With 60 pages of notes from the show, tech sheets, and over 200 video clips, we have quite a lot to review from the first HIFI audio show of 2026. There were some new releases and auditions from several brands and products. We had the opportunity to listen to a lot of good music being played on newly released streamers, CD transports, and turntables, speakers, and other electronics – specifically in the Home Audio category. And finally, there were some amazing people we met along the way. We’re going to highlight much of this in the following article and share with you our Editor’s Picks from the 2026 Florida International Audio Expo; a must-attend event for music-lovers, audiophiles, and vendors alike. Let’s get started!
The Florida Audio Expo 2026 – In a Nutshell
The size and scope of this show is noticeably smaller than other larger-venue home audio shows like Axpona or Capital Audio Fest. However, this is positive for the attendees because it allows for the opportunity to explore everything on display, listen at a moderate pace, and exhibitors have the ability to answer questions about their products in greater detail and without as much distraction to listeners during the presentations. For consumers that are looking to demo equipment, the Florida Audio Expo offers a fantastic environment to gain the knowledge and experience they may need to move forward with their purchase decision.
While demoing in a hotel room may not be ideal for everyone, it’s far better than the alternative of not being able to demo certain pieces of equipment at all. An exhibitor goes to extreme lengths to ensure that their system is dialed in and able to provide the best experience possible within the space allotted. The rooms at the Sheraton Hotel in Tampa, FL, where this expo takes place, are by and large decently sized and require minimal acoustic treatment. That doesn’t mean that the systems aren’t calibrated, rather that acoustic shields and bass traps aren’t necessary in every space. Of course, not every space is perfect, and there were a handful at this show that suffered from poor acoustics that did a disservice to the equipment on display. But shows like the Florida Audio Expo (and others) still present a golden opportunity for consumers, despite the criticisms they often face from those who are not entirely familiar with the high-end audio industry.
Additionally, unlike many other HIFI Audio Shows, this show also has exhibitors in Car Audio and awards to recognize the best custom automative audio sound systems, presented by the International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA), a sanctioned organization. IASCA presents trophies and awards for various achievements in Car Audio under Sound Quality criteria with an emphasis in tonal balance, imaging, and overall fidelity in the 80-90 dB range. There were a wide-range of entries from installers, demo teams, and hobby enthusiasts and the quality of the systems was comparable to anything found inside the hotel.
In the following we’re going to break it down to highlight some of our favorite exhibits and products and select a final Editor’s Pick in each category. We definitely won’t be able to cover everything that was on display at the event, rather we’ll focus on the highlights and what stood out to our team as exceptional in both quality and performance!
Headphones & Headphone Amps
The first room we visited was setup by Geshelli Labs. They’re well-known in the industry for their headphone Amps & DACs their demo didn’t disappoint. On display in their headphone room were the Geshelli Triple Stacks with various DACs, ranging from the JNOG2/3 to the TORC, all at an affordable price point. The stands themselves are incredibly modern in design and the wood-finish cases for the units add a level of aesthetic design to DACs themselves. The headphones on demo were high quality; ranging in price from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.
The Editor’s Pick for outstanding Headphone performance goes to the ZMF Atrium Hawaiian Acacia Custom headphones paired with the Geshelli TORC DAC. The headphones retail at approximately $2500 and come in numerous finishes, headband chassis, as well as various earpad materials. We listened to the open-back Hawaiian Limited-Edition model with lambskin earpads. These were so comfortable and the sound-quality was so phenomenal that we could have spent the entire three days listening to them! These are comparable in clarity and soundstage to a much more expensive model like the HIFIMAN Susvara and you’ll simply be blown away when you put them on. The Atrium simply outperformed everything else on display at the Geshelli booth, from HIFIMAN to Focal to Grado Labs, nothing could beat these headphones. And the TORC DAC adds a layer of subtlety and depth to the audio performance. The TORC has interchangeable and replaceable DAC boards from Geshelli and is an excellent option for those looking to upgrade their DAC at an affordable price.
There weren’t as many headphones or headphone amps on display at this show, as may be seen at shows like Axpona, but there were a few scattered around in various rooms. Many of which were from local dealers that carry well-known brands. By and large, however, most were paired with extremely expensive amps & DACs that didn’t fit the headphone’s price point. Geshelli did it the best at the Florida Audio Expo this year!
As a sidenote, Sherri Geshelli also participated in the Women in HIFI panel at this year’s event. It was very interesting to learn the impact that women have on their brand in terms of innovation, design, marketing, and more. They have a phenomenal team (predominantly women) in their family-owned operation and have done an excellent job at appealing to a broader and younger demographic within the audiophile community with their relatable social media presence on Instagram.
