AXPONA 2025

Hello and welcome to Part 7 of my AXPONA 2025 show report. Once in a while when attending a hi-fi show, I receive a compelling invitation to hear something special — or at least out of the ordinary. At AXPONA 2025, I was invited to listen to a lacquer of a forthcoming vinyl release of pianist Marco Arcieri’s Chopin at Home Vol. 2, on VDM Records. It’s the followup installment of pianist Arcieri’s Chopin at Home Vol. 1, which was released in 2024 on VDM.

Igor Fiorini of VDM Sound Group suggested I listen to the lacquer, and share my thoughts about what I heard. Once again, as he did on Vol. 1, Fiorini is serving as sound designer and musical producer on Arcieri’s upcoming Vol. 2 LP release.

On the setup in the Schaumberg F Room, Fiorini played me one side containing one performance take of a short piece (or movement), then the other side with a different take of the same excerpted piece. It was a Mazurka, a Chopin improvisation. Arcieri’s playing style at times felt almost jazzy in delivery or attitude — a fresh take on classical repertoire.

Fiorini told me that he had just cut the lacquer before heading to the show, and was working towards a final decision on which take to move forward into mastering. He was curious to know what I thought, and which version I preferred. Both were well done, but, to me, the second version showed more openness and clarity overall, with less blending together or overlapping of sustains; overall definition was better. There seemed to be fewer hints of coloration, too.

After I offered my thoughts and opinions — it turns out we both preferred the same version! — Fiorini identified the two different cutting heads (and related setups) he used on the lathe: a Neumann SX74 cutting head and a Neumann VG60 preamp on the first take, and an Ortofon DSS 821 cutting head — the same he’d used on Vol. 1 — and a Neumann SAB74 EQ/preamp.

The playback system in that large room included a Grand Prix Audio Monaco 3.0 turntable ($56,250) plus Fuel Station Battery power supply ($15,250), and a Kuzma Safir 9 tonearm ($23,140) with a Lyra Etna MC cartridge ($8,995) mounted on the end. VTL supplied amplification, starting with a VTL TP-6.5 Series II Signature phono preamp ($17,000), a VTL TL-7.5 Series Reference line preamp, and two pairs of VTL MB-185 Series III Signature monoblock amps ($30,000/pr) that drove Stenheim Reference Ultime Two SX loudspeakers ($186,500, including Reference platforms, for additional height). Cabling, power distribution units, and numerous other accessories were from Nordost, including selections from their Odin, Valhalla, QSource, QKore, and related lines.

When I stopped into Room 484, which was presented by Fidelis Distribution, the music nearly stopped me in my tracks. I heard something brand-new (though not quite as new) for the first time — in this case, it was a freshly pressed 2LP reissue of Patricia Barber’s Modern Cool, from Impex Records. (Recorded and mixed by Jim Anderson, Modern Cool was originally released in 1LP form on Premonition in 1998.)

I sat down, and soaked up “Constantinople” from that new Impex edition of Modern Cool (LP2, Side D, Track 1). Dave Douglas’s trumpet swells filled the room while percussion, including Jeff Stitely’s udu, had satisfying snap. Layer upon layer of the instruments’ microdynamic details were revealed, weaving an exotic sonic tapestry rich in textures. Barber’s vocals sounded pure and natural — and completely present. (Incidentally, Barber and her ensemble also gave a stellar live performance at AXPONA for Saturday evening’s special concert, sponsored by Wireworld.)

These impressions forced me to reconsider any prior conceptions about Falcon’s LS3/5a monitors ($4,850/pr), they of the classic BBC school of sound. The Falcons appeared especially well-suited for this kind of source material. Those LS3/5a “Gold Badge” edition speakers, here in Burr White finish, were driven by Italian maker Lab12’s Integre4 MK2 integrated amp (seen below), reported to output 65W per channel.

The analog source was Pure Fidelity’s The Symphony turntable (seen below), with their The Savant Titanium tonearm ($21,995) ended with a Pure Fidelity Stratos MC cartridge; its signal went into a Lab12 Melto2 tube phono preamp ($3,990).

Both the Melto2 (below) and the Integre4 MK2 have good-sized, easy-to-read LED displays on front, and are remote controllable. The Melto2 is said to be “fully adjustable” — and, at the time I was there, it was set to high gain and cartridge loading was at 100ohms.

Part 8 is coming soon!

Author bio: Julie Mullins, a lifelong music lover and record collector since age 10 who takes after her audiophile father, is also a contributing editor and reviewer on our sister site, Stereophile, for whom she also writes the monthly Re-Tales column. A former fulltime staffer at Cincinnati’s long-running alt-weekly CityBeat, she programs and hosts a weekly radio show on WAIF called On the Pulse.

For even more AXPONA 2025 coverage, go here on our sister site Stereophile.