AXPONA North America Begins

Chicago’s AXPONA audio show is rounding the corner on its 4^th year at its Westin location and things are looking bigger than ever before. The total listening room count is up, the personal audio Ear Gear Expo has expanded beyond its initial ball room and expectations are high for the largest attendee turnout to date.

Centered near the windy city’s airport in Rosemont, it’s become apparent that the show has even outgrown the Westin’s capabilities, opting for a larger, even more accommodating venue next year just to the west of its current location, in an area called Schaumburg. The Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center promises to be a interesting change of scenery, with a slight shift forward into April starting on the 13th.

After a slew of personal audio shows and CES, its excited to get back in the swing of things with a full fledge, dedicated show packed to the gills with acoustic art and those that appreciate it most. CES is for the masses, shows like AXPONA are for the hifi concentrate.

The top suites of the Westin have historically had some very exquisite sounds, albeit with some premium price tags attached. But as with any show worth its salt, some very appetizing budget finds are sure to be found peppered in the mix. With the rising state of the turntable piercing its way into the mind of the popular culture, it will be interesting to see if rooms opt for the analog state as a source more often. The trend to digital with an iPad as a control has been reluctantly carried out to more and more rooms as the technology broke way for more convenience than the spinning disc could offer on the fly. But hardcore purists remain. Most offer an option between the two, but several rooms have polarized with the sole option offered as either or. Of course if you want to really get into the spirit of things you can always attend a private reel to reel session, according to this ’15 article, its the “new” vinyl.

Product announcements are quite dense this year and there is always a few surprises that pop up on the scene. We will posting all the highlights in the days to come so stay tuned to the site for more details.

More info: http://www.axpona.com/