Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Show Report
An audio triumph in the Pacific Northwest!
PAF 2023 Show Report By Greg Weaver

Northwest Ballroom 1- Next Level HiFi And Audio Group Denmark
Greater Chicago area dealer Next Level HiFi was showing the most exotic and expensive system at this event, as they had the world premiere of the Børresen M6 loudspeakers, Michael Børresen's $550,000 a pair flagship, all-in loudspeaker assault. If you thought the premiere of the $280,000 M3s at AXPONA in April was stunning – and who didn't – you would have lost it entirely here in the Nortwest Ballroom 1.

This room held two systems. The first was a take-no-prisoner, all-out assault featuring nothing but flagship-level products from Audio Group Denmark. The source was the Aavik S-580 Streamer ($25,200), feeding the Aavik D-580 DAC ($25,200) – the D880 DAC is still in development, but I heard a proto when I was in Denmark last January. Electronics included the Aavik C-880 ($70,000) Control Amplifier, in turn feeding the Aavik P-880non-switching, pure class A, 200 Wpc integrated amplifier ($70,000), driving drive the breathtakingly gorgeous looking – and sounding – Børresen M6 loudspeakers ($550,000/pr).

The M6 leverages everything Michael and AGD know about the design of loudspeaker components, implementing every way they know to fight excessive capacitance, resonance, and vibrations, capitalizing on the use of materials and techniques that provide the ultimate properties to elevate their sonic accomplishment.

All Ansuz power products, including all cables, power distribution, networking devices, noise control, and isolation products, were from their flagship Gold Signature series and included the following. One Mainz8 Power Distributor ($64,000), one Ansuz PowerSwitch ($23,000), one Ansuz PowerBox to provide power to all their active cables ($23,000), eight Ansuz Mainz Power Cables ($68,000 – each, or $544,000!), one Ansuz Digitalz BNC Cable ($27,000), two Ansuz Digitalz LAN Cables ($12,400 – each, or $24,800), two pair of Ansuz Signalz Analog Cables ($51,000 a pair, or $102,000), and one pair of Ansuz Speaker Cables ($162,000/5 Meter pair).

There's also two Ansuz three-shelf Titanium Racks ($53,100 each, or $159,300), twenty Ansuz Z2S Darkz Resonance Control devices ($4,000 each, or $80,000), ten Ansuz T2S Darkz Resonance Control Cable Lifters ($1,700 each, or $17,000), thirteen Ansuz Sortz RF Noise Controls for RCA and BNC ($1,600 each, or $20,800), and five Ansuz Sortz RF Noise Control for USB and LAN ($2,100 each, or $10,500). Just in case you weren't keeping track, This MEGA system just squeaks in under two million bucks, at $1,997,800!

To say it sounded amazing would be an understatement... My only real complaint is that these cats only play tracks from their own company-approved playlists, and you may never get to hear specific cuts of music that you are really familiar with. But the sonics were jaw-dropping, with the music emanating from the darkest, densest, quietest background you can imagine. Speed and impact were world-class, and it offered an unworldly degree of resolution, supporting its exquisite transparency.

I spent some time with my colleague and friend, AGDs North American Sales Manager Peter Hansen, Sunday morning, and he was good enough to let me shoot some video of both a walk-through and a recording of the system, which will be featured on my Channel very soon.

The second system was a mere pittance by comparison, at less than three and a half percent of the cost of the flagship gear…or just $69,900. This system featured the top flight of their entry-level Axxess electronics lineup, with the Forté 3 All-In-One Player ($11,000) driving a pair of the ridiculously over-achieving Børresen X3 loudspeakers ($11,000/pair). The system was powered by an Ansuz A3 Mainz8 Power Distributor ($3,700), an Ansuz A3 PowerSwitch ($4,000), used two Ansuz A2 Digitalz LAN Cables ($1,500 each/2 Meter or $3,000), three Ansuz A2 Mainz Power Cables ($3,450 each/3 Meter or $10,300), a pair of Ansuz A2 Speakz Speaker Cables ($7,820 a pair/4 Meter).

