Welcome back to my coverage of AXPONA 2025. I want to send out special thanks to our friends at Vera-Fi Audio, manufacturer of matchless amplifiers, loudspeakers, subwoofers, power conditioners, noise reduction systems, and isolation products for the budget audiophile, for selflessly sponsoring this coverage despite not participating in the show themselves.
I would like to point out that although I walked the entire show, I only covered those rooms and manufacturers that stood out. For this reason, though there are manufacturers whose product I truly enjoy and therefore always get covered, many exhibitors that I have covered in the past that have not made any changes to their offerings just don’t get covered, and the simple fact of rare-air pricing is not going to catch my eye.
FOCAL/NAIM/NEXT LEVEL HIFI
Focal/Naim kind of switched up their game at this show, introducing their new and spectacular $150,378 Focal Utopia Cinema system. For this, they demonstrated a 7.2.2 Dolby Atmos system that is right, center, left, right and left side, right and left rear, right and left height, two LFE channels. The system consisted of five Focal Cinema LCR Loudspeakers ($11,999/ea.), four Focal Cinema SUB Subwoofers ($5,999/ea.), two Focal 1000 IWLCR Utopia In-Wall Loudspeakers ($8,499/ea.), two Focal 1000 IWSUB Utopia In-Wall Subwoofers ($3,299ea.) four Focal 1000 ICLCR5 ($2,699/ea.), two Naim CI-NAP 101 Mono Power Amplifier ($1,999/ea.), a NAIM CI-NAP108 8-channel Power Amplifier ($2,999), and a Focal Astral 16 Audio-video processor and amplifier ($23,999) all suplementedd with Vicoustic Room treatment (Multifuser DC3+Cinema Round Premium) with Apple TV and Blu-Ray as signal source. This was hands down the loudest sound of the show (with the possible exception of some of the car audio, which I was adverse to experiencing) and extremely impressive.
Also on display were the Focal Sopra N2 Loudspeaker ($20,998/pr.) with a Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Pre Preamp ($26,299 with Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista UNI PSU) and Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Pas Power Amplifier ($28,399 with Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista UNI PSU) , Focal Kanta N2 Loudspeakers ($11,998/pr.) with the Naim New Classic 200 Series NSC 222 Pre-amp/Streamer ($8,999), Naim New Classic 200 Series NAP 250 Power Amp ($8,999), and Naim New Classic 200 Series NPX 300 Power Supply ($8,999), Focal Theva N°3 ($2,598/pr.) with a Naim CI-Uniti 102 Streamer Amplifier ($1,499), the Focal Littora Outdoor Bundle 4.1 ($3,999/ four Focal OD Sat 5 Outdoor Speakers and one Focal OD Sub 12 Outdoor Subwoofer), with two Focal OD Stone 8 Outdoor Speakers ($849 each) and a Naim CI-Uniti 102 Streamer Amplifier ($1,499), and finally the Focal Headphones Bar which featured the new Focal Bathys MG Wireless Headphone ($1,299), as well as the Focal Bathys Wireless Headphone ($699), along with the Focal Azurys ($599), Focal Hadenys ($749), Focal Clear Mg ($1,599), Focal Stellia ($2,999), and Focal Utopia 2022 ($4,999) all running off individual Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition Streaming Headphone Amplifier/DACs ($3,799).
On the 16th floor they were also sharing a couple of rooms with NEXT LEVEL HIFI where they were doing a full presentation of the Focal ADAPT (Adaptive Acoustic Personal Tuning) built into the Focal Diva Utopia 3-WAY ACTIVE WIRELESS LOUDSPEAKER ($39,999/pr.), and had the Focal Diablo Utopia Colour Evo 2-way bookshelf speaker ($21,998/pair) with the Naim Uniti Nova PE Streaming Amplifier ($9,999) available for listening.
DALI/PSB Speakers/BLUESOUND/NAD/ROKSAN/Lenbrook Americas
Lenbrook Americas was in a different room this year making it a bit of a challenge to find them and the focus this year was the DALI KORE Loudspeaker ($120,000/pr.) which they matched up with a McIntosh system comprised of two McIntosh MC2.1KW 1-Channel Solid State Amplifiers ($50,000/ea.), a McIntosh DS200 Streaming DAC ($4,000), McIntosh MPC1500 Power Controller ($6,000), and sourced by a BLUESOUND NODE ICON ($1,199). There was also a smaller system comprised of DALI EPIKORE 7 Loudspeakers ($25,000/pr) driven by a NAD Masters M66 BluOS Streaming DAC-Preamplifier ($6999) pushing a M28 Seven Channel Power Amplifier ($6,999). On the PSB Speakers/ROKSAN front, there was a ROKSAN Caspian 4G Streaming Amplifier ($5,000) driving a pair of PSB Speakers Synchrony T800 Tower Speakers ($14,999), and a PSB Speakers SubSeries BP8 Subwoofer ($1,899).
écoute audio
One of the more interesting finds at AXPONA 2025 was écoute, who have developed a vacuum tube amp based wireless headphone. The écoute audio TH1 Vacuum Tube Headphone ($799) features a 40mm titanium-coated mylar driver, ANC, and dual mono vacuum tube amplifiers and supports Bluetooth 5.3 for the LDAC codec as well as USB-C digital and 3.5mm TRS analog inputs with up to 20 hours of wireless playback time.
