Axpona 2018

I very much enjoyed AXPONA this year and opted for the 2 day pass. I was there both Friday and Saturday and am glad, not just because the amount of rooms to cover. @ihor mentioned the db levels at some of these rooms and I couldn’t agree more. There should be a max db level as one room with it set to high shot my ears on both days, to the point I couldn’t walk in another room and listen. Other thoughts in no particular order:

• The new location was fantastic and the atrium layout made it feel less crowded compared to rooms on both sides of the hallway at previous locations.
• ARC/Sonus Faber: one of the best systems at the show the past 3 years. It had it all, detail, soundstage, instrument timbre. If you heard analogue on it was even more of a treat.
• Wilson/D’Augustino: for the 3rd year in a row I did not like this combo. I didn’t think the sound was balanced and did not feel like I was sitting in a studio or concert hall. Disappointed again. 
• Aesthetix: Great sound, both smooth and detailed and had a great under $10k TT. 
• Joseph: He’s got it. The sense of realism and soundstage when paired with that tape deck is hard to beat. 
• Martin Logan’s: every system I heard paired with MLs I thought performed extremely well. Detailed, great soundstage, sense of realism, and range were better than they’ve ever been. On one piece played the crescendo at the finale was just as lifelike and detailed as the single instrument in the middle of the score. Glad they didn’t try to pair with McIntosh this year again. 
• Gobel Aeon - did anyone else get a chance to listen to these? I thought they were some of the best I’ve ever heard. The speaker was designed with an almost full range transducer combined with a woofer. Their engineer explained the transducer to me, and it doesnt work in the same way a dipole does that moves forward and back to reproduce sound. Therefore you don’t get sound bouncing off the back wall out of phase. When listening I felt as though we were sitting in the orchestra hall or in the studio. The sound reproduction was incredible in every way (IMO). I guess for $150k they should sound good :). In comparing them to a speaker of similar price range, I would take them over the Raidho $140k models all day long as their life like presence and transparency were far and away better. 
• Lots of other good stuff too! Missed out on hearing the Odyssey stuff as my ears were too shot after the Maggie’s room nor did I get to hear Atma-sphere for same reason (though not the Maggie’s). 

I see that quite a few folks are digging the new Magico a3,
Maybe somebody near me will buy a pair and I can check them out.

Would anybody know how the a3 would compare to the S3 mk1’s,
that’s one that I like and have heard often.

Kenny.

The raidho room. The Magico rom these were great. But the big avant garde display in the suite was amazing 

I totally agree Axpona was better this year, it was promising to see attendance up and the nicer venue had gravity.  Great reception hosted by the founder too:)  Below are a few standouts on the show for me.
Like many said here I will echo the J.Rowland & Joseph Audio room was near perfection.  I would have liked to pick a few tracks I know well for reference but it had a realism that was uncanny. Class D sorcery!
I always dig the Volti Rival Triode room, its fun and incredible what they do with 16 watts, that room ROCKS, free beer after 4!
Prana Fidelity had passion and really great sound. Beautiful hand made finish.
Gryphon has incredible reproduction of vocal tracks.  Timbre and tonal balance. They had the very best DJ! 
The big Sonus Aida's & Audio Research monster 750's playing their drum demo  > holy sh*t
Salk makes great gear, it was everywhere.
Again the VAC - Von Schweikert room did not disappoint. I got lucky Sunday and listened in with the press folks to some special pressings of The Who and then someone in the back made my day breaking out Dead Can Dance's Spritchaser> Song of the Stars r-mastered on vinyl.  Big speakers in a big room!   The bass seemed a bit overdriven to me which was noticeable on a few tracks but still wow what a fun room.
I think everything plugged into a Wilson speaker sounded good this year. 
Design, how about the VU meters on the Reference Audio Research amps?  or Technics big juice on their turntables and beautiful classic lines on their reference amps?

How about value?  
I love everything Pure Audio Project does, the highs are so clean, revealing but not harsh and an open baffle powered by a 2A3 has a magic like nothing else.  Their big room was running thru the only COS dac at the show. -I have a D2 and it made me a digital convert.   Power cables and audio foils by Verastarr.  Cables matter, I want to hear the furniture:)
The Dynaudio room always sounds great.
Vehement has some of the best sounding bookshelves I heard all weekend. Their setup was dialed-in and they have real passion for sound. 
Did anyone else hear the Elac's, they really did design a great sounding speaker with the E6. $200!
How bout HSU, the nicest guy at the show and still one of the best deals in an audiophile sub.
Emotiva has a crazy bargain in home theatre with 16 individual channels individually decoded, 360 immersive sound.  Their demo was impressive.

Hats off to Avantgarde who turned the room into your living room, I finished the show with their big horns and 12 watts of Class A Sunday @445pm getting the Led out, then the last song was Another Brick in the Wall, turned to 11 and I was center stage. Thanks guys, go Germany!!

Till next year!