I admit I don’t know two things about this post’s title: a) What the Ø Audio Icon 12 speakers sound like and b) how to pronounce Ø Audio. Ooh? Aah? Err? Urr?
Cut me some slack, I’m from Jersey (the letter “ø” in Norwegian sounds like the “u” in the English word “burn.”).
If the buzz surrounding the loudspeakers from Norway’s Ø Audio got any louder, you’d be hard pressed to hear ’em. For Axpona 2025, Harmonia Distribution is pairing the Ø Audio Icon 12 louspeakers ($23,400/pair) with electronics from Boulder and dCS all tied up with cables and power conditioning from AudioQuest.
All of this goodness will happen in Room 490 at Axpona 2025 (this room is very high on my Axpona 2025 dance card). Stay tuned.
Here’s the press release from Harmonia Distribution:
This Axpona, Do Not Miss Ø Audio of Norway
The highlight of Axpona 2025 is Room 490. This is where you will experience the Icon 12 from Ø Audio of Norway, set up to show off just how far you can push this $23,400 loudspeaker.
The Icon 12 created a huge buzz at the Florida Audio Expo, and soon after, Steve Huff wrote in a rave review, “These are as close to perfect as a speaker gets for me, period. End of story.” Excitement about this Norwegian brand is running high, and this is your chance to be among the first in the US to hear the already iconic Icon.
The Ø Audio Icon 12 is the middle of a tightly curated three-model lineup. It’s a 92 dB sensitive floorstander with a horn-loaded 3.4″ carbon fiber tweeter, and a 12″ ultra-linear long-stroke woofer. Ø Audio is down the road from SEAS in Norway, and works closely with the famed driver manufacturer, pushing it to develop completely custom tuned drivers for Ø’s exquisite asymmetric cabinets.
Room 490’s demo system as a whole is unmissable. It features electronics from dCS and Boulder, and top-flight cables and power conditioning from AudioQuest. It’s the perfect way to showcase horn-loading and cabinet design brought into 2025 and beyond.
In addition, Harmonia Distribution will be in Room 402 and 404 where we will debut new products from Fyne Audio and Harbeth. We will have static displays of many of the highlights of our product catalog. See for yourself the world-class build quality of PrimaLuna, Pathos Acoustics, and Sbooster, as well as the brands mentioned above.
Ø Audio’s build quality is exceptional and you need to see the asymmetrical cabinets in person.
About Ø Audio
The Norwegian speaker company was founded in 2017 by Sveinung Mala and Jonathan Magnus Cook, and quickly became known for the Icon, which garnered multiple awards, a vindication of Ø Audio’s “anti-commercial” ethos that prioritizes sound quality and innovation over a vanilla mass-market appeal.
In 2021, Ø Audio expanded the line-up and grew the company with a plan to conquer a global market, growing the team and making significant investments in infrastructure.