AXPONA 2017 Protocol

Great question. The speakers I'm looking at are as follows:
PSB T3
Spendor D7/D9
Endeavor 3 MkII
Joseph Audio Perspective
Marten Django XL
Monitor Audio PL300 II
I currently own PSB Imagine T. I like them, but it is time to move up. I listened to PSB T3 and Vandersteen Treos at Audio Concepts in Dallas using all the same gear. I much preferred the PSB T3. I spoke with Galen Carol, a Bluebird Music rep in San Antonio, regarding the Spendor D7/D9. I arranged to listen to them, but he sold them the week I was to hear them. BTW Galen is a great guy and I'm hoping he and I run into each other at AXPONA. Anyway, from the AXPONA Exhibitors List it appears all these speakers should be present in Chicago.

Thanks to each of you for the helpful advice and insights. Anyone else who is willing to comment, I'm all ears. In my perfect world I audition with music I know well, but my system's sound is imprinted on my brain at this point, so if my music doesn't happen I'll be fine. I'm bringing the USB and asking anyway.

Thanking you now. I'll make sure the ear plugs come with me.

@jayctoy I like the name tag idea...although I have protested name tags my whole life. I will put Astewart8944 on mine. I always like meeting folks face to face.
Peace

@kyomi_audio Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately, I can neither come to Chicago early nor stay late. Since the Spendors won't be playing at the show, I'm hoping to hear them at Galen Carol Audio in San Antonio a week after AXPONA, provided that works for Galen. The Marten Django L I will have to develop a game plan to hear.

@milpai After I hear them, I will post my impressions.

@avanti1960  You are confirming a specific concern regarding the presence or probable absence of the speakers I wish to hear. Having said that, I haven't heard the "house sound" of most of these speakers, so if it provides me a auditory window into that aspect of each the manufacturers I will be farther ahead than I am presently. Thank you for providing your insight and experience.

As I pack my stuff to travel to AXPONA tomorrow I wanted to stop and thank all of you for your insight, advice and commentary on what I can expect. I plan on providing a short overview of what I experience when I return.
Thanks again,
Al

@milpai I didn't get to hear the ProAC D30S. Thanks for the report. I did listen to several speakers that I listed earlier on this thread, which I now re-list below with my abbreviated report on each:
PSB T3 (The PSB room didn't have T3s, but was playing T2s. It didn't sound very good to me. I previously heard T3s at a dealer and enjoyed their overall presentation. More about the T2s at AXPONA later)
Spendor D7/D9 (These were not at the show--I'm trying to head to San Antonio to hear the D7s later this week.)
Endeavor 3 MkII (I was expecting a lot here and I was underwhelmed. The first time I walked in the room it was straight up 10am, music was blaring out of other rooms and this room was changing a turntable cartridge--for 15 minutes. Once the music started, the sound was, um, non-dynamic. I chalk part of this up to the music selected, a jazz sax number that felt lazy as it wound its way through the middle register. I went back later and listened again. This session provided partial redemption of these speakers. Now the music was dynamic and revealed more of what the Endeavor E-3MKIIs could do. I can see how others would like them; but they did not layer the music in a way I found satisfying. The overall system seemed to lack speed; maybe it was the Jolida tubes driving these things, but it felt like the speakers had a regulator on them that kept them from opening up.)   
Joseph Audio Perspectives (Wow. These speakers are smooth....There was a line to get a seat. Both times I visited, I stood in line. I first had to stand in the hallway, then I advanced to standing by the seats. Finally, I graduated to sitting down in the seats--and even got to sit in the favored middle chair on my second visit. And...I didn't want to give that chair up. The mid range and upper range were both captivating, detail without brightness, clarity with warmth. Hard to be too superlative on the sound coming out of a 36" high tower speaker that is 8.5" wide and 13" deep. The bass... it is sufficiently present and overall blends well, but it is these speakers weak point IMO. Specs say 35Hz on the bottom; my Imagine Ts are 38Hz on the bottom and have more bass presence, but admittedly are not as tight in the bass as the Perspectives. I should note here that Jeff Joseph told me he had the plug in the rear port to provide a tighter more focused bass delivery. So, that could explain some of the bass "leanness." However, if you have twin REL subwoofers (like I do) this is not an overwhelming concern. And, if you haven't already guessed, I really enjoy the bass cleft! For folks who focus intently on voices, the upper register and detail, these speakers should rank high on their list. Driven by Rowland Daemon Integrated (1500W @ 8 ohms--no that's not a typo!). Overkill? Yes! Enjoyable? Unquestionably. Doubting D Class amps have the ability to allow extremely musical presentations after listening to that amplifier with these speakers seems hard to fathom IMO. This was my favorite room. BTW I walked into the PSB room playing the T2s right after hearing the JA/Rowland room; that's probably why I was a bit hard on the PSB T2s. I presently own Imagine Ts and I still like the sound for the price. But one of these is clearer way ahead of the other. It stands to reason looking at the disparity in price points, although that is not always the case, I have come to learn.
Marten Django XL (These were not at the show; the Marten Coltranes were. I briefly listened to the Coltranes--$80K MSRP. They seemed terrific--but not $80K terrific. I got up and left without trying to critically evaluate them because, hey, I'm trying to find speakers I'm willing to buy and the clock is ticking.)
Monitor Audio PL300 II (These are great speakers. I listened to them twice and really enjoyed it both times. It is a complete package--presents a very complete soundstage and layers upper, mids and lower registers with seeming ease. I consider them a fast speaker with the PASS amps pushing them. I heard several different kinds of music through them and they excelled at handling each genre I heard: country, blues, rock, orchestral. The MA sales guys were taking all comers--if you had a CD they would play it. Unfortunately I had a USB and nobody in the rooms I visited was taking USB music. These speakers are pretty bulky relative to others I'm interested in (44"x16"x18.5") and, for me, are not as pleasing to look at as some of the other speakers I saw. But, they are not overpriced relative to the overall sound they deliver. They were driven by PASS XA monos and an XP-30 preamp. This is an excellent match. I could happily live with these speakers. Big time bass, direct, tight, not boomy, well integrated into the overall musical presentation.)
I will post some thoughts later about my visits to the Magico rooms and the Modwright/Daedalus rooms. And @milpai as promised, when I return from San Antonio, I will post my thoughts on the Spendor D7 listening session. Most importantly, I had fun at AXPONA! I told my friends that it was Disneyland for guys who like to take electrical stuff apart; men who, as kids, stuck screwdrivers into wall sockets. (I did see a few women at the show who were clearly as into it as the fellows.)
Sorry for the overall length of this report.
Peace
Al

