The Best Loudspeakers We Heard at AXPONA 2025

[shadyJ]

​

North America’s largest hi-fi audio show, AXPONA (an acronym which stands for Audio Expo North America) opened 2025’s show on a chilly Friday morning in mid-April in Schaumburg, IL, an upscale northwestern suburb of Chicago. As it had been for the last few years, the venue was the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, a large facility, but despite the building’s size, it was still a crowded event. The sheer bustling of the attendees was a hopeful sign for this industry which faces an uncertain future in these volatile economic times.

As Audioholics' main loudspeaker reviewer, I was naturally most interested in the loudspeakers being exhibited at AXPONA. It’s a huge show with over 200 rooms, so I have no hope of covering everything there, and instead, I will just cover a few of the highlights I found at the show. Even as highlights go, this will be an abridged edition since there were so many interesting and impressive loudspeakers. Read our coverage to find out what I thought were some of the most interesting speakers at Axpona 2025…

READ: Loudspeaker Highlights of AXPONA 2025

 

[-Jim-]

Thanks James.

I was surprised you started the article with something you didn't get to listen to (SB /PB 5000s), but then I remembered SVS is a sponsor here. As you stated there were many speakers in rooms you didn't get to listen to, but they didn't get a mention in the opening paragraphs either. Seemed just a bit strange to me.

I look forward to the full SB /PB 5000s reviews when they come around.

 

[Golfx]

Thanks James.

I was surprised you started the article with something you didn't get to listen to (SB /PB 5000s), but then I remembered SVS is a sponsor here. As you stated there were many speakers in rooms you didn't get to listen to, but they didn't get a mention in the opening paragraphs either. Seemed just a bit strange to me.

I look forward to the full SB /PB 5000s reviews when they come around.

An unnecessary criticism and suggestion of tainted influence.

I have an alternate explanation. SVS‘ new 5000s have generated lots of interest and their mention credits James for knowing his audience.

James and Gene are the last of the sub reviewers to offer us CEA2010 ground plane measurements. But then you knew that. Why the cheesy comment?

 

[-Jim-]

Sorry, but I didn't think the comment was cheesy, but justified.

Let's have @shadyJ comment as to why he led off a very limited (Only 8) "reviews" of what he considered:
"The Best Loudspeakers We Heard at AXPONA 2025"

(His title for the article & Font not mine) with something he didn't even listen to as the first speaker he led off the article with, which I think colored the whole piece. He said this was a show "with over 200 rooms". Didn't he think any speakers in the other 192+ Rooms were better than one he only saw, and didn't hear? Sounds like some Snake Oil may be seeping into things, or there must be a lot of vendors trying to sell absolute crap speakers in those other rooms.

I'm not used to this on Audioholics in my 10 years as a member. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Matt34]

He did listen to it though.

 

[-Jim-]

He did listen to it though.

Matt, the article said "that room was packed on the occasions that I tried to listen to them."

To me that means he didn't get to listen to them enough, or at all, to make any kind of a review.

 

[Golfx]

Matt, the article said "that room was packed on the occasions that I tried to listen to them."

To me that means he didn't get to listen to them enough, or at all, to make any kind of a review.

Sigh, it is members‘s comments like these that make auioholics jobs distasteful at times. Veiled and unveiled accusations of industry bias combined with petty criticisms.

This was not a review but an article to cultivate readership.

James will review these accompanied by supportive ground measurements. Is there another reviewer you know who does these?

 

[Bobby Bass]

James thanks for the review of the speakers at the show. I’ve been thinking of going to one of these shows now that I have the time but my wife would be bored silly and she already indulges me enough in my hobbies including this one. Great to see that Perlisten keeps pushing the envelope with innovative products. Those Magico speakers are a showstopper. I wonder how many pairs they’ll sell. I’ve seen those Monitor Audio towers that look like the tower from Lord of the Rings. I wonder if the eye follows you around the room. Wild stuff.

 

[gene]

Sorry, but I didn't think the comment was cheesy, but justified.

Let's have @shadyJ comment as to why he led off a very limited (Only 8) "reviews" of what he considered:
"The Best Loudspeakers We Heard at AXPONA 2025"

(His title for the article & Font not mine) with something he didn't even listen to as the first speaker he led off the article with, which I think colored the whole piece. He said this was a show "with over 200 rooms". Didn't he think any speakers in the other 192+ Rooms were better than one he only saw, and didn't hear? Sounds like some Snake Oil may be seeping into things, or there must be a lot of vendors trying to sell absolute crap speakers in those other rooms.

I'm not used to this on Audioholics in my 10 years as a member. But that's just my opinion.

The fact that you're derailing this thread twice about this is cheesy. I asked James to cover cool speakers and new products. A subwoofer is still a speaker. Adding subwoofer to the page title would make it too long. How we choose to cover or label coverage of products isn't for you to decide. You're welcome for all of the free content Audioholics has provided you for over 25 years.

