13th Annual AXPONA will feature All-Star Musicians, Industry Experts, and Guest Appearances
Schaumburg, IL (February 15, 2024) — AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) returns to the
Schaumburg Convention Center, April 12-14, 2024 with three jam-packed days of incredible sound,
technology, seminars, live music and the very latest products in the industry. One of AXPONA’s most
popular features includes live concerts nightly and this year’s musicians will not disappoint.
On Friday, April 12 at 8pm, Chicago’s very own Bobby Broom, a celebrated jazz guitarist and
performer will take the stage. Broom was born in Harlem, NY and raised on New York City’s Upper
West Side where he began studying the guitar at age 12. He attended the High School of Music and
Art, where he played in the jazz ensemble and received an award for Outstanding Jazz Improvisation
during his senior year. Broom’s first release of exclusively original compositions Upper West Side
Story (2012) reached No. 1. on the College Music Journal jazz chart and was in the Jazz
Week and Down Beat Top Albums of 2012. Today, Broom calls Chicago home and teaches Chicago
high school students for the Ravinia Festival Organization’s community outreach Jazz Scholar
Program.
The Secret Sisters, a celebrated singing duo and real-life sisters, will close out AXPONA’s live
concerts on Saturday, April 13 at 8pm. The Alabama-based country-folk pair, featuring the talents of
siblings Lydia and Laura Rogers, emerged in 2010 with a sound that combines effortless harmonies,
sharp songwriting, and a shared love of country music’s rich history. The sisters’ third album, You
Don’t Own Me Anymore, was produced by Brandi Carlile and Tim and Phil Hanseroth, mixed by
Grammy-winner Trina Shoemaker, and recorded by Jerry Streeter. The album also garnered the
duo’s first Grammy nomination, in the category of Grammy Award for Best Folk Album, The Secret
Sisters’ fifth studio album, Mind, Man, Medicine will be released on March 29, 2024.
“Our attendees, exhibitors, and partners always look forward to AXPONA’s live concerts and we try to
mix it up each year, bringing in a diverse group of performers,” said Liz Smith, AXPONA. “We are
excited to welcome Bobby who has an incredible following both locally and nationally, and Lydia and
Laura who are releasing a new album right before AXPONA 2024!”
AXPONA will also feature a full Seminar schedule with guest speakers including industry experts,
media personalities and manufacturers on the latest audio themes and trends. This year’s must-attend
Seminars include:
Friday, April 12
YouTube: The Future of Audiophile Content?
10:30am
Just as music releases have gone from LP to CD to downloads and streaming—audio reviews and
sales have gone from print on paper, to text online, to podcasts and video. Join us as we talk with
three popular YouTubers, as we explore the medium’s use for both reviewers and retailers. Is this the
wave of the future? —or is the future already here?
Moderator: Bill Leebens, Content Chair, AXPONA; CEO, LM&M. LLC
Panelists:
Randy Messman, Cheap Audio Man
Lenny Florentine, Just Audio
Ron Brenay, New Record Day
Michael Fremer’s World-Famous Turntable Set-up Seminar
1:15pm
In this one-hour hands-on seminar, analog evangelist extraordinaire Michael Fremer will show how to
correctly set-up a turntable, install a cartridge and optimize its performance. A question-and-answer
period follows, time permitting.
Speaker: Michael Fremer, Editor-in-Chief, TrackingAngle.com, Senior Editor, The Absolute Sound
Saturday, April 13
Second Time Around: The World of Reissuing and Remastering
11:45am
It’s an old record, right? How hard could it be to put it out again?
Bringing out a reissue of a record may seem straightforward, but from the legal wrangling over rights
and royalties, through the technical challenges of working with less than perfect —or completely
missing!— masters, improving the original without destroying its character, through the challenges of
pressing and packaging, it’s a long and winding road.
This seminar features leaders in the field who have revitalized the world of LPs and brought back old
favorites as well as obscure and unrecognized gems. They’ll describe the processes involved and the
highs and lows of reviving old recordings.
Moderator: Michael Fremer, Editor-in-Chief, TrackingAngle.com, Senior Editor, The Absolute
Sound
Panelists:
Chad Kassem, Owner, Acoustic Sounds
Shane Buettner, Owner, Intervention Records
Julia Miller, President/CEO, Delmark Records
Abey Fonn, Founder, Impex Records, Senior Product and Business Development, Elusive Disc
and AudioFonn
Speaker Design: Inside and Outside the Box
2:15pm
Four respected speaker designers discuss the philosophies, technologies, and materials that have
shaped the way they make their magic. While there have been incredible advances in materials
science, computational analysis, and predictive modeling—speaker design is still a tricky balance
between art and science, reliant upon the ears, judgment, and skills of the designer.
Moderator: Bill Leebens, Content Chair, AXPONA; CEO, LM&M. LLC
Andrew Jones, Chief Loudspeaker Designer, MoFi Electronics
Jeff Joseph, President, Joseph Audio
Matthew Webster, CEO, YG Acoustics
David Fowler, Managing Director, Stratton Acoustics
For more information about AXPONA and its full Concert and Seminar line-up, please visit
www.axpona.com.
ABOUT
AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) is North America’s largest event for audiophiles,
manufacturers of high-end audio equipment, musicians and music lovers. The three-day experience
features 190 high fidelity listening rooms, providing guests the enviable opportunity to experience the
newest technology in high-end consumer audio products. Attendees are encouraged to go from room
to room and sit, listen and compare the various systems. The Expo Hall and Ear Gear Experience
play host to thousands of products and accessories from cables to headphones to LPs and SACDs.
Beyond the exhibits, AXPONA includes live musical performances and educational seminars with
industry experts and demonstrations.
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