There was also four Ansuz S2T Darkz Resonance Control ($800 each, or $3,200), eight Ansuz S2T Adjustable Darkz Resonance Control for the X3s, four each ($920 each, or $7,360), five Ansuz Sortz RF Noise Controls for RCA, BNC ($840 each, or $4,200), and four Ansuz Sortz RF Noise Controls for USB, LAN ($1,080 each, or $4,320). Next Level HiFi's Tyler Mueller was good enough to spend some time shooting a walk-through of this rig. It will be included with the M6 episode when it appears on my channel.

Some of you may recall that I have had the Børresen X3s on extended loan in my reference system, and I've heard the Axxess products several times now, both in Denmark and at several events. If AGD had told me that the X3s sold for $20,000 or even $22,000, I wouldn't have batted an eye; they are that good. And the Axxess gear may offer even better value for the money! These cats are on to something, so go give them a listen. You may be just as impressed as I have been.

Grand Ballroom 2: Von Schweikert Audio And Valve Amplification Company
These guys just never fail to knock it out of the park. I'm not going to go too deeply into the magic they accomplish, as I have covered many iterations of this system at length over the past half-decade-plus. These partners just GET IT and continually bring us a chance to hear what can be accomplished when your sole goal is to radically diminish the distinctions between playback and live performance. In my experience, these partners more routinely bridge the gap between live and playback, bringing us closer, and closer still, to accomplishing that grand deception, that of convincing us we are listening to live music, than any other manufacturer or group of manufacturers. You need to hear one of their demos to understand.

This year the sources were either the Kronos Pro LE Turntable ($42,000), using the original Black Beauty Tonearm ($10,000), fitted with the overachieving Hana Umami Red Cartridge ($3,995), feeding the Valve Amplification Company's Statement Phono Stage ($80,000), or the  Aurender W20 SE server ($23,000) feeding the Esoteric K-01xD CD/SACD Player/DAC ($24,000).

Electronics included the Valve Amplification Company's Statement Line Stage ($80,000), with four of the VAC Master 300 Amplifiers ($42,000/ea) used to bi-amplify the Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA 7 loudspeakers ($180,000/pair). Two VSA Shockwave V12XS Subwoofers ($16,500/ea) were implemented for room node compensation/active bass trapping and management. Cabling was a full loom of the Masterbuilt Ultra series of interconnects, speaker cables, and power cords.

The sonic results in the room were exceptional, and I was honored to be asked to present one of my After-Hours Music Sessions Saturday evening to a full house, sharing some of my favorite – and best sounding – LPs with a group of clearly passionate music lovers – so much fun.

And while I simply cannot understand what happened to all the photos I took of this room (I cannot locate them among all my other PAF photos), I did record several videos with the room partners, which will be available as an episode on my channel very soon.

Further
Of note, next year's third Pacific Audio Fest will be held in the fall, as it moves to the September 6th through the 8th time frame. And there is some BIG news. Lou and Gary were only too happy to officially announce the inaugural Southwest Audio Fest, set for March 15th through 17th, 2024, in Dallas at the Hilton / Anatol resort hotel.

I'd further like to add that given the length of time required to shoot all the video coverage I had planned to capture at this show, by Sunday, I was scrambling to complete those recordings and simply ran out of time to go back to, or to catch more of the rooms that I had hoped to visit. To those room partners (you cats know who you are!), my sincerest apologies. Know that it was not my deliberate choice to slight anyone, merely the reality of the time demands necessary to make video recordings and trying to conform to everyone's schedules. I will hope to manage my time better moving forward as I try to bring more and more live experiences to my audience.

Well, that wraps up my written coverage of the second annual Pacific Audio Fest. Lou and Gary, I can't thank you enough! The next show on my schedule is Gary's Capital Audiofest, November 10th through 12th, 2023, to be held at the Twinbrook Hilton in Rockville, Maryland. Will I see you there? If I do, be sure to introduce yourself and say hello, won't you? Until next time...

Enjoy the Music!

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