Kevin Deal, Upscale Audio's founder, in front of the system we will re-create for you at the event.
Experience our jaw-dropping main system from AXPONA 2026.
David Solomon walked into the Upscale Audio room at AXPONA and stopped dead. He listened for a bit, laughed incredulously, and came over to request a track. He picked 'Paper Tiger' from Boogaloo to Beck by Dr. Lonnie Smith with David "Fathead" Newman. As Dr. Lonnie's Hammond B-3 coiled into the room, David turned to us, and still laughing in wonder, positively raved about how good the Klipsch La Scalas sounded.
David is the former VP of business development at Qobuz, and is a longtime member and friend of the hi-fi industry, having co-founded Peachtree Audio and led the US launches of both Tidal and Qobuz. In short, he knows when he's hearing a good thing. (He's now semi-retired but continues in his role of Qobuz's "chief hi-res music evangelist" at audio shows, giving talks, interviews, and conducting flash DJ sessions in various rooms.)
While the La Scala AL6 delights Klipschheads, converts K-skeptics, and creates new fans every time it plays, we should stress it was very ably supported by a pair of REL Acoustics 212 Black Label subwoofers. With its four 12" drivers, the 212 offers an incredible 3.14 sq. ft. of driver area. Combine this sub's room-pressurizing ability with the new La Scala's depth, weight, and slam, and the swift attack and soaring swirl of Dr. Lonnie's Hammond created a near-religious experience in the Schaumburg H room at AXPONA.
A still from our AXPONA 2026 recap video showing David Solomon, Qobuz evangelist.
However, when we posted our video recap of the show, we were rightly chided by YouTube commenter @goldfishmichael95, who wrote, "Guys, you really need to put out some information videos about the Phasemation brand. I bought the PP-200, one of the most natural and analog carts for under [1.5k] USD. There are hardly any videos about this brand in English, nor reviews. Hidden gem."
He's right. We've not crowed enough about our new brand from Japan, and nowhere was it more apparent than in the sweet spot of our AXPONA system. That mighty REL/Klipsch combo was driven by a Phasemation SA-1500 tube integrated amp, a 300B dual-mono SET that pushes out 9 watts of power. No, we didn't miss a zero: just 9 W of pure Class-A, single-ended triode muscle made even industry old-timers stop, blink, laugh, point, and shake their heads in amazement.
Sounds too good to miss? Sad you weren't there? You can hear the same setup at our next in-store event, Sounds of Summer, on May 9, from 11 am to 2 pm. Further details are being finalized, but there will be a six-pack of the REL S/550 (which looks so good with those new grilles; see the video), plus speakers from Fyne Audio. David Denson from Meze Audio will be in his usual spot, demoing headphones with a range of amps, and there might even be a system fed by the new Technics SL-1200GME.
As always, space is limited so that everybody gets a turn in the sweet spot and there's room to hobnob with people who get it. Hit the button now and claim your seat at Sounds of Summer!
Our AXPONA main system. From top: Dr. Feickert Trio SE turntable, Grimm MU2 streaming DAC, Phasemation EA-550 phonostage, Phasemation SA-1500 integrated amp, and AudioQuest Niagara 5000 power conditioner.