AXPONA 2025: Inside the 4th-Floor Sonic Playground
Gear, great grooves, and perhaps some juicy gossip too!
Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker 

428  Pro Audio, Analog Audio Design (AAD), Cabasse, Lateral Audio Stands, Lumin, Meze Audio, Playback Designs, Puritan Audio Labs, Revox, And TEAC
The backlighting here made the photo challenging, but it illustrates a trend I picked up at Axpona. We're used to seeing dramatic outdoor vistas behind rigs, but on numerous occasions, presenters have featured photos of indoor scenes to entice listeners to envision the gear in their own homes. Of course, no two homes, like no two audio rigs, are ever the same, but the suggestion for this transference is present.

Moving off to the side gives me better exposure. The big news here was the introduction of the Revox B77 Mk III tape deck. More specifically, the Alice Cooper Limited Edition of said deck. It helps if you're a fan, I guess, but I'd opt for the traditional look. The speakers here were also by Revox. Below the tape deck was a Revox Studiomaster. It comes in two versions, the M300 ($4,450) and the M500 ($5,550). They are each an all-in-one (including FM receiver) that allows for multiple users in the same room to use different features, as well as multiple users in multiple rooms to use different features. (I hope I got that right.) All in the compact chassis shown here. This is something special, and I hope someone more capable than I can review it and sort it all out.

On the right Lateral equipment stand was a Revox turntable. Who knew? This is a straightforward-looking belt drive turntable with a carbon fiber tonearm and rich-looking Swiss contemporary design that wasn't the least bit intimidating. If you're an Alice Cooper fan, they have a Special Edition (50 units) of this turntable with a red anodized record weight that looks like the reel retainer on the tape deck, plus a photo image of Alice on the gloss black plinth.

Now this could become quite collectible in the future, but it puts some serious coin in Alice's pocket.

434  Monarch Systems, Audio Physic, B.audio, Chario, Siltech Cables, AnalogMagic, Franc Audio Accessories, SME, And Ultra Carbon
I recognized the speakers from Chario immediately. This fine Italian speaker company features fine woodwork and slightly unusual styling. I also recognized the SME Synergy MkII turntable with a separate power supply and controller. The electronics were from B.audio from France. This was my first encounter. Likewise, the equipment rack featured an unusual wood finished in high gloss. Monarch Systems Distribution is based in Englewood, Colorado, on the outskirts of Denver.

In addition to the unusual shape of the two-piece Academy Serendipity speaker, the drivers were inverted from their usual order. A pair of 12.6" woofers must have been firing off the back side. With 93dB/W/m efficiency and 4 Ohm impedance, this could be driven by high-quality tube amplifiers of modest power.

440  ARCAM, JBL, And Revel
That was the ARCAM Radia SA45 integrated amp ($5k) on top, driving the Revel F 328 Be speakers. The ARCAM Radia ST25 streamer ($1500) was below it on the Solidsteel rack.

The Revel F 328 Be speakers were $17,800.

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