Day 2 Delivers Tantalizing Hi-Fi Gear At FIAE 2025
More rooms, more musical bliss!
Florida International Audio Expo 2025 Show Report By Brett Rudolph

Room 464   Deep Dive Audio
Everyone has a favorite room at the expo, and this one curated by Deep Dive Audio is mine. Occasionally, Enjoy the Music.com reviewers come across a system that does everything right; this one is it. It was the room and the acoustics or the way it was placed, but whatever it the synergy of everything together just worked. I couldn't get enough of the music in this room. I heard it on the first day as part of our whirlwind tour and returned a few times afterward to listen to it again because I was taken with it.

First, while it was a pretty system, the speakers were gorgeous. They not only looked great, but their sound was something you might expect from angels. They could hit the highest highs and the lowest lows. Again, it was the room or the speakers, but whatever the case, they were magical. The detail they presented was equally impressive. However, I did hear a slight compression somewhere. Still, it didn't matter because whatever you heard was so incredible that you could forgive it. 

We heard "Hoist the Sails" during the demo, but an A Capella version. A tenor voice was so deep you could feel it in your bones. The deepness and lushness of that voice were excellent when heard through this system. There was no muddiness, no loss of detail. In parts when other singers joined him, the harmony was fantastic and effortless. There was no loss in fidelity, and it was as clear as a bell. I can't praise the performance enough and couldn't get enough. The song was ten minutes long and felt like only a moment.

I usually don't list all the cabling. Still, in the case of this system, I will list it all out since the exhibitor was kind enough to provide it. The system consisted of Franco Serblin Accordo Essence Speakers ($18975), Doshi Audio 2MC Phono Preamplifier ($21995), Doshi Audio Hybrid Stereo Amplifier ($23,995), Doshi Audio Line Preamplifier ($21,995), J. Sikora Standard MAX Turntable ($22,995), J. Sikora KV Max 9” Tonearm ($11,750), Aidas True-Stone Gold Web Cartridge ($5995), EMM Labs DA2i 2-channel D/A convertor w/ Streamer ($35,000).

There was also the Symposium Foundation rack 4L Ultra w/two reinforcers ($3675), Quadspiresvt 4 Shelf Rack ($2200), Silent Angel Audio Switch Bonn N8 Pro-US ($1699), Silent Angel LP-Forester F2-US Power Supply (1749), VIABLUE X60 Power Cables 2m ($1124), VIABLUE SC-6 Speaker Cables 3m ($2124/pair), VIABLUE NF S6 Air interconnects RCA Cables 1m ($1070/pair), VIABLUE E87 Silver Ethernet Cable 3m ($312), Stillpoints Ultra I with Base set of 3($897), Stillpoints Ultra 5 V2 ($839/each), Stillpoints Aperture II Acoustic Panel($980), RSX Power 8 – 15 AC Power Box ($429).

One thing that sets this room apart from many others is that they spent time and used several sound diffusers to create better room acoustics, which other people didn't. This allows for far better performance, especially in rooms with challenges, which is an excellent example of that.

Room 480   Bending Wave USA
The Bending Wave USA room was another great room at the expo. It showcased another hefty and pricey system. The cornerstone was the Göbel Divin Comtesse Speaker, which retails for $60,000/pair. Of course, when you talk about the world of audiophiles, the price has no bearing on anything, right? These speakers are impressive.

My first impression of the room was the vast "sweet spot." Ace in the room sounded terrible. Taking my seat and starting to listen, the next thing that occurred to me was that these speakers projected an incredible soundstage, which was also pretty impressive given their size and the relatively small room they were crammed into. If you were to add that the bass from these bad boys was also clean as a bell and worked, you would find yourself, like me, very impressed. I only wish I had the time to put these through their paces, but it was the last room I could get into on the floor, and I could only spend a short time there.

The system in this room consisted of Göbel Divin Comtesse Speakers ($60,000), Wadax Studio Player ($39800), Riviera Audio APL-01 Preamplifier ($26,000), and Riviera Audio AFS-32 Power Amplifier ($28,000). It was cabled by Shunyata.

Unfortunately for Enjoy the Music.com to bring you more coverage of FIAE 2025, several rooms were impossible to access and others for which we didn't have the gear lists, so we didn't include them in this coverage. However, you will be able to see the pictures in the photos even if they aren't here.

This ends part two of my coverage. Stay tuned for part three, which will cover the third floor of this enormous Florida hi-fi audio expo!

---> Onward to part 3 of Brett Rudolph's FIAE 2025 show report. 

---> Back to the Florida International Audio Expo 2025 show report homepage.