SIVGA/ SENDY AUDIO
SIVGA and SENDY AUDIO were showing their full lines of epic budget-oriented headphones, focusing on their new SIVGA Anser Headphone ($200), as well as an as yet unnamed closed-back headphone expected to sell for around $449. On the IEM front was the SIVGA Nightingale 14.5mm Planar Magnetic Driver Wired Hi-Fi in-Ear Monitor Earphones ($229), and SIVGA Que 10mm Strong Magnet Beryllium Diaphragm Dynamic Driver Earphones ($69.90).
HF (hifiguides.com)
YouTube influencer (Z Reviews) turned retailer HF (hifiguides.com) has introduced his own headphone, the Harmonicdyne x Z Reviews ERIS ($250), if you are a true bass head, you might like these headphones, designed and tuned to emphasize low bass.
Wattson Audio/CH Precision
Drew from Moon Audio introduced me to Swiss Manufacturer Wattson Audio, who began life as an OEM for digital components for high-end audio manufacturers and finally decided to turn their expertise towards building their own products. They had both a table in the Ear Gear Experience and a room in the tower with CH Precision. The items of interest were the Wattson Audio Madison LE Streamer ($4,995) and the Wattson Audio Madison Amplifier ($6,495), which they had on display with a pair of Magico S3 Loudspeakers ($45,500 – $52,500/pr. depending on finish). Also on display were a CH Precision I1 Universal Integrated Amplifier ($38,000-$55,500 depending on inputs and finish) and CH Precision D1.5 SACD/CD Player/Transport ($38,000 transport only). Other items of note were the Wattson Audio Emerson Analog Endpoint ($1,750), the Wattson Audio Emerson Digital Endpoint ($1,750).
Stillpoints/KECES Audio/TIEN Audio Ltd.
One of the first rooms I went into was the Stillpoints room, which was across the hallway from my sleeping room. The combination of the TIEN Audio Ltd TT5 Turntable sporting the Viroa Tonearm ($22,000) with the KECES Audio electronics and Magico speakers, along with Bruce Jacobs’ music choices, made it one of the more pleasurable experiences of the show. Unfortunately the equipment list that I was given was wrong so I don’t have prices but the gear is as follows: KECES Audio S4 Stereo Preamplifier, KECES Audio S300+ Stereo Power Amplifier, KECES Audio S3 DAC Headphone Amplifier & Preamplifier, KECES Audio Ebravo Streamer Transport, KECES Audio P14 14A Ultra Low Noise Linear Power Supply, KECES Audio P6 6A Ultra Low Noise Linear Power Supply, and KECES Audio IQRP-3600 Isolated Quantum Resonance Power Conditioner.
AMERICAN SOUND of Canada/RETHM/JEFF ROWLAND DESIGN GROUP/Perpetuum Ebner
RETHM makes the only tube based active loudspeakers I have come across, and they are spectacular. On display, they had a pair of RETHM TRISHNA Active Loudspeakers ($12,000) sourced by an Aurender A30 Music Server Preamplifier Headphone Amplifier and DAC with CD Ripper ($19,000) running through a JEFF ROWLAND DESIGN GROUP Capri S2-SC Preamplifier ($5,900). On static display were a JEFF ROWLAND DESIGN GROUP Model 535 Amplifier ($5,900), a JEFF ROWLAND DESIGN GROUP PSU Linear Power Supply ($11,100), and a Perpetuum Ebner PE 2525 MKII Turntable ($4,500).
JansZen
The most exciting find for me was the JansZen room, which featured David Janszen’s (son of original JansZen designer Arthur A. Janszen) reimagining of the famous KLH Nine, designed by his father in 1957 as the first full-range electrostatic loudspeaker, the JansZen Nine.Five ($23,500/pr. passive and $34,500/pr.) active, which is one of only two Manufacturers to successfully match dynamic subwoofers with electrostatic panels, the other being Wendell Diller with his PlanarBASS dipole dynamic subwoofer, which will be the subject of a future show report segment. Many have successfully sold electrostatic/dynamic hybrid speakers, but none have sounded as good as their pure electrostatic offerings that lack the bottom couple octaves of bass due to the massive speed difference between the two driver technologies.
Holm Audio/Ranieri Audio Labs/Magnepan/Rogue Audio/Rega/NAD Electronics/Lumin/Puritan/JL Audio/Salamander Designs
What truly caught my attention in Holm Audio’s Ranieri Audio Labs/Magnepan/Rogue Audio/Rega/NAD Electronics/Lumin/Puritan/JL Audio/Salamander Designs room was the Ranieri Audio Labs Varieta Universal Direct-Heated Triode Vacuum Tube Preamplifier ($7,499) designed to run with wide array of 4-pin medium base Direct-Heated Triode vacuum tube sets, including 300B, 2A3/6A3, 12A/201A, 26, 30, 31, 45, 50, 71A, 801A/10Y, 275A/252A, 245, and 842/VT52, offering the ultimate tube-rolling experience. The other components in the outstanding sounding system were a Rega Naia Turntable ($12,995), a NAD Masters M66 BluOS Streaming DAC-Preamplifier ($6999), Rogue Audio Dragon Mono Block Amplifiers ($5,995/pr.), and a pair of Magnepan 2.7i Speakers ($5,995/pr.), a JL Audio Active Home Audio Subwoofer Crossover ($3,500), and a JL Audio E-Sub™ Powered Subwoofer ($1,900.00).
That concludes Part 2 of my coverage of AXPONA 2025, once again, I would like to thank our good friends at Vera-Fi Audio for sponsoring our coverage. Stay tuned for Part 3
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