Your Favorite Room at AXPONA 2025?

Bel Canto Black, Pure Fidelity Harmony Turntable and YG Acoustics Vantage speakers. 

PS Audio regardless as to which of their speakers they played. Loved the new DAC and Preamp. 

@markalarsen Yes, I heard the Bel Canto system too. It was very good. For whatever reason, all the YG’s I heard seemed to have a hard edge to the highs. Probably just my ears, they were getting fatigued after so many rooms. If and when I scale down to fewer boxes, the Bel Canto integrateds are high on my list, unless I find some ref601’s at a bargain first. 

Won’t say it was necessarily my fave, but the Boulder components room on the ground floor with the Wilson Audio Watt Puppy speakers was a revelation. To my ears, it’s  the most immersive 2-channel setup I’ve ever heard. Not just soundstage width/height — or depth between me and the speakers... I was hearing a lot of detailed depth behind and above me. While you could focus and perceive the speakers, if you just checked-out and let the music wash over you, it felt like you were sitting inside a "room of music" rather than in front of stereo speakers.

Had a lot of fun at the show this year, some great new products. Here are my top 5 smaller rooms. There were some fantastic larger room of course, but those aren’t realistically attainable for most. 

1. Vinnie Rossi - his Brama integrated and preamp/monos in 2 rooms made me want to just sit and listen to music for a while; agree with @zlone Choice Audio/Well Pleased Audio room with QLN reference speakers and Merason DAC was very well balanced and Vinnie’s full preamp/monos made the Rockport Lyra speakers sing; that room needed a slightly better digital front end, but also so engaging. 
2. Alta Audio/Modwright - another very enjoyable room, Alta Adam speakers had great synergy with Modwright. Dan Wright makes some absolutely amazing tube and SS gear for the price point. His tube buffer (analog bridge) added nice tonal flavor to digital front end. 
3. MBL/Magico - best DAC at the show with Wadax, Cascade DAC is their reference, but along with Grimm DAC, most analog-like/vinyl sound for non-tube DACs
4. Shunyata/Magico/Wadax/CH Precision - best system for more critical listening, unbelievable transparency, effortless. Can’t afford the electronics, but wow it was impressive. 
5a. Linkwitz speakers - looks aside these speakers are stunningly realistic, especially in the midrange. Seem like really good speakers for near field listening. 
5b. Pearl Acoustics - these are single driver with transmission line porting for bass and probably one of the best speakers out there for low to moderate listening levels; certainly won’t pressurize a large room as well, but Harvey Lovegrove is one of the best people to just sit and listen to explain audio. 
 

Other notable rooms:

Songer Audio - remarkable field coil speakers

Air Tight - tube gear

Constellation Audio/TechDAS - new line of gear sounded fantastic at “lower” price point for them

Zesto Audio - all tube gear; would be fantastic with right speaker match, didn’t pair as well with YG Acoustics  

Gershman Acoustics

@njkrebs @zlone   Thanks so much for the mention   I'm glad you enjoyed our room and I'm very humbled that you thought so highly of our system!  

I was happy to listen to any room that ran Acora speakers. Smooth and well balanced. The Focal room was my least favorite. Boomy bass that just got louder the closer you got to it. The opposite of well balanced. The Fyne speakers were also very nice

Best room I heard - PS Audio with the new PMG Signature gear.

Most disappointing - Wilson Audio XVX: for a cool million for the system, I expected something exceptional. Didn't hear it. Enjoyed the WATT/Puppy system much more.

Most surprising - Advance Paris A-12/PMC Prophecy 5''s - Amazing sound from relatively diminutive floor standers. Outstanding for the money. 

Admittedly I visited only a fraction of the rooms but the Vinnie Rossi room with the Rockport speakers was the best system I heard by a long mile.  The sound in some of the rooms was so bad I left after a couple of minutes.  I easily spent 25 minutes in Rossi's room.  Vinnie is such a down to earth friendly guy to boot.

Was also impressed with A12 with PMC.  That Advanced Paris amp was mighty fine in class A.  Also the Pearl Acoustics speakers were superb. 

In order to catch seminars and all the rooms, my sit down listen to music time was very limited.  I don’t have a favorite room, but there were many excellent sounding systems including Pearl Acoustics- sounded excellent and the price is reasonable.  

Estolon Vitus room.

I would love to have been able to attend. 
 

Out of curiosity, can anyone share, and report on, the SoulNote room? Specifically, I am wondering if anyone heard the A3 SoulNote integrated amp? 

The PS Audio Room was exciting with the new PGM Signature series.
Another sweet surprise was the Gestalt Audio Room, absolutely gorgeous sound with Wolf Von Langa Speakers driven by the SW1X system.

@cal50 I was disappointed that I was not able to get a good demo of the PS Audio speakers and gear. I stopped by multiple times and it was either packed or they were not playing music. I am curious about their “new” speakers.