AXPONA - The Best Stereo Equipment & The One Thing I Wasn't Expecting 

The thing I love about your videos is that you are so positive.

Magnepan speakers are actually planar magnetic ribbon speakers as opposed to electrostatic, but they are awesome speakers. Martin Logan makes electrostatic speakers. I took the plunge a few years ago and bought a McIntosh C50 Preamp and a MC452 Power Amp. It was a stretch, but I don't regret it for a minute. They are not tube, but they sound sweet. With that said, I wish I could attend these conventions. Glad you got to go : )

Hey Melinda, glad you and your husband got to enjoy Axpona in Chicago! Totally cool getting to meet Chad Kassem from Acoustic Sounds and others! Sorry you're going through some crazy stuff at this time. Prayers are heading your way!❤😊

Glad you had a wonderful time, Melinda!

Great video as always Melinda! You and family have a great weekend! 🥰

Very pleasing review..............thanks. ..............appreciating what you have ...............sharing that experience with you and others.

Wonderful video reviewing your visit to AXPONA Melinda! I liked that you started with the people you met rather than jumping straight to the equipment impressions. People make the difference. Also your comment about the experience made you appreciate what you had resonated with me. Enjoy what you have, but it’s fine to want better. Just in moderation 😊 Take care! ❤

Amazing equipment,, I enjoy looking at all the high end stuff, just to see what's out there, some of the new audio equipment is mind blowing, maybe someday! Thank you for sharing more great info. Have a Super RSD!

hello Melinda as usual this great generosity to share with us your experiences really I felt like I was with you in this expo or salon of new technologies in sound equipment and what is fun and how you described the details of this visit is like someone from my family who made this visit and from his return he tells us about his experience. congratulations and thanks again. i liked the JBL brand speakers with the orange color on the cover waw what design.

I just got sent to your channel but your take is so refreshingly honest and genuine. You are so classy with your kind assessment of very high cost items that you didn’t prefer. Thanks for your perspective.

I’ve watched several RU-vid videos covering AXPONA and yours is by far the best, so enthusiastic, joyful, and appreciative of the experience. The people you met were familiar to me and it’s great to know that they are genuinely nice in person. Thank you for sharing your experience and I bet Phillip was glad you dragged him along.

Another terrific video, Melinda! As usual…thanks.

Sounds like it was a blast. I remember years ago I would go to shows and be engulfed in the latest and greatest. It was a high I could not explain. Now for me it's a fond memory I would not change. Thank you Melinda for a memory i forgot I had. Godspeed.❤

Moving up in this world! Gorgeous equipment.

Sounds like you and your husband had a wonderful time. I can only imagine the sights and sounds of the audio equipment you got to listen to there. I hope that I'll be able to go and see it for myself next year. Thank you for sharing your experience!

What a great video Melinda and I am so gald you had a gret time and got to meet Steve. Stay well and take care

Great video Melinda! I would have loved to have been there. All of that equipment is eye candy. Meeting those folks must have been surreal.

Charming video, Melinda, thank you so much! How wonderful that you got to meet other RU-vid celebrities, and got to hear so much equipment. I know it was called Axpona, but maybe it should have been called, “Sounds Like a Dream to Me”. ❤

So glad you went!

This is an excellent review. Perfect recap of an experience.

Very cool Mike & Angel Rock!!! So cool you were able to meet the other RU-vid stars!

This is a great recap of an audio show experience. The people we meet and connect with should be one of the highlights and I am so glad you had a great experience. You mentioned you loved the McIntosh room. The beautiful speakers in that room are Sonus faber. My new favorite brand. I have some of the less expensive ones and I love them. You really don't need to spend a lot of money to have great sound at home.

Yay! A new Melinda video! (These are becoming a meaningful part of my week.) And since I live 45 minutes from "The In-Groove" record store, I'm going there tomorrow. Sure it will be a bit of a mad house.

Cool video Melinda, bucket list ✔️ checked!

great takeaways, nicely done Ms Melinda

Great to see you were able to see those interesting products and got to meet some great people too Melinda.

Loved hearing about AXPONA. Hope all is good with you.

Loving the channel and content Melinda! Been subbed for a few years. Last year I purchased the Technics SL1200GR Turntable and JBL L52 Classic Speakers Awesome as an upgrade from Awesome Technics SL 3300 Full Auto from 1978/79 and some nice JBL 2050 I bought for my wife/GF at time in 1992 that are still great and have held up. This year I recently added a Marantz Model 50 and a Project Tube Box S2 so I can keep 2 turntables connected. Loving my Records Again! Keep up the Awesome work! Peace and Love from Rhode Island!

a really good video, thanks Melinda.

