Whom You Know: #GothamGadgets TOP 10 THINGS TO EXPERIENCE AT 14th ANNUAL AXPONA, APRIL 11-13, 2025

Friday, March 21, 2025

#GothamGadgets TOP 10 THINGS TO EXPERIENCE AT 14th ANNUAL AXPONA, APRIL 11-13, 2025

Shop the NEW Car Audio Showcase and Affordable Audio Room, enjoy live music, partake in compelling seminars, networking and more

AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) will return for the 16th year, April 11-13. Audiophiles, music lovers, musicians and collectors will unite at the Schaumburg Convention Center to experience a record-breaking show featuring over 300 exhibitors and 700 brands coming from 40 different countries, and 200+ interactive listening rooms, an expanded Expo Hall, Ear Gear Experience, Live Concerts, Seminars and NEW Car Audio Showcase and Affordable Audio Room. Add these 10 “must-do’s” to your agenda to experience the best of AXPONA 2025:

1. Car Audio Showcase

NEW for 2025, IASCA and AXPONA are excited to announce the inaugural Car Audio Showcase at AXPONA 2025. For the first time, passionate music lovers can experience the best sounds in car audio. Manufacturers and dealers of high-performance car audio will offer demonstrations from leading brands to discover new audio products for purchase and upgrades.

2. The Audio Playground: Shop, Explore, Experience

The Expo Hall, which is home to the Record Fair, will showcase a vast array of Turntables, Cables, Accessories, Acoustic Panels, Tonearms, Cartridges, Vinyl and Desktop Speakers in the growing world of mobile and high-end personal listening. Expect 50+ exhibitors from across the globe, many of which will be debuting products for the first time.

3. Headphone Haven

The Ear Gear Experience will take up one of the convention center’s large ballrooms to enhance the listening experience for personal audio. Everything from open-back, closed-back, in-ear headphones and accessories, cables and players that go into a personal audio rig will be on display at the Ear Gear Experience. Leading global brands and manufacturers such as Audeze, Sennheiser, Technics, ifi Audio, Heaven 11 Audio, Meze Audio and more will debut new products and have dedicated booths.

4. Listening Rooms

Experience a record-breaking 200+ dedicated listening rooms (on 12 floors) crafted by the best in the business. Attendees are encouraged to experience listening rooms by hearing and comparing the superbly designed, high-performance systems and components from some of the world’s most prestigious manufacturers. In all, more than 500 global manufacturers, retailers, distributors and brands will gather at AXPONA, including Audio Group Denmark, Bowers & Wilkins, Chario, DALI, DeVore Fidelity, ELAC, Fidelity Imports, GoldenEar, GTT Audio, Magico, Martin Logan, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, PureAudioProject, Steinway Lyngdorf, Stenheim, and Volti Audio all of whom will showcase the newest high-end products and services to attendees.

5. Affordable Audio Room: Big Sound on a Small Budget

The Affordable Audio Room at AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) is a dedicated space designed to showcase high-performance audio systems at accessible price points. Recognizing that high-fidelity sound shouldn’t be reserved for deep-pocketed audiophiles, this room highlights budget-friendly gear that delivers outstanding sonic quality without breaking the bank.

Curated by industry expert Lenny Florentine, the room features a selection of speakers, amplifiers, DACs, turntables, and accessories that offer exceptional value, allowing attendees to experience immersive, high-quality sound on a more reasonable budget. Whether you're an aspiring audiophile building your first system or a seasoned enthusiast looking for cost-effective upgrades, the Affordable Audio Room provides a welcoming space to explore outstanding sound at an attainable price.

6. Live Music Nightly

When the show closes, the afterparty kicks off with live music nightly. On Friday, April 11 at 8pm, Chicago Jazz Guitarist Kyle Asche will take the stage with the The Kyle Asche Organ Quartet. Asche has been an integral part of the Chicago jazz community for nearly 25 years. Beginning his professional career in Chicago in 2001, Kyle has performed extensively including with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Melvin Rhyne, “Killer” Ray Appleton, Chris Foreman, Victor Goines, George Fludas, Ben Paterson and many others. Having earned two music performance degrees from N.I.U. and Northwestern University, Asche remains an active and caring music educator at Loyola University Chicago since 2010.

