By Juan C. Ayllon SCHAUMBURG, IL – AXPONA has come and gone. Canceled two years straight due to COVID, Audio Expo North America connected hifi audio and A/V lovers with top brands in over 140 rooms at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center last weekend. And what a packed show it was!
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By Juan C. Ayllon It's official: I suck.
Well, not really, but I'm a tad tiffed that two of this week's planned activities fell through: an in-store review of the Perlisten Audio S7t loudspeakers and a tour of Taliesin Wisconsin slated for today. In the first case, the store got super busy preparing for AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) and, in the second, I didn't sleep well last night, which isn't a good thing when facing a two and a half hour drive both ways. The risk is real; years ago a car's blaring horn honks jostled me from the nods while returning from an ocean trip. There's that, and the batteries for my Canon EOS 30D camera were dead (a battery is charging right now, and two backups await their turn). Somehow, as Belle reminded me, it wouldn't look very impressive impressive taking photos with my iPhone, having been vetted and approved for press privileges for this two and a half hour tour by the media liaison at Taliesin. By Juan C. Ayllon I don't know about you, but I am filled with anticipation. With AXPONA around the corner, upcoming speaker and equipment reviews, and the arrival of new speakers, there's a lot to look forward to in the coming days.
By Juan C. Ayllon Most audio aficionados reserve their most prized equipment for a media or living room while their bedroom systems, if any, are a mere afterthought. But, not this guy!
Yesterday, I visited a friend (whom I'll call Pete for anonymity sake) who keeps a pair of Avantgarde Duo Mezzo loudspeakers ($63,000) flanking his king sized bed in his master bedroom! Standing about four feet tall, each sports a 26 1/3" midrange horn, super tweeter, and two 10" bass drivers (an online site listed them at 12", but these appeared 10") in an enclosed cabinet. At 107 dB efficient and packing plenty of bass, they really dominate that corner of the room. To be fair, it also doubles as his home office, however, there are better acoustically optimal spaces in his house -- like his spacious living room, for example. By Juan C. Ayllon I have been a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright since 1979 when, as a freshman in architecture at Iowa State University, I discovered his genius. Ultimately, I switched schools and majors several times over, ending up a writer and educator instead. However, my admiration for this elite architect has only grown.
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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