2023 Florida Audio Expo Show Report

@snapsc  I don't remember the Orchard room, but whole heartedly agree on Mofi and Volti. For $7500 that Hifi Rose and Mofi speaker combo blew me away. I went back multiple times, it was a very musical system! And those Razz speakers were amazingly detailed. I listened to some Trombone Shorty and I swear they were in the room!

@mushniksflorist Yes, they do. It’s the second time I’ve heard them at the shows, and AXPONA last year was the reason I decided to carry the Margules line. I do wish I could carry Raidho, but at the moment, I can’t afford to take it on. The Margules U-280 SC 30th amp sounds great with my personal Borresen Z3 Cryo, ans they pair just as well (albeit with slightly lower performance) with the more affordable Scansonic MB-B speakers that I carry. The Margules I-240 integrated paired with the Scansonic MB-2.5B is a winning combination in my opinion and can fill my 18x23x18 room without a sub, and the pairing costs ~$12K.

@ecrotty @snapsc I did like the tone of the new Volti speakers, but I was less impressed by the separation and imaging compared to many of the other systems there. That said, of course the price points were more accessible than the ultra-high-end offerings others brought. Similarly, I appreciated the Leak and Wharfedale Elysian pairing that one room had (forgot which one). Great tone with nice imaging for the price, but not at the fidelity of many others. 

How was the show? Last year it was terrible. Sometimes we were the only people on a floor and it was just us in most rooms. The only rooms I was impressed with were from the smaller manufacturers: Jolida for example. Other rooms either didn’t sound very good or they were so overpriced for their sound quality.

Too bad rmaf and ces/t.h.e show (in the good days) still aren’t around. 

@p05129 From a dealer’s perspective, it was alright, more for the opportunities to network across the industry combined with the opportunity to meet customers. That said, I didn’t find there were a lot of customers in attendance compared to the other larger shows. I wouldn’t count on making a ton of sales from the show, but if the press picks up the performance of the room in a positive way, that could go a long way into building business. I also felt many customers were not really in a shopping mindset as they are in other large shows and really were just curious to see what is out there.

From a customer / audiophile perspective, it was alright. Many of the rooms were not done well (not uncommon for many shows), but in general not that many stood out. The crowds fluxed, and most rooms were really busy for 2-3 hours shortly after opening, with crowds tapering in the mid afternoon. This is good and bad as many customers could have more access to listening to gear in prime seating positions, but I felt most of the room hosts were at times not invested in the people in the room. If I lived within driving distance, I’d probably set up a room for my business, but I wouldn’t make the investment to fly and ship all my gear there. 

@jeffstrick  I agree that the pulsars sounded really good....but for me, its hard to justify $9k unless you are really space limited and want the very best "affordable" sound...but even playing youtube videos, they sounded great.

@ecrotty one thing I heard both the Razz and the Rival do that I didn't hear in any any other room...when a guitar was plucked...especially a low string...you could hear and feel the snap...and you could hear the pick/fingernail against the windings of the string...really amazing...and zero harshness.  I could live with these!

As for the show itself....unlike prior years, there didn't seem to be a contest as to who could have the loudest room...as a result, almost every room sounded good and more than a few sounded great....and, my opinion...the loudest rooms (90-100db) sounded the worst probably because the rooms can't handle extreme volume without totally messing up the top end and the bass.

The Eminence Technology room pretty much showed that you could get $75k worth of speakers/amplifiers sound for $15k from Bruce's prototypes on display...but customizable if desired with bigger panels, larger bass drivers, etc.

The Orchard room showed that you can get great sound from class d for not a lot of money and since the Stereo Ultra amp was paired with $2200 Soundfield audio speakers...Holy Cow

Andrew Jones...the man...was an absolute treat and I'm really glad to have been in that great sounding room when he was there and willing to answer darn near any question asked of him...with a bunch of humorous anecdotes thrown in.

Two more comments...loved the big Focals in room 716? paired with the min fridge size Focal amps.

And for those with an infinite budget...Borresen and MBL thank you.