The Southwest Audio Fest 2025

Hi-Performance Audio in Dallas ... Yippee-Ki-Yay

The Southwest Audio Fest returned to Dallas, hosted at the beautiful Hotel Anatole . Both media representatives and manufacturers I spoke with were looking forward to a repeat of last year's successful SWAF, which I reported on here. Overall, show organizers Lou Hinkley and Gary Gill have been successful in their efforts, and they announced that the SWAF will return in 2026, albeit with a significant change in date format. Instead of the usual Friday through Sunday show format, SWAF 2026 will open on Thursday and run through Saturday. The new dates are March 26-28, 2026, with the following hours: 

- Thursday: 2 PM - 8 PM

- Friday: 10 AM - 6 PM

- Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM 

This schedule change should be significant for the Southwest Audio Fest. Given that Dallas is situated in the heart of the Bible Belt, and with ongoing college baseball interests and March Madness occurring simultaneously during the show dates, Sunday traffic can be a challenge. The hours for most audio shows on Sundays are shortened, and many exhibitors begin packing up before the event officially concludes. Over the years, I have often heard attendees expressing frustration about rooms closing early on Sunday afternoons.

Swapping Sunday for Thursday afternoon/evening will be an interesting shift. I am hopeful that this new schedule will have a positive impact on the show and increase overall attendance. Only time will tell.

 SWAF 2025 … Rooms that caught my attention

A visit with Philip O'Hanlon, owner of On a Higher Note in San Juan Capistrano, CA, is anything but dull. I always look forward to our meetings at audio shows. Philip's mission is to help music communicate with you, touch you, and hold meaning in your life. We are kindred spirits. This is precisely why I got into this hobby over 40 years ago. For many years, his rooms at audio shows have served as an oasis of sound, featuring live performances by cellists or harpists and sponsoring after-hours entertainment. When you visit, you can expect to experience a high-quality sound system, discover new music, learn about some Irish history, and, if you’re lucky, enjoy a wee bit of Irish whiskey. You will leave with more knowledge than when you arrive.

My visit on Friday morning did not disappoint. Philip was showcasing Accustic Arts components from Germany, which he now distributes, and was playing them through YG Acoustics speakers. The sound was sublime when he lowered the cartridge on Portuguese artist LINA's new album, Fado Camões, and played the first cut, Demasor, on the BennyAudio Odyssey turntable. Her haunting voice and the exquisite guitar work captivated me. 

During the presentation, Philip referred to the music as "Fado." Fado is a traditional Portuguese musical genre characterized by soulful and melancholic songs, typically accompanied by the distinctive sound of the 12-string Portuguese guitar. It is deeply rooted in Portugal's cultural heritage. I ended up ordering the album that very night.

My emotional reaction to the music was no doubt enhanced by the Accustic Arts equipment used for playback, which I now need to explore further. I left the room having learned more than I knew when I entered. Thank you, Philip.

Speaking of an audio oasis, just as last year, the Bella Sound room was another of my audio refuges when I needed to recalibrate and unwind. Featuring Analysis Audio planar magnetic speakers and Bella Hanalei Monoblock amplifiers ($40,000), the Hana power conditioner ($12,000), and Kaula 2 power cords ($5,500), which I recently reviewed. The calm and seductive nature of the sound provided one of the most relaxing rooms I heard at the show that used a digital source. Undoubtedly, Bella Sounds designer/owner Mike Vice has something going on here.

Oklahoma City dealer Reference Analog had several high-quality rooms at the show. My next stop was their room featuring the new Rockport Lynx Speaker ($78,000/pr) powered by Boulder 1151 monoblocks ($47,000) with a Boulder 1110 Preamp ($24,000) and the 1108 phono stage ($21,000).

Jon Zimmer, Director of Sales at Rockport, informed me that the new Lynx speaker incorporates a significant amount of "trickle-down" technology from the flagship Orion speaker, specifically in the cabinet design.

Exhibitors often use speakers that are too large for the room they are exhibiting in. In this room, the speaker's size was well-matched to the room's scale, allowing for an appreciation of the high-quality sound emanating from the Lynx. The Boulder electronics sounded clean and sweet, and the overall tonal balance of the Lynx was neutral and coherent, with good integration of the drivers. The Boulder 1108 phono stage with the Brinkmann Taurus Turntable w/Ront power supply and the Benz Micro LP-S cartridge offered a relaxed vinyl presentation that had me wanting to sit and stay a while.

