“ …the Black sounded surprisingly extraordinary in the areas of palpable instrumental/vocal timbre, transparency, speed, and clarity right out of the box.”
APRIL 2, 2026
Join Us at AXPONA 2026
APRIL 10-12th,
We invite you to experience world-class analog playback at AXPONA 2026. You can schedule a private appointment or simply stop by — walk-ins are welcome.You’ll find us on the main floor in the Connection Room, Perfection Room and Knowledge Room, alongside our Chicago dealer, Quintessence Audio.
We’ll be showcasing an exceptional lineup:
Hana Umami Black cartridge
DS Audio Grand Master Extreme optical cartridge and TB-100 tube equalizer
Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 turntable with vacuum platter upgrade
fitted with SUPATRAC Nighthawk tonearm & Wilson Benesch Graviton Ti Tonearm
Clearaudio turntables including the Innovation Wood with Unity tonearm, the legendary Statement turntable with Diamond Jubilee MC cartridge, and the new entry-level Compass turntable.
Meet the manufacturers:
Hiroshi Ishihara (Hana)
Tetsuaki (AkI) Aoyagi (DS Audio)
Mark Dohmann (Döhmann Audio)
Richard Braine (SUPATRAC)
Robert Suchy & Stefan Kmuch (Clearaudio)
Meet the Musical Surroundings Team:
Garth Leerer, Ken Bowers, Chris Thompson, and Caleb Puro.
RECENT NEWS
Simply put, the Excel Sound team has delivered a masterpiece.
FEBRUARY 11, 2026
Hana SL MK II $850 - The Hana SL MK II is a worthy successor to the original Hana SL, becoming the new low-cost overachiever, capturing more of nearly everything that the cartridge it replaces in the company’s lineup does.
DECEMBER 16, 2025