By Juan C. Ayllon SCHAUMBURG, IL – AXPONA has come and gone. Canceled two years straight due to COVID, Audio Expo North America connected hifi audio and A/V lovers with top brands in over 140 rooms at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center last weekend. And what a packed show it was! Wait times at elevators often topped five minutes, prompting many to take the stairs to access exhibits throughout the 12 floors of the hotel. The doors had just closed shut when I overhead the following exchange between floors: “It’s wonderful!” a gray haired gentleman in a windbreaker and corduroy slacks effused. “I wish they held this show several times a year!” “We’d never get anything done,” his companion in a red checkered Oxford shirt and jeans deadpanned. Probably not. There’s so much to hear and experience that after two days of listening and scribbling down observations, I feel like I scarcely skimmed the surface. An Unpleasant Eyeful While touring AXPONA on Friday afternoon, I received an alarming text from Belle: Her right eye was in pain, prompting her to leave work early; she was worried that she may have a scratched cornea. I left AXPONA shortly thereafter, but thankfully the eyewash and irritation soothing drops I picked up on the way home improved things enough to cancel a trip to Urgent Care and schedule a doctor’s visit on Monday, giving me the greenlight to return Saturday morning and, after checking in with her at noon, to stay longer while she rested her eye. Subsequently, an ophthalmologist removed several lodged particles and eyelashes and asked that she see him again for a follow-up visit. Regrets There are things I regret missing, including a second, more thorough listen of the Perlisten Audio S7t loudspeakers (they sounded rich and deep on an atmospheric, deep vocals acapella arrangement, but this wasn’t enough of a reference point to really evaluate during my brief Day One visit). However, it was nevertheless an impressive show. There were glorious monitors, impressive floor standers, stunning surround sound A/V systems and horns aplenty. There were also a couple interviews, including an extraordinary one with Klipsch’s Principal Engineer, Roy Delgado. Coming Down from the High
As the afterglow subsided, a good friend and his wife came down with a nasty strain of COVID. Thank the Lord that I dodged that bullet! But now it’s the weekend after, Belle’s eye is better and she’s officially a year older. We have a new grandson, and a pair of Usher ML-801 speakers from the show to review. So far, the Ushers are sounding amazing, richer, fuller and more detailed through the midrange and mid-bass, while possessing a lower end. Two nights in a row, what started out as listening to one song before taking in a movie, became a full blown evening of music. We marveled at the lush presentation, and even danced to a few numbers! Life goes on. Now Here’s a Thought Reflecting on one of the show stoppers playing in a huge conference room, a friend and insider suggested that it was too boomy, lacking proper speaker placement and acoustics due to the fact that underqualified staffers from a swank Northshore megastore set it up. Moreover, their song selection included far too many sibilant pop files rather than high quality recordings that would play better; this is ironic, he said, as this store’s ability to command the market with their high sales volume and top brands offered at prices undercut many Chicagoland hifi shops and driving them out of business. This is a scenario replicated around the country: like mega farms dominating agricultural production and crushing the competition, high profile big box stores run roughshod over little stores (whose primary hope is to specialize in service and products not offered by their big box counterparts), making AXPONA a rare opportunity – a bright spot in this dystopia of the decline of mom and pop audiophile shops – for audio lovers to actually see and experience such a broad variety of top gear, records and accessories. Looking Ahead After visiting with our new grandson and celebrating Belle’s birthday, I will be transcribing notes and crafting my report, as well as two interviews, for another online publication. Of course, I will let you know when they’re out. I will also be reaching out to Perlisten Audio for a factory tour and better evaluation of their S7t, and hopefully in late May or early June, I will be taking possession of my Usher ML-802 loudspeakers after their long journey from Taiwan. There are other reviews and interviews in the pipeline, not to mention my postponed visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright school and estate, Taliesin Wisconsin later this summer. There are definitely some new highs to look forward to in the coming weeks and months.
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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