AXPONA 2026

Sierra Sound, AMG, Benz, Sorane, and Aesthetix at AXPONA 2026

Ken Micallef  |  Apr 27, 2026

At AXPONA 2026, Sierra Sound co-founder Michael Fajen (in the foreground) and Aesthetix sales and marketing specialist Brent Hefley (in the reflection) both discuss the gear being shown in the Sierra Sound room in an interview with Ken Micallef that’s now posted on our sister site Stereophile’s YouTube channel.

Editor’s note: Our resident turntable expert, Ken Micallef, visited Sierra Sound at AXPONA 2026 on behalf of our sister site Stereophile, and with their most kind permission, we’re now sharing that analog-centric report here with you, the AP faithful. –Mike Mettler


I’d been kicking down doors left and right at AXPONA 2026, demanding rooms spin or stream one of my guilty pleasures that is also one of the better-recorded rock albums in existence: ZZ Top’s July 1973 masterpiece on London, Tres Hombres. More specifically, I wanted to hear “La Grange,” and/or the back-to-back, album-opening gut-punch of “Waiting for the Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago.”

Blistering lead and rhythm guitars from Billy Gibbons, drums by Frank Beard with genuine thump and thwack, and bass courtesy Dusty Hill that wallows in the low end like something prehistoric — these tracks can expose a system fast.

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The Sierra Sound room passed the test, mostly. Treble ran a touch hot and cutting, but the system locked into ZZ Top’s swampy rhythmic pocket and never let go, delivering chunk, grease, and momentum in quantities that felt genuinely authentic.

Low bass turned muddy, though — almost certainly a hotel room casualty, as these unforgiving spaces have been destroying sound since the invention of the minibar. But tone, drive, and sheer exuberance? Off the charts.

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Equipment list: Analog sources: Turntable 1: AMG Giro MK II Wood, with AMG 9WT tonearm ($19,300); Benz Micro ACE mono cartridge ($1,200); ViV Laboratory Rigid Float Ha-9in tonearm ($4,500); Benz Micro Zebra L Woodbody cartridge ($2,500); Sierra Sound NAB-1 tonearm platform (for AMC Giro MK II Wood table; $500); AMG 12v Linear power supply upgrade ($1,200). Turntable 2: AMG Viella, with 12JT Turbo tonearm ($26,800); Benz Micro SLR Gullwing cartridge ($4,200); AMG Fortissimo arm base ($3,360); Sorane SA-1.2 tonearm (silver finish; $2,000); Ortofon SPU Classic cartridge ($1,415); Aesthetix Rhea Signature phono stage ($12,000); Aesthetix Pallene line stage ($7,000). Amplifier: Aesthetix Dione ($8,000). Speakers: Vandersteen Treo CT ($11,095). AC Distribution block: Connected Fidelity Six Star ($950). RF Blocker: Connected Fidelity Gold ($500/pair). Cables and interconnects: Sierra Sound (by Cardas) phono cables; Cardas Clear Beyond interconnects, speaker cables, and AC cables. Rack: Butcher Block Acoustics rigidrack (3-shelf, rack 42 x 18in; $1,800).

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Want more AXPONA 2026 coverage? We got you covered!

Go here for Julie Mullins’ report on a pair of American Audio & Video demo rooms at AXPONA 2026, with one of their systems featuring a Dual CS 529 turntable and Violectric PPA-V790 phono preamp, and the other featuring a Goldring GR3 turntable; this story first posted on April 23, 2026.

Go here for Julie Mullins’ report on a couple of Monarch Systems demo setups that included an SME Model 8 turntable and Loricraft Audio PRC6i professional record cleaning machine; this story first posted on April 20, 2026.

Go here for Julie Mullins’ report on the analog gear she encountered in some exhibit rooms that were put together in tandem by Technics and Nagaoka; this story first posted on April 15, 2026.

Go here for AP editor Mike Mettler’s report on an Acoustic Sounds listening session that deployed a Döhmann Helix One Mk III turntable, in addition to other high-end gear from Wilson Benesch, Supatrac, DS Audio, Audio Research, and Wilson Audio; this story first posted on April 14, 2026

Also go here for our sister site Stereophile‘s in-depth AXPONA 2026 coverage, which often includes video interviews with key manufacturer reps, product engineers, and equipment designers who were at the show.

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