The Best Loudspeakers We Heard at AXPONA 2026

AXPONA once again returned to Schaumburg, Illinois (which, contrary to many media reports, is not Chicago) at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center on a crisp Friday morning in April. The healthy turnout this year from both exhibitors and attendees seems to have rebuffed the economic uncertainty of the last year, and the place was packed with more high-end audio than you could shake a stick at. There is so much high-end audio that I am only able to report on a few of the best setups on display at the show. As one of Audioholics’ loudspeaker reviewers, I will focus on speakers since that is more my domain of expertise than electronics, but even then, the show is nearly overwhelming with hundreds of loudspeakers present. With that said, let’s now take a quick look at some of my favorite speakers at the AXPONA 2026 show… 

Revel Performa4 Series Launch

Revel Performa4 F345 Floor-Standing Loudspeaker Product Page 

AXPONA 2026 is where Revel launched their Performa4 series that we previewed. The F346 of that series was playing, and it sounded terrific: sharp, balanced, and pinpoint imaging. The other speakers from that series were on passive display. The Performa4 speakers looked great, with an industrial design handsome enough to fit in nearly any interior space without being over-stylized. 

Revel was long overdue to update any of their speaker lines, although the new Performa4 series is more of a completely new loudspeaker rather than a redesign of the Performa3 series that they are replacing. The new speakers do take a pretty significant uptick in price relative to the older series, but then what hasn’t in recent years? I have enjoyed Revel speakers every time I heard them, and this occasion was no exception. 

JBL Summit Pumori Speakers

JBL Summit Pumori Product Page

While at Harman’s string of rooms at AXPONA, I had a chance to hear something from JBL’s new ‘Summit’ series, specifically the Pumori, which is the middle child of the line-up, although these speakers are so beefy that it does not at all mean they are lacking in power. The Pumori is a 3-way speaker that uses a powerful 1.5” compression driver mounted in an updated iteration of JBL’s HDI horn design, as well as an 8” midrange driver and a 10” bass driver, both of which use a special carbon cellulose cone composition. 

It sounded terrific with extremely punchy bass and a soundstage to die for. However, for the $30k/pair asking price, it had better sound great. It looked very high-end as well, if perhaps a bit vintage, but not in a bad way. I would have loved to spend some more time with them, although the room was getting very crowded and there was a lot more show to cover, so I had to make a departure. The Pumori speakers look like a worthy successor to JBL’s high-end speaker series, and die-hard JBL fans have every reason to be excited about them. 

SVS 3000 Micro R|Evolution Subwoofer

SVS 3000 Micro R|Evolution Subwoofer Product Page

SVS took their appearance at AXPONA as an opportunity to launch their new 3000 Micro R|Evolution subwoofer. As the name implies, it is the refresh of their incredibly popular 3000 Micro subwoofer, although the R|Evolution does a lot more than just tweak a few things about the outgoing model. It makes major improvements on every single aspect of design, from driver to amplifier to processor. The drivers are increased in size to 9” woofers, and improvements are made in the motor to handle more power. The amplifier now pushes out a continuous 1,200 watts instead of the 800 watts from the outgoing model, a very hefty increase. 

The processing gets a massive increase in computational power, going from a 50MHz DSP chip to a 295MHz DSP chip, and this allows them to maintain much more precise control over every single aspect of operation as well as adding three more bands of parametric equalization. It also enables the 3000 Micro R|Evolution to handle SVS’s incoming room equalization software system when it is estimated to arrive within the year. The subwoofer has grown by an inch and is now an 11” cube rather than a 10” cube, but I wouldn’t guess that will cost SVS too many sales. What is remarkable is that the pricing has only had a small increase over the outgoing model at $1000 versus the $900 cost of the original. I would have guessed that the additional amplifier power alone would have necessitated a larger price increase, but SVS has made significant upgrades to everything while only incurring a modest price increase. The sub that packs a big punch from a small box is now going to be hitting a lot harder.  

Hsu Research VTF-TN1, D15-Chimera, and Supercharger

Hsu Research D15-Chimera and Supercharger Product Page

Hsu Research busted out their big guns for this year’s AXPONA show and brought their top three most potent subs. They had the VTF-TN1, D15-Chimera, and D15-Chimera plus Supercharger, with each taking turns at weakening the hotel’s foundation. 

Abetting these subs were Hsu Research’s CCB-8 and MFL-6 speakers in a full surround sound system. For demo material, Hsu ran bass-heavy movie scenes as well as traditional 2-channel audiophile staples, and the system sounded great in either setting. Any of the subwoofers that Hsu brought were far more powerful than the hotel room size needed, but regarding dynamic range, I always say it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. 

