Intro

Contents

Every year, I’ve made it a point to visit every room at the show – lugging a DSLR and gimbal through hundreds of setups. But heading into my mid-40s, that pace no longer makes sense (especially with this new dad bod). This time, I came with a single goal: to find the most romantic, warm-sounding rooms at the show.

Most listening rooms at the shows lean toward gear that chases technical perfection – clarity, detail, transparency. These rooms tend to (but not always) sound brighter and more “hyped.” I used to be in that camp, believing I could stack on color in a stereo after locking in resolution. But after hearing over a thousand systems, I’ve come to crave something else: tone with soul, a little warmth and bloom, a bit of imperfection that feels human. I’ve concluded that your loudspeaker choice literally sets the tone for any future upgrades in your system.

So I narrowed my search to hotel-room systems—small spaces, minimal treatment, closer to “real-world conditions.” If a room had a lean, cold tone, I moved on. If it felt cozy, colored, and emotionally resonant, I stayed. Turns out, there were more of these rooms this year than I expected – the experience felt more personal this time around.

Might as well call this report AXPONA 2025: The Warm Edition. The usual heavy-hitters delivered as expected—MBL, Triangle Art, and now AXISS Audio’s larger room featuring Gauder Akustik, Soulution, Transrotor, and Telos deserves a spot on that list. But for this roundup, I’ll be (mostly) zeroing in on the more attainable systems. Let’s dive in.