Rick Becker's Favorite Rooms At AXPONA 2025
Part 12 rounds out 572 Photos and over 50,000 words covering nearly every room as Rick Becker selects his Favorite Rooms, rather than the Best Rooms as he has done in the past.
Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker 

  There is an industry myth that audio shows are too big to cover in their entirety. AXPONA 2025 high-end audiophile show was said to have 210 rooms. I didn't get to them all, but probably 200. A few doors were locked when I came by. And that's not to say I covered them in great depth or spent enough time listening to music to sort out the shortcomings of a given speaker or a newly introduced component.  After all, who's to say the problem wasn't with the front end of a system, or inherent with the shape or size of the room?

I don't mean to put down anyone with a more limited or focused approach. Those can be helpful, too. We each have special skills to contribute, and we all benefit from the multiplicity of show coverage by so many journalists across many platforms. I'm grateful for my stamina and perseverance. And I'm grateful for the willingness of Enjoy the Music.com to publish my very extensive coverage. It's my way of giving back to the industry, whether you're a start-up company or one of the most recognized brands, distributors, or dealers. It has been my style to cover all the rooms at shows since I began contributing to rec.audio.high-end back in the days of Google newsgroups in the mid-1990s.

The Best Rooms
When I started covering shows around 30 years ago, show coverage was so minimal that no one had editorial space to list the Best Room at a show. Eventually, that competition took hold as show coverage and the industry expanded. In the mid-2000s, I rebelled against the unlevel playing field of price and room size. I started nominating Best Rooms as a class, taking into account the different sizes of the rigs and rooms, and considering how well a system accomplished the goals it was aiming for. The Best Rooms eventually became a marketing tool for our magazine, as well as the recipients of those awards. More recently, the awards of multiple reporters from Enjoy the Music.com were bundled. The imitation by other publications and bloggers has been flattering.

This year, I'm going to move the cheese once again. Since I forgot my video camcorder to record music clips in prominent rooms, I don't have that resource to refresh my memory. Instead of nominating Best Rooms, which have already been announced on Enjoy The Music.com, I'll share with you my Favorite Rooms.

My Favorite Rooms
My Favorite Rooms are those where I discovered something new or interesting that captured my fancy. My personal bias? Damn right! Maybe it was a new component, a sense of excellent value, or maybe just outstanding sound quality from the traditional viewpoint. If a room was largely redundant from the previous year or a previous show, it was less likely to tickle my fancy. There is a bias toward reporting on the new and good, which is commonplace among show reports. Given how long it has taken me to finish this report, now 18 weeks since the show ended, rooms that have faded away in my memory were less likely to be recognized here. (A family vacation, my anniversary, and my wife's birthday wiped out most of July 2025.) I did, however, examine every photo and reread my comments for every room.

Setting the bar at a moderate height, I created a list of interesting rooms that totaled 70, roughly a third of the rooms I visited. From there, I highlighted 10 that highly impressed me for one reason or another. These are rooms that still shine brightly in the rear-view mirror, months after I drove past Cleveland on my way home.

Starting at the top of the hotel in Part 1, and working my way down through the show, here we go.

Note: Click on room photo to take you to Rick's original comments and see more photos.

KMD Engineering Co. Ltd.
In room 728, KMD Engineering from South Korea has been on my radar for several years. Early on, they showed their flagship speaker with drivers extending out to the left and right. This year, they presented more modest models that looked like a cross between speakers by Goldmund (Switzerland) and Wilson (USA), with each driver in a separate aluminum enclosure. The resolution and transparency were first-class. I could easily envision them in an outstanding contemporary high end rig in an upscale setting. That they were driven by a modest Unison tube integrated amplifier fed by a HiFi Rose streamer was very impressive, and makes me wonder how really good these speakers might be. With more expertise in the marketing department and perhaps some rebranding, this speaker company could achieve more widespread recognition and acceptance. If you get a chance, give them a serious listen.

Fosi Audio
I had seen Fosi Audio components on silent display at Montreal Audiofest many years ago, but this entry-level Chinese company has survived on its cult status on the internet. I had seen and heard this new series for the first time just weeks earlier in Montreal, and I was impressed. Ditto for AXPONA 2025 here at room 546. With the anodized chassis and orange knob, they have achieved an attractive image and established the brand as an entry-level product worthy of displaying and being heard. Getting people to notice and pay attention to your product is half the battle. The other half is producing good music. This entry-level gear was sounding far better than any rig I assembled (for a lot more money) when I was first getting into the high end. Being affordable, small, and easily transported fits right into the lifestyle of younger folks trying to establish a career and a family. It is a terrific gateway line for the high end. Let's hope tariffs don't kill it off.