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I’m not even qualified to talk about your equipment, let alone the equipment you saw at this expo lol. But I can understand the appeal. Back when I was still collecting comic books and went to conventions, I found it fun to see some of the classic issues that I knew I could never buy, but just liked to see them in person. I get that idea of being fearful of hearing something so much better than what you own because then you wouldn’t be happy with what you have. Thanks for sharing your trip with us! If you go out tomorrow I hope you have a great day😊

Hi Melinda, I was there for my first time this year, and I didn't see you or Philip! Bummer! Hopefully next year if you two decide to go, I will stop over and say hello. I live so close to Axpona but this was the first year I was able to go there for 2 days. I agree 100% with your overall assessment. After listening to those awesome Focal speakers and going through soo many listening rooms drooling over the equipment, I came home, put my system on, and appreciated what I already have! Excellent video, as always!

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. We’ve always wanted to go to that particular convention. We were shocked that they allowed these knobs to eat in these rooms!🎧

another great video my friend

Hey Melinda. Thanks for another “rock steady” video. I learn something new every episode. Your channel is right up there with all YT greats. Steve G, Skylab, SkyFi, Just Audio, (the list goes on). Your sincerity and love for the hobby is unmatched. You’re a true ambassador for the community. RSD tomorrow…then R&R all night. ☕️

Hi Melinda. Thank you for the video. Some great photos and reviews. Oh for an endless bottomless pit for cash!!! Am so looking forward to tomorrow and Record Store Day!!! At least I will hopefully be able to afford some items!! Take care Dave

Looks like a great trip - many familiar faces! I hope you got to enjoy some good Chicago cuisine during your stay 🙂

So glad you and your husband enjoyed yourself, a trip like that is on my bucket list. One of my dream systems would be Mcintosh Amps with JBL speakers and orange foam covers. It was so cool you got to meet Steve Gutenberg. The law of diminishing returns applies to high-end systems, sadly a lot of it seems to be just for show. Putting together a system on a budget that sounds good to you is a lot of satisfaction. Great video, thanks for sharing!

It was a pleasure meeting you at the show. Thank you for stopping by my room.

I'm glad to hear that you had such a great time at AXPONA. I've never been to it but hope to some day get to listen to such amazing equipment. I've never heard electrostatic speakers but I own a few pairs of electrostatic headphones and I absolutely love them. The first time you listen to music you're very familiar with on electrostatic headphones you'll be amazed that you hear details in the music you've never heard before. Stax electrostatic headphones are excellent. Shure also has a couple of amazing portable electrostatic in-ear-monitors.

Hi Melinda. Thank for the nice report from AXPONA. I thought AXPONA was a blast. So much great equipment. Yes, some of it was over the top but what the heck. I really enjoyed running into you while we were listening Focal Utopia’s on Sunday morning. I agree, the sound was amazing (especially on Sixteen Tons)! Keep up the good work with your channel.

This is the first time I see your channel. I enjoyed watching you share your experience and look forward to watching more of your videos. You have a new subscriber! I would like to make a comment for your consideration in future videos. I found when you fade into a photo of a room or zoom into a piece of equipment, you close the image to fast. Like when you talked about the Martin Logan room. I had to pause the video to spend some time looking at the speakers. Perhaps in the future, you can do a picture in picture with a photo or video of the room zoomed to fill the screen while you continue your dialogue in the smaller frame. That way we can enjoy watching the equipment or room while still being able to see you talk. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Would love to be able to see a show like that someday.

Great show report! It's so fun to see someone getting in to audio equipment, learning, experiencing their first high end audio shows. Melinda: you had an experience that is surprisingly common: going to a show expecting to be blown away and leaving thinking "actually, my system sounds pretty darned good compared to lots of that stuff!" For one thing it's hard for equipment to be shown at it's best in those hotel rooms and given short set up time. And that is competing with your own system, which you've selected to match exactly your sonic taste, and which has been dialed in to your satisfaction at home. But boy it's fun seeing the wild west of audio design!

