AXPONA 2025 Video Coverage Part 2

many world and North American Premiers!

The second of who knows how many videos it will take to cover AXPONA 2025 includes big news about the return of Koetsu cartridges, the world premier of the Alieno Phono Preamp from Italy, premiers of SME's new Model 8 and Model 35 turntables, the new Thales Reference turntable and Phono preamplifier American premiers, the first American presentation of the Supatrac Nighthawk tonearm and Revox's B77 MkIII and the special Alice Cooper model.

This video also includes a discussion about the impact of tariffs on the audiophile record business with European speciality vinyl importer/exporter/distributor Jan Sieveking and much more, produced in Tracking Angle's "up close and personal" style.

Comments

2025-04-17 07:33:26 AM

Mark Ward wrote:

I am so excited about the reappearance of Koetsu. I had one of these for years and it was magical. Alas when I tried to get it re-tipped it got destroyed. This is fantastic news for vinyl lovers.
- 2025-04-17 03:07:53 PM
  
  It’s a trap wrote:
  
  magical is right. I have the rosewood signature platinum and with the OSS reissues, making magic here indeed! I am coming up in a retip here probably in next few hundred hours so sending back to the original craftsman is exciting indeed. Maybe need to get a stone body in too.
- 2025-04-17 03:33:12 PM
  
  bwb wrote:
  
  The Koetsu guy said 15-20% price increases. If the tariffs stick on top of that, it could price them so high it would have to hurt sales. A Blue Lace would be over $20K with just a 10% tariff. It seems reasonable that they will have to re-think their distribution model. A few years ago you could buy a top end Koetsu in Japan for < 1/3 of what the retail price was in the US. It was $5000 in Japan for a Blue Lace compared to $16K in the US. I'm all for making a profit, but that seems a bit extreme. You could fly business class over to pick one up, stay for a vacation, and still pay less than US retail.
  - 2025-04-17 04:07:20 PM
    
    Michael Fremer wrote:
    
    Sounds like a plan!
    - 2025-04-18 04:00:14 PM
      
      bwb wrote:
      
      I think it maybe WAS a plan. Now that this guy owns the business, do you think he will set Japan prices back to that level, or just raise them to what he had them set for in the US + the 15-20% he stated + the tariff? Curious times.
      - 2025-04-18 07:37:13 PM
        
        Anton wrote:
        
        No need to worry. The more they cost, the better they will sound.