 

[isolar8001]

I would imagine a show like this is much like a car show....but bigger.

The times I've gone to car shows, my focus was on something different...something new, maybe groundbreaking.
Was never interested in yet another variation of the same old thing.

Good job Mr Larson....you know better than to "review" a speaker at one of these shows in the first place....you covered them like Gene stated.

 

[TLS Guy]

View attachment 73223​

North America’s largest hi-fi audio show, AXPONA (an acronym which stands for Audio Expo North America) opened 2025’s show on a chilly Friday morning in mid-April in Schaumburg, IL, an upscale northwestern suburb of Chicago. As it had been for the last few years, the venue was the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, a large facility, but despite the building’s size, it was still a crowded event. The sheer bustling of the attendees was a hopeful sign for this industry which faces an uncertain future in these volatile economic times.

As Audioholics' main loudspeaker reviewer, I was naturally most interested in the loudspeakers being exhibited at AXPONA. It’s a huge show with over 200 rooms, so I have no hope of covering everything there, and instead, I will just cover a few of the highlights I found at the show. Even as highlights go, this will be an abridged edition since there were so many interesting and impressive loudspeakers. Read our coverage to find out what I thought were some of the most interesting speakers at Axpona 2025…

READ: Loudspeaker Highlights of AXPONA 2025

An interesting report. A lot of these designs really go the "whole hog" on brute force designs. This really increases cost and in my view makes realistic reproduction questionable.

I think the best positioned to ride out this crisis is RBH. Their designs seem very intelligent to me on the whole. They make their drivers here in the US.

I think manufacturers like Perlisten will be in a pile of hurt and probably go under.

Dayton have manufacture in the US, Europe and Asia. They are wise to concentrate on DIY now.

I think for the foreseeable future DIY will be the route to superior sound as far as speakers are concerned.

I do note and increased attention to inwall systems in your report.

As I have commented before, the system of mine that garners the most interest is my inwall system.

It is a compact 3.1 system that fills that very large space with ease. It is a very good AV and audio only system. So I am not surprised to see increasing interests in these systems. In wall systems can be designed to be very good audio systems indeed.
It was my wife who wanted and insisted I design that system.

Returning to DIY, if things get unaffordable from the activities of the current deranged occupant of the WH, I would certainly be open to working up DIY designs including ready to go plans for C & C shops which are now available pretty much everywhere.

There are lots of good drivers available from Norway and the UK, which will avoid tariffs on goods from Asia, especially China.

 

[gene]

An interesting report. A lot of these designs really go the "whole hog" on brute force designs. This really increases cost and in my view makes realistic reproduction questionable.

I think the best positioned to ride out this crisis is RBH. Their designs seem very intelligent to me on the whole. They make their drivers here in the US.

I think manufacturers like Perlisten will be in a pile of hurt and probably go under.

Dayton have manufacture in the US, Europe and Asia. They are wise to concentrate on DIY now.

I think for the foreseeable future DIY will be the route to superior sound as far as speakers are concerned.

I do note and increased attention to inwall systems in your report.

As I have commented before, the system of mine that garners the most interest is my inwall system.

It is a compact 3.1 system that fills that very large space with ease. It is a very good AV and audio only system. So I am not surprised to see increasing interests in these systems. In wall systems can be designed to be very good audio systems indeed.
It was my wife who wanted and insisted I design that system.

Returning to DIY, if things get unaffordable from the activities of the current deranged occupant of the WH, I would certainly be open to working up DIY designs including ready to go plans for C & C shops which are now available pretty much everywhere.

There are lots of good drivers available from Norway and the UK, which will avoid tariffs on goods from Asia, especially China.

Very valid points. RBH doing manufacturing in the USA now probably saved the company as a result of this Tariff nonsense. Yes Norway has been kicking out some great speakers and their tariff penalty is much lower. I do worry for Perlisten and other brands manufacturing in China. I know it's not popular to talk about this, but the tariff policy is already wrecking havoc in the audio industry. As James pointed out in his report, it was a big topic of discussion at the show and not something most people in the industry view as a good thing.

 

[EBN]

@gene can you fix the article. The Perlisten new mini sub is called R8s not D8. Thanks!

Hopefully Perlisten sends R8s and R18s for James to review in near future!

R8s subwoofer

R-Series subs - Trickle down technology from our flagship D-Series, we’ve developed a lineup of single driver-based subwoofers

www.perlistenaudio.com

 

[Danzilla31]

Thanks Shady!!!!! Great write up I hope you had a blast at the show

 

[Bobby Bass]

Very valid points. RBH doing manufacturing in the USA now probably saved the company as a result of this Tariff nonsense. Yes Norway has been kicking out some great speakers and their tariff penalty is much lower. I do worry for Perlisten and other brands manufacturing in China. I know it's not popular to talk about this, but the tariff policy is already wrecking havoc in the audio industry. As James pointed out in his report, it was a big topic of discussion at the show and not something most people in the industry view as a good thing.