Benchmark HPA4 DAC
Benchmark Audio’s flagship headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier features their patented THX-888 circuit board to keep noise and distortion undetectable. It boasts the lowest distortion available from just about every headphone amplifier on the market with a 30-40 dB reduction in THD. This makes the HPA4 a uniquely neutral headphone amplifier, allowing for accurate reproduction of the input signal.
Additionally, the 256-step relay-operated volume control ensures accurate signal and zero distortion at each distinct volume setting and functions much better in operation than a potentiometer resistor, which can have increased distortion based on the gain level. The step-relay is more expensive but it provides superior channel matching and overall audio precision by using fixed resistors to eliminate uneven volume common in lower costing potentiometer units.
Benchmark was very popular with several dealers and exhibitors at the Florida Expo, with many of their products on display in various rooms and setups. We’ll take a look at some of their other products in the Electronics section later in this article. Overall, their products sounded great and the design and engineering behind each model is incredibly solid and built on a sound foundational understanding of the technology.
Bookshelf Speakers
Sigberg Audio Manta Bookshelf Speakers & 10D Subwoofer
The next room we’d like to highlight was from Sigberg Audio which had the Manta Active Cardioid Bookshelf Speakers and 10D Subwoofers. These are striking in both appearance and performance and we were honored to enjoy them for the first audition in the United States! We listened to these early on in the show and found ourselves comparing them to every bookshelf speaker we listened to after. Especially in terms of the soundstage and imaging, which are simply exceptional. The Manta has a very tall and three-dimensional presence unlike anything else we heard at the show (save for maybe one other pair of speakers). The bass from the 10D subwoofer was tight, clean, with an excellent kick, providing amazing detail in the lower range.
The aesthetic is modern-architectural with a clean design and they present much larger than you might expect based simply on images. At 23.5” tall (42” with stands) with a 12” woofer, 5.5” mid-range, and 1” silk-dome tweeter, they are extremely crisp, clear, and dynamic. The mid-range tonality was extremely pleasing and the upper-range was full and vibrant. The speakers boast an active 3-channel Hypex N-Core with Class D amplification at 600W per speaker. These speakers were also paired with Benchmark & Grimm electronics for streaming and DSP. It was a costly setup, overall, with the Manta Bookshelf Speakers coming in around 20k in price; the 10D subwoofer at 7.5k; and the Benchmark DAC, digital streamer, and DSP processing units coming in at another 30-40k; however, this setup was definitely one of, if not our favorite, at this price-point.
Silent Pound Bloom Bookshelf Speakers
The Bloom Speakers from Silent Pound retail at approximately 18.5-22k (depending on cabinet finish) and are about as unique a speaker as you’re likely to see and hear in this age of audiophile technology. With patent-pending enclosure technology for the mid and high-range drivers, this unique enclosure is intended to optimize the mid and higher frequency sounds which results in a more detailed and nuanced soundstage. This was readily apparent when we first heard them in the Playback Distribution demo room. They stood out as a fantastic speaker, both in aesthetic design and overall performance.
The Bloom speakers were driven by the Java HIFI Double Shot 400 Integrated Amplifier (retailing at $19k) rated for 400W/8ohms and 800W/4ohms, which is where the Bloom speakers operate at 87db. This setup also included the American Debut of the TEAC NT-507T Network Transport, which has been an extremely popular product for TEAC, and difficult to find since its release. Overall, we were very impressed by the imaging of the Bloom Speakers in this setup and the clarity and depth of the soundstage resulted in excellent overall transparency in the mid and higher ranges.
Our team was torn between the Silent Pound Bloom and the and the Sigberg Audio Manta being best in show. The wonderful thing about making this up as we go along is that we have the final say, which means, that both speakers are best in show. They’re similar in pricing, similar in overall performance, and both share a very unique design aesthetic. We strongly feel that they are a perfect match for audiophiles seeking an outstanding performance paired with incredible design and they stand above the other speakers we listened to at this year’s Florida Audio Expo!
LC2 Chesky Audio Bookshelf Speakers
However, there is one more pair of Bookshelf Speakers we’d like to highlight which are in a much more affordable price range. These are the LC2 Bookshelf Speakers from Chesky Audio, a newcomer to the audiophile scene who has garnered a lot of attention, prestige, and notoriety for stand out performance at an incredibly affordable $2,000/pair. This was paired with the Cambridge Audio MXN10 Network Player which sounded excellent together!
