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The Best Sound at AXPONA 2026: Rooms, Systems, and Standout Gear
Imagine 16 floors of a convention center—every room, every hallway, every available space filled with music.
Every brand you know.
Plenty you don’t.
And systems at every level, all chasing the same goal.
That’s just the surface of what AXPONA 2026 brought.
This year felt different in a few ways. I had just as many conversations with fellow audiophiles as with industry insiders—and even got the chance to spend time with several TMR customers in person. That part alone made the trip worth it.
If you were there, you felt it too. There was a sense of camaraderie in the air—honestly louder than some of the music in the rooms. And in this space, that’s saying something.
AXPONA 2026 also marked the launch of HiFi Starts Local. At TMR, we work with customers across the country, but we also recognize how important the relationship with a local dealer can be. If there’s gear you want from a local dealer you trust, we’ll help facilitate the trade—and even add an extra 5% to make it happen.
What Stood Out at AXPONA 2026
Before getting into specific rooms and gear, a few trends kept showing up throughout the show.
Active systems are gaining serious ground.
From ATC and Avantgarde to Perlisten’s full active room and Legacy’s new Artist Series, active wasn’t just present—it was a major conversation point. While analog and traditional amplification still dominated overall, the shift toward active solutions is very real.
Simpler systems are getting better—and more common.
We’re still seeing plenty of separates, but there was a noticeable rise in integrated and all-in-one systems that sounded genuinely high-end. Brands like Michi, Advance Paris, and Eversolo are pushing performance in ways that make simpler setups more appealing than ever.
Rooms That Got It Right
I’ll be honest—I don’t love making “best of” lists.
If I went purely by what impressed me, this section would be ten times longer. But there were a few rooms I kept coming back to—not necessarily because they were the most expensive, but because they worked. These were systems that felt complete, where nothing seemed out of place.
📸 View the Full AXPONA 2026 Photo and Video Gallery on Facebook
Totem Thunderbird Speakers With Aragon Electronics
Vince at Totem has created something special with the Thunderbird. Building on last year’s design, this version feels more refined and complete. The speed, the openness through the mids, and the way the speaker disappears into the room—it’s the kind of presentation that pulls you in immediately. Imaging is precise, and the bass reaches deep without ever feeling overdone.
Synergistic Research (LogIQ + Quark Streamer + Galileo cabling)
A really interesting room—not just because of the gear, but because of what it was doing differently. The system felt incredibly composed, with a level of control and coherence that stood out even in a crowded field. There was a sense that everything was working together intentionally, not just assembled, and that translated directly into the listening experience.
👉 Watch as Ted Denney explains the LogIq and Quark here.
DeVore Reference with Nagra
This pairing had a sense of refinement that’s hard to fake. Beautiful tonal balance, great space, and one of those systems that just lets you relax into the music. Nothing jumped out at you—and that’s exactly why it worked so well.
👉 Check out a video of the room here.
Legacy Audio Artist Series Speakers
This room wasn’t just about sound—it was about presence. The new Artist Series speakers immediately grabbed attention. Visually striking and undeniably bold, they created one of those moments where you stop, look, and then stay to listen. Whether it was the scale, the energy, or just the overall presentation, this room made an impression.
👉 See the full lineup of the Legacy Speakers here.
Fidelity Imports / Perlisten (with full system + VIABLUE cabling)
Fidelity Imports pulled out all the stops for a true "statement" system designed to showcase maximum scale and power. The foundation of the room was the Perlisten S7t Black Edition flagship towers, supported by a massive array of four Perlisten D8is subwoofers that provided a level of low-end authority rarely heard in a convention center. To manage the immense dynamic swings and precision of the Audia Flight electronics, the system utilized a full loom of VIABLUE cabling. This featured their high-end SC-6 AIR Silver speaker cables and NF-S1 interconnects, a pairing that ensured the transparency and speed of the Perlisten DPC waveguide remained fully intact across the entire frequency range.
👉 Check out more photos from this room here.