Nirvana Audio Co. Ltd.
In room 564, the Nirvana Audio Chronos was my most exciting discovery at AXPONA. This was a demonstration using speakers and an amplifier I was familiar with. Moving the little thumb drive-sized Chronos into the room transformed this modest system into a listening experience that was far more tactile, three-dimensional, and engaging than without it. It is one of a new generation of products that deal with the EMF fields that surround our systems with increasing noise as more electronic devices become a part of our lives. I was loaned a sample, and I drove the long way home to avoid having to explain EMF to Customs officials, either entering or leaving Canada. The Chronos was even more impressive in my rig at home. Hopefully, you will be hearing more about the Chronos from this Taiwan (ROC) company in the fall.

REL Acoustics America
In room 344, was REL Acoustics America. I've needled subwoofer manufacturers in the past about not showing their subs at shows. More typically, they might be shown on silent display. It is understandable if you're trying to impress visitors with a mega-buck monster tower with multiple bass drivers that ought to be able to fill the room with solid bass by themselves. And in a sleeping room, one might think a sub could be overwhelming and create difficult bass nodes. And why would speaker Brand A want to display with Subwoofer Brand B anyway? I understand the reluctance.

REL threw down the gauntlet and crammed a six-pack of S-510 subs next to Wilson Sabrina X speakers in a sleeping room. To be certain, the Sabrina is not a wimpy speaker in the bass (or anywhere else, for that matter). The effect was astounding. The subs loaded the room, taking the bass deeper and enhancing the midrange without significant distortion—unless you consider chest-thumping bass itself a distortion. It was the kind of bass you feel at a rock concert, only with much higher resolution. At over $15.6k for the subs, they are almost as much as the Sabrina. Add in another $6k (at least) for good quality power cords, and consider your power conditioning to accommodate those extra cords.

In my case, with an open floor plan, I would also have to wonder if I could get that much physical impact from them, although I expect they would enhance the lower octaves as well as the midrange. But in this enclosed box of a room, they seemed to do everything right. They also give you the option of tuning the bass to your room to some extent. Adding the six subs, power cords, and a power strip or two, you might come up with a price of $45k, which isn't bad considering you could end up with a speaker system that puts you in the league with $100k to $200k speakers. I was impressed.

Danville Signal Processing
Having heard a previous prototype of Wendell Diller's open baffle subwoofers in Toronto a few years ago, here in room 354 I was delighted to experience this new model, designed with a DSP crossover and amplification by Al Clark at Danville Signal Processing. I have visited the Danville rooms at numerous shows. Wendell has retired from a long career with Magnepan, and his plan is to market this new design in a quasi-kit form through his new company, PlanarBASS. The open baffle sub is appropriate for use with other panel speakers as well. Using multiple fast 6" drivers tuned from low bass up into the midrange, the sub achieves the speed necessary to blend with fast planar speakers.

The result is improved bass quantity and quality. This open baffle dipole design is easily customized with various materials, and the small footprint facilitates placement next to the main speaker, even if it is relatively close to a side wall. From what I heard, I think Wendell is really on to something with this open baffle concept, and I look forward to hearing it again.

VAC (Valve Amplification Company) And Acora Acoustics
The VAC and Acora Acoustics has received so many accolades in recent years (including mine), it is tempting to consider it an old warhorse and pass over it. Yet here at AXPONA 2025's Euphoria Room, I keep returning for recalibrating my ear/brain point of reference. Even before this team solidified, Val Cora had a way of attracting top brands to show off his speakers. It was almost inevitable that he and Kevin Hayes of VAC would eventually meet. And it was no surprise that Val and Ken Stevens of CAT would eventually show together just a few doors down the hall.

Seeing the VRC in green-tinted stone illuminated from within was a refreshing change. The new VAC power amplifier was certainly spectacular with it, but the Acora is not a difficult load to drive. I happily drive a slightly less efficient and more affordable Acora speaker with 20-watt tube-powered monoblocks in a large room with an open floor plan. Nonetheless, the modest-sized VRC speaker and powerful VAC amp excelled in this very large room, while comparable rooms displaying much larger speakers were less successful. The other locations where I heard Acora speakers at AXPONA were also very highly regarded, but this big rig with state-of-the-art front ends and cables was my reference at this show.

PS Audio
I've been trolling PS Audio for years, admiring Paul McGowan's efforts to create a strong brand and achieve a cult following. The PS Audio ‘family' is probably more centered around Paul himself than PS Audio products per se. He more rightly could be called a ‘Champion for the Industry'. From my exposure to his brand at shows, I've lamented for years that his products have fallen just short of qualifying for Best Rooms recognition. Admittedly, I'm a tube guy, so he has had an uphill challenge.

