Axpona 2022: High Water Sound (a Favorite +)

NYC-based distributor/dealer Jeff Catalano of High Water Sound uses hifi to better appreciate music. While you might think, who doesn’t?, my experience suggests this simple equation can get lost in the sauce especially at hifi shows where you’d think Stevie Ray Vaughan was the official show mascot for the past decade.

Jeff plays records, no digital, and if you look at these album covers, you will get a hint of just how broadly his musical interests span.

I paid Jeff a visit back in February and here’s a peek at his place:

If you’re thinking, “That’s a lot of records!”, I’d agree.

Conveying the musical message at Axpona was the lovely and new TW-Acustic LS 3-Motor, Copper Platter Turntable ($24,000) with 2 TW-Acustic 12″ Tonearms ($6000/each), mounted with a Stein Music Aventurine 6 MC Cartridge ($6500) and Mijajima Infinity Mono Cartridge ($3500) while a massive Massif Audio Design Record Weight ($1000) kept the vinyl pinned to the platter. Moving down a shelf on the Codia Acoustic Design Stage 5000S Racks ($9500/each) sat the TW-Acustic RLS-100 Line Stage ($20,000), TW-Acustic RPS-100 Phono Stage ($20,000), and below that a pair of TW-Acustic SE 300B Monoblock Power Amplifiers ($30,000). Cables from Stein Music, Furutech, and Harmonix Hijiri Million wired everything together.

The speakers at work were the new Cessaro Horn Acoustics Opus One Speakers ($45,000/pair).

The thing about listening to music in one of Jeff’s rooms is there’s always a story that goes with the music selection. Jeff is a musician and artist, and his passion for music, new and old and off the beaten path, is both obvious and infectious. I was treated to selections from the wild ride that is Craig Fortnam’s Ark, Jeff’s “favorite record of the year”, Chet Atkins, Siti Muharam’s Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution On Zanzibar), and more during my two visits (one is never enough).

Listening, led by Jeff’s intro’s to each selection, I traveled directly to the beating heart of music—do not pass go, do not think about hifi which is exactly where I want to go. I could have danced all night (with this system). Bravo!