Rockport Lynx $78,000/pr

Popori Acoustics HYPERSAIL $99,000/pr

Next up was the Popori Acoustics room, where they showcased their new flagship HYPERSAIL speaker driven by VAC electronics. This wide-range, two-way electrostatic speaker features a ribbon high-frequency planar transducer and is priced at around $99,000 per pair. The product has been generating a lot of buzz on social media audio sites. 

During my visit on Friday, they were playing the speakers in full-range mode. On Saturday, they paired them with a set of REL subwoofers, which made a more favorable impression on me. However, the room was too small to make any definitive judgment. Like virtually all electrostatic speakers, you need to be in the "sweet spot" to experience the sound correctly, which I never got access to.  I hope to have the opportunity to hear them at their best at AXPONA.

On to the Genesis Advanced Loudspeaker room, where owner/designer Gary Koh premiered his new Samba speaker at $23,000. This is the top-of-the-line model of the Genesis G7 series. It is a servo-powered version of the $17,000 Foxtrot that I recently reviewed.

The Samba uses a single woofer to replace the Foxtrot's dual Isobaric woofers, and it adds an internal servo amplifier. The integration of the woofer was excellent. Heed Electronics was featured, and Heed distributor Bob Clarke from Profundo Audio was also in attendance.

Gary Koh spun vinyl on the Wand Master turntable, and designer Simon Brown from New Zealand showed his new Dark Light tonearm.

Wand Master Turntable

Bruce Jacobs of Stillpoints (https://www.stillpoints.us/products/) showcased their new Ultra 1 V2, available in two versions: an "E" version for electronics at $240 each and an "S" version for speakers at $260 each. Stillpoints designer/owner Paul Wakeen says the new V2 is a significant improvement over their previous Ultra SS and comes in at a lower price point. He told me he is working on an upgrade program for previous Stillpoints owners that he hopes to announce in the near future.

Stillpoints Ultra 1 V2 "E"

The Ultra 1 V2 utilizes the company's fourth-generation "filter," and features a textured black anodized finish. You can see them on the table with the optional 2” Ultra 1 Base attached for $299 each. Also seen on the table is the new Stillpoints Cable Cradle for wire support, priced at $220 each. Additional height can be achieved with extension pillars, and the larger Ultra Base can provide extra support. Bruce informed me that they will showcase some additional new products at AXPONA.

I already have several sets of the Ultra 1 V2 E and S versions in-house for review, and my initial impressions are very positive. Stay tuned.

Matterhorn Audio Group distributors partnered with Euphoria Hi Fi , owned by Chris Hess and based in Dallas, to showcase the Kroma Atelier Matilde loudspeaker, priced at $66,000 per pair, from Spain.  Cabinet construction is made from a material called Krion. KRION™ is a new generation solid surface developed by Krion, a company that belongs to PORCELANOSA Group. It is made of two-thirds natural minerals (ATH – aluminium trihydrate) and a low percentage of high-resistance resins. The four-way design uses Puri-fi drivers and a Mundorf AMT tweeter. Pilium Electronics, designed and made in Greece, composed the front end. . Although the room was too small to let the Matilde speakers spread their wings, it was evident that they could produce very high-quality sound. I plan to keep an eye on this company and hope to hear them again at AXPONA in a larger room.

Wells Audio consistently features well-sounding rooms at audio shows, and this year was no exception. Jeff Wells showed his Akasha Amplifier ($5500), the Commander preamp ($6000 ), the Cipher Level II DAC ( $15,000 ) that I reviewed last year, and the Looking Glass Level II power conditioner ( $7500 )

But the surprise of the room, and perhaps THE surprise of the show for me, was the speaker Jeff was using.

The Evolution Acoustics Model One Speaker at $3950/pr features a ceramic matrix woofer and an Air Motion Transformer tweeter. The crossover was seamless, and the sound was rich, detailed, and airy.

The cabinet walls utilize eight constrained-damping layers, each consisting of multiple layers of high-density fiber bonded together with an adhesive compound. These layers are coupled to carbon fiber panels featuring an anti-vibration substrate and are capped with aircraft-grade aluminum plates. The speakers produced an inviting and enveloping sound with the musical Wells Audio electronics in front of them, and I could have spent a considerable amount of time in this room. These new Evolution Acoustics Model Ones deserve some attention.

