by Kevin OBrien on April 14th, 2026

YFS AXPONA 2026 SHOW REPORT

This year for 2026, we promised ourselves we would be focusing on business opportunities for YFS, not just having fun seeing and listening to all the interesting sights and sounds the Renaissance Schaumburg had to offer.  Turns out, we kept our promise, which is exciting news for YFS.  Here's a quick glimpse of AXPONA 2026 from our perspective.

Our first stop was to the EMM Labs / Raidho room.  We greeted Amadeus Meitner and spoke to John McGurk from Audioshield about the happenings and goings on in the HiFi world.  John reported that all is well on the audio front for the Meitner team.  That's good news, since Ed Meitner is no longer at the helm and instead has chosen to retire (hopefully, on a tropical island sipping drinks with tiny umbrellas).  Amadeus Meitner has now taken the reigns.  WOW!  We didn't see that coming, and honestly, who could have?

 

Next stop was the Rhythm room.  They are the new US distributor for Marten Design Loudspeakers out of Sweden  This is something that has been on our radar for quite some time.  People, we are finally getting with the program.  The first time we heard these creations, it was RMAF 2012.  We were blown away by the Coltrane speakers that were playing.  We were intimately familiar with the gear in that room at the time, with the exception of the loudspeakers.  So what we heard was totally the speakers, and not the rest of the gear.  We cannot forget that moment.  It's burned into our memory.  Luckily, we were able to find Randy Bingham, the Director of Sales for Rhythm.  After speaking to Randy, it appears we may have an "in" with Marten.  Let's hope so, as we really want to rub up against these guys.  Yes, they're that good.

Next stop, the GTT Audio room.  We heard great things from the Press about this room last year, so naturally, we decided to check it out for ourselves.  This would turn out to be a major turning point for YFS, but we didn't know it at the time.  We just wanted to hear what all the fuss was about.  Enter Bill Parish, head of GTT Audio.  We spoke to him briefly about the equipment in the room, mainly the Audionet, Master Fidelity, and VIVID gear. 

This was after a brief listen to the system upon our arrival.  The reason we decided to get more info is because we couldn't believe what we were hearing.  We cannot recall the exact track playing at the time, but whatever it was, it caught our attention immediately, and wouldn't let go of it.  We are talking about smooth, detailed, life-like sounds that feel like they are oozing out of a world-class reel to reel or vinyl setup.  There's no way this is digital!?  But, to prove his point, Bill played us a track on the Kronos turntable, and sure enough, we couldn't tell the difference between the vinyl and the digital (only the occasional clicks and pops gave it away).  WHOA!

We built up enough courage to ask Bill if he had some additional room in the GTT lineup for YFS.  Turns out, he did.  So, the rest is history.  We took the plunge head-first and decided to become dealers right then and there.  That's how good the Master Fidelity NADAC-D sounds.  Yes, it's that good.  You owe it to yourself to hear this special piece of digital gear.  It makes every other digital converter we heard at the show sound "broken".  Look for a review from us as soon as we get our demo unit up and running.  (No, we did NOT splurge for the clock,  just  the DAC).  Needless to say, we're more than excited!

Another demo we wanted to make note of was the Quintessance Audio room.  Well, one of them anyway, as they had several setups.  The room with the new Sonus Faber floorstanders really stood out.  This room had the D'Agostino amps, the dCS digital front end, and the new Amati Supreme speakers.  WOW!  So smooth and detailed.  Not at the GTT level of sound, but sounding great none the less.  (Not a single room we heard matched the GTT sound digitally).

And, last but not least, this final room we're going to cover really shocked us, although not quite in the same way the GTT room did.  I would say this was our second favorite room, simply based on the price-to-performance ratio.  It also helped they were using the Aretai Contra 100S, which we are also dealers for, and are intimately familiar with.  (No bias here, as we were using our ears, not our eyes).  The Revox room simply stunned us with its gorgeous sounds (and sights).  We've never heard such a detailed, laid back, analog sound coming from such an affordable setup at a show (we thought we'd never say that again after hearing ELAC's room last year, but alas).  The Revox B77 MkIII was the star of said room.  This tape machine was working miracles hooked up to a Revox integrated amplifier.  Specifically, the Studio MASTER M500, which was smaller than a shoebox.  Man, did this room have us coming back for more, which meant we visited several times that weekend.  This room got the same attention from us as the GTT room, which is a huge compliment.  If we could find master tapes for under $250 per title and could actually find titles we wanted to listen to, this would be our new reference.  It reminded us of great vinyl playback sans surface noise, clicks, and pops.

