AXPONA 2024
Another year, another AXPONA Show (April 12,13 & 14) at the Schaumburg Renaissance. This year’s show was the biggest yet, with over 9000 paid visitors! Additionally, there were far more exhibitors, including specialty stores like Glenn Poor’s, than ever before. I was able to see a lot of friends from the past and present, and was even able to eat a couple of dinners with my former BAT partner, Victor Khomenko - a real treat. Our Glenn Poor’s team (Ann, Kyle, Kavi and Dylan) were also treated to a terrific dinner by Magnepan. If we’re lucky, that will turn out to be a yearly event.
We had one room where we displayed a terrific music system comprised of Luxman’s PD-151 MKII turntable, LMC-5 cartridge, L-507Z integrated amp, and D-07X SACD/CD/DAC, Audience “Front Row” cabling (including power conditioning), and speakers from Magnepan, YG Acoustics and Audience. We wanted to have a theme of maintaining time and phase coherence with the whole system so each component was a proper match for each other. Just like when we put together systems for customers, we always make an effort to combine components such that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I think we succeeded.
Of course it’s always a treat meeting up with new people who love music, and the equipment that brings it to life in one’s home. For me, though, the visits from many loyal Glenn Poor’s customers who’ve made our business successful these many years are the real treat. This show was another example of the beauty of person-to-person interactions between those of us who share this love of music that overcomes all other potential social frictions. I was so fortunate to have Kyle, Kavi, and Dylan on our team as all three are very accomplished musicians. Over the years, Glenn Poor’s has been a “home for wayward musicians”, and today it’s still as it was way back in the 70’s, 80’s , etc... This isn't the most “wayward” group we’ve had as they are all very successful outside of our store: Kyle is working on a doctorate at the University of Illinois, Kavi (another U. of I. grad) has started to study to become a medical doctor like his father, and Dylan is a professional engineer. Nonetheless, they all fit the mold of truly loving music. I think that’s why they connected so easily with Absolute Sound’s Editor-In-Chief, Robert Harley, who spent at least 30-40 minutes in our room listening to the new Magnepan MG-1.7X. Robert is not just a gear head, he truly loves music, and it showed as he listened and conversed with the Glenn Poor’s team.
As Glenn Poor’s Audio Video has evolved over the past six decades, our love of music has helped us maintain our sanity in this world of ever increasing prices. Our goals have remained the same as regards “VALUE.” It’s important to be able to construct a music or home theater system at a price that fits the comfort zone of any of our customers. I think that is why we stood out at AXPONA. While almost every system displayed at the show by manufacturers and dealers alike was very expensive, we wanted to show true high-end audio but at a price that wouldn’t require a second mortgage. Based on the reactions of virtually everyone who came to our room, and listened, we succeeded.
Geoff
