AXPONA Chicago April 10-12, 2026 - Who is going??

@hilde45, I just watched the video. I loved it! I was laughing my ___ off! True Mikey no doubt. I find his opinions honest Some of them may offend some people. I like that he cuts through all the BS. I've been down to see him in Atlanta a couple of times to buy gear. He has treated me very well regarding audio gear. Great advice and great components. He absolutely knows what he's talking about. 

We don't agree on everything, I'm a vinyl guy he of course is digital. He did coordinate helping me buy a matching amp to the power amplifiers I was buying the first sale we did together. Mikey didn't charge me for matching us up. The amp with sent to him, he checked it over for me and I picked it up when I bought the power amps from him.

I also have a vintage rig which I enjoy almost as much as the main rig. I don't have anything from Mikey in that rig.

I don't think he said anything untrue. I'll buy more from Mikey.

@vuch Good to hear. I think we can agree to disagree. That kind of public facing vitriol tells me a lot about who he is and why I would not want to deal with him, especially if things went south. (Just look at how he deals with even mild disagreement on that video’s comment thread. I cannot imagine posting in the way he did publicly and to people I have not met.)  Still, your experience is different, and I’m glad things worked out well for you.

@hilde45 

Rant on,

OCD should be OTT!  Him saying AXPONA should be only for dealers and that the rest of us are stupid is beyond absurd!  I worked in conventions, trade shows, meetings etc for 40 years and if only the smart few dealers went to AXPONA, the show would go bankrupt and so would most of the venders who pay stupid amounts of money to show their wares at these shows.  It’s a public show for that very reason.
I stopped watching his channel years ago because he was so full of himself and it looks like he hasn’t changed.

Rant off.
 

Like you, I’m truly enjoying all the non professional reporting! 

@curiousjim +1

A seriously bad look for the brands he represents. Maybe they don't care as long as he makes them money. I know for sure where I won't be spending mine.

jafant, lovely system you have; I detect an infatuation with disc players! That is a legitimate means of introducing variety into a system without having to haul massive speakers or house them. I can appreciate the Thiel speakers, a lovely brand of yesteryear. 

The Audiophile Laws is a collection of principles revealed by building hundreds of systems over 30+ years, 20 years as a reviewer for Dagogo.com. Essentially, as I reviewed, I also turned my room and systems I was building into an informal testing facility to assess every variable related to assembling and advancing audio systems. 

I tested cables and cable configurations, components with all their varieties of setup, and tweaks. I  discuss what should be expected from different genres and builds of speakers, and much more. I discuss factors that inhibit advancing the system and how to efficiently ensure progress is made. Much of the received wisdom and methods of the community is simply wrong, and I share what works.  

There is a thorough discussion of the book on the website using the same name.