Ayon Audio Lumenwhite – T.H.E. Show 2019 – The Absolute Sound

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Ayon Audio & Lumenwhite – T.H.E. Show 2019

Neil Gader’s Highlights from Long Beach Show

by Neil Gader | Jun 20th, 2019

Southern California has an audio show problem. It’s not new, and it’s not clear why. Perhaps it’s the slow-burn of internecine rivalries, sketchy venue selection and promotion (remember LAX?), or just plain bad luck. In any case it shouldn’t have to be this way in a region so densely populated—a virtual playground of art and culture that can boast sunny weather all year long. More likely, however, the issue isn’t just Los Angeles per se. It’s timing. Closely following the two biggest trade shows of the year, AXPONA Chicago and Munich High End, is not a recipe for success. Exhibitors are tired, and there is only so much time and money to allot to the bevy of shows that already dot the yearly calendar. So what’s an audio show to do? After last year’s flameout, the Home Entertainment Show organizers proclaimed—what else?—T.H.E. Show must go on. They relocated to the snazzy Hilton Hotel in Long Beach, a fairly brisk forty-minute freeway ride south of downtown L.A. The venue was contemporary and attractive, about sixty rooms overall with convention-scale rooms and audio marketplace on the second floor, and the rest on the third through sixth floors. Given that I only had a day to visit, this report is by no means comprehensive (apologies all around to folks whom I missed). Nonetheless, here’s a snapshot of some of my personal highlights.

Many high end audio products and brands were represented but this is Neil Gader’s “special mention” of Ayon Audio and LumenWhite.

THE Show 2019 Ayon setup

Lumenwhite Kyara were driven by tube electronics from Ayon Audio

Kudos also to the corner-to-corner soundstaging, speed, and clarity of the handsome Lumenwhite Kyara loudspeaker ($49k) driven in concert with an armada of Ayon Audio source and tube amplification.