its ability to render imaging and staging cues. Just remarkable performance – yet again!

Utopia B – Focal And Naim
While this room could be somewhat distracting at times (there were multiple systems set up facing various directions, often with several playing at the same time), when they made a point to focus on the main system, it was pretty impressive... as you may expect.

System Details:
Naim ND555 Network Audio Player - $22,999

Naim Statement - NAC S1 pre-amp - $99,999

NAP S1 monoblock amplifiers - $99,999/each - $199,998 total
Focal Grande Utopia EVO Speakers - $279,998 pair

With the focus on the flagship system at the back of the room, featuring the combination of the UK's Naim NAC S1 linestage and a pair of the Naim Statement S1 monoblocks amplification driving the monstrous French Focal Grande Utopia EVOs, the sound was as large and spectacular as the gear itself.

The sonically critical electronics of the NAC S1 preamplifier are suspended vertically within a brass sub-chassis with a resonant frequency of just 12Hz to help ensure mechanical isolation of the most sensitive circuit boards. And the Statement chassis' vertical form is no accident either, as this design provides the most efficient cooling and the greatest separation between the huge power supply in the base and sensitive electronics in the upper section.

Each of the 223-pound, 37" tall, 10" wide, and 15" deep NAP S1 power amplifiers features a massive 4kVA transformer allowing it to deliver 746 Watts, or one horsepower, to its loudspeaker. The use of their proprietary Naim Discrete Regulators transforms its power into a smooth and stable power supply that delivers that one horsepower (746W!) into an 8-Ohm load, 1450W into 4 Ohms, and will provide a 9 kiloWatt burst into 1 Ohm!

Not to be outdone, the four-way floor standing Focal Grande Utopia EVO speakers feature a 1" IAL2 pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter, flanked above and below by a pair of 6 1/2" third generation 'W' composite sandwich technology midrange drivers. An 11" 'W' composite midbass occupies the very top of the front enclosure, while a 16" 'W' composite Electro-Magnet woofer completes the driver array, mounted below the M-T-M arrangement. With a frequency response of 18 Hz to 40 kHz, they stand 79 13/16" tall, by 25 3/4 wide, and x 34 5/8" deep, they tip the scales at 584 pounds each.

This system left many a mouth agape during its demonstration, and with good reason. This is such an exceptionally synergistic pairing of gear.

Connection Room – Quintessence Audio
This room represented a serious treat from one of the Windy City's most established high-performance audio retailers, Quintessence Audio. It was also where IMPEX Records' founder Abey Fonn hosted a presentation with Chuck Granata to discuss and promote the May release of their newly remastered and annotated 70 anniversary audiophile issue of the iconic 1950 Columbia Records LP, Sing and Dance with Frank Sinatra. Abey and Chuck spoke at length for about twenty-five minutes, detailing some of the production efforts, and played several tracks from this upcoming release.

System Details:
Clearaudio Statement turntable black lacquer - $300,000

Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement MC cartridge - $17,500
Boulder 2108 Phonostage - $62,000

Innuos Statement with Next Gen PSU - $25,000

Innuos PhoenixNet - $4,349
dCS Vivaldi Apex streaming DAC - $46,500

dCS Vivaldi Clock - $21,000

dCS Vivaldi Upsampler -$27,000
Boulder 3010 Linestage  - $158,000

Boulder 2150 monoblock power amps - $128,000/pair
Sonus faber Aida MklI Loudspeakers - $140,000

Critical Mass Systems Maxuum-Ultra racks/isolation systems - $70,875
Transparent Magnum Opus and XL cables - $192,960 total

And yes, this system was a stand-out. Its notable strengths included its remarkably authentic timber, especially with the presentation of drum skin tone, its excellent resolution and resultant transparency, convincing body and bloom, as well as its three-dimensional staging and imaging attributes. Well done!

Schaumburg H – AURALiC North America And EDS Acoustics Hangzhou Co. Ltd.
While this system garnered a lot of attention from the uninitiated showgoers given its enormity, impressive appearance, and staggering cost – displayed as a $4,000,000 system, the sound from this combined system of these Chinese partners, AURALiC electronics and EDS Acoustics loudspeakers, left me amused at its draw, but – not exactly enamored of its sonic performance.

This was simply a case of bigger, and more expensive, just not necessarily better. But it sure did draw a crowd!

---> Greg Weaver's Top 5 Rooms / Best Of AXPONA 2024 Blue Note Awards.