AXpona 2023

[Big Dog RJ]

I've just received reports on the new Clarisys line of panels. Considering their views from my trusted dealer mates who attended. It seems like custom made orders for the Neodymium version, pushes that high frequency range on a higher level. Hence, some may like it and others may not. Apparently it can sound quite jarring.

This can be sort of tamed by placing them well away from the front wall, which requires a very large room or by carefully selected gear to smoothly drive these panels without having major "jump factor" like horns.

It seems that it's not only limited to the tweeters but also to the midrange ribbon array. This may be the reason why these frequency ranges would sound overpowering....
Having the Neodymium's on the bass section of the ribbon panels is a significant improvement, such that more effortless drive and control is obtained when these Neodymium's are added. On a positive side of things, adding Neodymium's increases the efficiency factor by quite a margin and allows for low to moderate amplifiers as an option.

Therefore, those who don't like the Neodymium version and prefer an improvement without overpowering frequency ranges, can opt for the standard version, which is still very good, according to them...

So, this was their evaluation on the Clarisys (made by three mates of mine based in Spore). Another minor point made by them was at the price points given, considering so many other options on panel type speakers, the Clarisys line is still over-priced. Regardless of that Swiss touch... there are other options / brands that are equally outstanding... so they say, and I can understand their point.

They just introduced a new series, called the Picolo. Even though this is their smallest panel system, the pricing is still fairly on the high side. This was in approx USD at the time:

Picolo $19grand
Minuet $46grand
Studio Plus $66grand
Auditorium $146grand

There's another top of the line multiple panel system after the Auditorium's but I don't think it has been commissioned as yet. Supposed to be in the range of half million! Ok, no worries mate, just write that cheque now and we'll pack your exotic panels soon!

Any members here attended the show? If so please share your thoughts on the ultra-high-end stuff and if any were up to par or fell short, what are your thoughts?

Cheers, RJ

[admin]

Interesting and good to hear about new offerings in the very limited planar speaker market.

Those prices are truly "high end" so this is going to be a limited market. I think Martin Logan and Magnepan are still going to own the market as 4 figure speakers I'm sure greatly outsell 5 figures ones (not to even speak of 6 figure ones).

[Wildcat]

Any members here attended the show? If so please share your thoughts on the ultra-high-end stuff and if any were up to par or fell short, what are your thoughts?

I'm stretched for time at the moment as I'm having to put together show reports for different sites. But overall, it was an exhausting visit. 16 floors, and the elevators may not have even existed as they were so busy that a visitor could waste 10-20 minutes per trip on an elevator.

Honestly, there was more equipment I disliked than equipment I liked. And after having lived my ML stats for so long, I'm finding that the only tweeters and mids I really gravitate towards liking now are ribbons, which are similar to stats. It's a rare cone/dome arrangement that will get my attention these days--I'm so used to pure, uncolored sound and accurate timbre from stats that I hear all the colorations in these speakers now. I did have some exceptions though.

Both our editor and I heard the Clarisys panels on separate--they look like a variation of the Apogee design. They....did not sound good. I left after 30 seconds, and I know our editor didn't like them either (and he's been in the industry for decades). Very colored and strange sounding. Given there were 200+ rooms to visit, if the sound doesn't attract me immediately, I bail out. I can't sit and force myself to like something.

One room I couldn't even walk into was the room with the $4 million dollar horn-based system, which was literally a wall of componentry and drivers. It sounded to me like money bought loudness. My tinnitus was flaring up standing four feet outside the room.

I also walked out of the single room with a pair of MartinLogan Impression ESL 11As. The vibe I got from the company at the show was that they have been around for 40 years, so that makes them hip and cool. Similar to how some other high-end companies jumped the shark in recent years. I don't even remember which electronics were powering that system, but this is a few times now where they've set up their systems with sub-par electronics and they have not sounded good. They don't get it. They are doing a disservice to their own brand by not teaming up with the best electronics manufacturers. I've always felt like this--any speaker and amp will make sound; the right speaker and amp combination will make music.

I've only heard MLs sound good at AXPONA, and that is with a Constellation stack. That has the same magic that I get at home with my C-J stack. McIntosh certainly didn't cut it, and the Luxman integrated amp I heard driving them in another room made them sound harsh and grating.

Anyhoo...

