I am not in the budget for an ultra-fi system — and probably never will be. That fact, sad though it is, is true for most of us. HOWEVER, the point of the ultra-fi is less “can I get this with fries?” and more “how is this even possible?” At least, that’s how I content myself. If you’re ultra-fi capable, you’re invited to keep that negativity to yourself.
In the Nirvana A Ballroom here at AXPONA 2022, I found all manner of ultra-fi goodness and I’ll say this — I wish I was rich.
In this room:
- Acora Acoustics SRC-2 Loudspeakers: $37k/pair (reviewed here)
- VAC Statement Phono $80k
- VAC Statement Line Pre $80k
- VAC Statement 452 amplifiers $150k/pair
- UHA Superdeck Tape Machine $90k
- Aurender N30SA $24k
- LampizatOr Horizon DAC $49k
- TW-Acustic Black Night turntable $45k
- TW-Acustic Raven 12″ tonearms $6k each
- Dynavector DRT XF-1t cartridge (#1) $9450
- Charisma Audio Signature 1 cartridge (#2) $3800 (reviewed here)
- Acora Acoustics SRR-V / H audio racks $5,500 each
Okay, so given that I am not rich, today I got to pretend I was. Greg Beron was spinning tape from the Ultra Deck and the tube amps from VAC lit up the rocks from Acora (the cabinets are granite) in a way that was breathtaking — this was tape-sexiness at perhaps its best sound ever, and the liquidity in here was enough to make butter melt in sympathy at 50 yards. Sadly, I did not get to hear either the Black Night (perhaps my favorite turntable) nor the new summit-level DAC from LampizatOr, but perhaps that’ll be something someone on the team can catch.
Brilliant showing from Acora and The Audio Company. Definitely left me wanting was more-more-more.
Clearly, I need a better-paying job. Or maybe a lotto ticket. Or maybe a rich patron. Or maybe ….
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2022, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the show direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
