The largest high-end audio show in North America, AXPONA showcases more than 500 exhibitors and brands in audio over a three-day weekend at the Renaissance Schaumberg in Chicago. Beds have been removed from over 200 sleeping rooms, converting them to interactive listening rooms showcasing speakers, amplifiers, turntables, streaming equipment and high-end accessories, with thousands of visitors, manufacturers, media and hobbyists roaming the halls, searching for that perfect addition to their audio system.
CoolCleveland first attended AXPONA in 2013, and has taken the opportunity to talk with industry experts, attendees and audio media to gain their perspective on this exciting field.
For AXPONA 2023, CoolCleveland has chosen the theme of diversity and spoke with a number of attendees, members of the media, and representatives from the industry to listen to their thoughts and opinions. https://AXPONA.com
Michael Fremer on Diversity in the Audio Industry at AXPONA 2023
Michael Fremer is legendary in the world of audio and is considered the leading expert on vinyl records. He is the editor of The Tracking Angle (TrackingAngle.com) and Senior Editor of The Absolute Sound (TheAbsoluteSound.com), and he spoke about the diversity he sees in the audio industry, especially overseas, and how he has mentored younger people in the field. View the video interview here.
The Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg on Diversity in High-End Audio
Steve Guttenberg is The Audiophiliac with a very popular YouTube channel on high-end audio. He knows his audience and the metrics tell him that 99% of his followers are men.
He believes we all want more diversity, and he has an idea about where the next generation of audiophiles are. View the video interview here.
Shanon McKellar of TONEaudio Speaks Out as a Woman in High-End Audio
Shanon McKellar is a journalist for TONEaudio magazine, and she has worked in the high-end audio industry for years. Her perspective is, “If you truly love music, gender doesn’t matter.”
She finds there is less than 7% women in the online forums she administers. “Do women have to work harder and be smarter… maybe.” View the video interview here. View the video here.
Grover Neveille of INDULGR Talks Diversity at AXPONA 2023
Grover Neville is an Oberlin College Conservatory grad who writes for INDULGR online magazine and is a musician working in the music industry on the West Coast.
Their passion for high-end audio was passed down to them from their father, and they have some thoughts about diversity in the audio industry. View the video here.
Wendell & Galina Diller Discuss Diversity at AXPONA 2023
When Wendell Diller of Magnepan accepted our invitation to talk about diversity at AXPONA 2023, he insisted that we include his wife Galina. Offering speakers that are affordable has always been important to Magnepan.
“Young people and their incomes. Yes. That’s a very, very important subject to me. My dad was a Mennonite minister, and frugality is part of their culture,” says Wendell. View the video here.
Inside the Secret Magnepan Room at AXPONA 2023
Wendell Diller of Magnepan invites CoolCleveland into their secret room at AXPONA 2023, where reviewers, media, and audiophiles can spend time one-on-one, listening at length and talking with Wendell about the future of Magnepan, and the future of hi-fi. View the video here.
Stuart George of Cambridge Audio on Diversity at AXPONA 2023
Stuart George of Cambridge Audio takes a decidedly different approach to audio than most in the industry. He offered his thoughts on diversity in the field:
“I think this industry sometimes forgets what it’s all about, and it’s about the music. We’re all music lovers, and that’s what drew us to it.” View the video here.
Kat Orlian of Upscale Audio has Something To Say About Diversity
Kat Ourlian of Upscale Audio had a supportive upbringing by her parents, which gave her the confidence to go into the music industry, first as a recording engineer and now in the audio industry. Along the way, she’s developed some strategies for how to deal with people who treat her differently because she’s not a man.
“I call it gaining trust. People don’t trust me right off the bat, which is a little bizarre… just because I’m a woman. And then being young…” View the video here.
Krista Haughey of AudioQuest Talks Frankly About Diversity
Krista Haughey of AudioQuest started in accounting, then customer service, then moved up into sales. “I wouldn’t say there’s roadblocks, but it is an old boys club. So you have to play your cards properly.”
She also has a simple suggestion for men, “It’s very simple. Listen. Listen more. Don’t tell us.” And there’s more. “I thing the industry as a whole needs to learn how to talk to the younger community.” View the video here.
Audiophile Thomas Jones Has Some Advice at AXPONA 2023
Thomas Jones, audiophile, has some specific advice for the high-end audio industry if they are looking to attract young people:
“You gotta advertise it on the channels that the kids listen to. If they want this to grow, and not die, they’ve got to diversify.” View the video here.
John Devore of DeVore Fidelity on Diversity at AXPONA 2023
John Devore of DeVore Fidelity talks about diversity in the audio industry at AXPONA 2023: “It is a real issue. I’ve been in the industry a very long time, 30 years or so, and throughout that entire 30 years, the industry has talked and talked and talked about trying to diversify the clientele. The retailers are pulling their hair out because they are worried that all their best customers are dying of old age. The manufacturers are wondering how to attract the attention of a younger audience or a female audience.”
“Here I am in my mid-50’s and my white beard sitting here pontificating and mansplaining to the universe about how we should be more diverse. It takes action.”