Patricia Barber will close out AXPONA’s live concerts on Saturday, April 12 at 8pm. Barber has earned international acclaim as a dazzling and uncompromising jazz artist. Long known for her sultry vocals, compelling pianism, and sophisticated songwriting, she has come to be regarded as a significant “American composer” as well–a deeply visionary artist who blurs the lines between poetry, jazz, and art music.

7. Product Debuts from World-Renowned Manufacturers

More than 300 manufacturers will convene at AXPONA to unveil the latest Headphones, Speakers, Turntables, Cables, Accessories, Streaming Music, Racks and Stands, Tonearms, Cartridges and more. Touch, test and shop the best in high-end audio equipment and gear by the world’s most prestigious manufacturers. Highlights include: Chattery International, Inc. Tube Series Amplifier/CD Player/Phono amplifier/loudspeaker, Kii Audio Kii SEVEN - Wireless High End Loudspeaker System, TEAC AP-507 is a compact, premium stereo amplifier, Next Level Hifi Børresen M2 Loudspeaker (World Premier), Western Hifi Consonance Linear845 integrated tube amplifier, SVS 5000 R|evolution Series subwoofers., Grimm Audio LS1c Active Loudspeaker System with Motion Feedback Subwoofer along with the MU1 Network Music Player, plus many more.

8. New Kids on the Block

AXPONA is known for featuring world-renowned companies and manufacturers, showcasing the most innovative products and services in the high-end audio industry. It is the place where manufacturers and dealers unveil their latest offerings, and this year AXPONA will be joined by dozens of NEW manufacturers, distributors and dealers including: Audio HiFi Solutions, Audio Research, Audio Sensibility, AudioSolutions, Beyerdynamic, Chesky Audio, East-West Jazz Connection, écoute audio, Fosi Audio, Fourier Sound, JOLIDA Audio, Kii Audio, Linsoul, Master Artist Audio, NAGAOKA, Nirvana Audio, Nobius By Knot Factory Creations, Nuprime Audio, Ø Audio, Ocean Audio, Pearl Acoustic, Popori Acoustics, PSI Audio, QSA Lanedri, REL Acoustics America, Revox Deautcschland, Saturn Audio, Scan, Speak A/S, Shokz, Silent Angel, Silent Pound, Sivga Audio, Songer Audio, Sound Insight, Spatail Bass Concepts Inc, Stack Audio, StreamUnlimited, True Source Audio Distribution, Turntable Configurator, Vinyl Alliance, Western HiFi, Wireworld Cable Technology, and Z REVIEWS / HifiGuides.com.

9. Industry Expert Talks and Seminars

Get front row seats to compelling seminars all weekend, including, “The Ins and Outs of Immersive Audio: From Recording to Playback”, “Hi-Fi 101: Starting In Audio Without Breaking the Bank or Losing Your Mind”, “Headphones: The Types, The Tech, and How to Choose”.

10. AXPONA 101- Guide to Newcomers

If you're attending AXPONA for the first time, there’s a lot to take in, and time flies! The mobile app will be available beginning April 1 for download and is the best guide for all of the Seminars, Exhibitors, Concerts and more. Kick off opening day with the “Intro to AXPONA: Tips and Tricks for First-Time Attendees” on Friday, April 11 at 9am. This session is designed to help first-time attendees navigate the show with confidence and ease.

AXPONA will be open Friday and Saturday 10 am – 6 pm; Sunday 10 am – 4 pm. The Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center and Hotel is located at 1551 N. Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173

To purchase tickets or for more information about the event, please visit www.axpona.com or call 203-371-6322.

About JD Events

JD Events is dedicated to the creation of targeted and innovative industry-leading events that deliver results. The company brings together highly qualified buying audiences, education-rich content and high-level networking opportunities -- all geared toward increasing business transactions in the markets it serves. For more information, visit: http://www.jdevents.com.

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