AXPONA 2025

We’re a day away from wheels-up to AXPONA, but as I noted in my show primer here yesterday, I wanted to share a few cool new gear previews before heading off to the event. Here’s one of them, courtesy of our friends at Choice Audio, and the Vinnie Rossi line in particular.

Now, seeing how we definitely loved experiencing the first-gen Vinnie Rossi Brama preamp that was part of Wynn Audio’s system setup in the Carlyle Room at last October’s Toronto Audio Fest, we’re looking forward to checking out the second-gen edition of the Brama that will be on display at AXPONA, which officially opens on Friday, April 11.

Team Choice/Rossi gave us a heads up about the imminent AXPONA appearance of Brama 2.0, and they also shared details of where it will be on display/demo, and what else will be in the system.

But first, let’s take note of some updates and refinements over its aforementioned predecessor. The Brama preamp (2nd Gen) boasts a chassis machined from aircraft-grade aluminum for enhanced resonance control and aesthetic appeal. It also sports new power-supply designs that are said to ensure lower noise and improved transient response, and it’s all coupled with an updated Class A, 300B line stage. The second-gen Brama also comes with a remote control with Bluetooth connectivity. Finally, the Brama 2.0 preamp has an SRP of $38,995.

The second-gen Brama preamp will be seen and heard in action in Room 1427, where Vinnie Rossi and YG Acoustics have joined forces to showcase the following gear. Amplification is being handled by that Brama Gen 2 preamp and Vinnie Rossi Brama Gen2 monoblock power amps ($59,995/pr). Also in the playback system are Rockport Technologies Lynx loudspeakers ($78,000/pr; in Satin Titanium Metallic), the Innuos ZENith Next-Gen music server ($20,700; with PhoenixUSB Lite and 2TB SSD), and a Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC ($13,500).

Room treatment is courtesy Stillpoints Aperture II ($960/ea), while cabling and power conditioning are all by AudioQuest — more specifically, their Niagara 5000 power conditioner ($5,900), PowerQuest G8 power bar ($99.95), Dragon High-Current AC power cable x2 ($5,500; 1m ea) Dragon Source AC power cable x3 ($4,500; 1m ea), FireBird High-Current AC power cable ($3,500; 1m ea), FireBird ZERO speaker cables ($18,100; 8ft pr), FireBird XLR interconnects ($7,500; 1m pr), ThunderBird XLR interconnects ($3,900; 1m pr), Cinnamon USB A-to-B cable ($99.95; 0.75m), Pearl RJ/E ethernet cable ($39.95; 0.75m), and Vodka RJ/E ethernet cable ($499.95; 0.75m).

AudioQuest notes that cable prices are representative — not necessarily actual, per se — and they may vary, depending on length.

Meanwhile, one door over in Room 1428, a second-gen Vinnie Rossi Brama integrated amp ($47,995) will be coupled with QLN Reference 9 loudspeakers ($45,000), the upcoming flagship Merason Mountain DAC ($20,000) as fed by an Innuos Music Server ($20,250).

Read our AXPONA FAQ/primer here.

For more information about the show, please visit axpona.com.