If you're on the edge on whether or not to come see the Windy City for next year's AXPONA event, don't be.  It's always a great place to visit, oh, and the food is incredible.  Remember, the further you get from either Coast inland, the more bleak the food landscape can appear.  That's never a problem in Chicago.  Portillos, you know who you are.  Anyways, we appreciate your attention and time.  Until next time...

Thank you for reading.

- KOB 

by Kevin OBrien on April 13th, 2025

YFS AXPONA 2025 SHOW REPORT

It was fairly chilly this go-around for one of our favorite times of the year: AXPONA.  If the weather was not going to cooperate, that's OK, because we were going to be stuck inside a hotel for several days.  Unfortunately, my father could not make the trip, but I was joined by my good friend Tom, and his good friend Mark.  We all share similar tastes in musical presentation when it comes to HiFi, so this is a great group of folks to see what the Windy City has to offer as far as high-end audio is concerned. 

There are a few rooms in particular that we wanted to write about, as we were impressed to say the least.  As always, EMM Labs was working the 'Nirvana B' room at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center, just like the last time we were in town.  But, they weren't sharing the rack with anybody else, this was just their electronics, which was great to see.  The only exception being DS Audio of Japan, as they provide the optical phono cartridge for the vinyl playback.  We ran into John McGurk of Audioshield, who was flanked by Shahin Al Rashid and Amadeus Meitner.  These guys know how to set up one serious system, and they did not disappoint with their latest installment.  We were lucky enough to step into the room right before Amadeus cued up Live at Massey Hall, by Neil Young.  All we could say was, "WOW".  Talk about being in the room with the musicians.  It felt like Neil was playing a personal concert for all of us, and that's the exact idea behind this hobby.  We are all trying to get as close as we can to the 'real thing' when dumping money and time into our systems.  Well done EMM Labs / Credo Audio Switzerland!

 

Amadeus Meitner was showing off the latest DA2i and DV2i, along with the new version of Ed Meitner's monoblocks, the MTRX2 V2.  The EMM Labs DS-EQ1 V2 was on display mated to a DS Audio optical cartridge.  We did not hear this combo but we have heard something similar a few years back, and we are sure this was also another great pairing.  We remembered how the optical cart did not pick up nearly as much surface noise as your standard phono cart.  Pretty neat and a nice change from all the crackles and pops we are accustomed to.  Another win for EMM Labs and DS Audio.

 

We spent several days at the Renaissance Hotel, but we still could not take in everything this massive show had to offer.  It's nearly impossible to get to all the rooms on our list, let alone the rooms we just happened to stumble upon.  One room we were glad we did end up in was the ELAC room.  This was a total surprise to everyone in our group!  That's actually an understatement.  The speakers / equipment in this room left every one of us wanting more.  We spent the majority of our time in this room because it was simply that good.  We want to tip our hats to Jim Pelech, Sr. VP of Sales, and Chris Walker, VP of Product Development.  They were kind enough to entertain our requests for more information, mainly pricing and availability of all the goodies in said room.

