Event Schedule

Kick off your AXPONA experience by networking with manufacturers, dealers, distributors and press. This exclusive reception is for members of the trade to network, make connections and set meetings for the next three days.

The reception is open to registered exhibitors staff, Media, and Industry Pass Holders.

Sponsors:

Ever wonder how your favorite recordings were made? The process of making music mixes art and technology, and there’s no better team to share a behind the scenes look than the award-winning duo Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz.  Throughout their careers, Jim and Ulrike have pushed the sound quality standards to the next level and developed their own technology to release brilliantly-recorded records in multiple formats. Their most recent project, Patricia Barber’s Clique!, was recorded, mixed, and produced in Digital eXtreme Definition (352.8kHz/24bit). The critically acclaimed recording is nominated for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 64th Grammy Awards as it renders every inflection of renowned jazz star Patricia Barber’s voice with astounding presence and clarity, perfectly complementing her nuance in ways that continue to redefine the standards of sound.

Join Jim and Ulrike for a presentation on recording in High Resolution DXD before a fireside chat with audio  journalist Michael Fremer. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and listen to a preview of Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz's "state of the art sonics" (The Absolute Sound).

Bonus Sessions!

Friday 4/22:

2:15-3:15 PM: Fireside Chat, Seminar Room 
4:00-5:00 PM: Playback Session,  Quintessence Knowledge Room 
5:00-6:00 PM Playback Session CAT Nirvana C 

Saturday 4/23:

10:30-11:30 AM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C 
12:00-1:00 PM: Creation Story Clique!, Quintessence Knowledge Room
2:00-3:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C
3:15-3:45 PM: Short Playback, Luxman/Magico Prosperity
4:00-5:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C

Sunday 4/24:

11:00-12:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C 
12:15-12:45 PM: Short Playback, Luxman/Magico Prosperity
1:00-2:00 PM: Playback Session, CAT Nirvana C 
3:00-3:30 PM: Short Playback, Luxman/Magico Prosperity

Sponsor:

Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon defies all expectations. The blistering guitarist, soulful vocalist, singular songwriter and city bus driver fuses his muscular, rock-inspired blues guitar playing with his original, keenly detailed slice-of-life songs, blazing his own blues trail. With the 2016 release of his Alligator Records debut, The Chicago Way, Cannon burst onto the international stage as one the most electrifying bluesmen to emerge from Chicago in decades.

“Cannon is at the front rank of Chicago bluesmen. He creates wide-screen modern arrangements for wry, thoughtful songs, molding an ensemble sound that’s both tempestuous and scrupulously controlled.” –MOJO

Cannon bought his first guitar at age 22, and his natural talent enabled him to quickly master the instrument. Although his initial focus was reggae, he found himself increasingly drawn to the blues. “It was dormant in me. But when I started playing the blues, I found my voice and the blues came pouring out.” He absorbed sounds, styles and licks from Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Hound Dog Taylor, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, J.B. Hutto, Lil’ Ed and others. Although influenced by many, Cannon’s biting, stinging guitar sound is all his own.

Cannon is part of the post-'80s generation that is just as much influenced by rock as the blues. Where he separates with the rest of that pack is that Cannon puts the song ahead of the solo. —Chicago Tribune

Learn more about Toronzo Cannon here: https://toronzocannon.com/

Whether you’re dreaming up a new Listening Room or looking to fix a Listening Room gone wrong, hear from the Pro’s on the Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to acoustic and interior design. Building a dedicated space for listening is the ultimate dream for any audiophile and music lover. But how do you know the room will sound good? There are steps you can take to improve your room's performance from layout to gear set up and placement to flooring to padded walls and everything in between. Join Dave Malekpour, president of Malekpour Design Partners and Pro Audio Design (and US/CAN distributor of TAD Labs products), with 30+ years of experience designing high-level recording studios worldwide and Luis Roquette Valdez, Managing Director of Jocavi Acoustic Panels, founded on Acoustic Engineering, Predictive Modeling and Architetcural Acoustics and Carly Moeller of Unpatterned, registered interior designer and licensed architect in Illinois with a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as they explore the essentials, and some important details, of creating great sounding and visually engaging high-performance Listening Rooms.

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.

In conjunction with the Audiophile’s Wife

Take a break from the show to say hello to other attendees who know what it’s like to be the “spouse of an audiophile”.  

Location: Hotel Lobby – Level 2, meet at the seating near the escalators.

FEW Spirits will be at AXPONA sampling their bourbons and rye. Their gin will also be available on the table should someone wish to try.  Also their latest release, Bottled In Bond Bourbon Whiskey will be available.  A four year aged bourbon with a cool story dating back to 1897.  https://www.fewspirits.com

Location: Renaissance Lobby Level 2, Near Schaumburg Public House and Gather Bar

Best known for the poem she wrote that became the classic "Killing Me Softly:, Lori Lieberman is currently recording her 20th album, entitled, "Lori Lieberman", "Truly". This album represents a departure for her, artistically and conceptually, with a selection of songs she grew up listening to on the eight-track tape machine in her father's car, in Switzerland, where she grew up.

Lori Lieberman has toured worldwide since the 70's as a Capitol artist, and in recent years, performed twice to sold out audiences at Carnegie Hall, and the famed Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, with the noted Matangi String Quartet.

She will be performing at the AXPONA on April 23rd, with the Chicago-based pianist, Jeremy Kahn and his quartet. The evening will feature songs from her new release, as well as a retrospective of songs from her earlier catalogue. Don't miss the chance to catch this rare concert from one of our most enduring artists.

Click here to learn more about Lori Lieberman.