For the 16th time now, America’s biggest hi-fi show opens its gates, hosted in the Schaumburg Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. Not only is it going to be bigger than ever, it also boasts a brand new car audio showcase.
For the most part, however, things at the Axpona 2025 are obviously going to revolve around good old home audio – and we’ve got our work cut out for us: with over 200 listening rooms presenting more than 700 brands, there’s a lot to see and listen to, and ‘only’ three days – April 11th to 13th – to do it. The beauty about such a massive gathering of manufacturers is that apart from established names such as Harman, Luxman or Magico, you get to experience much more exotic manufactories as well, some of which even a seasoned veteran may never have heard of.
In typical Axpona fashion, there will be sections designated to specific segments of hi-fi, like the Record Fair hosted in the Exhibit Hall. Here, it’s going to be all about vinyl playback, where we expect to see tons of interesting turntables, tonearms and cartridges along with all the little bits and bobs like record clamps or isolation feet. Of course, an event that goes by the name of Record Fair wouldn’t be complete without the appropriate software, which is going to be present in spades, be it new or vintage.
As head-fi has been a massively growing market in audio for the last couple of years, the Ear Gear Experience is going to play a prominent part in the show. From dynamic and planar headphones to mobile and stationary DAPs and headphone amps to accessories like custom earpads or cable systems, we expect to see a plethora of exciting personal technology. Long-established brands like Audio Technica, Focal or Stax will be complemented by names that have left their mark more recently, such as Audeze or Campfire Audio.
The introduction of the car audio showcase marks an exciting new chapter for Axpona. While nothing can beat a good home audio setup, we still love music and want to take it with us everywhere, so since mobile audio is a big part of hi-fi life, here’s mobile hi-fi for you. We’re keen to see what automotive brands collaborating with leading audio companies come up with to turn car interiors into concert halls. As much as the room acousticians in us want to protest, there’s definitely a certain appeal to having several hundered, if not more than a thousand, Watts to pressurize a comparatively tiny space.
Last but not least, what would a hi-fi show be without actual music. We love hi-fi and it’s amazing just how good canned music can sound with the technology at our disposal, but let’s face it: No reproduction can give you the sensation that actual people playing real instruments can give you. The Axpona 2025 will host nightly concerts for all those who still haven’t had enough music after a busy exhibition day.
If you want to get an idea of what to expect, check out our Axpona 2023 report. The impressively large and spacious Schaumburg Convention Center makes for a perfect venue for an event like this. We can’t wait to get there.
