Shows

The Audio Expo North America showcases the biggest and best that the audio world has to offer, with products coming from all over the world to display. The 2024 show had a record turnout, notably a doubling of Gen Z/age 15-26 participants, an encouraging trend for our hobby. I enjoyed rolling around the various exhibits and checking out the best of the best, but what can be found there that is of interest to the Sound & Vision crowd?

While not exactly a new idea—but one that hasn't quite taken hold of our community yet and inevitably will—a forward-thinking room at a high-end show is one dedicated to listening to music in surround sound. In this case, Dolby Atmos—a format that continues to grow in popularity.

The 7.2.2 system used to demonstrate the effects of Atmos listening featured speakers from MartinLogan's new Motion XT Series. Six Motion XT B100s ($799/each) were used in the front, surround, and back surround positions along with a Motion XT C100 center speaker($1,499), a pair of Masterpiece CI Sistine 4XC speakers ($1,999/each) in the front height positions, and two Dynamo 1100X subwoofers ($1,499/each). Eight Motion Stand 25s ($199/each) supported the bed layer loudspeakers, with the Storm Audio ISP Core 16 ($12,999), Storm Audio PA 16 MK3 ($13,999), and Apple TV 4K/Apple Music conducting the music.

There was a constant line waiting to get into this exhibit. I waited my turn, entered the busy room, and seated myself toward an available spot, back and off-center. Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" was playing. I have enjoyed this song many, many times and was more than a little upset when it was omitted from the Greatest Hits album. Atmos took it to a whole 'nother level of realism, and I did not even mind that my listening seat was far from optimal. It sounded much like being at a live event, where you are in the audience, taking in the show.

Elton John's "Rocket Man," already ethereal, felt more "space-like," adding to the surrealism of the song's intent. I felt our protagonist's wistful feeling of loneliness, the weight of being gone from family and Earth pressing down as the months-long journey to Mars begins. Can Atmos dial up the emotion conveyed by the language of music? Yes, it can and does.

When I got the sweet spot seat, I asked if Pink Floyd's "Time" could be played. The famous clock ticking intro was taken to another level, nay, another dimension of envelopment; I expected about 33% of what was delivered. I imagine this was the effect the band was going for, but were so far ahead of their time, pun intended, that it took several decades for production/reproduction technology to catch up.

The MartinLogan Motion XT Series helped realize this latest evolution in music listening. Everything sounded cleaner and more relaxed by an order of magnitude. While the guitars did have some of those weird, removed-from-the-stage surround pans, it is not a stretch of the imagination to think that was the artist's intent 50+ years ago when surround was in its infancy, as annoying as that can be for two-channel aficionados like myself.

Listening to Madonna's "Vogue," one of my favorite tracks for demonstrating soundstage width and extreme image pans, the Atmos effect was so good that it improved the original QSound algorithm. Another familiar song improved upon.

Part of the fun of attending AXPONA, for me, is picking up new songs to enjoy at home. The demo ended by showing off what the dual Dynamo 1100X subwoofers could bring to bear. With a system crossover of 80 Hz, Flo Rida's "Low (feat.T-Pain)" helped the MartinLogan subs pin those first three octaves. Tiësto & Sevenn's "BOOM" also rocked the bass with the added effect of wild pans shooting out of every available speaker, dancing around the room.

The new MartinLogan Motion XT Series is a noticeable step up in their Motion Series and something I could easily live with. This is coming from a MartinLogan Masterpiece Series ESL owner. Atmos is the next step in music listening, and it portends the future, like it or not. I guarantee you will like it, though! This two-channel-centric guy is now exploring integrating this into his system.