Who was the Stand Out? | AXPONA 2023 Show Report

Tom Martin, joined by TAS newcomer Cynthia Blankenship, review their favorite rooms, discoveries, and stand outs at AXPONA 2023.

More show coverage coming soon!

About Tom Martin:
Tom is a long-time audiophile. He began his reviewing career after acquiring the The Absolute Sound magazine in 1997 and then hi-fi+ magazine in 2002. He has worked closely with Harry Pearson and Robert Harley at TAS and with Roy Gregory and Alan Sircom at hi-fi+. Since Tom and his teams expanded the TAS and Plus platforms in the digital domain, he has served as Chief Content Officer.

About Cynthia Blankenship:
Cynthia converted to audiophilism 5 years ago when she first heard a pair of Magnepan 3.3Rs playing Die Moldau from Smetana's Ma Vlast. The ensuing journey would have her be a recurring guest on the Audiophiliac's channel, a Magnepan 1.7i ad in The Absolute Sound magazine, and shadowing Alan Sircom of hi-fi+. With what began as a hobby with a focus on human interest stories, 5 years later she will now be delving into the world of audio gear reviews for The Absolute Sound, HiFi+, and her own channel @TheAudioBelle

What Is The Absolute Sound?
The Absolute Sound magazine has been a leading publication in high-end audio since 1972. Since the early 2000s, The Absolute Sound has expanded to include web, newsletter, digital magazine, social media, YouTube and Substack platforms. The Absolute Sound platforms have a global audience of over 500,000 audiophiles.

Shot and edited by TAS Digital Managing Editor Charles Kinder

#hifi #audiophile #theabsolutesound

00:00 -05:16 Cabasse Standmount
05:16 - Diptyque Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers
09:17 -11:21 A Thought on Demo Tracks
11:21-14:13 Perlisten R210 + Sub
14:13-18:36 YG Acoustics Peaks Series
18:36-20:25 Atohm Bookshelf
20:25-23:04 Aretai Standmount Speaker
23:04-26:43 GoldenEar Loudspeaker
26:43-29:37 Luxman Turntable
29:37-32:23 Odyssey's Room
32:23-35:37 Linkwitz Reference Speaker
35:37- Ergonomics & Cables

[ScottGrammer]

Glad to see a young woman in audio circles. We old men have had this hobby to ourselves too long.

[dwayneboyer]

We would like to thank Cynthia "The Audio Belle" for taking the time to stop by our room and listening to the Atohm GT series speakers with the Atoll electronics. We are happy she enjoyed listening to the GT1 powered by Atoll's IN100 amplifier. I especially enjoyed the track from Pentatonix that she requested. We at (Music For Pleasure) have been proud to represent both Atohm and Atoll going on 8 years now and feel they are hands down some of the finest products on the market today regardless of price. Thanks to The Absolute Sound for working with a refreshing young enthusiast that brings another valued perspective to our fun industry.

[bradknight]

Thanks! That was great!
You and the Audio Belle are a great team!
Love your show coverage.

[odizcvw]

A fun overview of things that caught your attention. Thank you. Even as a YouTube visitor to this show, I felt that audiophiles are having fun more than being neurotic. Good.

[joeb]

Tom, love everything you do and this post is no exception.

[SuperMcgenius]

Tom, from your first video you have improved so much, maybe just being yourself . Good to see a women reviewer .👏

[Revelator]

Great convo…Lovely to see Cynthia and Tom together…thanks!

[raphaelmeillat]

Great decision to add Cynthia's voice into this Axpona standout. Good variety of perspectives. Well done!

[davidbee]

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly with Thomas on cable size, complexity, IN-flexibility and last but not least . . . SNAKE OIL CLAIMS MATCHED WITH ABSURD COST . . . it is Absolute (pun intended :-) LUNACY to have cables that DO in fact look like pythons AND not at ALL necessary !!! REALLY enjoyed watching this video - entertaining and informative. THANK YOU ! 
P.S. Cynthia's take on all things audio is a really welcome breath of fresh air - a sensitive ear mixed with a nice gentle humility.

[false_binary]

New subscriber here, LOVED this...happy to see a new generation learning like the rest of us!

[dougg]

Luxman turntable is to die for. Heck, all their stuff.

[NoelLorenzanaCPA]

Excellent recap! The Atohm speakers were quite impressive. I'm hoping to aquire a set this year.

[EndowAudio]

You're definitely right - It's impossible to see everything! It was still great getting to show off our Bravura sound system and meet you guys! 😊

[_fakeklg]

James Blake - Limit to Your Love… a fun little track to demo speakers with. A little vocals, a healthy amount of bass, fun dynamics, some synth. Glorious.

[hippydippy]

I loved the Odyseey room! Atmosphere makes a HUGE difference in a listening experience.

[ronlevine]

I'm waiting for your full review of this wonder. Sig Linkwitz is long gone but his genius survives in the Lx521 for all of us to appreciate.

[AusGanesh]

Hello Tom, thank you for the informative video, please include more women into the high end community. Cynthia, thank you for joining the audiophile community, your are great inspiration to other half of the population. I have only one comment to make please show the picture of product more when you are discussing about the product and less of the reviewers. After all we are here to discuss and discover more about the new product offering. Thank you.

[ryanschipp]

Golden Ear uses a powered woofer...that's why they have so much slam. Might want to point that out.

[SuperMcgenius]

Yes, regarding phase and eq with subs . This is where pro audio and high end can meet.

[redstarwraith]

I've subscribed to The Audio Belle's channel for some years now. Great to see TAS take her on in a professional capacity. Congrats Cynthia!