At AXPONA 2026, Esoteric's Hiroyuki "Hiro" Machida talks about the gear shown in one of the company's rooms at the show in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel. (Esoteric international product team member Tsuyoshi Sugiura and U.S. rep Keith Haas were also on hand to present the U.S. debut of two key Esoteric products.)
Sound in this Esoteric room at AXPONA 2026 was oceanic, pure, and immersive, yet equally well detailed and resolved.
I requested ZZ Top—my show jones—and the team supplied the little ol' band from Texas' 1973 masterstroke Tres Hombres, which played with visceral punch and gut-level emotion.
Unlike some other Japanese-made product, the Esoteric gear in this room did the filagree and finery, but also the low-down, churning, burning muscle work we Americans require for ample engagement and physical release.
I was sleep-deprived and as punchy as a morning grizzly when I started this audition, but Esoteric's not-too-high-dollar rig got my blood pumping—and then some.
Equipment list: Digital source: Esoteric K-05XD SACD player ($13,500). Network DAC/preamplifier: Esoteric N-05XE (U.S. debut, shown above; $13,000). Master clock generator: Esoteric G-05 ($5800). Amplifier: Esoteric S-05XE (U.S. debut, shown below; $13,500). Speakers: Esprit Amelia (in piano black; $20,000/pair). Power block: Esprit Volta ($999). Cable: Esprit Eterna clock cable ($1399); Esprit Celesta ($1399/4m); Esprit Eureka ($5499/1.4m); Esprit Aura speaker cables ($4499/2.5m), Esprit Lumina XLR ($7799/1.2m); Esprit Eureka RJ45 ($5399/1.2m). Equipment rack: Quadraspire SVT black bamboo rack (6-tier; $3900 [$650/tier]).