I have been out of the PS Audio loop for a while, so I didn't know what to expect this year, but in room 8329 at AXPONA 2025 high-end audiophile show it was clearly evident once the music played. The new DAC and line stage (and phono stage yet to come) have raised the bar for the entire line. It was exciting to hear how much better the FR30 speakers sounded with the improved electronics. I knew this was possible, as I have heard his speakers with other amplification sounding better at Canadian shows. I left the room at AXPONA feeling very happy for the entire PS Audio team, as I know how hard Paul and the team have worked over the years. This was not just one of my Favorite Rooms at the show, but also, solidly, one of the Best Rooms.

Luxury Audio Group, Crystal Cable, Estelon, Vitus Audio, And Scott Walker Audio
Two years ago, Aldo Filippelli presented the Estelon flagship speaker along with Vitus Audio components and Crystal Cable, easily falling among the Best Rooms at the show. Although the speaker was now in a Mk II version, AXPONA 2025 within the Journey Creation Complex room, the sound was dramatically better. I recognized markedly greater transparency, resolution, and dynamics, resulting in a ‘you are there' presentation comparable to being present at a live performance. The music compelled me to listen to it, much as if the performers were present.

I've experienced similar results with my reviews of LessLoss components over the past two years, and I strongly suspect much of the improvement in this system was the contribution of judicious application of A.R.T. (Audio Realignment Technologies) products to most of the electronic components. This technology deals with the EMF noise in the environment, effectively reducing or eliminating it. It is quite different from power conditioning, which deals with noise embedded in the electronic signals. Like power conditioning and more recently grounding systems, this technology is the newest component category required to achieve the highest level of music reproduction. I expect you will be hearing more about it in the future.

This room created quite a buzz among others at the show, and it was certainly the most impressive room I heard. Whether you like the intense experience of being at live performances is another question, but you could always dial back the application of A.R.T. products to your liking. For most audiophiles, this will be a non-issue as everything in this room was top shelf and very expensive, but the experience was priceless, and this room seems destined to be one of the best I've heard in my career.

Synergistic Research And Scott Walker Audio
It's tough for me to argue that I'm not a Synergistic Research fanboy, but the larger truth is I'm a tweak junkie. Here in room 8386 at AXPONA 2025 was where Synergistic research and Scott Walker Audio showcased their latest high-end audio gear. It just so happens that Ted Denney is probably the best and most prolific in the industry. I've reviewed many of his products, most of which still reside in my system. Synergistic cables, power conditioners, and fuses have seen many upgrades over the years. Only a few of their products have been surpassed. Still, there is always more to be learned by visiting this room. With more time than usual, I learned a lot by listening to comparisons with and without the Black Box, Vibratron, FEQ Carbon, the complete ground system, and the HFT Speaker Kit Mk II. The improvements were readily apparent, though they varied somewhat in value. I learned a lot from this experience and highly recommend you visit them at the many shows they attend.

Beyond the comparisons, the room itself was a sonic feast with an excellent system that typically falls in the Best Rooms category. It featured their top accessories, power conditioner, cables, racks, and their streamer, as well as fine components from other brands. Two of their products may be included in my Turntable Tweaking article sometime this fall or winter.

Stack Audio
While the Expo Hall is a room full of silent displays, it is also a room for meeting manufacturers and discovering products that might otherwise get lost or overlooked in an active room with music playing. Such was the case with Stack Audio. I've known Theo Stack since he first started, and while he has moved away from the Linn LP12 turntable tweaks that brought us together, he ventured into footers, which I've reviewed very highly. He has also ventured into streaming. Most recently, he has developed a turntable mat and record weight; one of each fell into my briefcase for review and inclusion in my Turntable Tweaking article for later this year. I've already let the cat out of the bag about them, with the Serene Mat being very highly recommended at $84, and the record weight also recommended at $218.

David Solomon, who has been a promoter for Qobuz for years, working shows in the US and Canada for the French streaming company, couldn't resist jumping into the action at the Stack Audio booth. David has since moved on to a new position with Gramophone and World Wide Stereo as Director of Content Innovation & Brand Engagement. I hope I still get to see him at shows.

After making it to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sunday to spend the night with our kids and grandkids, I took the long way home around the south side of Lake Erie to avoid having to deal with US Customs. Passing through Cleveland, I bypassed the Rock Hall, staying on the expressways, and caught a view of the home of the Cleveland Indians.

This report has been a deep dive into what was probably the largest high end show open to the public in North America, attracting almost 11,000 people. I hope I've filled some of the void for those who wish they had been able to attend. And I hope I've done a fair amount of justice to the presenters, who all worked hard and spent big bucks to put on the show for all of us. My apologies again to the handful of rooms I missed.

On my radar for this fall are several product reviews that are long overdue, as well as the Toronto Audiofest 2025 and Capital Audiofest 2025. I hope to see you there.

Pay attention to what's happening in the world, and enjoy your music.

---> Back to the AXPONA 2025 show report homepage.