Highlights from the Florida Audio Expo

The expo is catered towards purist audio enthusiasts as pretty much all of the exhibits involves two-channel audio reproduction systems. I do not recall seeing any home-theater audio products displayed in the expo. I do think this first expo is a success as the crowd turn out was quite good.

Martin Logan teamed up with Parasound for this show to showcase their enormous Neolith speakers with a retail price tag of $80,000, powered by the JC 2 BP preamp and the new JC 5 amplifier. This combination sounds awesome.

Von Schweikert Audio and VAC joined hands the most expensive set-up of the whole show. They were possibly the best sound in the show. (Shown below is “System one” with the Von Scheikert Ultra 55 retailing for $90,000 for a pair, with VAC and Esoteric electronics) They had three systems set-up in their room. Another system is shown in the third picture. We did go back for a second listen in this room.

Wilson Audio demoed their new Sasha Daw model driven by electronics from McIntosh. Best emotional experience of the show. Everything sounded very energetic and makes you want to listen more.

Paradigm showcased their Persona 9H and Premier 800F towers powered by Anthem STR pre-amp and amp. They had also conveniently placed a Persona outside the room for any show-goers to easily take pictures.

Auralic teamed up with Ryan speakers to demonstrate their G1 series streamer/DAC electronics.

Legacy showcased their big Aries and Focus speakers, and also had another room for demo-ing the smaller Studio HD and Calibre speakers.

Unique visuals of the Avantgarde Acoustic Trio speakers retailing for $82,000, for all to see and hear.

Triangle showcased their Australe EZ towers powered by Tsakiridis electronics. Bonus points for their matching mostly-white appearance. Their Cométe EZ bookshelf was also on display in their room.

Nola demonstrated their impressive Brio Quatro system consisting of 2 satellites and 2 subwoofers, driven by electronics from Electrocompaniet. The two satellites also feature open baffled upper-drivers.

Mytek showcased their new Manhattan II DAC headphone preamplifier ($5995) as well as their Brooklyn DAC+ ($2195) which can also function as a headphone preamplifier.

Vanatoo is a budget stand-out with their Transparent Zero ($359) and their Transparent One Encore ($599) powered speakers with a built-in DAC.

Muradio joined hands with Merrill Audio to demonstrate their SP1 Passive Hybrid Electrostatic Speakers powered by Merrill Audio electronics.

Atrevit Acoustics manufactures almost everything on their own, including most of the electronics and the speakers (system cost is around $30,000). Their speakers in this particular system sport a unique sculptural look fused with modern materials such as carbon fiber.