2023 Florida Audio Expo Show Report

I, too, was very pleased with the small Joseph Audio Pulsar speakers paired with the Doshi electronics. The gear and setup were appropriate for the room where many other manufacturers were trying too hard with too small a space (ahem Focal Maestro Utopia with Naim Statements with less than 7’ listening distance). The body, articulation, imaging and soul of the Joseph Audio room we very moving, and I had a nice time talking with Jeff Joseph about the setup.

Some of my other favorite rooms, without going into much detail:

Margules electronics with Raidho TD 2.2 - this was the boldest, biggest, most organic, and most involving system I heard at the show. Definitely not as fast as the Borresen M1 room when it comes to the microdynamics and speed requirements of electronic music, but it excelled in everything else across all genres, and the speed and microdynamics were more than capable for even the most tasking classical and jazz.

Borresen M1 monitors with the Aavik I-880 integrated - this was uber-high-end, but the clarity, imaging and soundstage could not be beat. Of course, a more “Hifi” sound, but easily could handle anything you threw at it with grace. There were only moments where I was missing the lowest octave.

Thrax electronics with the Lanche 5.2 speakers - this room was just wonderful, an excellent blend of the sound of the two rooms above for what delivered an incredibly organic, but fast and resolving sound with an immense stage (of course the larger room helps, but few if any of the other larger rooms could replicate this magic as something in those systems was always compromising something. The proprietary plasma tweeters on the Lansche were straight out incredible, mixed with a very warm, dynamic, and inviting sound.

All of these were evaluated multiple times over multiple days from their prime listening spots. And in full disclosure, I am a Margules dealer, though I try to remain unbiased about these reviews, which is why I share where I thought there could be improvement areas.

@p05129 From a dealer’s perspective, it was alright, more for the opportunities to network across the industry combined with the opportunity to meet customers. That said, I didn’t find there were a lot of customers in attendance compared to the other larger shows. I wouldn’t count on making a ton of sales from the show, but if the press picks up the performance of the room in a positive way, that could go a long way into building business. I also felt many customers were not really in a shopping mindset as they are in other large shows and really were just curious to see what is out there.

From a customer / audiophile perspective, it was alright. Many of the rooms were not done well (not uncommon for many shows), but in general not that many stood out. The crowds fluxed, and most rooms were really busy for 2-3 hours shortly after opening, with crowds tapering in the mid afternoon. This is good and bad as many customers could have more access to listening to gear in prime seating positions, but I felt most of the room hosts were at times not invested in the people in the room. If I lived within driving distance, I’d probably set up a room for my business, but I wouldn’t make the investment to fly and ship all my gear there. 

@mushniksflorist Yes, they do. It’s the second time I’ve heard them at the shows, and AXPONA last year was the reason I decided to carry the Margules line. I do wish I could carry Raidho, but at the moment, I can’t afford to take it on. The Margules U-280 SC 30th amp sounds great with my personal Borresen Z3 Cryo, ans they pair just as well (albeit with slightly lower performance) with the more affordable Scansonic MB-B speakers that I carry. The Margules I-240 integrated paired with the Scansonic MB-2.5B is a winning combination in my opinion and can fill my 18x23x18 room without a sub, and the pairing costs ~$12K.

@ecrotty @snapsc I did like the tone of the new Volti speakers, but I was less impressed by the separation and imaging compared to many of the other systems there. That said, of course the price points were more accessible than the ultra-high-end offerings others brought. Similarly, I appreciated the Leak and Wharfedale Elysian pairing that one room had (forgot which one). Great tone with nice imaging for the price, but not at the fidelity of many others. 

@whitestix A few moderately priced speakers stood out:

Joseph Audio Pulsar - the Joseph Audio room has been mentioned a few times in this thread, but not a lot of credit was given specifically to the Pulsar speakers he had. For bookshelves, they filled the space quite nicely, and the tone was wonderfully warm and full with great detail and imaging. 

Borresen S3 - These are their newest floorstanders at $11K, likely meant to be their rebuttal on the Scansonic MB-B series (of which Michael Borresen also designed before leaving Dantax).

Wharfedale Elysian 1 - While the Just Audio room focused mostly on quality mid-fi, the Wharfs with their AMT tweeter sounded pretty darn good for the price. 

I didn’t have a room, but I did work at the DH Labs booth for part of the show, have been to a number of these shows, and am in contact with distributors and manufacturers across the country. Show appearance is generally about relevance building, gaining press/share of voice, and brand building. There surely are some sales to be made from a few attendees, but I’ve found most are looking for bargains from sellers at the end of the show as it may be cheaper to sell things off instead of shipping demo equipment back and trying to sell it later. I would say that most people that attend the shows are also not in the demographic to be able to afford much of the show offering, similar to attending an auto show. That said, I would say short term sales are a benefit, and they do happen, but it’s likely not the primary reason for showing.

At most of these shows, you will get a fair share of press - TAS, Stereophile, Enjoy the Music, Audiophiliac (Steve G), John Darko, etc, and getting coverage from them as well as chatter on forum threads like this one are a primary way of audio companies to gain exposure and clout on a broader basis. But it’s also not just for sales to customers, as these shows are ways for manufacturers and distributors yo forge new relationships with dealers, so there’s a huge B2B aspect to this as well

@passthedutchie These three systems truly were the standouts, and in different ways. Margules/Raidho was the most soulful, emotional, but colored of the three. High End By Oz (Lansche/Thrax) was right in between with honesty, expansiveness and resolution while keeping body and warmth, and Audio Group Denmark excelled at ultimate transparency and imaging. In my opinion, nothing else came close to these three in terms of distinction. 

I wanted to like the Clarisys speakers, and while the detail and tone was there, I did not find the imaging and separation to be holographic at all. It felt completely flat to me. 

@snapsc I don’t think it has anything to do with price but about distinction and impact. Any brand, in order to be successful, needs to deliver a great experience with distinction and leave a lasting impact in its target audience. Many times brands that are too readily common or accessible just don’t deliver enough distinction to stand out. These shows are not about appealing to what the masses can afford, but to showcase the latest advancements of the industry.

I made the comparison to auto shows earlier in this thread. When one visits those, they typically explore the vehicles that are completely out of their reach and find those experiences to be memorable. People tend to want what they cannot have. For anyone who wants a Honda Civic, they can visit their local dealer. The same principle goes with anything that goes to market through a scarcity model - sometimes brands attain fame by being able to milk demand at a premium. The sneaker industry is a prime example of this. 

But while these shows aim for the exceptional and often unattainable, this is where the value of dealers come in. It is the job of dealers like me to help people find derivative value that is more attainable and also guide brands/manufacturers to better meet people where they are. Unfortunately not enough dealers do their duty in this regard, in my honest opinion  

For what it’s worth, some manufacturers did a great job of this at the show. Margules, while showcasing their separates, also spent a good amount of time demoing their I-240 integrated. Borresen, while receiving a lot of praise for their $100K monitors, also had another room with $11k floorstanders.

@mbmi Thank you for the correction, you're right, it's the X3, not S3. I'd love to hear these speakers next to the Scansonic MB-B line, which I am a dealer for.

@rick2000 I agree the Borresen Z Cryo line is incredible. Up until this month, the Borresen Z3 Cryo speakers were my reference. I've decided to move on from them as I am not a dealer for them and will be carrying some new lines in the near future, but they still are the best speakers I've personally owned. I have a few other speakers heading in for my floor this month so perhaps I'll have some updates then.