On the back of the award-winning LC1, introduced at Axpona in 2025 and the LC2, introduced at Capital Audio Fest, the Show Director, Bart Andeer, was very anxious to have Chesky Audio attend this year’s Florida Expo. These 3D-printed speakers provide excellent HIFI sound, a fantastic design, and overall presence that is very difficult to find at this price. The mid-range is full and bass is surprising for so small a speaker. The unique design and side woofers provide an open and airy soundstage that is dripping with detail.
It’s not just about the speakers but also the story behind Lucca Chesky and the support he received from his family for pursuing innovation within this industry. He has a phenomenal support network in his parents Patricia and David Chesky, who on a sidenote are some of the kindest people you could possibly meet. David is a well-known music producer and when Lucca first brought home the LC1’s, which he built in stages at his high school, David told him, “You’ve got something there!” And was he right or what?!
When attending Axpona 2025, Lucca’s expectation was to receive criticism, not awards. Instead of feedback, the LC1 from Chesky Audio received the Best of 2025 Award from Enjoy the Music and the LC2 has received the 2026 Editor’s Choice Award from Absolute Sound. Despite his young age, despite his attendance to Carnegie Mellon University, Lucca is quickly making a name for himself on the audiophile stage. His success is well-deserved and we can’t wait to see what he comes out with next!
The 2026 Editor’s Pick for best Bookshelf Speakers is the Chesky Audio LC2! There’s a reason that these speakers have won numerous awards and we couldn’t ignore the incredibly value they offer. The LC2 stands above the others for the incredible value and impeccable performance, coupled with a unique design and interesting personal story. Congratulation to Lucca Chesky for another successful audio show!
Floorstanding/Tower Speakers
Amphion Argon 3LX Floorstanding Loudspeakers
The Argon 3LX stood apart in their price point with a retail entry at $7k (and even higher) as one of the most well-rounded Floorstanding speakers we listened to at this year’s show. We’ve listened to these at previous shows as well, specifically, when attending Axpona 2025, and were similarly impressed. Their small and diminutive nature hide a sleeping dragon in terms of performance, especially when you crank up the volume to get as much out of 85db sensitivity as possible. This classically designed speaker is sleek and simplistic in design. The two-way 6 ½” Mid-range Woofers and 1” Tweeter are tremendous in output.
The sound quality is silky-smooth, tight and crisp, and exceptionally dynamic. They are surprisingly powerful and open and the music sounds three-dimensional and ethereal at times. The bass is also detailed and fast with enough oomph at the low-end to give you exactly the sound you’re looking for on Rock, Pop, Electronic, and Country music tracks. There’s not a lot to say other than, these are excellent speakers and you won’t be disappointed with them!
LUXE T1 Speaker System
Innova Audio Designs and their team-members Yair Raz and Dee Golstein presented a great demo room this year at the Florida Audio Expo. Not just because of the LUXE T1’s striking hand-crafted appearance but also the outstanding presence it has in terms of overall audio performance. Again, this was one of the first speakers we listened to at the show and set a high bar for other, similar speaker setups for the rest of the expo, that was difficult to compete with.
The LUXE T1 Speaker System has an incredibly slim profile and is exquisitely manufactured. The side facing subwoofer drivers allow for a room-encompassing soundstage that is detailed, three-dimensional, and warm, with nearly 180 degrees of dispersion. These speakers are truly room-filling! And due to the unique placement of the woofers, it allows for close wall placement working in both small and large spaces.
This system totals ten speaker drivers, four DSP amplifiers with 1100W of total power, and works well for both music and movies. It comes in at approximately 50” tall, when seated on the IsoAcoustics GAIA III vibration and isolation damping feet, and each speaker weighs just 53lbs, which is much lighter than many speakers of a similar size. It has eight 3” x 6” subwoofer drivers with 500W of Class D amplification, a 6.5” mid-woofer driver with a 500W Class D Amplifier, and a 26mm TPCD Tweeter with 150W Class D power. They’re easy to move around, easy to position, and look and sound great at the same time!
The LUXE T1 is on the pricier side, starting at $24k/pair, and higher for premium or custom finishes. But the bottom line, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something as customizable with extraordinary hand-crafted finishes from another US manufacturer. The quality you get at that price point is second to none and this was definitely one of our overall favorites from the Florida Expo.
Gersmann Acoustics Symphoria Floorstanding Speakers
The Symphoria is an award-winning Floorstanding Speaker, receiving best-in-class by Enjoy the Music and the Golden Ear Award by Absolute Sound in 2025. It definitely lives up to the hype and does so in an eye-catching manner!
Gersmann Acoustics has been around since the early 90s and showcases what is possible in terms of design and quality. Their speakers offer more than just excellent sound quality and take design to its artistic limits and beyond! The Symphoria exemplifies this with a standout design that marries form and function.
