SWAF 2025 Show Report Part 2 
Plus The Exciting Blue Note Awards
A musical experience that I will never forget.
Southwest Audio Fest 2025 Show Report By Paul Schumann

SoundLab showcased their new GC-7C Majestic Loudspeakers with Fir Grill ($49,500). The analog front end consisted of a beautiful white J. Sikora Initial MAX Special Edition Turntable ($17,250), mounted with an Integrityhifi Tru-Glider Pendulum Tonearm ($5,999), and a DS Audio Grand Master EX Cartridge ($22,500). The electronics were comprised of an LTA MicrZOTL Preamplifier Level 3 ($5,950), LTA ZOTL Reference+ Amplifier Monoblocks ($12,100/pair), LTA Aero DAC ($3.950), and a DS Audio TR-100 Tube Phono Equalizer ($20,000).

Albeda Cables were used throughout. Unfortunately, I was never able to hear this system when they were playing records. What I did hear via streaming reminded me of last year; it was incredibly open and transparent.

One of the tables that caught my eye at SWAF 2025 audiophile show was the one set up by Pilot Radio. This company is a resurrection of the original Pilot Radio, which started in 1919. Isidor Goldberg. Pilot Radio has been relaunched by Isidor Goldberg's great-grandson, Barak Isidor Epstein, with historical context and consulting from Goldberg's grandson, Robert Epstein.

Their first product is the Pilot Preamplifier ($3,450). This all-tube preamp has a line stage and a phono stage switchable from moving magnet to moving coil. I listened to the Pilot Preamplifier using headphones and was impressed with the clarity and detail. I also loved the retro styling.

I'm looking forward to what they come up with in the future.

The second iteration of Southwest Audio Fest was an even bigger success than last year. Not only were there more rooms, but they were further spaced out. This way, the show never felt crowded. I was also encouraged by some of the lower-priced offerings by some well-known companies. While million-dollar systems are fun to gawk at, it's nice to see gear that one could envision in their living room. Once again, my hat off to Gary Gill and Lou Hinkley for doing such a fantastic job. I can't wait until next year.

Enjoy the Music.com's Best Of SWAF 2025 Blue Note Awards

I visited the Daedalus Audio room several times during SWAF 2025, and each time, I felt compelled to sit for a while and just enjoy the music. It was obvious that these components were chosen to complement each other. Being in their room made you feel like you were in your living room.

I know I've said it before, and showcased here at SWAF's Songer Audio exhibition room, pairing a high-quality full-range driver with SET (single-ended triode) amplifier renders music in a way that's just different. For me, microdynamics are startling in their palpability.

The Songer Audio room gave you that deep musical connection. Those field-coil drivers are works of art and always sound amazing. Congrats to Ken Songer for such an amazing setup.

Both Mozart and Miles agreed on one thing: the silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves. The Supra HiFi stereo system in Room 1213 at Southwest Audio Fest 2025 supported that idea. Every time I listened to music through it, the notes emerged from such a quiet background, it was startling.

I was impressed when Philip O'Hanlon of On a Higher Note played vinyl of Stravinsky Conducts Histoire Du Soldat Suite / Pulcinella Suite [Columbia Masterworks – MS 7093]. I don't think anyone would consider this an "audiophile" recording, so it was stunning how vividly all the instruments were reproduced when Phillip dropped the tonearm. As I listened to the beginning of "Historie Du Soldat", each full-bodied instrument felt like it was in the room with us. It was an intimate musical experience that I will never forget.

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