The floorstanders, specifically the ELAC Concentro CFS507, were making absolutely beautiful music in Room 328.  We couldn't get past the detail, soundstage, and overall presentation of the music.  Bass filled the room, almost too much bass, so much so we could easily imagine what these unique transducers could pull off in a much larger room.  The real treat was the smooth, laid back presentation, despite the Class D amplification in the room, which was all ELAC's doing as well.  Peter Madnick is responsible for the design of the ELAC electronics, who you may recall from Constellation Audio fame.  We have worked with Peter in the past, showcasing his creations alongside our YFS products at past RMAF shows, and he is a class act.  The real surprise came in the form of the ELAC Vela 2.0 VBS403.2 bookshelf speaker, which situated itself adjacent to the floorstander in the pics, dressed in a walnut finish.  We were so smitten, we decided to pull the trigger on a pair of similar, yet different bookshelf solutions.  This would be the ELAC Vela 2.0 VBS404.2, the 403.2's slightly larger brother.  We will let you know how that goes in the upcoming months.  We also have a pair of ELAC Concentro S 503 coming our way, which is the white speaker pictured, but with the bass portion cut off, turned into a bookshelf version.  This is EXACTLY what we were looking for!  Don't get us wrong, the extra $4,500 is steep, but we want a "micro 3-way" with concentric tweeter / mid drivers, so we're willing to pony up.

Aside from the ELAC room, we also enjoyed several other rooms.  The Marten Acoustics room was sounding great, especially dynamic, with great detail retrieval.  They better sound good for the price, as we noticed their Diamond Tweeter was on full display.  When we run into some real money, we will give them a shot, but not in this current state of the economy.  This makes ELAC's quest even more noble.  We love affordable, great sound, as everyone is on a budget these days.

 

We ran into a room showcasing the ONIX Zenith XST20 SACD transport.  This is something we have been waiting for, patiently, for 20 years.  A manufacturer finally came out with what we were hoping for: DSD Digital Output via BNC / XLR / COAX from a SACD Spinner.  Thank you ONIX!  We heard what it could do compared to the dedicated streamer in the rack, and we were pleasantly surprised.  Make note of this, all of you who prefer to spin shiny silver discs instead of throwing out zeros and ones to your DAC via a computer.  This is THE REAL DEAL.  We will be trying to source one before Trump tariffs take too much effect, although it's probably too late for that.

 

We have to mention the T+A room, as they always present something worthy, and we are fans of their DACs, so here it is.  We did not get the specifics of the equipment in the room, but we know what we heard, and its nothing to balk at.  Do not let this manufacturer slip past your sights.  Indeed, T+A is here to stay, and they never left the scene in their 45+ years of doing things right, as a major HiFi staple.

If you haven't noticed, we have a thing for German Engineering (that includes automobiles AND audio, including ELAC and T+A).  Anyway, that's just us.  We hope to see you all at next year's 2026 AXPONA, because we'll be there for sure.  Chicago hosts some of the finest food and entertainment the world has to offer.  Come check it out, you won't be disappointed, we promise.

Thank you for reading.

- KOB 

by Kevin OBrien on April 18th, 2023

YFS AXPONA 2023 SHOW REPORT

AXPONA 2023 kicked off the nice Spring weather in the Windy City the weekend of April 15th. Just in time for Tax Day! Unfortunately, my flight into O'Hare was delayed out of Denver. Guess we better make lemonade out of this lemon. Off to the Voodoo Doughnut shop for a quick treat before waiting in line to board United Flight 758.

 

We were excited, as we were here in Chicago to have fun, not to showcase our own YFS gear. It can be fun to show off your own audio creations, but it can also be STRESSFUL. We may go down that road again at some point, but not any time soon. The fact that we could just take it all in this time around, and not worry about how our room was sounding, would make this experience that much better.

Most of our thoughts will consist mainly of coverage of the 'Nirvana B' room at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center. EMM Labs, Credo Audio Switzerland, van den Hul, and DS Audio of Japan shared a massive room on the second floor of the hotel. We were invited by John McGurk of Audioshield, to join in on a press release for the new Meitner PRE. This took place after-hours on Friday evening, so apparently, it was by invitation only. We didn't realize that until afterwards. Seeing Michael Lavorgna, as well as some other well known reviewers, we should have put two and two together. Anyway, we were about to embark on a neat little audio adventure. What a great way to kick off this year's AXPONA event.

