Perhaps Axpona should be in Sept/Oct just in time to make holiday gift decisions and prepare for the upcoming winter listening season.
AXPONA 2025
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
Perhaps Axpona should be in Sept/Oct just in time to make holiday gift decisions and prepare for the upcoming winter listening season.
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
that is not something that is simple to do even if they wanted to. why should they move? over 200 exhibitors , largest attendance of any US show. I think they are happy
that is not something that is simple to do even if they wanted to. why should they move? over 200 exhibitors , largest attendance of any US show. I think they are happy
Sorry, I thought you commented about the timing not being optimal so close to Munich. My mistake.
Hello friends of great sound,
I hope you had a great time at Axpona. Regarding the short time span between Axpona and High End Munich, I’d like to point out that starting in 2026, the situation will change. Once the High End show moves to Vienna, it will naturally gain a stronger pull factor simply due to the new location.
The new venue in Vienna offers significantly better acoustics than almost any other exhibition hall—or those notoriously harsh-sounding hotel rooms. I’ve visited the halls in Vienna several times and can confidently say: it’s the perfect location for an audio show.
On top of that, Vienna has far more charm than what Munich—now rather worn down—or even Chicago can offer.
In addition, the location offers better logistics and easier access to the amenities of the city—no matter what form of “entertainment” one is looking for.
There’s a reason we moved our entire production to Austria and kept only the development side in Germany.
BR Swen
I hope you had a great time at Axpona. Regarding the short time span between Axpona and High End Munich, I’d like to point out that starting in 2026, the situation will change. Once the High End show moves to Vienna, it will naturally gain a stronger pull factor simply due to the new location.
The new venue in Vienna offers significantly better acoustics than almost any other exhibition hall—or those notoriously harsh-sounding hotel rooms. I’ve visited the halls in Vienna several times and can confidently say: it’s the perfect location for an audio show.
On top of that, Vienna has far more charm than what Munich—now rather worn down—or even Chicago can offer.
In addition, the location offers better logistics and easier access to the amenities of the city—no matter what form of “entertainment” one is looking for.
There’s a reason we moved our entire production to Austria and kept only the development side in Germany.
BR Swen
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
IMO there are way to many shows and they are almost one every month now.
I really enjoyed the sounds of most of the systems at AXPONA this year, especially compared with the "typical" room at the last audio show I attended (Capital Audiofest 2023). At the '23 Capfest, it sounded to me as if many of the exhibitors were trying to show off their systems' maximum capabilities in rooms that were far too small to allow that. I thought that most rooms sounded great at this year's AXPONA, and I never had to ask anyone to turn down the volume so I could really hear what their product sounded like, like I often did at Capfest '23. Congratulations to the exhibitors...90% of you did a great job!
any chance you went by rooms 620 or 1114, had accuphase and burmester with our master artist signature speakers
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
I completely agree. I heard some AXPONA and RMAF (so sad to see that one go, RIP) shows where the sound was just mediocre in many rooms, and I found overall the AXPONA rooms this year to be quite good. And they played more interesting songs than 100% jazz (which I do like) that some shows pump out nonstop.
I really enjoyed the Burmester room but unfortunately missed the Accuphase room. Then I came home to the Absolute Sound May/June issue waiting in the mailbox, which is stuffed with ads directing you to their AXPONA rooms (including Accuphase). Those would have been nice visual cues rather than just looking at words on the Exhibitor List.
I am completely rethinking my speakers since the show, BTW, so I give AXPONA credit for that. This show taught me a ton and will likely end up costing me way more than the $30 entrance fee!
Detailed, fast, dynamic, fun, spectacular imaging and soundstage far beyond the speakers. Every speaker imparts some sonic signature, and the M9 tweeter to me had a slight coloration/edgy treble sound profile that I’ve been noticing on my M6s.
(I went home and listened to all analog vinyl to verify as I only heard Wadax digital on the AXPONA M9s)
Not every beryllium tweeter at the show sounded that way to me - Rockport and Acora didn’t do that, for example. Maybe I’ve just fatigued to it (Magicos as my main speaker for 10 years) as I don’t want to suggest the M9s were anything but impressive.
The Magico/Wadax/D'Agostino setup was impressive and sounded predicably effortless. Piano was as real as I've ever heard it. I expected to hear more defined vertical placement within the soundstage, but I don't think I ever got into an ideal seating position. The setup scaled really well, and didn't blow everything out of proportion. Tonality was pretty much close to a perfect reproduction of reality.
I was also extremely impressed by the Estelon/Vitus room, which used RTR tape as a source at times. The speakers sounded capable of anything and had huge amounts of air. They were perhaps not as full-sounding as the Magicos, but they had extraordinary soundstaging and the details were superb without sounding etched.
The fit and finish on these speakers was not very good at all. Did not look professional.
Honestly just average. The M9 is the best speaker I have experienced but the Club room is a sonic disaster. I know that speaker is capable of so much more. Axpona should make the Club Room a press and VIP lounge. Seriously.
I think people are getting positively biased by total cost of system and are writing glowing reports.
Fortunately the Magicos in the CH and MSB rooms sounded fantastic! As did the silver A5s I heard but I can't recall what room they were in.
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That description did not match my experience at all.
I do agree with you on the Estelon/Vitus/Sonorus room. The Sonorus Pink Floyd The Wall tape was really impressive. I think the ART treatments helped too.
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Would be curious to hear the opinions about the Dali Kore speakers sound, but since the Macintosh gear (sadly) was used I could pretty much guess...
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