AXPONA 2024

For sleeping, past convention nights have sometimes been a nightmare, stuck next to the rooms of exhibitors who think "lights out" means "crank it up to 11!" Neighbor TriangleArt was a exception. They silenced their space by 7 pm, and their music was so good, it literally floated through the walls, beckoning me in.

One night, though, a low rumble vibrated through the wall. It was the unmistakable growl of Dave Holland's acoustic bass, weaving its way through "Sauerkraut 'n Solar Energy" from Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns. This was the kind of album that must have had Art Dudley tapping his toes; it's a joyous explosion of bluegrass brilliance played by absolute masters. Hearing this record seep through the wall was like a siren song. It lured me straight to the TriangleArt room on the last day of AXPONA, determined to find the source.

With one look at three operational tables and those large horn speakers, I knew I’d hit the motherlode. It was the perfect finale to my AXPONA 2024 experience. Gracious and friendly, TriangleArt CEO and designer Tom Vu invited me to choose from his copious collection of records. But first, the gear!

The “TriangleArt Display System” included three turntables: their Ultimate SE ($130,000), Anubis ($18,000), and Maestro ($9000). Tonearms were the Osiris MK2 Diamond 12" ($9000) and Horus 12" ($4400). Cartridges were the Apollo ($9000) and Zeus ($4800) MCs. This goodness was amplified with a P200 phono stage ($18,000), an L200 MK2 Dual Mono Preamplifier ($25,000), and M100 monoblocks ($25,000/pair). Speakers were the stunning Metis Horn Speaker(s) ($25,000/pair). Supplying power were the RA Ultimate CD Power Conditioner ($12,000), Rhea Ultimate Power Cord ($7500), Rhea Reference Power Cord ($3000). Also moving electrons along were Rhea Reference interconnects ($3000), and Rhea Reference speaker cables ($6000).

Tom set me up with Illinois Jacquet's 1957 Verve release,Swing's The Thing. The crazy-expensive rig delivered intense, pressure-filled sound with surprising intimacy. The soundstage was massive, Jo Jones's drums echoing deep, Roy Eldridge's trumpet and Jacquet's tenor sax front and center, blowing with stunning clarity and orgiastic tone. Jacquet's version of "Harlem Nocturne" was haunting and sublime. From large scale productions to intimate sound tableaus, the TriangleArt rig played like chocolate melting in my mouth.