Morel reintroduced their home speakers to the US market at the show, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The "towers" were only $2K/pair a pair, and the size down in a bookshelf version was $1200/pair. Maybe very slightly hot on the top end (and it could have been the demo recording), but otherwise the towers were nice.

Andrew Jones' latest unveiling was the SourcePoint 8.8.8, a new "tower" configuration of the Mobile Fidelity line of speakers. The sound was very boomy, but the room wasn't very good either, and since the room was packed like sardines, I could only lean against the back wall for a few minutes, also not an ideal position to listen in. In a better environment, these would sound much better in the bass. They do reach down deep due to the additional two 8-inch bass drivers, and the main driver is a 8-inch concentric driver, which Jones is fond of (for good reason).

I'm a little biased, but the PS Audio FR30s still are among the best sounding at the show. They were in Schaumburg A on the main floor, in a tall, square room, and it was rare to hear such low bass at the show. (I heard these out at the office in Boulder last year.) The FR30s have ribbon drivers which is probably why I like them--they are similarly uncolored like the stats I'm used to. They brought the new FR10, plus a prototype of the FR5 bookshelf speaker. Chris Brunhaver is someone to watch, in terms of speaker design.

Linkwitz also had some nice sound going in their suite, and I had an invite to a presentation by Kevin Gray which was very entertaining. So we got to hear a cut from each of the two records on his own label over both of the Linkwitz systems and they sounded excellent. They utilize an open baffle arrangement for the highs and mids, and bass goes to a decoupled cabinet below.

Probably some others I'm forgetting, but I'll leave a few more notes here as I come across them.

[Wildcat]

Oh, just remembered--Wharfedale had a nice pair in one of the first rooms I saw. And no surprise, they used a ribbon for the higher frequencies. I could live with these also.

[admin]

Thanks for the update. Really interesting to hear.

I'm saddened to hear that ML is not putting in the effort. I really like their speakers and as a previous owner I can say that they need to be driven by a good amp and the room needs to be set up properly. You can't just rely on your history in this business. You have to present your products at their best. I hope they up their presentation game to showcase what their speakers can really do.

Also happy to hear that the FR30s sounded great. Paul at PS Audio seems always so proud of them. He talks about them more like if they were his children rather than simply his company's product.

Do you recall if there was any showing by Magnepan?

[Wildcat]

I didn't get a chance to stop in either of the rooms with Magnepan, but they did have a presence.

Part of the craziness of the show is that the number of rooms is so overwhelming that it's easy to wander around aimlessly, not knowing where to start, and also getting sidetracked by numerous things (a song or a room catches your ear, a friend or acquaintances crosses your path, etc.). I probably have at least a dozen rooms I didn't get a chance to stop into. With the elevator situation, too, it's not like I could easily go back to a room I overlooked--if it was a floor or two away, I could take the stairs. But realizing on the 7th floor that I didn't get to visit a room on the 12th, that's pushing it.

The FR30s have the advantage of Paul's experience with Arnie Nudell in Genesis speakers, and Arnie's work with Infinity prior to that. Paul still has the IRS Vs in Boulder as a reference, although with all the speaker development work going on, they were parked in the hallway when I visited.

And yes, it's a shame about ML. Even on social media, their ads seem to be more about style over function. I feel like they've gone off the rails in some aspects since Gayle retired many years ago. The products themselves are still excellent, and new technology they've adopted has helped the product, but they won't win over many audiophiles with inadequate product demos.

There was not a single C-J component to be found at the show.

[admin]

I'm glad that AXpona was a success. If all those floors were full it shows people have interest.

Totally understand not wanting to trek up and down stairs back and forth.

Unfortunate that CJ didn't have a presence there,... but I'm not surprised. Jeff doesn't seem to be very big on advertisements and PR. I'm guessing the limited runs of the units are selling and it's probably hard to scale up a small essentially "one man shop" like CJ so not much impetus to devote a lot of time and resources to shows.

Thanks for the review of the show. Much appreciated.

[AnotherJohnson]

I'm glad that AXpona was a success. If all those floors were full it shows people have interest.

I’m sure there were exceptions, but in pictures of the rooms demonstrating very expensive systems that I’ve seen, there were a lot of males with gray hair.

I guess they’re the ones who can write the $100k and up checks required to buy a lot of this gear.

