Southwest AudioFest July 2026 Show Report: Paul Schumann’s Best Of SWAF 2026 Blue Note Awards

“Vibrant Audio did another fantastic job and justly earned an Enjoy the Music.com Best Of Southwest Audio Fest 2026 Blue Note Award.”

Analog Relax EX500 Moving Coil Cartridge: Easy on the Eyes and Ears!

Reviewed by: Myles B. Astor, May 13, 2026 Issue 145

“This is definitely one cartridge to have on your list when shopping for cartridges in this price range.”

Report on the Show
April 27, 2026

American Sound / Rethm – 1615

“In this room you had the Rethm active speakers, running off an Aurender A30 server/streamer/DAC, at the edge of the room you had another pair of Rethm speakers on static display alongside a Synthesis ROMA 14DC+ CD player.“

American Sound / Avantgarde Acoustic – 1620

“This room is for the horn lovers and valve lovers, huge Avantgarde Trio G3 speakers, paired with massive Air Tight power amps, Wadax Studio player, Studio PSU, and Studio Clock, Air Tight pre-amps, SME Model 60 turntable, and Air Tight phono stage. In a second room they had some more Avantgarde speakers...“

Opus 1 Review
Eric van Spelde  March 2026 
“The Opus 1’s outstanding feature is its ability to convey the energy and emotional intensity of a musical performance through live-wire dynamics.”

Analog Relax EX700 Phono Cartridge 
Reviewed by: Ken Kessler – Release: April 2026 
“Set-up an EX700 with due deference and you just might be able to retire your Koetsu Rosewood”

Opus 1 at the Florida International Audio Expo
Show Report 2026 by PartTime Audiophile
Chuck Bruce And Steven R. Rochlin, Feb 2026

“From a technical standpoint, Avantgarde Acoustic’s Opus 1’s horn loading and 103dB/W/m high-sensitivity made it an ideal match for vacuum tube electronics, avoiding the common tradeoffs between efficiency and tonal warmth.”

The Avantgard Opus 1 at the Florida International Audio Expo
Show Report 2026 by PartTime Audiophile
By Marc Phillips, March 5, 2026

“One of my favorite speakers at the Florida Audio Show–the Avantgarde Acoustics Opus 1–came as a complete surprise.”

Analog Relax EX500 Phono Cartridge 
By Marc Phillips, Feb 8, 2026 

“… the EX500 is one of the most satisfying cartridges I’ve reviewed. Highly recommended.”