AXPONA attendees year after year look forward to the live concert series on Friday and Saturday evenings. This year, AXPONA will welcome Anne Bisson, Canadian Jazz Singer-Songwriter who will be taking the stage to close the first day of AXPONA, bringing with her her beautiful voice, bold arrangements and a taste of the ’70s. Her ebullient personality and charisma, along with the unsurpassed high-fidelity quality of her recordings, have captivated an ever-growing public. For her 6th album in 10 years, Anne called upon the talent and services of two ‘Giants of Jazz’: on drums, Joe LaBarbera, who has worked notably with Bill Evans and Chuck Mangione, and on acoustic bass, Darek Oleszkiewcz, who has worked with, among many others, Brad Mehldau and Sid Jacobs. It’s a can’t miss live performance!
AXPONA will also feature a full Seminar schedule with guest speakers including industry experts, media personalities and manufacturers on the latest audio themes and trends. This year’s must-attend
Seminars include:
Reissues & Remastering: What’s Involved?
Friday, April 14, 2023, 10:30-11:30AM
Bringing out a reissue of a record may seem straightforward, but from the legal wrangling over rights and royalties, through the technical challenges of working with less than perfect —or completely missing!— masters, improving the original without destroying its character, through the challenges of pressing and packaging, it’s a long and winding road.
This seminar features leaders in the field who have revitalized the world of LPs and brought back old favorites as well as obscure and unrecognized gems. They’ll describe the processes involved and the highs and lows of reviving old recordings.
Moderator: Michael Fremer, Editor-in-Chief, TrackingAngle.com, Senior Editor, The Absolute Sound
Panelists:
Chad Kassem, Owner, Acoustic Sounds
Shane Buettner, Owner, Intervention Records
Julia Miller, President/CEO, Delmark Records
Abey Fonn, Founder, Impex Records, Senior Product and Business Development, Elusive Disc and AudioFonn
Reviewers on Reviewing
Friday, April 14, 2023, 1-2PM
Audio Reviews! We rely on them, not only for entertainment, but to assist in purchasing decisions, and to learn about what’s new. At their best, audio reviews can do even more: they can provoke us to examine our own personal audio experiences by comparing them to those of the reviewer’s. Over time, reviewer-reader relationships can become quite intimate: morphing into powerful tools that assist us with refining our understanding while developing our own personal audio aesthetic.
Fortunately, reviewers are all different. Their personalities, methods, and viewpoints, are as personal as their fingerprint. As readers we naturally connect with some more than others.
This seminar will provide an opportunity for a range of audio reviewers to explain a little about who they are as people, how they do their job, and what they wish consumers knew.
Moderator: Scot Hull, Publisher, Part-Time Audiophile, The Occasional Podcast
Panelists:
Robert Harley, Editor-in-Chief, The Absolute Sound
Alan Sircom, Editor, Hi-Fi +
Carlo LoRaso, Editor-in-Chief, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
Karl Sigman, Managing Editor, Audiophilia
Stereo Survivors: Meet the Heads of Iconic High-End Audio Companies
Friday, April 14, 2023, 2:15-3:15PM
Join us for a unique session with the leaders of four of the audio industry’s most-interesting and enduring companies. They’ll discuss how they got into audio, the founding of their companies, and the challenges of manufacturing high performance audio equipment in today’s economic environment.
Moderator: Myles B. Astor, Senior Editor, Positive-Feedback and Founder, audionirvana.org
Panelists:
Paul McGowan, Founder and CEO, PS Audio
Udo Besser, Owner and General Manager, AVM (Audio Video Manufaktur)
Kevin Hayes, President, VAC (Valve Amplification Company)
Roy Hall, President for Life, Music Hall
Where to Begin? Starting in Audio Without Breaking the Bank or Losing Your Mind
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 10:30-11:30AM
Buying audio equipment can be a confusing and intimidating experience. Audio veteran Bes Nievera will discuss how developing priorities and recognizing personal preferences can lead to selecting gear without drama—well,less drama, anyway.
Speaker: Besflores Nievera Jr., Brand Ambassador, Music Direct
Streaming Made Straightforward
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 11:45AM-12:45PM
Streaming has changed the way we listen to music, discover new music, develop playlists, and interact with the community of music lovers. Our experts will clarify how to set up streaming, discuss the options available, and help minimize the confusion and anxiety associated with a new, new thing.
