The Only Complete Coverage Of Cutting-Edge Audio At AXPONA 2025
Rick's first floor coverage features top-level audiophile gear & innovations!
Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker 

Schaumburg East
Seminars And Concerts
Continuing toward Schaumburg E, F, G, & H, I passed the empty room where seminars and concerts were staged. As you can see, it was between shows on Sunday.

Schaumburg E
The Lenbrook Group, Bluesound, DALI Speakers, NAD, And PSB Speakers
Upon entering the Lenbrook Group room, I thought, "At last, I will hear the DALI Epikore speakers in an appropriate system." At the Canadian shows, they typically present the DALI speakers driven by NAD amplification. Here, to my surprise, they were driving the flagship Kore speaker from Denmark with the 75th Anniversary McIntosh MC2.1 monoblocks. Yes, what looks at first like a six-pack of amplifiers is just a single pair of monoblocks. Production is limited, so don't put it off if this amplifier appeals to you.

For those who can't afford or don't have room for the Kore, the Epikore series is a small step down and comprises three floorstanders and a stand-mounted monitor with a dedicated stand. We here at Enjoy the Music.com know that careful selection of components and placement in the room may easily make up the difference between the Kore and the Epikore series.

Unfortunately, my wish had not been completely granted. Lenbrook also houses Bluesound under its corporate umbrella, and on top of the SolidSteel rack was a Bluesound Node Icon, their flagship wireless multi-room Hi-Res music streamer. Priced at $1200, depending on which side of the bed the President gets out of, it is a fine value. But in the context of such an expensive speaker and amplification, a more upscale source would certainly be more appropriate for this rig. It didn't sound bad, by any measure, but having recently come from the Luxury Audio Group room, it was a little disappointing. I've heard an Epikore speaker driven by a first-class rig at a Toronto show, and it was...well, first-class.

From a distance, the Kore looks like it might be piano gloss black, but as you get closer, you notice the subtle horizontal grain of the Ammara Ebony wood veneer beneath a crystal clear gloss finish. Ammara Ebony is basically the same as Macassar Ebony, except Ammara comes exclusively from Indonesia. Both are endangered, so I would never buy that wood, even if it were just a pen or knife handle. With the less expensive Epikore series, the finish options are high gloss maroon, high gloss black, and high gloss walnut—all sustainable finishes.

Schaumburg F
dCS, Grand Prix Audio, Kuzma, Nordost, Stenheim Loudspeakers, And VTL
After I had listened to a song here, Bea Lam put on my Rickie Lee Jones LP and played "Danny's All-Star Joint", confirming what everybody else has already said: this was a great room. I haven't always liked it, but Luke Manley switching to his MB-185 monoblocks, now in series III version ($30k/pr), was an improvement over his more expensive and more complex flagship monoblocks used a few years ago. Bi-amp'ing seemed to help the huge Stenheim Reference Ultima, now in 2 SX version ($186.5k, before tariff).

The rest of the rig was on three racks to the right. On the top two shelves of the right rack were dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC ($465k), Vivaldi Upsampler ($27k), and Vivaldi Clock ($21k). On the lower two shelves were various Nordost Q series grounding and filtration products. All the music I heard during my visit was played from vinyl, so I can't comment on the dCS gear.

The two large black components on the short rack in the middle were the Fuel Station battery power supply for the Grand Prix Audio turntable. Below that was another Nordost box.

Atop the first rack was the new Grand Prix Audio Monaco 3.0 turntable. Below was the VTL TL-7.5 Series Reference Line Preamplifier ($40k) with remote control, and below that was the VTL TP 6.5 Series II Signature Phono Preamplifier ($17k). On the bottom shelf was the VTL power supply for the line stage.

The racks were notable for their multi-beveled Plyboo shelves and metal pillars with unusual connections to the next shelf. Complex engineered footers at the floor likely had adjustment and vibration-absorbing features. Grand Prix Audio has an extensive selection of very high-tech racks, and this may have been a new, more affordable model.

The new Grand Prix Audio Monaco 3.0 turntable ($56,250) was fitted with a Kuzma Safir 9 tonearm ($23,140) and Lyra Etna cartridge ($9k). I like the small footprint and high-tech molded carbon fiber plinth. Two of the three principals of this company come from very high-achieving automotive racing careers and brought a wealth of knowledge with them.

Grand Prix Audio also has a more affordable turntable, the Parabolica model with trickle-down technology, but when you start from a $56k model without a tonearm, the Parabolica will still be expensive.

Being a sponsor of the room, Nordost cables, power conditioning, and grounding systems were used throughout and is highly prized by reviewers here at Enjoy the Music.com. The list was extensive, but included an Odin Gold power cord ($44k), Odin 2 power cords ($22.5k ea.), and Odin 2 Loudspeaker cable ($39.6k, length not specified, but the one in use was quite long). Numerous QSource, QKORE, QWAVE, QKOIL, QVIBE items, and Sort Kone footers were also in use. Note the clever Nordost Sort Lift rabbit-ear cable holders for the ribbon speaker cable in the photo. Nordost comes from Holliston, Massachusetts, not a remote village in Scandinavia like their name suggests.

Flagship products are selling to the ultra-wealthy, and this room was full of them. Each of these companies has more affordable series in their catalogs. Over the years, I've come to appreciate that great care must be given when selecting amplification for Stenheim speakers, particularly if you prefer solid-state gear. The VTL gear is among the finest tube gear, so this room shone, as many other reviewers have said.

---> Next Page.