AXPONA 2024

Steve Jain and his Fidelity Imports crew presented six rooms at AXPONA, stuffed with debut products from across the world.

Room 1215 featured Soulnote electronics—a D-3 DAC ($24,999), Z-3 Network Transport ($14,999), X-3 Clock Generator ($4999), and A-3 Integrated Amp ($24,999)—and Opera Callas Diva loudspeakers ($11,999/pair), connections by QED cables and Titan Audio power cords.

This gorgeous-looking system played cool of tone but engaging of soul. A stream of cellist Jacqueline du Pré’s classic recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto with Sir John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra was admirable for its drama, scale, liquidity of line, and coherency.

The system conjured the entire orchestra, their instruments resonating from every corner, a believable illusion that presented the heart of this enduring recording and the young woman whose tragic fate was already sealed.