Chicago

Green Street Smoked Meats | REVIEW

Driving around downtown Chicago’s West Loop, you’ll find no shortage of restaurants, bars, and cafe storefronts to captivate the passing eye. Almost hidden among them Green Street Smoked Meats stands apart as a pinch of home for this partially-Texas-raised boy from North Carolina. From the street, an unremarkable marked-up, mostly black painted, factory-like building with […]

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Avantgarde, Phasemation, Esoteric, dCS, American Sound of Canada | AXPONA 2023

Angie Lisi of American Sound of Canada, who has recently taken on Rethm, and had some hiding in a second system in her large top-floor suite at Axpona 2023 was also rocking a number of other cool brands. Among them, Phasemation, Esoteric’s Magne-drive magnetic drive turntable, a full dCS Vivaldi Apex stack, and a pair

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Treehaus Audiolab, Innuos, Iconoclast Cable | AXPONA 2023

Treehaus Audiolab continues my theme of show rooms doing hifi different. Rich Pinto, who is fast becoming a familiar face to the INDULGR crew, were showing his irrepressibly organic approach to audio, which included the Treehaus National Treasure Field Coil Loudspeakers, an open-baffle full-range field coil speaker design which use a Fostex T90A super tweeter

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Diptyque, Audia Flight, Michell Audio, NEO, Fidelity Imports | AXPONA 2023

Fidelity Imports was showing, by my count, six separate rooms at Axpona 2023 – and all of the ones I went into had very cool gear in them. The standout for me was the Diptyque Audio and Audia Flight room, which displayed a trait you really never expect from a panel speaker: bass. Reporting by

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Rethm, Phasemation, Audio Research, HRS | AXPONA ’23

Rethm Audio’s Jacob George, one of my favorite people in the audio industry, was present at Axpona 2023 making a rather special showing. Having celebrated a newly inked distribution deal with Angie Lisi of American Sound of Canada, Jacob had every model in his current lineup present and was swapping speakers throughout the show. My

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Bayz Audio, VAC, Taiko, Esoteric, Rhapsody Audio | AXPONA 2023

If you started off your Axpona 2023 experience by rushing to floor sixteen (the uppermost altitude-iness floor of the show) exiting the elevators to the short end of the hallway, and set off on your weekend tour, letting gravity take the lead, then you likely encountered Bayz Audio via New York City based ultra-high-end dealer

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Vivid Audio, Audionet, Mola Mola, Kubala-Sosna, GTT Audio | AXPONA 2023

Vivid Audio loudspeakers and I have a long-standing situationship: readers familiar with my tastes will know my love for the avantgarde and whimsical in all things art and design, and there is perhaps no more beautifully designed speaker than the Giya range in one of the brilliant Oyster Matte colors. What I have so far

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Zesto Audio, YG Acoustics, Dr. Feickert Analogue, Stillpoints, Cardas | AXPONA 2023

Zesto Audio, a California based high-end electronics company, was debuting their new Eros 500 Select Monoblock amplifiers, sold in pairs for $35,000 pr USD. Showing in the system: loudspeakers from YG Acoustics, electronics from Zesto, turntable from Dr. Feickert, cables from Cardas, and support from Stillpoints. Reporting by Eric Franklin Shook The new Eros 500

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Børresen, Aavik, Ansuz, Axxess, Next Level Hi-Fi | AXPONA 2023

Next Level HiFi is a high-end audio dealer serving the Chicagoland area from their showroom in Wayne, Illinois. At the head of their hi-fi activities is Tyler and Dana Mueller, who have become quite renowned for their audio show exhibits. Somehow, always finding a clear path to consistent and honest sound no matter the show

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Linear Tube Audio, PureAudioProject, Anticables | AXPONA 2023

Linear Tube Audio is a high-fidelity audio manufacturing company based in Takoma Park, Maryland. The heart of all LTA amplifiers is the patented Berning output transformerless ZOTL technology. Sonically, this delivers the best of both worlds: tube tone and solid state detail. Each unit is expertly built by hand in the United States. Reporting by

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Fern & Roby, LTA, Weiss, Black Cat Cable | AXPONA 2023

Fern & Roby is a Richmond, Virginia based maker of speakers, audio furniture, turntables, and electronics. Here at Axpona 2023 they were showing with Linear Tube Audio (LTA) system electronics, Weiss digital conversion (DAC) , and Black Cat Cable. Reporting by Eric Franklin Shook Fern & Roby founder Chris Hildebrand was showing two familiar pairs

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AXPONA 2023 | PREVIEW

The INDULGR team of high-end audio writers and experts will be attending Axpona 2023 in full force. Our coverage will begin on Friday April, 14th at the beginning of the show and continue through the coming weeks. Expect a wide array of coverage from not only the audio exhibitions, but also from around the event

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