It is definitely having an impact. I was just on the Holo Audio site and it says they are not shipping to the US at this time. Wonder if buyers will focus more on buying used. I think the market downturn will also have an impact on some spending their hard earned money on equipment.

 

[-Jim-]

The fact that you're derailing this thread twice about this is cheesy. I asked James to cover cool speakers and new products. A subwoofer is still a speaker. Adding subwoofer to the page title would make it too long. How we choose to cover or label coverage of products isn't for you to decide. You're welcome for all of the free content Audioholics has provided you for over 25 years.

Gene,

I've been an active member here for over a decade, and I always thought of this Forum as a place for open discussion, where one doesn't get slammed by the Admin for a differing opinion. I come here daily. My comments were my own, respectful, and accurate. All I asked for was for a simple explanation as to why the beginning of the article was crafted the way it was, as it doesn't make sense to me with that Title. This was not a personal attack on anyone but the comments coming back seem to be. I was looking for information and not to start WWIII.

 

[Golfx]

Gene,

I've been an active member here for over a decade, and I always thought of this Forum as a place for open discussion, where one doesn't get slammed by the Admin for a differing opinion. I come here daily. My comments were my own, respectful, and accurate. All I asked for was for a simple explanation as to why the beginning of the article was crafted the way it was, as it doesn't make sense to me with that Title. This was not a personal attack on anyone but the comments coming back seem to be. I was looking for information and not to start WWIII.

Really? Reread your post #2. That is a direct implication of industry bias—not respectful.

I believe this article was designed and written to recruit readership—not serve as a review of the speakers.

I was interested in reading about the SVS 5000. I think its mention helped recruit readership..

 

[ryanosaur]

Gene,

I've been an active member here for over a decade, and I always thought of this Forum as a place for open discussion, where one doesn't get slammed by the Admin for a differing opinion. I come here daily. My comments were my own, respectful, and accurate. All I asked for was for a simple explanation as to why the beginning of the article was crafted the way it was, as it doesn't make sense to me with that Title. This was not a personal attack on anyone but the comments coming back seem to be. I was looking for information and not to start WWIII.

The reason is quite simple. You suggested AH gives preferential treatment to SVS (or any who advertise here):

I was surprised you started the article with something you didn't get to listen to (SB /PB 5000s), but then I remembered SVS is a sponsor here.

As long as I've seen your posts here, I always have known you to be very level-headed and that you routinely play the calm line when other members are throwing stones at new members...

Considering how long you have been a member, I'm surprised you aren't aware of how sensitive the team here is to claims of bias.

That said, the last review Shady did of the new SVS Speakers allegedly made SVS somewhat upset; so much so there was speculation SVS may no longer send AH stuff to review.

That certainly doesn't hold if there is bias in favor of SVS, don't you think?

Frankly I was very surprised when I saw what you wrote in that quote above. I don't necessarily agree with how response to it may have been handled, but very surprised you, of everyone here, actually suggested such behavior on part of AH.

 

[-Jim-]

Gents, my response was crafted to get a quick reply from those in charge. I do try to be level headed, and even handed, but dismayed on this one. In the YouTube world, this article is referred to as Click Bait. The Title brings you in with the promise of something not delivered. When I see a YouTube doing that, I quickly move on. Perhaps I should have just kept quiet this time, but thought this needed my response. I don't want Audioholics to be like that. If it becomes known for that it's readership will dwindle. If you want a Site like that fine, folks like me will have to move on.

For those of you who think I'm not being fair to SVS, I started this thread 9 days ago when I came across their first video on the SVS 5000 R|Evolution Subwoofer

I too am looking forward to the review by @shadyJ based on science and not fluff.

 

[kini]

Very valid points. RBH doing manufacturing in the USA now probably saved the company as a result of this Tariff nonsense. Yes Norway has been kicking out some great speakers and their tariff penalty is much lower. I do worry for Perlisten and other brands manufacturing in China. I know it's not popular to talk about this, but the tariff policy is already wrecking havoc in the audio industry. As James pointed out in his report, it was a big topic of discussion at the show and not something most people in the industry view as a good thing.

It's not nonsense, it's common sense. China has been flooding the USA and the world with artificially low priced goods produced in part by slave labor and funded by the government in order to dominate international trade. Unfortunately they've largely succeeded at the expense of the west.

It's also unfortunate that the liberal mass media is also seemingly in the back pocket of the Chinese as they don't report on facts such as China's high tariffs on US and EU products or the enormous costs for foreign manufacturers to setup shop in China or the fact the foreigners are not allowed to own property in China.

Yep, it's about time. Thank you president Trump.