FIAE 2025 High-End Luxury Home Audio Show Highlights
YG Acoustics, SVS, Western Electric, Aurender, Berkeley Audio, Taiko Audio, Doshi Audio, Joseph Audio, and more.
Florida International Audio Expo 2025 Show Report By Chuck Bruce

  Reviewed by everyone and their sister-in-law is the SVS brand Ultra Pinnacle Evolution large floorstanding loudspeakers ($500 per pair). As expected, you have time alignment, diamond tweeters, and a big sound down to 16 Hz. Field reports say they also have excellent imaging, though be aware they are a low-ish 88dB/W/m sensitive and present a more challenging 6 Ohm load to your amplification. Also on demonstration was an SVS two-way design at $1200 per pair.

For those seeking more efficient loudspeakers and immense SPL dynamic swings, Volti hornspeakers provide a truly excellent performance from this high-sensitivity (104dB/W/m) folded horn design. These high-end, and handsome, hornspeakers were being driven by a very modest Cary Audio 40-Watt stereo vacuum tube integrated amplifier ($4,995). To my ears, the realism is second to none.

Without a doubt, some of the most natural, dynamic, and engaging music appreciated at the Tampa audio show was enjoyed thanks to Jeff Joseph of Joseph Audio and Nick Doshi of Doshi Audio. They presented a new pair of Joseph Audio Graphene Ultra floorstanding three-way towers ($52,000 per pair). Electronics were the Doshi Audio line-level Evolution Series preamp offered at $22,000 and a pair of Evolution Series mono-block power amplifiers offered at $45,000 per pair, with an all vacuum tube implementation.

Much of the music source was via a stunning Studer A810 reel-to-reel tape desk at 15ips utilizing a Doshi Audio's outboard vacuum tube-based preamplifier. Stunning indeed, especially for those who love live jazz music. An Aurender N30SA Media Server 8TB provided this role offered at $25,000. A Berkeley Audio Design Ref 3 DAC was offered at 28,000 and connected via a Berkeley USB 2 ($2,495), while interconnect and loudspeaker cables were Cardas Audio's Clear product line.

In another room here at the Florida International Audio Expo 2025 were Western Electric's 300B vacuum tube amplifiers and YG Acoustics' large floorstanding loudspeakers. Superlative sound was enjoyed in the Supreme Acoustic Systems room. This was achieved via a suite of top-tier, flagship gear featuring four of the new Western Electric 300B tubed monoblock power amps. Their model WE 97A produces 80 Watts of SE or Balanced Class A operation ($60,000 each) via eight 300B triode tubes per unit. Also from WE was their upcoming WE 95 300 B-based line preamplifier ( price TBD) and their WE 116C phono preamplifier (price TBD).

The WE monoblocks were powering a pair of YG Acoustics XV3 Signature Tower loudspeakers (company under new owners) with companion subwoofer towers filling the room with deep and tight bass.

There was ample fine detail, especially female vocals, which is always a good test. The four-piece towers were priced at $498,000. The air-bearing, linear tracking arm turntable was via Bergman Galder of Germany offered at $49,000. Also performing on the digital music streaming side was an extensive suite of gear from Taiko Olympus featuring their flagship DAC / Streamer ($73,000). All in all, quite a most enjoyable musical presentation congrats to them.

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