High-end audio may be about sound, but it thrives on human connection.
Every year, as Axpona approaches, I feel a familiar sense of anticipation. This year it takes place April 10–12, 2026, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in Chicago. For three days, thousands of music lovers gather not just to hear gear, but to share a passion that most of the outside world barely understands.
Trade shows are a curious mix of chaos and magic. Hotel rooms are transformed into miniature concert halls. Elevators are packed with people debating cables, room acoustics, and the merits of tubes versus solid-state. You’ll hear overblown bass in one room, a confined soundstage in another, and then—if you’re lucky—you’ll walk into a space where everything locks in and the speakers vanish.
I’ve always loved those moments. Not because the system is expensive or flashy, but because it captures that illusion Alan Blumlein set in motion nearly a century ago: believable space, stable center fill, natural tonal balance.
But what makes shows like this one truly special is the camaraderie. You see old friends you might only meet once a year. You meet readers of this blog who feel like family. Conversations start with gear and end with a warm handshake, a genuine smile, and a nod of the head.
In a world where so much interaction is digital and fleeting, standing in a room together, listening to music through a well-set-up system, is grounding.
Axpona isn’t just a trade show. It’s a reminder that our hobby is built on shared experience—and that passion sounds better when it’s shared.
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