It has a three-way sealed design with dual 8” woofers, a custom midrange and 1” tweeter that “floats” or “sits” on top of the bass enclosure with IsoAcoustic pads for vibration damping. The mid-range and higher frequency sound quality is crisp and clean with excellent transparency and imaging and the bass is extremely tight with excellent overall depth and impact (probably due to the dual patented bass trap that redirects energy before it can reach the code). Their claim that it’s perfectly controlled is difficult to verify but the bass is definitely not muddy and comes through in surprising detail.
It was a close thing, but the 2026 Sound Approach Editor’s Pick for Floorstanding/Tower Speakers from the Florida Audio Expo goes to Innova Audio Designs for the LUXE T1! We love the others on our list as well, but the T1 really stands apart as a truly unique piece with amazing sound quality and aesthetic impact.
Subwoofers
Temporal Acoustics Lorica Subwoofer
Sebastian Hasbun is a young and new designer on the audiophile scene. He is smart, well-educated, innovative, and open to trying new ideas and solving unique problems that exist in the audio world. He graciously spent a few minutes discussing the absolutely singular Lorica subwoofer with us so we could learn more about his story and the inspiration behind this incredibly unique subwoofer. The Lorica was on display with the Popori Vitorla Speakers, and this subwoofer immediately stood out to everyone in attendance as something special.
Sebastian’s set out to design and manufacture a speaker that could complement the extremely quick characteristics of electrostatic speakers, primarily. Additionally, he wanted to design something that would provide an emotional impact to the listener by lifting the veil and improve the details usually missed in the lower register. One of the complaints that many people have with electrostatic speakers (beyond the cost) is the muddiness and lack of a dynamic bass response. Utilizing an entirely new concept to design a teardrop-shaped, seamless pressure vessel for additional vibration damping, it seems that Sebastian has accomplished his task. The Lorica features dual ultra-low distortion 10” Purifi drivers rated to 15 Hz. Additionally, the Lorica integrates DSP electronics from RBH Sound as well as custom binding posts from VIABLUE (another of our favorites, as mentioned above).
The bass was detailed, fast, elevated, and incredibly layered. When we first entered the room, the bass was the first thing noticeable. It added a dimensionality to the Vitorla electrostatic speakers that, for our team at least, was lacking at previous shows without the Lorica. The speakers added the dimensionality that’s necessary for clean imaging and transparency. The speakers disappeared entirely and the bass was felt vertically (up and down) rather than horizontally and through vibration in the floor.
The Lorica is currently retailing at approximately $7.5k, which takes it outside of the super affordable range and is probably the only downside to this speaker. However, it’s exciting to see new designers receive the support they need to encourage innovative design and the application of fresh ideas in this space. Sebastian is smart, well-educated, innovative, and open to trying new ideas and solving unique problems that exist in the audio world, similar to Lucca Chesky. Perhaps one day we’ll get a collaboration between Sebastian and Lucca? That would be very exciting, indeed!
Given the unique characteristics, fantastic design and build quality, as well as overall performance, we’re naming the Temporal Acoustics Lorica Subwoofer our Editor’s Pick in this category!
HIFI Cables
VIABLUE Cables
The Florida Audio Expo had just about every cable for every situation from many industry-leading brands (in either quality, popularity, or both). The super high-end systems had everything ranging from AudioQuest to Esprit to Cardas Cables. Many exhibitors also displayed with WireWorld, a staple in the Florida area, because of their faithful and neutral signal reproduction, high-quality engineering and manufacture, and clean aesthetic.
However, despite these more well-known names on display, a relative newcomer in the US marketplace and originally presented at last year’s show with just a single small booth and a few select exhibit partners, ended up as the preeminent cable company on display at the 2026 expo. VIABLUE Cables has done an extraordinary job increasing the visibility of their well-engineered cables in the US audio market. At a rough estimate, VIABLUE was represented in nearly 25% of the exhibition rooms this year. Geshelli Audio used custom NF-S6 XLR Interconnects in some of their headphone stacks while Focal, who had an excellent exhibit, used VIABLUE Speaker Cables. It’s difficult to gauge the overall impact of cabling without testing them in an A/B environment, but it is telling that so many exhibitors decided to connect their systems using VIABLUE cabling.
Last year we had the opportunity to meet with Anke Patt from VIABLUE and discuss their company and cables in-depth. If you’d like more information about this wonderful organization or their cables, we highly recommend watching this interview with Ms. Patt on our YouTube Channel @SoundApproach1972.
