AXPONA 2026 Coverage Sponsored by VERA-FI AUDIO LLC Part 6

Welcome back to my coverage of AXPONA 2026

I would like to take a quick moment to thank VERA-FI AUDIO LLC, manufacturer of some of the finest audio products and accessories, including the Vera-Fi Audio LLC Main Stream – Master Class Dynamic Parallel AC Line Conditioner a truly amazing noise suppression device, for sponsoring our coverage of AXPONA 2026 in a gesture of goodwill for the audio community at large, as they do not even show at AXPONA.

Linkwitz.audio

Linkwitz.audio had two systems running, one with their classic Linkwitz.audio LX521 Loudspeaker ($24,000), and a second system featuring what appears to be a prototype semi point source speaker, debuting a new driver.

Audio Note

Audio Note were focused on their Audio Note OTO Phono SE 35th Anniversary Edition Integrated Valve Amplifier ($10,100) which was driving Audio Note AN-K/LX Loudspeakers ($5,950) sourced from an Audio Note TT TWO Deluxe Turntable ($4,690) sporting an Audio Note ARM THREE/II Tonearm ($3,430) and Audio Note IQ3 Moving Magnet Cartridge ($1,393), and an Audio Note CDT TWO CD Transport ($9,310) feeding an Audio Note DAC 2.1x Signature DAC ($6,790) with Audio Note cabling throughout.

treble clef audio/VinnieRossi

Probably the most amusing creation at the show was the Treble Clef Audio TCA-M Signature active speaker ($103,900/pair), designed to look like a three-dimensional rendering of a treble clef, which were paired up with Treble Clef TCA-S Active Subsonic Modules (single motor: $22,500 each; dual motor: $31,200 each) and a Vinnie Rossi Brama Preamplifier ($38,995) fed by an SME Model 15 Mk2 turntable with an SME V arm (total $25,219) and a Benz Micro LP cartridge ($6,000) through a Vinnie Rossi Phono Preamplifier (product name and price TBD). For digital, they had a B.Audio B.DPR EX DAC ($24,000).

Pass Labs/Gershman Acoustics/Imersiv/HiFi Rose

As Gershman Acoustics makes one of my favorite dynamic loudspeakers, I always make time to visit, and this year they were demonstrating their Gershman Acoustics Symphoria Loudspeaker ($70,000) being driven by a pair of Pass Labs X260.8 Amplifiers ($15,675 silver) via a Pass Labs XS Pre2 Preamp ($55,000 silver) fed by an Imersiv D-1 DAC ($12,000) connected to a HiFi Rose RS150 streamer ($5,695), quite the impressive demonstration though personally I prefer the sound of the Gershman Acoustics 30th Anniversary Grand Avant Garde Loudspeaker ($20,000) which was on static display in the other room.

Bliss HiFi/Clarisys Audio/Orpheus Lab/Pure Fidelity/Tri-Planar/Grimm Audio/Synergistic Research

Bliss HiFi had an arresting display beginning with a beautiful Pure Fidelity Symphony Turntable in Piano Walnut Burl ($14,995) with a Tri-Planar U12 Tonearm ($11,500) and a Grimm Audio PW1 Phono Preamplifier ($5,650) going into an Orpheus Lab Absolute A Four 1200 Integrated Amplifier ($23,700) driving a pair of Clarisys Audio Piccolo MK2 Loudspeakers ($65,000). On the digital end, there was an Orpheus Lab Absolute A Zero SACD Player and DAC ($25,900), as well as a Synergistic Research Quark Streaming Music Server ($7,995) with a Synergistic Research Router UEF ($2,995) and Synergistic Research Ethernet Switch MKII ($2,895). All cabling and power conditioning provided by Synergistic Research.

Songer Audio/Black Cat/LampizatOr/innuos

I was happy to discover that Songer Audio was using Black Cat Cable in their room. Black Cat Cable was created by Heaphone.Guru cofounder Chris Sommovigo, who passed away in 2022, and remains a family operation to this day. Songer Audio was driving their stupendous Songer Audio S1x Handcrafted Field Coil Loudspeakers ($45,000) with their Songer Audio A3 300B Single-Ended Triode Amplifier ($29,500) using Songer Audio Special Edition Power Supplies ($8,500), with an innuos ZENith Next-Gen Music Server & Streamer ($18,900) running through a LampizatOr Atlantic 3 TRP DAC ($10,895), again using Black Cat Cable throughout.

That concludes Part 6 of my coverage of AXPONA 2026, I would once again like to thank VERA-FI AUDIO LLC for sponsoring this coverage. Stay tuned for part 7.