Looking back on Axpona 2026

This picture was taken about 90 seconds after Axpona opened on Friday. 20 minutes later, the place was packed – wall to wall people.

That’s exciting for a lot of reasons. For the first time since we got stuck with Covid, it felt great to see the place packed. It’s a good sign for the hifi industry and the hobby in general. There were still people in rooms on Sunday night at 6pm (and the show officially closed at 4) listening to music.

If you’re new to TONE, and you’re looking for a bunch of “Best sound at the show” awards, don’t waste your time. We don’t give them out. I always look at a hifi show as a hostile environment for producing sound, because there are so many variables. That everyone’s stuff gets there unharmed and set up in itself is amazing. And I mean this in the most respectful way. Think about it, 200+ rooms got set up and rocking in a day or so. That takes hard work and dedication.

What does “best sound at the show” really mean? It means the sound you preferred. Considering there were systems from a couple thousand dollars to a couple million, any attempt to do this isn’t fair to the manufacturers, or you – the reader. And, there was such a wide range of different systems, it was exciting to see it all in one place.

But I’ll tell you this – I heard more rooms that had well executed setups, big and small, than I’ve ever heard at any hifi show. Ever. We’ve got a few pics over on our Instagram page, with a few more to post in the next couple of days.

https://www.instagram.com/toneaudiomagazine/

Again, this is great for the people that took time off from their jobs and families to come on down and hang out. I truly hope that if you were someone new to the world of hifi you got to hear enough great sound, that you’re motivated to go further and seek out a good dealer.

It was great to be part of it, and to see as much as I could pack in. I’m already looking forward to next year. If you’d like to experience a massive cross section of hifi, I can’t think of a better place to go. – Jeff Dorgay