Axpona 2023

@yyzsantabarbara The Vivid and Borresen are pretty different - both great in different ways. The Vivid caught me by surprise because the great imaging was so apparent - something I didn't hear in many rooms at the show. The Borresen had the sound of a larger speaker and more impressive in filling the room. Bass was tremendous and very tight, treble was smooth. Vivid bass was very good as far as the range goes but not quite as impactful - but treble was super sweet.  I haven't heard the Kaya 45 and this was my first time hearing any Vivids so I don't have much experience with the line.. Certainly the type of music you listen to and the room (listening room vs family/great room) would influence selection.  The Vivid has a small footprint for a floor standing speaker.  Sound wise, I think I'd go with the Borresen if it fit my room... but as you say it's just personal preference.  A nice comparison at a similar price point.. 

@jeffseight thanks for the heads up on Fritz. I've come to realize in short order here the amount of boutique speaker makers out there making great stuff. 

@mikempls   +1  Yes, The Canton room was very disappointing. The Reference 3k sounded sluggish/veiled and unengaging. I talked to the Monitor Audio sales rep. and he was very upfront about the Platinum Series being made in China He was very convincing about the extreme level of quality control in PRC factories. The Platinum 200's were playing and sounded restricted but I could hear the potential. He claimed they need a fairly large room to breath properly. I did mention the budget Roksan Attessa gear could be holding them back, he agreed the better the electronics ect.  I believe the VSA model was the Endeavor SE playing? or was it a new Endeavor 6? If my memory is correct the retail was $29k not $22k. IMO the Endeavor was clearly superior vs. the Borresen X3. The speed/dynamics and tonal balance was near reference level. The X3 had a little of that "fake" HI-FI ish sheen to it that some Focal/B&W speakers "can" have. I do think at $11k they have few if any competition just be careful with component matching.

Thanks, Dayglow — your comments were some of the most helpful I’ve received. I thought you were spot on with comments about the Canton and MA speakers. Good perspectives on the X3 — I was a bit nervous about the “fake” sound myself.

Did you listen to the Scansonics (Raidho’s entry line) by chance? I heard those before the X3s and thought they sounded good also.

@mikempls Thx for the kind words! I did not see the Scansonic MB models but many of the Raidho models the TD 2.2($45k) was exceptional even when playing Tool. Did you hear the MB 5B, the claimed sweet spot in the Scansonic line-up? Also would like to mention the YG Acoustics Talus from the Peak Series. I thought it was the best under $15k speaker at the show. Its best feature was it did not call attention to itself while music flowed in a non mechanical presentation. The $17k Totem Metal V2 had a very neutral pristine "master tape" like sound but the Talus were slightly more engaging. Both speakers IMO are standouts at the crowded $15k area price point. On the budget side <$10k. The Wharfedale Dovetail $8k/$9k w/stands had a commanding presence that was very well balanced. I was most impressed with the treble delivery. A SS amp/larger room would tighten the bass but the Master Sound amp sounded great. The Atohm GT2 HD at $7500 had that neutral pristine sound with solid bass and dynamics and presented the smallest footprint of the 4 mentioned here. I also believe it has the highest ceiling when upgrading electronics. The Audiovector QR7 at $6500 had a big open spacious sound with nice tonality and slightly rounded bass. Much more relaxed then the Dovetail which is listener dependent not a flaw. Finally the Axpona budget winner at $5k is the Acoustic Energy AE 520. Scale/calmness and balance are its positives. it might lack the pristine clarity of the others sounding slightly thick but electronics and cables can easily solve that minor nitpick.