 

Amadeus Meitner was in the room along with Shahin Al Rashid, head of sales for EMM Labs. Amadeus is Ed Meitner's son, who we all know by now, and my good personal friend. We were excited to meet William and Marc, from van den Hul. AJ van den Hul's sons to be exact. Van den Hul has a new cable concept called Nano Carbon Tube technology. It's used for their new reference loudspeaker cables and it sure did a fine job, especially since it's the only metal-free loudspeaker cable we know of in existence. We were also lucky enough to meet Michael Kraske, owner of Credo Audio. His parents started the business modifying / repairing DJ setups in Switzerland back in the 1970s. They eventually began building their own loudspeakers and the rest is, as they say, history. They are all second generation entrepreneurs and will be taking on the family business, similar to Amadeus. VERY COOL!

We were totally pumped up by what we saw and heard in Nirvana B. Visually, the room was impressive, but sonically, it was just short of stunning. We have yet to be disappointed by an EMM presentation at a show, and this was no exception. The Meitner PRE was making it's world debut, and what we heard, did not sound like Meitner. It sounded like an EMM PRE2, but we were assured by the turn of the volume knob on the smaller silver and black box, that we were indeed listening to Ed Meitner's budget line of components. Although they can hardly be viewed as "budget", in this hobby, it's all relative. The EMM Labs DS-EQ1 was on display mated to the DS Audio Grand Master EX optical cartridge. The optical cartridge is a great idea, as there's so much less mass the stylus has to contend with. So much less than a traditional moving magnet or moving coil cartridge, that it should allow that much more detail to come through, and keep surface noise at bay. Well, that's exactly what we heard during Amadeus' demo of the DS Audio / EMM pairing. 

 

Marc and William were kind enough to stay late, after the rest of the folks funneled out of the room, to play us some "fun" music that was not on the menu for the press release earlier that evening. SCORE! We got to hear some fresh tunes from a rock band in Iceland along with some interesting EDM. We don't usually listen to electronic dance music but we must admit, we were impressed by the sounds coming from the Swiss transducers towering over us. Good food, good beer, and excellent reference sounds filled the evening and made us all realize just how lucky we were to be here after the world's recent events. AXPONA is back!

As far as other topics of interest, we had not nearly enough time to even scratch the surface. We made it to a few rooms that really impressed us, but as per usual, a lot of rooms sounded good but not great. You can pretty much guarantee that all of the rooms will sound good, but getting 'great' sound is challenging in a hotel environment, especially in the small sleeping rooms. But, with that being said, we stumbled upon a few things we were not expecting, which was a nice surprise. The first surprise was a tip from Mark, a past Absolute Sound reviewer, and friend of our beloved YFS customer, Thomas. Thomas and Mark have known each other over the years and go way back. I'm sure they traded gear back and forth before we even knew that "Audiogon" existed. These two guys are both the real deal when it comes to sound, and they know a good room when they hear one, immediately. As we found out traveling the busy halls of the Renaissance Hotel, these guys had pretty much the same musical tastes and preference for system tone / overall presentation as we did. That made this particular show extra fun for us. We all got to bounce ideas off one another and stir the 'audio pot', all while enjoying time outside in public, FINALLY.

Mark tipped us off to a guy named Bill Stierhout of Coherence Systems. Bill got his start in audio by installing studio consoles and digital tape machines for the Pro Audio market back in the 1980s. This guy has been around the block a few times. He has an interesting idea that helps everyone's system by inducing psycho-acoustic effects into your listening room. This is done by inserting a type of AC Line Conditioner in parallel to your current power conditioner. They are not actual power conditioners, and you don't need to plug your components into them. We're not sure what to call them? Bill calls them 'AC Harmonic Resonators'. Bill started a brand by the name of ADD-Powr. Under this new brand, he has launched several products, all inducing a sag on your AC power line that is supposed to create a presence in your listening space that can make your music sound better. Better than it does without these products in your system. This is a similar concept that has been visited prior to now in history. Mainly in the field of psychology. Scientists have experimented with playing subsonic and supersonic frequencies to individuals with schizophrenia and other disorders, to invoke some type of 'calming effect'. VERY COOL! We don't know if Bill's products work, but we bought one, and we're going to find out. Stay tuned for a forthcoming review of the ADD-Powr Sorcer X4 Plus. EXCITING! This is a perfect example of why you should give next year's AXPONA event a shot, as you never know what you're going to find.