[Wildcat]

I wonder who's actually buying any of this uber-expensive gear. Nobody in the media (press) can afford it even with accommodation, so it's not them. Most showgoers are there to kick tires and are driving mundane and often older cars. But I do think that if a company shows their flagship product, that "feel good" mentality trickles down to the rest of the product line, and results in sales for lower models.

Of our local audiophiles that I know, none have deep pockets. Some are even DIYers, making their own tube amps and horn-based speaker systems. A few have a pricey turntable rig but that's the extent of it. I can't think of anyone who has anything into the six digits. I sometimes feel that those types of customers buying $150k speakers and $300k in electronics purchase them for status, and may even turn them on occasionally.

To be honest, even if I won a Powerball drawing (provided I ever bought a ticket, of course), I'd still stick to modest system. Probably newer versions of what I own already. My biggest upgrade would be to a house with a separate listening room.

[AnotherJohnson]

In the auto industry annual bonuses for productive upper engineering level used to run in the $200k to $400k range, and that was literally 30 years ago. The VPs and higher could get even more in a good year.

I’ve seen systems that had price tags north of a million bucks get installed by the team at Paragon. There don’t need to be millions of buyers for the highest end. Just a few per state is enough to keep things moving in the US.

[admin]

There were almost 38,500 "Ultra wealthy" (net worth of over $50 million USD individuals in the US) and this was a statistic from 2017 and I'm sure it's significantly more now). I can see those individuals just telling their contractor to "get me the best stereo money can buy" when building their homes. Whether they have any appreciation for audio is questionable.

Source= https://www.visualcapitalist.com/worlds ... ion-chart/

[AnotherJohnson]

There were almost 38,500 "Ultra wealthy" (net worth of over $50 million USD individuals in the US (and this was a statistic from 2017 and I'm sure it's significantly more now). I can see those individuals just telling their contractor to "get me the best stereo money can buy" when building their homes. Whether they have any appreciation for audio is questionable.

Source= https://www.visualcapitalist.com/worlds ... ion-chart/

In several cases I’m familiar with due to first hand contact with customer and/or salesman, the customer has done their own auditioning, sometimes by fly in, sometimes driving in (as I have done).

The guys who leave it to contractors are often building an HT and/or a whole house or multi building system. Two channel aficionados like to listen and audition.

[Big Dog RJ]

Now that's a great write up WC, thanks for posting.

In fact I hear ya! Regarding CJ and Stats... there's something very special about it, and very extraordinary that not even the loftiest of gear can match. That's why I've said before, at this stage, there's no other system I'd rather own, regardless of price.

My good mates also commented on the PS Audio speakers, they had taken the time to set-up properly and didn't want to disappoint. They take their work seriously unlike ML and a few others who are just riding the history wave. ML knows that although they may not put up a good show, it's their dealers around the world who are really selling their gear and partnering them with high quality gear. Our ML distributor in Aus is doing exactly that, and the dealer whom I bought my CLX's from uses only Pass Labs, Vitus, Accuphase and since lately Burmester amplifiers to drive these stats, nothing else and nothing less. Most recently, he's just received a consignment of Dan D's designs, and oh my! What a ride!

When we had our Melbourne HiFi show the previous year in Oct, they hadn't set up those PS Audio speakers properly and the upstream gear used weren't upto par either. They were going for around 50grand a pair and definitely didn't have my attention at all. At 50grand there are numerous other top tier speaker systems to choose from.
So obviously looks like they need proper set-up to impress, like anything else in highend.

It's interesting to see that Nordost partners with Steinham speakers and VTL once again! They had that same exact set-up during the previous show and big Jay Jay was very impressed by that demo. Steinham speakers cost a bloody fortune too and are Swiss made, so I guess it's Swiss.

They also commented same findings on most cabinet designs. You can hear the box immediately! Regardless of how well they brace, fit and mould their cabinets, that boxy sound is an inherent part of such designs. However, there are some that manage quite well and truly impress inspite of cabinet resonance, Zellaton and Magico are the ones I've really admired but they cost a fortune!

How about those Acora speakers, made in stone! Granite, and special stone and damn heavy. Acora is the chap behind the ownership of ARC, and he also has an extensive array of ARC gear. It's also good to have an owner who believes and knows the product well. All the best to both.