As a grand finale at the show’s end, Hsu ran all the subs together in a demo playing the scene from ‘Interstellar’ where our main character enters the black hole. The hotel room shook ferociously, and I was worried that the light fixtures were going to fall off the ceiling. It was an act of madness, but also hilarious and exhilarating. Hsu Research sub’s remain some of the best values in high-performance subwoofage for well over three decades, and my experience at their exhibit at this year’s AXPONA merely reaffirms that fact. 

Philharmonic Audio Cantible Tower Speaker and Super BMR Standmount Speaker

Philharmonic Audio Cantible Tower Speaker Product Page

Philharmonic Audio has always been a leader in high-value hi-fi, and their exhibit at this year’s AXPONA serves to cement that trend with the unveiling of the Cantible tower speaker and Super BMR standmount speaker. When I was in their room, the Cantible speakers were playing, and they were much like every other Philharmonic speaker I have heard: wide and deep soundstage, beautifully balanced tonality, and exquisitely detailed mids and highs. One of their most remarkable attributes was that while they had the look and sound of hi-fi speakers, they were not at all priced like hi-fi speakers. 

The Cantibles were priced at $3,600/pair, which is wildly low-priced for what you are getting. And they can be had for $3,200/pair if you are willing to forego a curved cabinet for flat side panels. If more consumers understood what they were getting for their dollar, Philharmonic would never be able to keep anything in stock. Also on display was a new standmount speaker called the Super BMR ($3,200/pair), which is like a bookshelf version of the HT Tower that we reviewed a few years ago. This is a great idea and can also be thought of as a wider dynamic range version of the universally acclaimed BMR Philharmonitor.  On passive display was a pair of new ‘Super Mini’ speakers, which are basically premium versions of Philharmonic’s Mini Monitor.  

RBH Sound Obelisk and Voce Fina Mk II

Obelisk Product Page and Voce Fina Mk II Product Page

RBH Sound celebrates its 50th anniversary this year by releasing a handful of high-end speakers and subs, a few of which they brought to this year’s AXPONA. The speakers making an appearance at AXPONA were an active tower speaker named the Obelisk and a bookshelf speaker named the Voce Fina Mk II. 

I had a fair amount of time to listen to both, and they each impressed me. The Voce Fina Mk II was a very modestly sized bookshelf speaker that generated a big sound on account of its unexpectedly powerful bass response. With a 6.5” woofer and a 1” AMT tweeter, one wouldn’t expect anything authoritative, but this speaker packed a big punch with meaty bass. It also had a very attractive cabinet made out of acrylic polymer, which made it a very solid build. 

RBH also brought an active tower called the Obelisk, which used an 8” AMT tweeter, a 10” planar magnetic midrange, and two 8” bass drivers. I had previously regarded planar midranges as fairly gimmicky and seldom used to good effect, but the Obelisks changed my mind after a thorough listening session. The speaker sounded clean and powerful with an extraordinarily precise soundstage. As with the Voce Fina Mk II speakers, the appearance and build quality were top-notch. These are state-of-the-art loudspeakers that spare few expenses in their construction, but that is reflected in the pricing: the Voce Fina Mk II speakers are $7k/pair for passive versions and $9k/pair for actives, and the Obelisks are $20k/pair. While $20k is a lot of money for some floor-standers, it should be kept in mind that they also come equipped with high-performance amplification as well as a cutting-edge DAC. It is a truly high-end all-in-one system where the user only needs to add a source. The RBH room was another highlight at the 2026 AXPONA. 

Legacy Audio Talos and Legacy Audio Artist Series

Legacy Audio Talos Product Page and Legacy Audio Artist Series Product Page

Walking into the Legacy Audio exhibit at AXPONA 2026, I was greeted with some extremely colorful and eye-catching graphic designs on a slew of their Aeris loudspeakers. I learned that Legacy had commissioned a handful of artists to decorate the speakers with some pretty wild designs in some speakers that Legacy called the Artist Series. I applaud this move on Legacy’s part because they showed that speaker enclosures can be more than the usual boring black or wood-grain finish. 

This dazzling array of speakers was definitely one of the more memorable exhibits at AXPONA. However, these works of art are not inexpensive at $50k/pair, which is nearly $20k beyond the price of a typical Aeris pair. Sure its expensive, but I do think it is cool and hope the idea takes off. 

Legacy Audio also debuted the Talos floor-standing active loudspeaker at AXPONA 2026. This beefy tower speaker uses a 3,000-watt amp to deliver power to six drivers in a four-way design that uses two 3” AMT tweeters, a 3” compression midrange nested inside of a glass-fibre 12” midwoofer, and two 12” subwoofer drivers. This is all given Legacy’s sophisticated wavelet processing for perfect integration in any acoustic environment. It’s a lot of speaker, but it’s also a lot of money, starting at $65k/pair. It’s expensive, but if you want a loudspeaker that is superlative and cuts no corners in any aspect of design, the Talos is definitely one to look at. 

