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Final Day Discoveries
My goal on the final day was to visit all the remaining Polish brands recommended by show founder Adam, and then to explore the Blu Sobieski and nearby Hotel Golden Tulip.

Closer Acoustics demoed their new 94dB-sensitive Forlane loudspeakers in an all-Polish system that also included an Elins Audio amplifier and preamplifier and Tentogra turntable. The company's smallest floorstander, the Forlane utilizes 60-year-old distributor resonance cabinet technology. The design eschews damping and funnels sound pressure through the birch plywood cabinet to reduce resonance. The speaker, which descends to 40Hz, was partnered with Closer Acoustics' BOB open-baffle subwoofer. The sound on a track by Eydie Gormé & Trio Los Panchos was first-rate.

Lucarto Audio, which sells its "handcrafted" loudspeakers, was paired with Ferro—a DAC, a hybrid integrated amplifier, and a DSD player/streamer—which produced some impressively solid bass on some forgettable Polish pop. Despite the excessive volume, midrange and bass were both standouts on Billie Eilish's "No Time to Die."

Polish speaker manufacturer Qualio Audio makes speakers under the Qualio mark and also designs and manufactures Cube Audio full-range speakers and drivers. With music sourced from a wired computer, the larger Qualio IQ loudspeaker delivered extremely arresting sound. On Ghost Rider's "Make Us Stronger," the smaller Qualio Quantum, paired with Primare electronics, also sounded excellent.

Next door, Cube Audio unveiled its new Lotus speakers with 10" side-firing woofer. The speaker uses neodymium magnets—a switch from Cube's usual choice of ferrite. Powered by an Italian 18Wpc Tektron 211 integrated amplifier, the Lotus produced colorful and satisfying sound.

One can always count on Kostas Metaxas's Metaxas & Sins to deliver unusual products. Behold the new Marquis pure class-A fully balanced headphone amplifier, complete with streamer and DAC and with an optional Swiss L'Epée clock mechanism in its heart; Kostas has designed clocks for L'Epée for the last 12 years. The Marquis produced color and clarity for days on Yvonne Kenney's recording of "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth."

Time to cross the street and climb the narrow spiral staircase to the large rooms on the second floor of the Golden Tulip. I began in one of the most unusual-sounding rooms I've encountered in many a show.

It felt as though Galeria Audio's visually striking mating of Kharma Exquisite 3.0 loudspeakers, Aries Cerat DAC, Goldmund Telos 2500NG amplifiers that output 300Wpc into 8 ohms, Goldmund Mimesis NextGen 37S preamp, an Acoustic Plan Vadi CD player (used as a transport), Kharma Veyron speaker cables, and Göbel interconnects had transported me to some altered universe. On Joël Grare's "Le boulet rieur," from La route des métaux—a great test track—I heard a warm, polished sound that left me feeling as if I had entered a suspended, immersive sound world. Rarely have I heard such all-enveloping sound from a two-channel system and a CD. Mighty Sam McClain's "Give It Up to Love" sounded equally magical. The polished, pearly sheen was extremely special. "I suppose the sheen isn't natural or neutral," I wrote in my notes. "But if this is a dream, please don't wake me up."

My eyes opened wide when I saw the Destination Audio GM70 tube integrated amplifier and Nika speakers. My ears opened as well given the copious beauty of the sound the system produced from an Ampex 440B playing John Lee Hooker's "Highway 13." Eyes also opened at the sight of Horn Solutions' modular, Western Electric–style loudspeaker system. Distributed in the US by Wholesale Audio, the system used a Revox reel-to-reel to travel from Maria Callas to Kraftwerk. Electronics, which I was told are very heavy, were from Audio Tekne of Japan.

It was a joy to end the show with the Accuphase A-300 monoblocks I praised in the December 2023 issue of Stereophile. In a system headed by Estelon Forza Anniversary Edition loudspeakers, I also heard the Accuphase C-3900 preamplifier, Accuphase DP-1000 SACD, and Accuphase DC-1000 DAC through Siltech Double Crown and Single Crown, and Crystal Cable daVinci cabling. My time was limited and my seat, less than ideal. Nonetheless, on recordings of Albinoni's Adagio from Bernd Steidal and "Fever" from Musica Nuda, the sense of space was nothing short of marvelous. What a beautiful way to say goodbye to Warsaw.