Southwest Audio Fest 2024

Southwest Audio Fest v1.0 in Dallas, Texas, was the site of the North American debut of the YG Acoustics Sonja 3.2 loudspeaker.

The Sonja 3.2 is a reference-level modular speaker with a cabinet of solid aluminum; each speaker weighs 320lb. Constellation Audio provided the amplification for the system: Centaur II mono amplifiers and Virgo II preamplifier. An Audio Research Reference Phono 3 SE preamplifier worked with a Pure Fidelity turntable and cartridge for vinyl playback. Digital front-end duties were performed admirably by the MSB Premier DAC.

The listening began with the Latin jazz track "Black Frequencies" by Omar Sosa & Tiganá Santana, which is mellow and spacious and thick, the sort of track that does justice to a system such as this. That demo led into some very different music: "Henry and Sam," by Coulter Wall from the album Western Swing and Waltzes, fitting for a Texas show. Male vocals and guitar were the stars of this show, rendered with crystal clarity.

I put in a request, "Sharky's Night" from the Laurie Anderson album Mr. Heartbreak, on which William S. Burroughs speaks over Adrian Belew's interesting guitar work as Bill Laswell plays bass guitar. I left the room impressed by the system's ability to endow the mix with appropriate intensity.