AXPONA 2025 Part 7: High-End Audio's Fantastic 5th Floor
Great gear reveals and audiophile trends for music lovers.
Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker 

584  Fern & Roby, Network Acoustics, Black Cat Cable, Roon Labs, SEAS, SME, Technics, And Weiss Engineering Ltd.
Fern & Roby is a niche brand in a niche industry. The music and the vibe here drew me into an emotional listening experience without distracting me with sound quality. Much of the gear they make has an authenticity of sound and materials that would more readily attract an aristocrat than an audiophile. The new $19k Hermès headphones would look right at home with the Amp 2, if only it had a headphone amp. The speakers and the rack would have to match the stain on the amp, but I appreciate that Chris Hildebrand needs to show products to address different tastes.

I love their Montrose turntable, but the new model shown here attempts to integrate a modern Technics table into an old-world look with a plinth that seems uselessly large. The use of three different materials seems like a shortcut to keep the price down.

A ModWright PH 9.0 phono stage, Network Acoustics Muon streamer, and Weiss DAC filled the second shelf. Most of the major components were resting on Fern & Roby isolation feet.

As I approached the corner of the atrium, I took a look down at the second floor below, noticing a rig with the flagship YG Acoustics XV 3 speaker system driven by a quartet of Soul Note monoblocks. I was hoping to make it down to that level by the end of the day.

588  Volti Audio, Innuos, Mojo Audio, And Triode Wire Labs
Axpona was the official debut of Volti's New Vitorra loudspeaker system ($50k) which was previously on silent display at Capital Audiofest last November. The original version was introduced in 2011, and this was said to be a major transformation. Driven by a Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated tube amp ($5k) that puts out 40 Wpc in triode mode or 80 Wpc in ultra-linear, either mode would be sufficient given the 104dB sensitivity of the New Vittora. Frequency response is from 25Hz to 20kHz. There was plenty of dynamics, great transparency, and a form factor that would be at home in the most elegant home.

Greg Roberts was busy at work selecting music. I loved the stand to hold his iPad. The rest of the rig was comprised of an Innuos ZENith music server with 2TB of storage ($6,700), a Mojo Audio Mystique SE DAC ($8,500), and cables from Triode Wire Labs on Long Island, NY. Greg said he would be showing the New Vittora at shows throughout 2025, but he also makes several more affordable, high-efficiency horn speakers that you can find on his website. He offers auditions at his factory in eastern Tennessee by appointment only.

592  Gestalt Audio Design, Salby Audio Design, Fuuga, Hijiri, Silent Running Audio, Sternklang, SW1X, TW Acoustic, And Wolf von Langa
Gestalt Audio Design is a brick-and-mortar store in the heart of Nashville that carries a selection of very fine, but somewhat more esoteric brands. The Wolf von Langa Son speakers have impressed me at many shows over the years. The field-coil mid/woofer and AMT tweeter in the Plexiglas open baffle make a very transparent combination with great resolution. The 94dB/W/m sensitivity makes for great dynamics. They were driven by SW1X HPA V monoblocks putting out 8 Wpc in Class A SET mode with zero negative feedback. SW1X is in the UK, and they make a wide variety of tube gear. Price-wise, it is pretty exclusive. There was no room list here, so I can't tell you much about the other gear, other than it looked and sounded expensive.

With only an analog front end, this guy was pretty absorbed with keeping the music flowing.

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