Michael Harkins' Best Of SWAF 2025 Blue Note Awards
Only a few exhibitors can earn the prestigious
Enjoy the Music.com Best Of SWAF 2025 Blue Note Award
Southwest Audio Fest 2025 Show Report By Michael Harkins

  I promised at the start of this two-part article to find high-value products at the show. After roaming around the many rooms, one gets the impression that if you don't have at least $10,000 for speakers, $5,000 for a DAC or preamplifier, or $10,000 for interconnects, you may as well not participate in this thing called high-end audio. The "high-end" moniker serves to illustrate that we are often talking big bucks. Thankfully, I was able to scrutinize a sampling of rooms.

Many electronics products on display were made by respectable names in the business such as Audio Research, Aurender, Boulder, VAC, AGD, and others. It's hard for some of these companies to make lower-cost models when their focus is no-compromise audio. But I must give credit to Audio Research for introducing several new products that were less stratospheric in price but are still top performers. Axxess is also trying to do the same, but I did not see their products on display in the Audio Group Denmark room. While there were a sizable number of interconnects, power cords, and power sources on display and, obviously, used within exhibit rooms, I also noticed several rooms employing acoustic taming devices. The value of them is hard to judge at any show, so the best advice is to try before you buy.

Honorable Mention
Honorable mention goes to Vanatoo's tiny monitors that can produce big sounds. Some might turn up their noses at active / powered loudspeakers that use DSP processing and built-in Class D amplification. These are certainly not capable of reproducing the lowest fundamental bass without a sub attached, though on the other hand, I don't know of a cheaper way to hear something that approaches the high end of audiophilia than buying these tiny beauties. If you are on a strict budget but want to dive into good sound, buy these. If you want good sound in your office at a low cost, buy these. The zeros at $450 and the Ones at $650 are certain to not break the bank.

Best Of SWAF 2025 Blue Note Award
With the above said, there were loudspeakers and vinyl LP turntables that do fit the description of an impressive performance at a reasonable cost. And now I present to you my choices for Enjoy the Music.com's Best Of SWAF 2025 Blue Note Award.

Chesky LC1 Monitor Loudspeakers
Chesky's new product, the LC1, are small monitor loudspeakers with very big sound. They offer an incredibly good level of high-fidelity sound at a low cost, $498 each. Of course, they do require external amplification, but I can't suggest one of the show's offerings because I saw none in the high-value / low-cost category. The LC1s at the show were powered by a Cambridge Audio EXA integrated amplifier priced at $2,199.
---> See Part 1 of my SWAF 2025 show report. 

VPI new Forever Turntable Model 1
Being the inexpensive under $2000 seeker, I wouldn't consider this at all a ‘low-price' offering since it retails for $5,700 but compared to others at the show that were several times this price, I have to give this one the value award. VPI stands behind the product too, with a 10-year warranty. This well-isolated turntable with excellent specs should perform well in any environment. If you are looking at turntables priced at less than $10,000, I would certainly consider it.
---> More information is in Part 1 of my SWAF 2025 show report.

Acora Acoustics MRB-1 Loudspeakers
No, these are not found in the bargain basement, though at $7,900 per pair, I don't think you can beat them. Somehow, Val Cora was able to make this combination of small speakers / drivers housed in granite produce good sound down to 37 Hz. And he was able to make them play well, even in a large listening room. In my mind, the sound was miraculous for speakers of this size. You will, of course, need an amplifier to power them as well as a music source. But with the right marriage of electronics to these speakers, I don't think you can go wrong. And to top it off, they are unique and gorgeous!
---> More information is within Part 2 of my SWAF 2025 show report.

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