It'll be my first show as I don't usually have the funds to travel to the others. But, since I live a few hours west of Chicago, I thought I'd go. Friday and Saturday only. Anyone else planning on attending?
All I can say is it's about time. IÂm glad the venue is up north because while downtown Chicago is amazing, dealing with the likes of paying parking meter fees of $6.00 an hour if youÂre lucky enough to find street parking is a bit beyond the bucket.
Skip the Chicago show, head for the big time with the show in New York on April 12th. There are plenty of cheap air fares available and the nite life is much better. Remember, the murder rate in New York City is much lower. Take care.
Buconero, the murder rate in Rosemont, where the Axpona show is being held, is likely nonexistent, unless you cross the mob that allegedly runs the town. But remember, in the bad parts of Chicago (I hear there are a few), walking will keep you healthy, but running can save your life!
Plenty of good restaurants and such. Parking isn't free but have you priced it in Manhattan lately? $35 for half an hour in midtown, and the Lincoln Tunnel toll was $12. Now that's extortion.
Looking forward to a GREAT show here in the Windy City.
For you first timers, allow yourselves more than one day to see everything. Many rooms sound different and even better the second or third day. Having more than one day provides a chance to return to the better rooms to listen again. I have found the music being played the first time you visit a room can bias your opinion and on a follow up visit it can sound better. Plan to attend as many days you can; you will not regret it. Plan to review exhibitors and room location before you go and map out a plan of attack on which rooms to see first. Lastly, if you are in the market for something new, immediately visit that equipment room and negotiate a deal for what you want on the first day of the show; you can walk away with some incredible deals and no tax!
We have some unusual restaurants, but many are quite distant from AXPONA. A good Vietnamese restaurant that's not too far is Dung Gia in Des Plaines (http://dunggiarestaurant.com). Kabul House is a good Afghan restaurant in Skokie (http://kabulhouse.com). I think that Xni-Pec is the only Yucatecan restaurant in the Midwest, but Brookfield is quite far away. Chowpatti is a vegetarian restaurant in Arlington Heights that I like (http://www.tpsiclients.com/chowpatti), but is farther than Dung Gia or Kabul House.
Day one was okay. Too many rooms used computers as the source. Maybe half dozen rooms had outstanding sound. Hopefully, some rooms make some adjustments to improve the sound.
I just drove home so, I'm a bit tired but I'll try to write about my experiences tomorrow. However, one room stands out. The Wharfedale/Avid room. I have no idea how the speakers sounded, the folks in charge NEVER SHUT UP. Salespeak on and on. The Avid designer was sometimes quiet, then ultimately, drawn into conversation/explanation by his partner. It was painful.
I had a great time and was actually pretty impressed with the sound of most rooms, given the challenging circumstances. I had hoped to compare high efficiency speakers and was somewhat disappointed in the lack of participation by some of the better known brands. That said, the Daedalus Argos powered by Purity Audio amplification was amazing. The Purity Audio stuff is a little beyond my means, but is probably the most impressive amplification that IÂve ever heard. You can always tell when a designer has a passion for music.
For those of you that were there when the fire alarm went off, did any one else find the alarm, well....unalarming? The high frequency was way too rolled off, and the midband was soft and uncompelling. It just didnÂt adequately convey a sense of urgency, and I found myself deciding whether to flee or hang back with all the abandoned (free) equipment.
Hi Charles, I did hear them but came away with the feeling that I didnÂt hear them at their best. The room was crowded both times that I popped in (an indication that I donÂt know what IÂm talking about), but they seemed to overload the room. I didnÂt remain long enough to formulate a worthwhile opinion.
Here's a quick list of speakers that made a positive impression in no particular order. Orion-4 Leonardo Lowther America Waterfall Audio Acoustic Zen Cresendo Janzen Van L. Speakerworks-The Silhouette Hornning Hybrid Systems Audio Note Soundsmith Transmission Audio M1i YG Acoustcs-Carmel Bogdan Audio Creations Sonic Hemisphere
Thanks to all the audio enthusiasts that made it out to our first show!
We were showing our newest designs as mentioned above by a kind poster. We were proud to find consistently we had one of the best sounding rooms according to all who came thru and spent some time with us.
ItÂs a great audio community in the Chicago area for sure and we met some of the best people.
Please come out to take a listen to our products in Palatine Illinois if your ever looking for some excellent new speakers and not looking to break the bank.
Audiogon has posted a photo of our room Axpona 2013 on their main blog about the show.
Good job on your first show, Sonic Hemisphere. I heard your monitors. Their sound is very well balanced; they are extremely competitive at their pricepoint.
Only because we see that we got mentioned in this thread as having one of the best sounding systems at Axpona I thought I should share.
#1 rule we always listen to the customer, and they are always correct!
We updated a few crossover components in the 3 way to mirror the tone everybody loved out of our Monitor versions, they have a more intimate and special sound now.
You know how it goes some people loved the larger speakers some the smaller!
If you are in the Chicago area please come give us another listen, you truly get great value with nothing but top notch sound quality and design.
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