Mind-Blowing Innovations At AXPONA 2025 – The Ultimate Audio Revolution
All great music has a very special soundscape you must hear to believe!
AXPONA 2025 High-End Audio Show Report By Dr. Michael Bump

Room 1234   Playback Distribution, Esprit, Teac, And Esoteric
Rob Standley, Co-Founder / President, and Keith Haas, Director of HiFi Sales at Playback Distribution, brought their A-game this year to five AXPONA 2025 listening rooms on the 12th floor, featuring a wide gambit of fine audio companies and products from around the world. Among them, they are the sole U.S. distributor for Teac / Esoteric of Japan, thereby representing one of the largest and most revered companies of fine digital audio instruments. Since my early interests as an audiophile, I've maintained great admiration for the design, build, and musical delivery of Esoteric components as representative of the highest standards in high-end audio.

In fact, I've owned three models of single box Esoteric CD players through the years, with the new K-01XD SE now in-house for a future Enjoy The Music.com review. Room 1234 did not disappoint, delivering superbly performed music by a full complement of Esoteric Grandioso power plant and source components, highlighted by the new N1T Network Transport ($28,000). The system also featured the American debut of the MJ Acoustics Master Class – Henley 12" long-throw subwoofer ($3995), as well as the previously unknown to me Esprit Amelia full-range floorstanders from France ($20,000), which thoroughly impressed me with its outstanding level of nuance, speed, and three-dimensionality, particularly at low amplitude listening.

Esprit Amelia Floor-Standing Speakers - $20,000 pr

MJ Acoustics Masterclass Henley 12" Subwoofer - $3995

Esoteric Grandioso Series:     K1X SE SACD Player - $38,000

C1X PreAmplifier - $50,000

M1X Mono Amplifier - $78,000

N1T Network Transport - $31,000

G1X Master Clock - $30,000

PS1 Power Supply - $16,000

Esprit Volta S Power Strip - $1999

Esprit cabling

Room 418   Zesto Audio, Cardas, And YG Acoustics
For me, no visit to AXPONA audiophile show would be complete without a visit with George and Carolyn Counnas to catch up on life, as well as talk of beautiful music making, both professionally as well as in the audio arts. George wants Enjoy the Music.com to know their new to the stable of exquisite sounding and looking pieces is the Athena, a state-of-the-art Hi-Res Audio DAC ($15,000), synthesizing creative digital technology with the classic tube analog circuitry Zesto is well-respected for.

At its core is a state-of-the-art ROHM chip, which ensures that every element of the audio signal is reproduced with breathtaking clarity. It accepts a wide range of formats up to 24-bit/384kHz files, with three DSD and eight PCM sample rates, and offers seven inputs, including USB, S/PDIF COAX, Optical, AES/EBU, and 12S. The presentation through the Athena truly was the best of both worlds of classic tube warmth fused with remarkable detail and transient speed.

YG Acoustics Hailey 3 Loudspeakers - $63,400 pr

Zesto Audio Athena DAC - $15,000

Zesto Audio Andros Deluxe II Phono Stage - $8300

Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird Turntable - $9900

Ortofon 90X mc Cartridge - $5500

Zesto Audio Andros Allasso Step-Up Transformer - $3600

Zesto Audio Andros Spirit mm/mc Phonostage - $3997

Zesto Audio Eros 500 Select Monoblocks - $35,000 pr

Zesto Audio Leto Ultra II Preamp - $11,900

Cardas Audio cables

Connection Room    Quintessence Audio, Ltd., dCS, Audio Research, DS Audio, And Clearaudio
There was a genuine acoustical synthesis in the Quintessence Audio room this year. An ambiance of ease and presence within the musical moment from one reference example to the next. Plenty of upper mids and heft throughout. This was another room I found myself returning to. Listening was a multi-sensorial experience here, where space was at a premium/standing room only. On both occasions, analog was served up by way of the Clearaudio Master Jubilee table ($60,000), including the new Unity tonearm (tbd) and new DS Audio Grand Master EX cartridge ($22,500). Centerstage was the gorgeous Sonus Faber Stradivari speakers ($50,000 pr) and the Audio Research power plant, consisting of a quartet of Ref 330 mono amplifiers ($90,000 pr), Ref 10 preamp ($42,000), and Ref 10 phono preamp ($42,000). 

Isolating and significantly improving the presentation of electronics and source components were the Maxuum-Ultra racks and isolation ($50,500) crafted by Critical Mass Systems. An indispensable construct to critical audio listening, IMHO, as can be noted from my earlier reviews here on Enjoy The Music.com's Review Magazine (July 2022 and June 2023).

Sonus Faber Stradivari Speakers - $50,000 pr

Clearaudio Master Jubilee turntable - $60,000

Goldfinger Statement mc cartridge - $17,500

DS Audio Grand Master EX cartridge - $22,500

Universal 9" tonearm - $6200

dCS Vivaldi Apex streaming DAC - $46,500

dCS Vivaldi clock - $22,950

dCS Vivaldi upsampler - $30,500

Audio Research Ref 330 mono amplifiers - $90,000 pr

Audio Research Ref 10 preamp - $42,000

Audio Research Ref phono preamp - $42,000

DS Audio TB-100 tube equalizer - $20,000

Kubala-Sosna Cables

Critical Mass Systems Stand / Isolation - $50,500

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