2023 Florida Audio Expo Show Report

@blisshifi Stereophile concurs with your top choices. 

@snapsc I don’t think it has anything to do with price but about distinction and impact. Any brand, in order to be successful, needs to deliver a great experience with distinction and leave a lasting impact in its target audience. Many times brands that are too readily common or accessible just don’t deliver enough distinction to stand out. These shows are not about appealing to what the masses can afford, but to showcase the latest advancements of the industry.

I made the comparison to auto shows earlier in this thread. When one visits those, they typically explore the vehicles that are completely out of their reach and find those experiences to be memorable. People tend to want what they cannot have. For anyone who wants a Honda Civic, they can visit their local dealer. The same principle goes with anything that goes to market through a scarcity model - sometimes brands attain fame by being able to milk demand at a premium. The sneaker industry is a prime example of this. 

But while these shows aim for the exceptional and often unattainable, this is where the value of dealers come in. It is the job of dealers like me to help people find derivative value that is more attainable and also guide brands/manufacturers to better meet people where they are. Unfortunately not enough dealers do their duty in this regard, in my honest opinion  

For what it’s worth, some manufacturers did a great job of this at the show. Margules, while showcasing their separates, also spent a good amount of time demoing their I-240 integrated. Borresen, while receiving a lot of praise for their $100K monitors, also had another room with $11k floorstanders.

@passthedutchie These three systems truly were the standouts, and in different ways. Margules/Raidho was the most soulful, emotional, but colored of the three. High End By Oz (Lansche/Thrax) was right in between with honesty, expansiveness and resolution while keeping body and warmth, and Audio Group Denmark excelled at ultimate transparency and imaging. In my opinion, nothing else came close to these three in terms of distinction. 

I wanted to like the Clarisys speakers, and while the detail and tone was there, I did not find the imaging and separation to be holographic at all. It felt completely flat to me. 

If you looking for one of the very best and just hit the lottery you buy the new Acora VRC Loudspeakers. If you looking for one of the very best bargains buy the Clarisys Minuets.. And don't match them with Hegel Gear 😉

@blisshifi     you are right about the $11K Borresen towers. Magnificent sound....I thought the Best of show under 20K.....but the model is the X3, not the S3.