February 13, 2023

Media Contacts:

• Sophia Lapat, 212.203.6536, [email protected]
• Natalie Stanichuk, 312.420.2225, [email protected]

For immediate release

12^th Annual AXPONA will feature All-Star Musicians, Industry Experts, and Guest Appearances

SCHAUMBURG, IL (February 13, 2023) — AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) returns to the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center and Hotel April 14-16, 2023 with three jam-packed days of incredible sound, technology, seminars, live music and the very latest products in the industry.

AXPONA attendees year after year look forward to the live concert series on Friday and Saturday evenings. This year, AXPONA will welcome Anne Bisson, Canadian Jazz Singer-Songwriter who will be taking the stage to close the first day of AXPONA, bringing with her her beautiful voice, bold arrangements and a taste of the ’70s. Her ebullient personality and charisma, along with the unsurpassed high-fidelity quality of her recordings, have captivated an ever-growing public. For her 6th album in 10 years, Anne called upon the talent and services of two ‘Giants of Jazz’: on drums, Joe LaBarbera, who has worked notably with Bill Evans and Chuck Mangione, and on acoustic bass, Darek Oleszkiewcz, who has worked with, among many others, Brad Mehldau and Sid Jacobs. It’s a can’t miss live performance!

AXPONA will also feature a full Seminar schedule with guest speakers including industry experts, media personalities and manufacturers on the latest audio themes and trends. This year’s must-attend Seminars include:

Reissues & Remastering: What’s Involved?
Friday, April 14, 2023, 10:30-11:30AM

Bringing out a reissue of a record may seem straightforward, but from the legal wrangling over rights and royalties, through the technical challenges of working with less than perfect —or completely missing!— masters, improving the original without destroying its character, through the challenges of pressing and packaging, it’s a long and winding road.

This seminar features leaders in the field who have revitalized the world of LPs and brought back old favorites as well as obscure and unrecognized gems. They’ll describe the processes involved and the highs and lows of reviving old recordings.

Moderator: Michael Fremer, Editor-in-Chief, TrackingAngle.com, Senior Editor, The Absolute Sound
Panelists:
Chad Kassem, Owner, Acoustic Sounds
Shane Buettner, Owner, Intervention Records
Julia Miller, President/CEO, Delmark Records
Abey Fonn, Founder, Impex Records, Senior Product and Business Development, Elusive Disc and AudioFonn

Reviewers on Reviewing
Friday, April 14, 2023, 1-2PM

Audio Reviews!  We rely on them, not only for entertainment, but to assist in purchasing decisions, and to learn about what’s new. At their best, audio reviews can do even more: they can provoke us to examine our own personal audio experiences by comparing them to those of the reviewer’s. Over time, reviewer-reader relationships can become quite intimate: morphing into powerful tools that assist us with refining our understanding while developing our own personal audio aesthetic.

Fortunately, reviewers are all different. Their personalities, methods, and viewpoints, are as personal as their fingerprint. As readers we naturally connect with some more than others.

This seminar will provide an opportunity for a range of audio reviewers to explain a little about who they are as people, how they do their job, and what they wish consumers knew.

Moderator: Scot Hull, Publisher, Part-Time Audiophile, The Occasional Podcast
Panelists:
Robert Harley, Editor-in-Chief, The Absolute Sound
Alan Sircom, Editor, Hi-Fi +
Carlo LoRaso, Editor-in-Chief, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
Karl Sigman, Managing Editor, Audiophilia

Stereo Survivors: Meet the Heads of Iconic High-End Audio Companies
Friday, April 14, 2023, 2:15-3:15PM

Join us for a unique session with the leaders of four of the audio industry’s most-interesting  and enduring companies. They’ll discuss how they got into audio, the founding of their companies, and the challenges of manufacturing high performance audio equipment in today’s economic environment.

Moderator: Myles B. Astor, Senior Editor, Positive-Feedback and Founder, audionirvana.org
Panelists:
Paul McGowan, Founder and CEO, PS Audio
Udo Besser, Owner and General Manager, AVM (Audio Video Manufaktur)
Kevin Hayes, President, VAC (Valve Amplification Company)
Roy Hall, President for Life, Music Hall

Where to Begin? Starting in Audio Without Breaking the Bank or Losing Your Mind
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 10:30-11:30AM

Buying audio equipment can be a confusing and intimidating experience. Audio veteran Bes Nievera will discuss how developing priorities and recognizing personal preferences can lead to selecting gear without drama—well, less drama, anyway.

Speaker: Besflores Nievera Jr., Brand Ambassador, Music Direct

Streaming Made Straightforward
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 11:45AM-12:45PM

Streaming has changed the way we listen to music, discover new music, develop playlists, and interact with the community of music lovers. Our experts will clarify how to set up streaming, discuss the options available, and help minimize the confusion and anxiety associated with a new, new thing.

Speakers:
David Solomon, Chief Hi Res Music Evangelist, Qobuz
Rob Darling, Director of Strategy, Third Party Partnerships, Roon Labs

Michael Fremer’s Internationally Renowned Turntable Set-up Seminar
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 1:15–2:15 PM

In this one hour hands-on seminar you will learn how to correctly set-up a turntable, install a cartridge and optimize its performance. A question and answer period follows, time permitting.

Speaker: Michael Fremer, Editor-in-Chief, TrackingAngle.com, Senior Editor, The Absolute Sound

Speaker Design: Outside and Inside the Box
Saturday, April 15, 2023, 2:30-3:30PM

Here’s a rare opportunity to learn from leading speaker designers how they began, their differing design philosophies, and what they view as the most-exciting developments in the field. They’ll discuss the tricky balance of science and art that speaker design requires.

Moderator: Bill Leebens, Content Chair, AXPONA, CEO, LM&M. LLC
Panelists:
Andrew Jones, Chief Loudspeaker Designer, MoFi Electronics
Steven Norber, Owner/Designer, Prana Fidelity
Chris Brunhaver, Senior Speaker Design Engineer, PS Audio
Richard Vandersteen, Founder, CEO, Vandersteen Audio

For more information about AXPONA and its full Concert and Seminar line-up, please visit www.axpona.com.

ABOUT
AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) is North America’s largest event for audiophiles, manufacturers of high-end audio equipment, musicians and music lovers. The three-day experience features 190 high fidelity listening rooms, providing guests the enviable opportunity to experience the newest technology in high-end consumer audio products. Attendees are encouraged to go from room to room and sit, listen and compare the various systems. The Expo Hall and Ear Gear Experience play host to thousands of products and accessories from cables to headphones to LPs and SACDs.  Beyond the exhibits, AXPONA includes live musical performances and educational seminars with industry experts and demonstrations.