Best of Show: Southwest Audio Fest 2024

Acora Acoustics/Valve Amplification Company/VPI

Acora was showing their VRC loudspeaker (which Andrew Quint reviews in the May issue). Big sound, dynamically and spatially, with good balance in a huge room, despite high playback levels.

YG Acoustics/Constellation/MSB

The YG Sonja 3.2 speakers driven by Constellation Centaur II amps, Constellation Virgo preamp and an MSB DAC, delivered an impressively precise sound from top to bottom and good imaging.

Von Schweikert/JMF/Ideon/Pear Audio Blue

Von Schweikert had their Ultra 55 speakers and the new Shockwave active bass correction modules on display with a JMF PRS 1.5 preamp and HQS 7001 power amps sourced by a new Ideon Absolute streamer into the Absolute DAC. They also played the new Pear Audio Blue Aras turntable/arm with FUUGA cartridge via the new JMF PHS 7.2 phono stage. The bass here was exceptionally punchy and tight; overall this room had a sense of harmonic naturalness that stood out.

Borresen/Aavik/Ansuz

Borresen showed the flagship M6 speakers driven by Aavik class A amps and an Aavik DAC and Aavik preamp. The soundstage was impressively wide, tall and deep, while enabling performers to be very precisely placed. The Audio Group Denmark team did perhaps the best demo at the show, with a $1million system at one end and a $50,000 system at the other which they leveraged to play the same tracks back to back. If you are wondering, the $1 million system sounded better, and the difference was dramatic, but the “budget” system was impressive too.

MBL

MBL showed the small-ish 120 speakers driven by N15 monoblock amps and the new C41 network player/DAC. The small MBL speakers can do the amazing thing that the big ones do, which is to get the image off the speakers and make you feel the performers are in the room. Impressive and realistic. This is equipment you need to hear, especially since the 120s are not stratospherically priced.

Avantgarde

Avantgarde showed the powered Duo GT speakers with iTron built-in amps for the bass. The sound was dynamic, and we heard good integration even in a small room (these are big speakers, but we kind of fell for those red horns…).

Sound Lab/Berning

Sound Lab showed the “small” G7-3C full-range electrostatic speakers powered by 60 watt David Berning tube amps. These speakers are sized for smaller rooms, they say, although they are 7 feet high and 20” wide. In any event, the transparency was, well, beautiful and seemed as though the mics were fed directly to the speakers. The speakers are nicely finished too.

Estelon/MSB/Synergistic

The Estelon Forza speakers, driven by MSB Select DAC, Director and M500 amplifiers with Synergistic cables, were impressively smooth with solid bass. This was another very large room (beyond residential dimensions), but SRV had great clarity and a relaxed feel.