Acoustic Sounds
Florida International Audio Expo 2024
By: Michael Fremer

February 28th, 2024

Category:

Hi-Fi Shows

Florida International Audio Expo Days 2 and 3 Coverage

a growing show demonstrated its international reach

Here's coverage of days 2 and 3 of the Florida International Audio Expo. This truly was an international Expo as you'll see. Products were on display from everywhere from Latvia to the U.K. to France, Canada, Finland, Austria, Czech Republic, Vietnam and Denmark.

Product prices were equally wide-ranging. There was something for everyone at the show, though there was less analog and vinyl than hoped for.

Loudspeakers were as usual an important part of the show and there were many new and interesting ones, but especially noteworthy was the new Børresen X series that included a floor stander for $8800 a pair. It includes much of the tech (albeit downsized and "down-tech'd") contained in the top tier $280,000 M3.

$8800 Børresen "X" Series

Børresen M3$280,000 Børresen M3

Also at the top end and among the best sounding at the show were the Acora VRC-1 ($220,000). (See lead photo). They filled a huge room with magnificent sound. Gershman Acoustics showed a 30th anniversary edition of its Black Swan speaker.

SVS debuted at the show a new top of the line "Ultra Evolution"" series, the most expensive being $5000/pr.

MC Audiotech introduced the TL-8 ($15,000) a floor stander, but smaller than previous speakers from the company featuring an 8 inch transmission line loaded woofer and a single WBLS (wideband line source) driver, which inventor Paul Paddock patented almost forty years ago and was used in speakers reviewed by my previous endeavor more than twenty years ago. The speaker offered impressive clarity and detail resolution but the video wasn't useable so you'll just have to take my word for it.

MC Audiotech TL-8MC Audiotech TL-8

At the other end of the price spectrum Vienna Acoustics showed its fifth generation 2 way Haydn costing $3500. Sounded sweet and as they say, "musical".

Vienna Acoustics HaydnVienna Acoustics Haydn

ELAC demoed a pair of Concentro S503s bookshelf speakers ($6999) that impressed. And back at the other end, Stenheim's Alumine Five SE ($73,500) impressed. Falcon Acoustics demoed for me via virtual reality googles a new "futuristic" speaker I'm not sure I'm supposed to talk about so I won't but it's a huge step forward for a company mostly making LS35A/KEF 104AB type speakers and when it's introduced its looks alone will amaze you!

Most interesting, novel speakers were from SubDrum Industries, which has found way to use drum enclosures as speaker enclosures. You'll see them in action in the video.

I wish I could tell you there was a lot of analog news, or any analog news but there really wasn't any. Hopefully AXPONA and definitely Munich High End 2024 will offer more. Which doesn't mean this wasn't a great show, because it was.

There's a lot to see in the video!

Comments

  • 2024-02-29 01:32:39 AM

    Zaphod wrote:

    I was at the audio show in Chicago back in 2022 and heard the Acora speakers, the SRC-2 if my memory serves me right. Both my Wife & I thought they were some of the best sounding loudspeakers at the show.

    I can only image what these beautiful looking Acora VRC-1 in what I think is called Fire Granite, sounded like!

    Due to the poor dealer representation in the region I live in (as there is none), I had to travel all the way to the show in Chicago to check out speakers.

    A lot a great speakers, but it really is not the best way to look for speakers since most manufactures only have one speaker on active display & the rest are static or just not there.