It’s fantastic to see the growth that this company has seen over just a single year. It also demonstrates the ever-changing landscape within the audio community as new products are introduced to the market. VIABLUE is quickly becoming a prominent name in high-end audio synonymous with high standards, outstanding performance, and exceptional value! For these reasons, we are naming VIABLUE as our Editor’s Pick for 2026!
Turntables
Pear Audio Blue Capt. John Handy Turntable w/ Corent 1 Tonearm & Ortofon MC X40 Cartridge
As always there were some excellent turntables on display from manufacturers like Linn Turntables, VPI (by dealers), as well as Pear Audio. Overall, we were most impressed with the options from Pear Audio, including the Blue Capt. J Handy Turntable, specifically. This was much more affordable in price than the Blue Aras, also by Pear Audio, on display in another room. Paired with the Marten Parker Duo Bookshelf speakers, the Capt. J Handy performed exceptionally well, with clear detail, a smooth and airy mid-range, and exceptional dimensionality.
The turntable itself has additional damping features in the feet and motor not present on the lower range models, and employs the unique uni-pivot Technology, designed by Tom Fletcher, to properly maintain the azimuth using a proprietary material that has specialized viscosity to prevent flow and the need for “settling time” that exists on other brand’s similarly-designed tonearms. The end result is impressive sonic timing and faithfulness to signal reproduction.
The overall setup was impressive and much more affordable than may of the other exhibitor’s systems on display. We are very excited to name the Pear Audio Blue Capt. John Handy Turntable our Editor’s Pick for this category!
Amplifiers
VAC Master 300 iQ MKII Musicbloc Power Amplifier
The Florida Audio Expo had several well-known and high-end amplifier brands on exhibition. Let’s take a look at the VAC Master 300 iQ MKK Musicbloc Power Amplifiers that performed the best. Retailing at $50k per unit and paired with the Acora VRC Loudspeakers (retailing at over $200k), this is one of the coolest and most unique pieces of electronics we’ve seen. This is a hand-built unit that brings exceptional transparency and imagery and stands above other tube amplifiers. It can process signal in either stereo at 160w/channel or mono for a dedicated 300W.
VAC (short for Valve Amplification Company) has been around since 1990 and their products are manufactured in Florida. This company is most well-known for its tube amplifiers and pre-amps. They are nearly always in attendance at high-end audio shows and are usually the best in performance. This show was not an exception. Only the VAC engineers know what they put into the soup to make it so good, but their patented iQ Intelligence Continuous Automatic Bias System is definitely part of that success. Historically, after almost 100 years since tube amplification was invented, the triode vacuum tube remains the most linear amplifying element.
VAC and the world’s foremost guitarists use tube amps, and why some of the best microphones and studio processors. Tube technology is also prized by the world’s best recording studios, such as City of Stars Recording Studio in San Francisco, CA and the OLD Capitol Recording studios. At the next show you attend be sure to check out any exhibit by VAC and you won’t be disappointed!
Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier
Advance Paris amplifiers push the envelope for high quality sound in an affordable price range. Advanced Paris is a French company established in 1995, which started out developing Speakers. It was not until 2002 that they developed electronics. Originally launched in the USA in 2013 with the electronic brand consisting of Power Amps, Integrated Amps, Pre-Amps, CD Players, and more. They stated that their goal was to deliver uncompromising sound quality at affordable prices. There were two rooms at the show with Advance Paris electronics driving high-quality performance of sound that definitely improved the overall sound quality of the speakers compared to performance with lesser electronics. For Advanced Paris they have found a way to establish “A Harmonious Blend of Technology and Art” that really amplifies (pun intended) the performance!
Our favorite piece, the A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier, was paired with the Amphion Argon 3LX Floorstanding Speakers, mentioned above. This amplifier retails at $4.5k and you are able to experience the value for every dollar spent. This dual mono amplifier is an upgrade to the A10 Classic and features additional inputs for more versatility within an existing system, including BT with aptX technology for streaming from your digital device. It is powerful enough to drive just about anything with the dual toroidal transformers that product 190 W at 8 ohms per channel. The A12 also has two vacuum tubes on the pre-amp stage that add incredible warmth and depth to the sound. Given these features, the excellent sound quality, and not to mention the price-point, the A12 Classic is our Editor’s Pick for the Florida Audio Expo in the Amplifier category!
If you’ve made it this far, we sincerely thank you for taking the time our of your busy schedule to join us in our journey at the Florida International Audio Expo. As can be seen above, we certainly enjoyed listening to so many amazing products and sharing our thoughts and opinions with you. Attending an audio show is a singular experience and this annual event in Tampa, Florida is one of the best in terms of combining a laid-back atmosphere with a truly engaging and educational experience. We can’t recommend it enough for new and established audiophiles. Thank you, dear reader and be well!