Superb video, fun to see you meet In To The Groove people Mark and his wife, i see his video every week, he has a fantastic store, many people buy big and expensive speakers but they have not big enough room for it, the sound do not come to its right, keep up the good work, fan from Norway. 😉😉😊

Awww, nice vid Melinda

Hi Melinda, awesome review! And to be honest with you, I totally agree that after listening and watching the really expensive Hi-End equipment, it just lets us appreciate the gear we have, specially when it sounds awesone already! 👏🏼

Awesome Melinda I went also glad you enjoyed Axpona I went on Saturday surprisingly I bumped in to Kevin Gray outside the restroom and had a chat with him he was so cool . The John Devore speaker room blew me away I would love to get those . I agree some rooms the prices didn’t match the quality. That McIntosh tubes room was killer .

Great feedback on the show. I recently upgraded from the JBL L100 Classics (2019) to the new MKII (2023). Running them bi-amp with that new crossover. Wow! Just amazing sound with excellent bass and imaging. They'll be in my system for a long time. Chris Hagen knocked it out of the park with these updates. Cheers!

Hi Melinda,i also live in Seminole Fla. Ive recently found your channel and i absolutely love your channel,keep up the great work.

Hi Melinda, glad you had a great time at the show. I'm like that too, everything I sit down and do tunes on my system, it blows me away. It's like I'm a crack addict but with music. I can waste hours and hours listening to Rush, Iron Maiden etc. Etc. Great video Melinda, have an awesome week. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

wish i saw you at AXPONA. Your channel is great!

Turntables are my favorite eye candy at these shows too. The mechanics are a marvel.

I totally agree on your experience at Axpona. I live 30 miles from the Axpona venues. I've been attending Axpona since its 1st show in 2025, so this is my 9th Axpona attendance. From 2015 to 2019, it was all vinyl and sacd's and after the pandemic its 95% streaming. I am a vinyl fan like you and seems like we have the same taste of music. I have seen a lot of your videos and they helps me decide on some of my purchases after your reviews. Yes i do wish that future Axpona's will have a more balanced presentation of vinyl and streaming and hopefully more Reel to reel tapes. Im starting to get into RTR playback which is such a great addition to vinyl playback. Keep up the good work on your videos and I'm hoping to meet you personally next year. Long live vinyl!🎉

Excellent T-shirt!

I missed ya there. I attended on Saturday. It was so packed, i didnt stay long. Saw a few really cool rooms and setups. But that place is overwhelming.

You met the best of the best. Kudos Melinda 🎼

It was great seeing you & your husband at the show, i doubt you will remember me but i was the guy that came up to you before the expo opened the first day and said this trip could be costly,lol I go to many show and it's so difficult to rate equipment from one listen at a show- way to many variables-room setup, music choice, background noise, etc.. But i sure hope you guys had fun-Tony

I have been to many stereo show. I try not to pass judgement on anything i hear , whether good or bad. The room itself is a major factor in the sound. I generally go on the last day of the show, so the exhibitor has a chance to optimize the room, although some rooms may be too hard to get good sound from. Also there are so many things to listen to that I get fatigued easily. I am glad that you enjoyed the show.

Hi Melinda, nice and cool video. Hifi shows are awesome, talk and meet people can’t be beaten. That’s how I learned about and put my system togetehr. I also think that the one thing we learn from them: the best system is the one that makes you happy

Lovely video, so well spoken. Appreciate you representing women in audio!

Awww very cool, I want to go to one of those soon and it sounds like that was THE one to go to, sounds like a lot of people were there that I would like to meet, including you, imagine walking around with a t-shirt with you on it, maybe you need some merch haha would be awesome!!😎🤘

I'm so glad you had a great time. It sounded like a blast. It's nice you walked away with a renewed appreciation for your gear. That is the great thing about music and gear. The only one who has to like it is you.

Nice !!! Hope to make 2025 Axpona and meet you and Phil !!!!

Dear Melinda, thank you so much for doing this, you come forward as one of the most credible, genuine, honest people in the whole audio industry. I trust your opinion now more than probably any other reviewer out there, You simply use your ears and provide your genuine opinion,. Way to go Melinda and please continue this insanely great channel 🤠😎🤗 Insanely great work Melinda 🤩

I enjoyed hearing about the people you met. I appreciate the Neil Diamond record. I like his song writing.