“So part of that is recruiting young people, female people, non-white people, to run the rooms. Or be in the companies. It’s not about whinging and whining and talking about it. It’s about doing it.” View the video here.
Besflores Nievera of Music Direct Thinks Pushing Diversity Will See “A New Audience Come To Life”
Besflores Nievera, Brand Ambassador of Music Direct sees a lot of diversity in his daily conversations with customers. “I enjoy being able to talk to everyone from couples to transgender, and they actually love talking about audio, talking about music.”
And he has some ideas for improvement, “For starters, every ad needs to be a refreshed design. I also think that if there were publications like The Advocate (magazine) that would take an advertisement for stereo stuff, you probably would find yourself really seeing a new audience come to life.” View the video here.
Angela Cardas Built a Family-Friendly Retro Room to Attract a Diverse Crowd to AXPONA 2023
Angela and Josh Cardas, their son Luke, his friend Brody, and almost 20-year employee Brian, decided to go in the opposite direction with their room at AXPONA 2023, a retro throwback with a Farah Fawcett poster, a (working) Mac Plus computer and Josh wailing away on an Eddie Van Halen style guitar.
“We’re definitely seeing more of a family vibe this year. So we’re not doing the whole ‘man-cave’ thing,” says Angela. View the video here.
Liz Miller, Event Director of AXPONA is Encouraged by the Diversity at AXPONA 2023
Liz Miller of JD Events is the show organizer for AXPONA, but that’s not all. “As a woman, as a millennial, I think about what my friends or co-workers, how they would want to find out about the show, how they can get excited about the show. I’m using different channels, YouTube, social media.”
“It’s a slow change, but I’m actually encouraged by what I’ve seen this year.” View the video here.
Beatrice Lam of VTL Amplifiers Hopes More Women Will Do Product Development
Beatrice Lam of VTL Amplifiers has a daunting background: electrical engineering at Cornell, then graduate work at Purdue, then a software engineer at Hewlett-Packard. Now it’s her ears that voice every amp that VTL ships.
On the topic of diversity in the audio industry, Beatrice says, “I’m always trying to break the glass ceiling. When I was in engineering school, I was the only woman there.”
And she is hopeful for the future: “I’m happy to see more and more women are joining (the industry), and I hope that more will become more involved in actually the product development, in understanding customers and the market, and putting it all back into making the products as high-quality as possible.” View the video here.
Nilin Holley & Mikayla Olds, Engineers, at AXPONA 2023
Nilin Holley & Mikayla Olds, two women engineers visiting AXPONA 2023, found something interesting. “I noticed a lot of people definitely get more excited once they find out we’re engineers.”
“It’s still the stereotypical older white men that are in the field. They still haven’t warmed up to the fact that women are getting more interesting in engineering,” says Mikayla. View the video here.
Linette Smith of HiFi PiG Doesn’t Need To Be Mansplained To
Linette Smith of HiFi PiG moved from England to France, and attends all the major audio shows in the U.K. and Europe, which are more of a family affair, attracting women, kids and families.
She has also started a group, Women in Hi-Fi for women in the audio world to get together, network and do business together. She suggests using different kinds of music to draw people in. “We listen to a lot of house music, or techno, it sort of draws people in.” And she suggests not assuming that people don’t know about audio, “They don’t necessarily need to mansplained to about stuff.” View the video here.
Katie Wilson Says Linn Is Not Hiring From the “Old-Boys Club”
Katie Wilson of Linn, when asked about diversity in the high-end audio industry at AXPONA 2023, says Linn, the legendary turntable brand, is a family business that has a unique approach to staffing:
“We do not hire from the old-boys club, if you like. We’re not looking for industry veterans, we’re looking for people who can bring something special.” As for diversity in the audio world, she says, “I think it’s definitely slow to progress.” View the video here.
Julie Mullins of Stereophile Has Some Things To Say About Diversity in Audio
Julie Mullins of Stereophile is one of the most recognizable women in high-end audio, having worked for many of the major publications and now serving as contributing editor of Stereophile magazine. She’s been at this a while and has a lot to say about diversity in the field, including some interesting stories about being the only woman in the (listening) room at times.
Julie sees a lot of progress over the years, but she believes there’s more that everyone can do, from organizers to manufacturers, to make the equipment, and the field, more accessible to more people. “Just talk to the woman, treat her equally as everyone else in the room, and don’t assume she knows nothing. She may be an audio engineer, she may be a professional musician.” View the video here.
View CoolCleveland’s coverage of AXPONA 2019: https://coolcleveland.com/P3shB
View CoolCleveland’s coverage of AXPONA 2017: https://coolcleveland.com/S8sXC
View CoolCleveland’s coverage of AXPONA 2016: https://coolcleveland.com/ugNdr
View CoolCleveland’s coverage of AXPONA 2015: https://coolcleveland.com/blog/Eqy1C
View CoolCleveland’s coverage of AXPONA 2014: https://coolcleveland.com/blog/cGdmi
View CoolCleveland’s coverage of AXPONA 2013: https://coolcleveland.com/blog/6a3Ji