@mikempls Thx for the kind words! I did not see the Scansonic MB models but many of the Raidho models the TD 2.2($45k) was exceptional even when playing Tool. Did you hear the MB 5B, the claimed sweet spot in the Scansonic line-up? Also would like to mention the YG Acoustics Talus from the Peak Series. I thought it was the best under $15k speaker at the show. Its best feature was it did not call attention to itself while music flowed in a non mechanical presentation. The $17k Totem Metal V2 had a very neutral pristine "master tape" like sound but the Talus were slightly more engaging. Both speakers IMO are standouts at the crowded $15k area price point. On the budget side <$10k. The Wharfedale Dovetail $8k/$9k w/stands had a commanding presence that was very well balanced. I was most impressed with the treble delivery. A SS amp/larger room would tighten the bass but the Master Sound amp sounded great. The Atohm GT2 HD at $7500 had that neutral pristine sound with solid bass and dynamics and presented the smallest footprint of the 4 mentioned here. I also believe it has the highest ceiling when upgrading electronics. The Audiovector QR7 at $6500 had a big open spacious sound with nice tonality and slightly rounded bass. Much more relaxed then the Dovetail which is listener dependent not a flaw. Finally the Axpona budget winner at $5k is the Acoustic Energy AE 520. Scale/calmness and balance are its positives. it might lack the pristine clarity of the others sounding slightly thick but electronics and cables can easily solve that minor nitpick.
Axpona 2023
Axpona Show Recap Sunday April 16th 2023- O'Hare Airport
Clarisys Audio-Why these difficult names??
$35k. Easy on the ears at higher volumes.
"Apogee" is what they look like only prettier.
The new T+A $50k speaker model was also excellent. They make smaller models
I plan to look into.
The $43k Joseph Audio is a perennial winner.
The $200k+ Borresen Speakers may still be my all time favorite. Lars was there
but Michael B. was burned out from an Asian tour.
The Vimberg stand mount Speaker they demo'd is a magical speaker.
Last year they showed Lime Green speaker and sold it at the show.
Makers please note. Focal failed to bring even one "Hot" colored speaker.
And they must have had 25 speakers there. Poor merchandising.
Did anyone else partake in one of Wendel's 1/2 hour new subwoofer sessions? (Magnepan)
Wendel's contention is that 12 6.25" drivers mounted in a dipole configuration
beats anyone's subwoofer. Not sure about his science on that but he puts on an
impressive demo!
I am still waiting delivery of my LRS+ speakers ordered Dec 4th.
I did get to listen to the new LRS+ speakers finally. Interesting back story about
something Sandy Gross had to say in the Bacche room. He thinks the LRS+ are "special".
Mike Fremer debuted his new LP. I won't try to review it but will advise against over paying
for an early copy.
Met some fun people at Cambridge Audio Saturday night! Their business is good.
Dined with the Black Ice people at the Weber Grill. Jared has a very
interesting past if you ever meet him. They sold 40 units of one headphone amp
on Friday at the show!
I finally met Fredrik Lejonklou from Sweden. He does things in an all out assault mode.
Also has the best laid out website I've seen. Product history info is wonderful. Other makers note.
I spoke with the Chris Brunhaver, PS Audio Speaker designer, (son of one of the speakerlab founders)
and heard his mid sized $20k speakers. I like the look and the sound is pretty good
for a first effort. I decided against asking him if he missed Darren Meyers the PS audio designer
who was recently hired away by the new Parasound owner. Darren is a very talented guy who will
benefit greatly from his new association with John Curl. I have to think Parasound will be announcing
a new Class D amp soon enough.
Rumor has it that PS Audio is shopping for a new software man to fix some long standing glitches.
When the mute button turns on the TV it is time for a fix.
Andrew Jones was demoing his new Point 8 speaker. $3k. the Point 10 is $4k.
He had some great demo music I will be including in my next Track du Jour email.
The 8's sounded as good or better than the 10's in that setup.
A fun show overall!!
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Thanks @jeffseight and all for the reviews. Much more helpful that the professional reviewers that seem to like most everything! Never made it to Axpona 2023, but I’ll try for 2024! |
I totally agree with Curiousjim — dayglow’s reviews are better than anything I can find in the magazines! I was listening to the Scansonic MB 6B — at $15k I thought it was unbeatable. That was until I listened to the Børresen X3 — it sure sounded good to me although I appreciate your observations. I’d definitely need to listen to those with my own music selections. THEN I heard the YG Talus and found them to be splendid. So now I’m down to three candidates for consideration. All in my price range - $15k - and all with apparently fantastic sound. The kicker is that the speaker that I really wanted to hear was the Audiovector — and somehow it slipped by me. Now I’ve got to find a dealer. I’ve read good things about the QR7 but truth be told, the R3 Arrete has really caught my attention despite its higher price. The question I need to answer for myself now is how will any/all of these speakers sound with my Parasound JC1 amps and JC2 BP preamp. That’s my big question now. The search continues………. Thanks all! |
The best value proposition in loudspeakers is the DIY approach. If you spend $2,000 on drivers, tweeters and XO parts and another $1,000 on materials, provide your time and labor free, your $3,000 speakers will be on a par with $10-12k manufactured brand speakers. If you are inept at manual pursuits then hire people to do the assembly. You job becomes discovering which speaker to build. Companies like Madison, Troes Graven, and others have box plans designed by experts for you to consider. Look online.
The next best way is to find a smaller company but with great ideas. This is where John "Fritz" Heilor fits in. You can price his drivers and tweeters, XO parts and box materials & labor. It will add up to about $2k as I recall. A typical MFG runs a 5x factor in markup. That comes to $10K. Fritz's MSRP is $3.5k. |
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