Your vids are a great diversion during my lunch hour in my office at the high school's IT Dept. I recall our local show (THE Show in Newport Beach, Ca) in the 2010's. There were 2 rooms where I heard "magical" sound. One was a VPI turntable sourced system with Manley tube amps and the other was a CD based system with player & speakers by Audio Note UK, also using tubes (excuse me, *valves* I mean 😉). Since then, I've been a vacuum tube fan. Also, they allowed me to hook up my MacBook at the headphone table & listen to lots of phones & different amps with my own music (Kate Bush, Thomas Dolby, Camel, etc.) which introduced me to HiFi Man headphones. Got to chat with Mike Moffat of Schiit Audio, too.

If you didn't manage to make it to the Linkwitz room (1421) this year, but you go again next year, do put it on your schedule. The sound in that room is really something special.

I love my McIntosh MA352 and Sonus Faber Sonetto V speakers

I didn’t go this year but probably will be back next year. Your takeaway saying it made you appreciate what you have is exactly how I feel after these shows. Like there are definitely superior speakers and gear. I always liked MBL, YG Acoustics, Kingsound, Sonus Faber, Scan Sonic, and Magnepan speakers. I can’t afford any of them but I can appreciate them! I got meet Mike Fremer a year or two ago. I totally agree on your complaints about distractions from the listening experience. Some vendors can’t get out of their own way either. They do more talking than letting people hear. Sometimes the cologne can be overwhelming in those small rooms. Still, overall it’s an incredible experience and I wish they happened more than once a year.

Did I not even see you? ... or maybe I did and I just didn't recognize you two. Glad to hear the re-cap ! =)

I love my records, stereo and listening to super duper expensive stereo's, but I get more spine tingling moments from live music more than anything else. It might be because it's a unique one off experience in that room on that night...especially if the band is really on! This was really interesting Melinda and the photos of some of the gear is mind boggling. Especially the prices 😂

I was also disappointed in the sound of some of the highest priced gear at these shows. But it seems mostly bad rooms and mediocre setups. Love meeting up with people at these shows. That’s almost the best part. And I agree about more vinyl and a variety of genre not just slick smooth jazz and female vocals. Austin record show for me soon. Great video Melinda ✌🏼

I love going to audio shows, so I'm glad that you had fun! Your pronunciation of Focal is correct, and the speakers in the McIntosh room were by Sonus Faber. Yes, we need more vinyl spinners at shows!

Greetings from across the pond. Love the Jazz Singer. No sniggering here. And that Sabbath greatest hits is fab. I got the same one on Nems. Good stuff Melinda. x

Sorry that I ate chips next to you!! lolol, I am teasing, it was NOT me, as I am thousands of miles away and did not attend 🤣 Many annoying things like that happen in life, people talking during movies, or checking their phones, and we experienced people talking at The Phantom of The Opera in NYC years ago, very annoying! I find it cool and probably very slick of you to bring Eye in The Sky because of Sirius being played at Chicago Bulls games for years, so the locals would like that! That could be a thread for the VC, "what 1 album would you bring to an audio show to have demo'd" Cheers 😀

Nice video I have a MC 901 Mono amplifier from McIntosh and bi amping so worthwhile to do. It's tube combo with solid state. Unable to go to these shows but someday maybe I will be

I went to an audio expo a few years ago and there was a room with McIntosh ma352 amp with Martin Logan speakers and it just blew me away. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. When I go, I usually leave thinking my system sounds better than 99.9% of the systems I've heard. I bought a Mcintosh ma352 shortly after that.

Melinda, great thoughts on the Expo! I own both Magnepans 1.7i and Focals 716, and they offer vastly different sonic experiences. However, when paired with a powerful amplifier and a tube preamp, the Magnepans deliver an incredibly natural, open sound that feels as though there are no microphones involved. Vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, strings, brass and wind, sound phenomenal on the Maggies. Theres nothing like it. If one is really a classical, jazz, acoustic music listener, they are one of the best speakers IMHO. Congrats on your great channel.

Glad you had a nice time at AXPONA. I've been to a few shows myself. I agree with you that you're happy with what you have. Funny you mentioned JBL Magnepan, By the way Magnepans are Magnetic Planar not electrostatic. I have both JBL & Magnepans. Couldn't sound more different from each other & I love them both. I could afford more expensive speakers but I"m perfectly happy w/ what I have, besides, I'm a cheapskate!

I have never been to Axpona but I do attend demos at our local dealership when they have them. It is a very good feeling when I come home and find my own modest equipment to be just as musically satisfying or more so for a fraction of the price.

Its a great show.I bought most of my equipment after listeneing to it at AXPONA.I have PS Audio m800 amps,Thorens turntable,Cambridge Streamer,JBL L100 speakers.Works great in my smaller room.

