AXPONA 2013: Chicago here I come

It was a close thing, at least for a while there. But Snowmageddon quickly became Nomageddgon, so here I am flinging myself through time and space toward the Windy City for some steak, some audio, some good friends, and some good times.

Show coverage for this year’s AXPONA will appear on The Abso!ute Sound. Not sure exactly how that’s gonna work, but stay tuned. It’ll be my first contribution to TAS, so hopefully it won’t suck. Do me a favor and visit multiple times? Just to make it seem like it’s even more popular than it really is. You know. Just because I’m insecure. Thanks.

Did I mention that Jeff Catalano of High Water Sound has a pair of Hørning Eufrodite (Zigma Plus) loudspeakers? He’s gonna be running them with Tron gear. I expect to plant myself there. Likewise, Volti will be showing off the Alura with BorderPatrol gear. Another planting will surely follow. MAD will be there, courtesy of Colleen Cardas Imports — I missed them at CES and I was bummed, so I plan to correct that here. Purity Audio Design will have a pair of new 300b tube monoblocks (preliminary pricing is $26k) so I’ll be sure to check those out. Soundsmith will be showing off both their new Strain Gauge systems and the new Hyperion II cartridge. Yeah. Bells on, pal, bells on. Greg Beron of UHA will be showing off a whole lineup of more affordable tape decks, coming up under his flagship Phase 11, all featuring a new preamp section. I’ve been convinced that this is the thing to bring in this year — stay tuned on that score. Cary Audio will be partnering with AudiogoN and showing off their direct-to-consumer line of gear, Audio Electronics by Cary Audio. Legacy Audio will be there with Aeris and Pass Labs will be showing off their big Xs mono amps.

And there will be steak. Oh yes. There will be.

All told, there’s supposed to be 80+ rooms this year, which will be a huge increase over last year’s show. I suppose you could argue that it’s all about venue … but whatever the reason, I’ll be there. Will you?

See ya on the flipside.