I guess once you're used to a particular system or type of sound, trying to like something else can be really difficult. I'm very passionate about tubes and Stats, and I've tried various SS amps just to get something as secondary amplifiers going, since tubes are getting very pricey here.
However, although impressive in terms of more drive factor and oomph, it just can't do what tubes offer. Tooobs are quite unique and the physics is just different, so why bother.
I'm on my 14th SS amp trial... just brought in a pair of older Mark Levinson monoblocks, I'm returning them tomorrow!

That's one pretty big show, 16 floors! Damn, that's nearly the size of the Adelphi plaza in Spore!
The Clarisys line will appeal to those looking for something quite different in planar speakers, who don't want to spend Alsyvox price points, so Clarisys is just under and makes it seem a viable option, especially considering the high standards of customer support. I'm not sure for how long Clarisys intends to do this or whether or not they can sustain this model of personalised service, I guess time will tell. I wish them well and hope to get a demo this Aug.

Speaking of truly lofty gear vs one that you like or something that fully engages you in; there was a chap here on CJO who doesn't post anymore. He's the one lucky chap who had the CJ GATS2, Gryphon Mephisto and Sonus Faber Stradivari speakers. This is a top flight system or at least on paper and in terns of dollars. He sold off the whole lot! Now, uses the CAV45-S2 and a pair of TAD horn loaded speakers and just loves it! Says he wasted so much time and money chasing his tail... I can certainly relate to that!

I guess once you've found the one, whatever that maybe, in whatever shape size or form, once it's reached its threshold and a fine level of synergy, just leave it! Sit back and enjoy those fine tunes!

Woof! RJ

[sleepysurf]

... I also walked out of the single room with a pair of MartinLogan Impression ESL 11As. The vibe I got from the company at the show was that they have been around for 40 years, so that makes them hip and cool. Similar to how some other high-end companies jumped the shark in recent years. I don't even remember which electronics were powering that system, but this is a few times now where they've set up their systems with sub-par electronics and they have not sounded good. They don't get it. They are doing a disservice to their own brand by not teaming up with the best electronics manufacturers. I've always felt like this--any speaker and amp will make sound; the right speaker and amp combination will make music.

I've only heard MLs sound good at AXPONA, and that is with a Constellation stack. That has the same magic that I get at home with my C-J stack. McIntosh certainly didn't cut it, and the Luxman integrated amp I heard driving them in another room made them sound harsh and grating...

Actually, Rm 1117 had the Expression 13A's (I likewise forget which pre/amp driving them), and I thought they sounded great. Interestingly, ARC was turned off, and the bass controls were at their default neutral settings, yet the dynamics and imaging were superb. IMHO, it was one of the best ML demo's I've heard in a long time, and much better than the Neolith demo's they typically "blasted" in the past.

IMHO, the surround sound demo they had in Rm 672, using the Motion XT series (R, L, center, subs, side surrounds and in-ceilings suspended in a frame) was also very impressive.

I also heard all the Clarisys models. I also thought the large (? Auditorium or Studio Plus) demo in the large 2nd floor room was overly harsh sounding, but the Minuet, in a smaller room upstairs, was much warmer. Both presentations, no doubt, also reflected room acoustics, and choice of upstream gear and music selection. On Sunday, they were demo'ing the brand new Piccolo model in the large 2nd floor room, and it had great tonality and imaging. However, they declined to play any bass heavy tracks (understandably, as there's no way the diminutive model could pressurize such a large space). The Piccolo size and styling reminded me of the Apogee Stage, which I used to own, and which, I'm sure, Florian had in mind when designing that model. FYI, I was fortunate to have dinner with Florian last year at the Florida Audio Expo, and he really knows his stuff. However, I don't personally care for the more industrial design of the Clarisys models. Regardless, I suspect in a properly sized room, with tubes on the front end, they'd sound sublime.

[Big Dog RJ]

Outstanding!

Another great write up for those who couldn't attend. Damn! We don't get anything like this over here, no chance Charlie! 16 floors of goodies... I would've camped outside one of those rooms. Oh well, fortunately there's a short flight which I hop onto once a year, usually in Feb or July. So heading to Spore this Aug to audition the Diptyque panels Reference line. BTW, Diptyque introduced a new ribbon panel, I forget the exact model but it costs around 12grand. That's something promising!

Cheers and thanks for the excellent write up.
Woof! RJ