I was able to attend for the first time this year also. The new MoFi 888's were hands down my favorite. I want to get a pair, but part of me wonders how much of the sound was created by the 400 watts he was pushing through them. I wonder if my 100 watt Rogue amp would get similar results. I saw Steve too and I think I bought a record from Nick from Toad Hall without even realizing it until I watched your video. I also found a sealed mono pressing of the Beatles Rubber Soul! (Love the Jazz Singer! Love on the Rocks, You Don't Bring Me Flowers, and of course, America!)

Hi Melinda, great review of the show. I’ve done a few shows here in the UK in the last few years and your experiences are very similar to mine. I don’t come back wishing I had a better system either. One thing that has happened at the recent Bristol show is the proliferation of turntables compared with even a year ago. Perhaps the trend will migrate to Axpona next year with the continued resurgence of vinyl. The best rooms are those where the exhibitor has thought carefully about the size of the space, introduced some treatments to the room, within the boundaries of what is possible, and selected equipment from their ranges that match that space. This applies mostly to the speaker choice, of course. A well positioned stand mount or mini floorstander will almost always do better in a small under-damped room than some monster tower, but it doesn’t stop some manufacturers from having a go! In the end, it is a rare thing to be impressed with a system at a show but occasionally it happens. Last year I heard a pair of speakers which genuinely surprised me. I called a dealer after the show and arranged a home demo. What can I say, they never left 😁. So my conclusion is, shows are great for meeting people including, in my case, Roy Gandy of Rega and Harley Lovegrove of Pearl Acoustics. They’re great for seeing exotic gear which only the well healed can afford and just occasionally they can point you in the direction of a potential upgrade. Keep up the great work and I wish you all the best of luck with whatever it is that ails you or yours.

I agree with most of your comments. It was like we had the same thoughts and preferences at the show. I explained to my friend who was with me. Speakers are like spaghetti sauce. Everybody has their own idea what is the best sauce recipe, and therefore, we have so many different approaches to speaker designs. As you said, there was something there for everyone.

Big fan of your channel. I wish I into you . I go every year except for the pandemic year . This year I love the affordable open baffle in solid wood for $3000 by Shaw acoustic running with affordable electronics

Thanks for the superb report video! Just to note, Magnepan speakers are not electrostatic panel speakers. They are actually planar magnetic panel speakers. Different operational principle entirely. Many people make that mistake of identity, because both types are of the panel form factor, so it's not surprising. If you wanted to listen to actual electrostatic speakers, some of today's examples are from Martin-Logan with their hybrid ESL panel/subwoofer series, and from Quad Electroacoustics with their ESL Series (UK/China), and others from Audiostatic (from Holland), Sound Labs (from Utah, I believe), and King Sound (from Hong Kong), as well as some other examples of ESL speakers still made today and maybe from newer companies. Thanks again, for the wonderful video report and glad to hear that you enjoyed attending the event! 😊👍

A properly acoustically treated listening room of appropriate size for your speakers is the most important component of your audio system. Most audiophiles and audio manufacturers forget this. This is the primarily reason why most hotel rooms, especially with large expensive speakers, at an audio show sound like crap. Most rooms are too small and untreated and sound like muddy boom box.

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I’d love to do it someday. I think the law of diminishing returns rules. At some point I can’t hear a difference. I am quite happy with my setup. I’ll spend my money on more records.

I'm glad you got to listen to the Magnepan speakers. I am curious as to which ones you actually got to hear. I bought my 1st pair of Maggies (MG IIs) in the late seventies and have owned Magnepan speakers ever since. They are planar magnetic, not electroststic. Planar magnetic, explained simply as possible, is a plastic sheet with wires embedded in them with magnets that pull on the wires which moves the plastic sheet to make sound. I have owned electrostatic speakers as well and they are very good, but problematic. The advantage of planar magnetic and electrostatic speakers have is the sound comes from the front and backof the speakers. The speakers then become somewhat "invisible" as there is no point source per se as there is with cone speakers. Their disadvantage is they do not have a whole lot of bass. You need big cone woofers that move a lot of air ( bass) to really get deep, deep bass. So there is a trade off. I have subwoofers in my system crossed over so the Maggies handle the high end and mid range while the subwoofers handle the bass. I really hope that you can one day experience them in your own listening room so you can see what a great speaker they really are.