Acora MRC-2 speakers and New Audio Research components 

One of the major announcements at the show was the unveiling of several new components from Audio Research (https://audioresearch.com/new_website/), including a few solid-state-based models. I went to their room to see what I could find.

The new LS-2 Tube Preamp ( approx. 10K ) connected to the S100 Solid State Amplifier ($9450 ) or the new I-70 Integrated Amplifier ( $9950 ) were driving the new Acora MRC-2 loudspeakers ($13,000) There will also be a Solid State version of the preamp, the LS-3 ( approx. $9,000 ), and a larger version of the amplifier, the S200 ( approx. $12,000.) The preamps and integrated amplifier will have provisions for forthcoming user-installable phono and DAC cards.

I only heard the preamp/amp setup, and it was quite good, with excellent resolution, while not sounding analytical. The room was small, and I look forward to AXPONA, where this gear will be able to "strut its stuff" in a larger environment.

Audio Research D-80

Also shown was the new D-80 tube amplifier (estimated $15,000), which is said to be voiced much like the 160M monoblocks but at a lower price and, of course, lower power. This could become the tube-based "sweet spot" in the ARC lineup. The cosmetics immediately brought me back to the days with my Audio Research D-90 in the mid-80s. Audio Research owner Valerio Cora tells me that this is only the initial wave of many new products we can expect from Audio Research this year. Exciting times lie ahead.

What kind of sound to you get for just north of 600K? If you're in the "money seat," it may be some of the best sounds you've ever heard. USA MBL importer Jeremy Bryan had the MBL 101 X-Treme Radialstrahler loudspeakers ($433,000 pr )sounding fantastic, and showgoers got to experience what, for many, would be a once-in-a-lifetime sound. The "wrap-around" sound field produced by the speakers was stunning on several tracks that Jeremy played, and the system was locked in with excellent soundstage depth and dynamics. The front end consisted of the MBL 1611 F DAC ($34,200), the 6010 D Preamp ($32,400), and four 9008 A mono block amplifiers. ($35,000 each )

The after-hours listening sessions in MBL rooms at audio shows have become legendary; this year was no exception. I arrived around 9:30 pm on Friday night. Around midnight, after enjoying two impressive songs in the “money seat,” I got up, turned around, and announced to the crowd that my Apple Watch had detected that I had fallen, the music was too loud, and I might have even had a heart attack. Then I walked back to my hotel room with a smile on my face. Silly App.

Acora VRC in Fire Sunset Granite and the MRB-1 stand-mount speaker

Once again, the stunning Acora Acoustics VCR loudspeakers in Sunset Fire granite, driven by top-of-the-line VAC electronics, garnered the attention and praise of showgoers. However, another show surprise, the diminutive MRB-1 loudspeaker, situated beside them, stunned people with its ability to fill the cavernous Carpenter Ballroom.

Acora MRB-1 and MRC-3

The new marble enclosure based Acora Acoustics MRC lineup includes the stand-mount MRB-1 ($7,990 pr) and the floor-standing series, comprised of the MRC 1 ($9,990 pr), MRC 2 ($12,990 pr), and MRC 3 ($15,990 pr). Custom finishes will be available to complement the room's decor.

Acora Acoustics designer and owner Valerio Cora says the design objective for the MRC series was to push the envelope as far as possible and create a speaker line that would prove to be an industry-disrupting product. One that redefines and resets customers' expectations at a price point. Using Accuton drivers, which are usually reserved for speakers at considerably higher price points and powered by Kevin Hayes VAC electronics, the sound I heard was evidence that Valerio had accomplished his goal. The overall construction and sound quality of the MRC-3 speaker would have led me to estimate a price point of around $ 30,000-$ 40,000.

The Acora/VAC after-hours listening session, featuring audio reviewer Greg Weaver as the vinyl DJ and storyteller, was as entertaining as ever. This event allowed the Acora flagship VRCs to showcase their remarkable ability to produce outstanding sound across all music genres. Throughout the night, there were smiles on everyone's faces.

 Well…. It’s on to Chicago and AXPONA 2025, where the show is large, the atmosphere is more businesslike, and there's always a sense of urgency. While I enjoy the big shows and the variety of products I encounter there, I'm already looking forward to SWAF 2026 and another trip to Dallas. The show's size, the friendly atmosphere, and the relaxed vibe keep me coming back.