Perlisten Audio X Series and S7t Black Edition

X Series Product Page and S7t Black Edition Product Page

Perlisten Audio has steadily been expanding since its launch in the early 2020s. They started out with a host of high-end free-standing speakers and subwoofers, and have rounded out their line-up with architectural speakers and lower-cost speakers. 

At this year’s AXPONA, they have launched a much more affordable line of in-wall/on-wall speakers called the ‘X series.’ The X in the X series is supposed to denote versatility, since these speakers are much smaller and less demanding of Perlisten’s other speakers, which tend to be much more heavy-duty in construction. While the smaller enclosure size of the X series will restrict its dynamic range relative to Perlisten’s other offerings, it will still have a lot of slam, as I found out in my brief visit to the X Series demo room. 

It’s a hi-fi speaker that can go anywhere and is accompanied by a capable in-ceiling speaker that will be a lot more accessible and installation-friendly than Perlisten’s other in-ceiling options. As with other Perlisten speakers, the X series places a heavy emphasis on high-fidelity, so while it might not match the dynamics of the mighty S7t speakers, it should have a level of fidelity that exceeds most others in its class. 

Speaking of the S7t speakers, Perlisten also brought in a pair of the S7t Black Edition, which improves some of the components of the regular model, such as the woofers, feet, and tweeter/midrange housing. The Black Edition gives the cabinet some very cool curved side panels made out of black anodized aluminum. It is the ultimate expression of their flagship S7t speaker, and as such, it is not an inexpensive speaker at $30k/pair. It is an aspirational speaker for many, myself included! 

Parts Express Classic Collection T65 2.1 Stereo Bundle with CS1200 12” Subwoofer

Parts Express Classic Collection Bundle Page

Parts Express kept it simple this year and just brought a few of their ultra-affordable Dayton Audio components that they are so well known for. Their room undoubtedly had the lowest-cost audio gear at the whole show, yet it was still enjoyable to listen to and showed that multiple thousands of dollars do not need to be spent to have good sound. 

At the forefront were the Dayton Audio Classic T65 speakers, which are simple 2-way ported tower speakers with a 1” silk dome tweeter and two 6.5” bass drivers. They looked classy and sounded fine, but the kicker is the pricing: $230/pair. There are individual cable risers that cost more than that. It was abetted by the Dayton Audio CS1200 subwoofer, a 12” ported sub powered by a 200-watt class-D amp. It provided more than enough punch for the room, and, as with the T65 speakers, the cost was extremely reasonable at $240. That is a lot of bang for your buck. The speakers were powered by the Dayton Audio HTA200, a powerful 200-watt RMS integrated amplifier with a tube preamp stage for a warm, vintage sound. With visible tubes and VU meters, it has a cool vintage styling, but it also sports modern connectivity with an optical S/PDIF input, a digital coaxial input, Bluetooth 5.0 streaming, a USB Audio input, and a subwoofer output. At $400, it is an incredible bargain. The subwoofer, integrated amp, and speakers provided a full, satisfying sound and can all be had for less than $1k. It’s a great system that doesn’t break the bank, and that is all the more relevant in these days of skyrocketing inflation.  

Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8

Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 Product Page

Arendal Sound finally made an appearance at a North American trade show at this year’s AXPONA, and they brought a small selection of their product portfolio to show off. When I was in the Arendal room, they had the 1610 Tower 8 speakers playing at a very spirited level. 

The sheer force of these speakers caused as much a physical sensation as an aural one. But it wasn’t merely loud; the 1610 Tower 8s were crisp, clean, and balanced even at these elevated levels. This is something we saw from the same series in our review of the 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers: a high-fidelity speaker that maintains tight composure at high volumes. They also brought their 1528 Bookshelf 8 speakers, which we positively reviewed for their balanced sound and incredible bass extension. It was good to finally meet the Arendal crew in person at the show. I have been impressed with their loudspeakers for some time, but it is harder to put a face to the team that created them, since they are on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Hopefully, audio enthusiasts took the opportunity at AXPONA to give this manufacturer-direct brand an audition, since the only other way to do that is to order them and possibly return them for a refund if you decide not to keep them. On the other hand, those who do give them a chance in their own homes seldom return them because they tend to be keepers.

Conclusion

Again, the speakers covered here are just a sliver of the highlights at AXPONA. With over 200 rooms and 750 brands, there is far too much to do in-depth coverage of the show. This year’s attendance broke all previous records at over 12,500 visitors, and that should compel even more manufacturers to appear at the next show, so AXPONA promises to get even bigger and better. We will certainly be there to provide coverage, but nothing beats seeing these incredible exhibits in person, so audio-lovers are advised to make that pilgrimage if possible.