I worked on the Sinatra Impex release. Looking forward to your review, Melinda. -Martin Melucci

I took my grandson to Axpona about 7 years ago. It's one of those bucket list things for me. But the fun part was that I told him, before we went in, that he'd see people selling records there and to notice the type of stuff they sell. i.e. it's music to demonstrate the quality of a really, REALLY good hi-fi. But most of it would also be what I called most Sheffield direct to disk recordings back in the 70's, when I sold HI-Fi: Bad music recorded really well. But it was a fun event for me, and interesting for him. I was especially amazed by the "all bamboo" stuff that was demonstrated in one of the hotel rooms. Even the tonearm on the TT was bamboo. Hi-Fi is one hobby that has no limits in quality and cost, kinda like exotic cars.😁 And yes, I'm listening to your video as I type this (and restringing my guitar).

I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences there. I think you should have picked up those Focal speakers for your main system. 😅

Thanks for the video. Is that a Lumin on the kit ? 15:23 time from start . if so how it with a McIntosh ? Thanks

Wow! That is s-o-o-o cool! I love Chicago and now I have another reason to go. I hadn't thought about meeting so many cool people. I don't know why, but there are always "celebrities" at shows like these. The first and only electrostatic speakers I've seen and heard were a pair of Infinity speakers back in the '70's. Just sheets of metal? with the driver in the base. Those were what put Infinity on the map. It just goes to show you, what something sounds like is totally personal and a matter of opinion. A different set of ears may hear something differently. Back when I was shopping for speakers back in the early-80's, Circuit City was having a sale on JBL speakers. I purchased a pair of JBL 2800's, which are 2-way 8" speakers. They sounded better to me than the 3-way speakers one model up. When I finally put together my quadraphonic system a few years ago, I felt the JBL 2800's would be ideal, so I had to buy another pair. I found them on eBay. My systems sounds as I hoped.

Melinda, at one point I was practically standing next to you at the show but wasn't sure if that was you or not. I'll say hello next year for sure. Yes I am a big fan of your channel. Other speakers you may want to check out in the future should include Mission, PMC and Q-Acoustics. All good value brands. Good luck with whatever is keeping you from listening to your system as much as you would like. Happy RSD!

The Jazz Singer is a fun album. I have four systems (I know, over the top), but my favorite is my original stereo receiver I purchased back in 1987. It is a Luxman R-115 stereo receiver. My Cambridge Audio stack sounds great. My two Marantz AVRs sound great but I just love my Luxman. Everytime I think of replacing it, I just decide I like it to much. Thanks again!

Hi Melinda, thanks for this new episode at AXPONA 2024 and your feelings. I would like to meet Chad Kassem me too 😊Few months ago I changed my Hi-Fi system for the analog Yamaha 5000 Series system, including the M5000 amp, C5000 preamp, NS5000 speakers and GT5000 turntable. This system was developed for analog music by the project manager Susumu Kumazawa. Each element has been developed to work with the others and give together the best of the best. The result is really fantastic. Have a good day from FRANCE Melinda.

I love the way you say "ElectroStatic Speakers" and I'm glad you chose to bring "Alan Parsons Project-Eye In The Sky" I'm a big fan of The Project and I can truthfully tell you that their vast entire catalog all have those amazing sounds that Abbey Road produces plus Alan has worked with The Beatles and Pink Floyd he has a great ear for dynamic sound - So glad you took a photo of those monstrous $280k speakers - I figure if you need speakers that big in your room you're probably deaf - It was great to see that Sabbath LP again what we call a JEM Import basically a compilation of their first 4 LPs on Vertigo - great sounding LP by the way - A very entertaining video ❤Melinda - see you next week!

Glad to hear your perspective on the ultra-high end audiophile gear. I've always wondered the same thing: would hearing a $1m stereo blow me away and make me feel my $600 vintage setup is pathetic and inadequate in comparison, completely ruin the fun for me? Now I'm thinking probably not!

I have that Black Sabbath also! It's great!

Magnepan magnetic planars are fantastic speakers, and you don't necessarily need a large room depending on the model. I've had a pair of MG-1.5/QR speakers since the '90s which are comparable to the new 1.7 type and I've used them in small rooms. But you need to set them up right, and away from the wall and drive them with an amp capable of handling 4 ohms with ease. Some of those bizarre turntables make me laugh, especially when I think that someone would actually buy them. I just bought a small tube amp and I fell in love with it, and now I'm afraid to tell my wife I want a bigger one, lol.