Standout Gear
Again, this could be a long list. But a few pieces stuck with me.
Synergistic Research LogIQ
This is an absolutely stunning piece of gear—and one that operates independently of the rest of your system. LogIQ is an AI-driven, app-controlled device that lets you shape how your system presents music in real time.
👉 You can watch Ted Denney explain the LogIQ in detail here.
Totem Acoustic Fire V2 (with Aragon Electronics and Bag-End Subs)
This was one of those rooms that just felt right. Balanced, engaging, and easy to stay in longer than expected. Nothing felt forced, and the system had a natural musicality that kept pulling me back. The addition of subwoofers filled out the presentation without drawing attention to themselves—everything just felt cohesive from top to bottom.
👉 You can watch a room video here.
Michi Prestige Series (and Q5)
I’m not sure what I expected from the Michi Prestige series—but what I found was one of the strongest value propositions in its category today. The build quality is immediately apparent, and the sound follows through: clean, controlled, and quiet, with plenty of power on tap. Add in modern features like HDMI ARC and a capable onboard DAC, and it becomes a very compelling solution.
👉 You can check out a deeper dive video on the Michi Prestige here and if you are interested in the Michi Q5, you can see a deep dive on that here.
ModWright KWA300 with Alta Audio Alec Limited Editions
The long-awaited KWA 300 was on full display this year—and it delivered. I had the chance to hear earlier versions of this amp at TMR, but now it feels fully realized. Paired with the Alta Audio Alec Limited Editions, the system had both speed and weight. Alta’s use of upgraded components pushes performance even further, especially in the bass and overall clarity. This was another room I found myself returning to more than once.
👉 You can watch a room video here.
ATC EL50 Active Loudspeakers
These are absolute works of art. Built using ATC’s elliptical curved cabinet design to reduce diffraction, the EL50 marks a shift from the traditional parallel cabinet designs we’ve seen from ATC, while still drawing inspiration from the original EL150 introduced back in 2006.
The finish is just as impressive as the engineering, with leather detailing and beautifully executed European walnut that immediately stands out in person.
This is a fully active design—no external amplification required. All crossover duties happen before amplification, allowing each driver to be powered independently: 200 watts for the bass, 100 watts for the midrange, and 50 watts for the highs.
The result is exactly what you expect from ATC: speed, control, and an incredibly truthful presentation. These speakers don’t add anything—they reveal what’s there. And in the right system, that’s everything.
These pieces weren’t just impressive on their own—they worked within systems that felt complete.
📸 View the Full AXPONA 2026 Photo and Video Gallery on Facebook
Unexpected Moments
One of the highlights for me was getting time in the PS Audio room.
If you were at the show, you know—it was one of the hardest rooms to get into. Every time I walked by, it was packed.
On day two, Paul McGowan was kind enough to let us in early and give us a walkthrough of the system. Getting that level of insight, especially in a room that busy, was something special.
👉 You can watch the full walkthrough of the PS Audio Room here.
What This Means for Your System
If there was one consistent takeaway from AXPONA this year, it’s this:
It wasn’t always the biggest or most expensive systems that sounded best. It was the ones where everything worked together—where the system felt balanced, intentional, and complete.
Active systems, simplified setups, better power and control—all of it points toward the same idea:
The best systems aren’t built piece by piece.
They’re built to work as a whole.
Closing Thoughts
I’d love it if AXPONA were a week-long event.
More time in rooms.
More conversations.
More chances to connect with customers, designers, and people who care deeply about this hobby.
But even in a few days, it’s a reminder of why this all matters.
There’s incredible gear out there—some just released, some already available—that can genuinely move your system forward.
But more than that, this year reinforced something simple:
Almost every story I heard—from attendees and industry folks alike—started the same way:
“I was talking to my guy at…”
That relationship matters. It’s where people learn, explore, and build trust in the hobby.
AXPONA 2026 made that clearer than ever.
For more from Axpona2026, we are still adding photos and videos every day, lots to show you!