@dragon_vibe I did spend some time in this room. When I was there the sound I heard was engaging, really beautiful. If I'm not mistaken, they were featuring the T1.5 Reference--little dog and parrot sitting on top of the speakers. Those speakers take up some significant real estate. Anyway, I would have spent more time in the room, the SQ was very good, but it was a large room and lots of people were there socializing vocally. It simply was too much verbal competition fighting against the music. So I left. What I heard, I would love to hear again--in an otherwise quieter room. 

Two rooms I spent time in that are worthy of mention are the Modwright/Daedalus rooms. Overall, I enjoyed them both. One room featured the Poseidon V2 speakers with the KWA 150 SE connected to the SWL 9.0 Anniversary Edition Pre. The other room featured Modwright's new Ambrose A30 Tube Monos and the new Ambrose One Balanced Tube Pre (I think) paired with a new Daedalus speaker model called the Apollo. The KWA 150 SE/Poseidon room was physically bigger (I think) but seemed to have less traffic in it. The room featuring the new products was smaller but packed both times I was there. All seats full, all standing room taken. This was my first time hearing Modwright equipment and Daedalus speakers. The SQ to "value" ratio felt high, meaning for the SQ I was hearing the price points seemed to offer great value. And the Daedalus cabinetry work is very nice. In the new room, the sound seemed significantly warmer than the previous room, as one would expect, with the tube monos. The Apollo speakers are beautiful. I wish Daedalus would load a picture and description of them on their website. Very different design than what they have produced previously, or so it seems. Because I had never heard either the amps or the speakers before I don't think I prejudged these products. (Although I admit to having read many A'gon posts about these companies' products in the past.) My description of the overall sound from both rooms is that it was detailed with a good soundstage, musical, a little sweet. But, in both rooms, more in the solid state room and less in the tube room, something wasn't exactly right. I could hear a very very slight "ring' or 'ting" in the upper register. Not annoying, not unpleasant, not pronounced, and not electric buzz or static....I mentioned this phenomena to a fellow A'goner who has listened to these products much more than I have and he agreed saying he has heard it too, describing the sound as a little "tizzy". Importantly, I reiterate the overall SQ was very good. Of the rooms I visited, these remained high on my list when I left--- products that seemed to offer hearers sound quality that outpaced their price.          

@milpai Thanks for the AXPONA 2017 playlist. Very cool.

@m-db Thanks for the post and insight. At AXPONA 2017 I heard what I I needed to hear and ended up with used Joseph Perspectives in terrific condition. I bought them here on A'gon. Couldn't be happier. I have them paired with a new Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 Integrated (JRCS2). The JRCS2 is still breaking in--it is now at 450+ hours--it grows better with time. @guidocorona has posted elsewhere on A'gon that Rowland amps need lots of breaking in. Everything he has posted, and commented on to me privately has been spot on regarding my Rowland integrated. (Thanks Guido!) As I sit here typing this response, I'm listening to Francesco Cafiso's "3" and it is magic. I've invested the time to place the speakers in what seems to be the ideal location for my room. It makes a significant difference.  

@m-db Thanks for the support and the Joseph Audio blog post.

@prof, you know I'm urging you towards that Perspectives purchase. Let me know if I can help any further.
Peace
Al

@jriggy Thanks. I'm enjoying the Rowland/Perspectives combo and you are right about that analog set up Jeff Joseph was running at AXPONA. When he clicked that R2R on and the music started, I could feel the room get seriously quiet while the music played. It was very beautiful, breathtaking in some sense, and I probably stayed in that center chair a little too long but I wanted to soak it in. The Rowland Daemon's internal DAC sounded terrific as well playing files from Jeff Joseph's laptop via a microrendu through the USB. After hearing both those sources in that combo, I was hooked.