Speakers:
David Solomon, Chief Hi Res Music Evangelist, Qobuz
Rob Darling, Director of Strategy, Third Party Partnerships, Roon Labs
Michael Fremer’s Internationally Renowned Turntable Set-up Seminar
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 1:15–2:15 PM
In this one hour hands-on seminar you will learn how to correctly set-up a turntable, install a cartridge and optimize its performance. A question and answer period follows, time permitting.
Speaker: Michael Fremer, Editor-in-Chief, TrackingAngle.com, Senior Editor, The Absolute Sound
Speaker Design: Outside and Inside the Box
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 2:30-3:30PM
Here’s a rare opportunity to learn from leading speaker designers how they began, their differing design philosophies, and what they view as the most-exciting developments in the field. They’ll discuss the tricky balance of science and art that speaker design requires.
Moderator: Bill Leebens, Content Chair, AXPONA, CEO, LM&M. LLC
Panelists:
Andrew Jones, Chief Loudspeaker Designer, MoFi Electronics
Steven Norber, Owner/Designer, Prana Fidelity
Chris Brunhaver, Senior Speaker Design Engineer, PS Audio
Richard Vandersteen, Founder, CEO, Vandersteen Audio
For more information about AXPONA and its full Concert and Seminar line-up, please visit www.axpona.com.
About the AXPONA Audiophile Show Near Chicago
AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) is one of the largest and most well-attended high-end audio shows in the United States. Held each April in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago, AXPONA has steadily grown in size and importance within the audiophile community. It now serves as the leading U.S.-based consumer audio event, drawing manufacturers, distributors, press, and audio enthusiasts from across the country and beyond.
The show spans three days and takes place at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center and Hotel. It features hundreds of brands exhibiting a broad spectrum of audio products, including two-channel systems, turntables, headphones, digital sources, amplifiers, cables, accessories, and more. One of AXPONA’s key features is its use of hotel rooms to allow exhibitors to set up fully operational listening environments. These demo rooms, which range from modest to highly elaborate, allow attendees to audition audio systems under real-world conditions. Some of the systems showcased can be valued in the six- and even seven-figure range, offering a rare chance for attendees to hear components and speakers operating at the highest end of the performance spectrum.
In addition to demo rooms, AXPONA features a large Expo Hall where attendees can browse and purchase a variety of audio gear, vinyl records, and accessories. There is also a dedicated Ear Gear Experience section, which focuses on headphones, DACs, and portable listening products. This area has become increasingly popular as the headphone segment of the audio industry continues to expand.
AXPONA includes a full schedule of seminars and panel discussions, where industry experts and audio professionals present on topics ranging from system setup and room acoustics to digital audio and analog playback. These sessions are open to all attendees and are designed to help both newcomers and experienced hobbyists better understand how to optimize their listening environments and make informed purchasing decisions.
While AXPONA is centered on high-end audio, it is not exclusively targeted toward experienced audiophiles. The event attracts a broad audience, including those just beginning to explore the hobby, music lovers looking to improve their home systems, and longtime enthusiasts interested in keeping up with the latest technologies and trends. Because of the variety of products and educational opportunities available, the show is accessible to a wide range of attendees with different budgets and experience levels.
AXPONA’s timing early in the year also gives it a unique position in the global show calendar. It precedes the Munich High-End Show in Germany, which takes place each May and is widely considered the largest high-end audio show in the world. While Munich draws a significant international crowd and a larger number of European manufacturers, AXPONA serves as the major North American counterpart, offering brands a chance to debut new products and meet with U.S.-based customers before the European circuit begins.
AXPONA’s growth has coincided with the decline of other regional audio shows. Most notably, it has stepped into the space once occupied by the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF), which was held each fall in the Denver Tech Center area. After RMAF ceased operations, many exhibitors and attendees shifted their focus to AXPONA as the central gathering point for the U.S. audiophile community. The event’s location near Chicago provides relatively easy access for both domestic and international travelers, contributing to its sustained popularity and reach.
The show is produced by JD Events, a company experienced in organizing consumer trade shows across a variety of industries. Under their management, AXPONA has emphasized both the commercial and community aspects of the hobby. The event provides an important platform for manufacturers and dealers to interact directly with consumers, receive feedback, and demonstrate how their products perform in real listening spaces.
In terms of scale and scope, AXPONA continues to expand. The number of exhibitors, listening rooms, and attendees has grown steadily year over year. While the event maintains a focus on traditional two-channel audio, it also reflects broader shifts in the market, including increased interest in digital streaming, vinyl playback, integrated components, and personal audio.