As far as rooms went, we really enjoyed the CAT / Magico room, right next door to Nirvana B. This room had nothing but good sounds coming from it that were hard to fault, at all. 'Incredibly effortless' is the phrase we would use to describe what we heard. The fact that Convergent Audio Technology is extremely well-designed tube gear, made right here in the USA, we didn't expect anything less. We are all familiar with Magico. We also didn't expect to be able to purchase any of this gear, as it was all well above our pay-grade. That's a common theme in this hobby unfortunately. But hey, you don't go to a car show to look at a Honda Civic, do you!?

The one rather interesting room we visited was the Aretai / OePhi combination. This room featured the CAT SL1 Legend preamp and the CAT JL5 amplifier. I believe the most affordable component in the room was the set of speakers themselves, the Aretai Contra 100S, coming in at $9,000 USD. The Aurender A20 provided the source duties (music stream / DAC). WOW! We couldn't believe such wonderful sounds were coming from such a tiny footprint. Impressive indeed. We are SERIUOSLY thinking of trying to find a way to become authorized US Aretai dealers. These little speakers from Latvia impressed one of the most seasoned audiophiles we know, our very own YFS customer, Thomas. He couldn't believe these little guys could sound so smooth, detailed, and open, yet sound so big and full range-esque. Our hats go off to Aretai.

Octave / Dynaudio also showed us what a smooth, laid back, yet highly detailed presentation can sound like. No harshness whatsoever and never "shouty". This pairing, along with the Simaudio MOON source components, really impressed. We love a warm presentation, but enjoy a lot of detail and PRaT. This system delivered all of that in spades. Way to go and job well done.

Overall, we had a great time in Chicago, and even got to experience some late-night pizza on our way to the hotel. Chicago is a friendly city, with great food, and even better people. The main reason to visit this part of the country every Spring: AXPONA. We extend our gratitude to Mark Freed for all the work he put into this event to make it what it is today. It's been a great run so far, let's keep the momentum going.

We hope to see you all at next year's 2024 AXPONA event...

Thank you for reading.

- KOB 

by Kevin OBrien on January 25, 2017

YFS AND MUTEC TEAM UP FOR AXPONA 2017!

 

YFS and Mutec will be teaming up in Chicago for the AXPONA 2017 audio exposition on the weekend of April 22nd. Come see our HD.Ref-3 music transport in action in Room 554. The Mutec MC-3+USB / Ref-10 clock combo will be mated with our YFS HD.Ref-3 server transport and EMM Labs DAC2X V2 DSD DAC to bring you some of the finest digital source equipment around. Our YFS CA-60a custom tubed preamp and custom YFS Headphone Cables will be on display along with our latest Custom Ref 'Split' Copper USB. The all new Von Schweikert Unifield II Mk3 3-way monitors will be taking care of speaker-duty. Be sure to ask us about show specials. Don't miss this special event in the Windy City. We are excited to get to know our customers and chat all things audio-related in late April. We hope to see everyone there.

by Kevin OBrien on June 15, 2016

YFS, MUTEC, AND EMM LABS TEAM UP FOR RMAF 2016!

YFS, Mutec, and EMM Labs will be teaming up in Denver for the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2016 on the weekend of October 7th. Come see our HD.Ref-3 music transport in action in Room 7010 in the 7th floor Tower. The Mutec MC-3+USB and latest Mutec external clock (REF-10) will be mated with our YFS HD.Ref-3 server transport to bring you cutting edge digital source equipment at its finest. The new EMM Labs DA2 DAC as well as our YFS modified vintage McIntosh MC75 amplifiers will be on display. Our YFS CA-60a custom tubed preamp and custom YFS Headphone Cables will be on display along with our latest Custom Ref 'Split' Copper USB. We will have YFS USB cables on hand to sell to the public at discounted prices as well. Be sure to ask us about show specials. Don't miss this special event in the Mile High City.

We are excited to get to know our customers and chat all things audio-related in early October.

We hope to see everyone there.