This is a product that makes recording sound lively and direct, exciting and engaging. Put on something like Milstein's reading of the Dvorak violin concert to enjoy the presence and body this line-stage brings to the dramatic opening, the way it holds the soloist against the orchestral backdrop, extracting every last ounce of his passion and technique. For me, that’s what hi-fi should be about and on those grounds the Audiopax Model 5 deserves, even demands, your attention.”
[Roy Gregory, Hi-Fi+]

“Resumindo minhas impressões sobre o balanço tonal e a qualidade sonora: um pré-amplificador que soa rico, generoso e sensual, com um som que apresenta o espaço de uma foram ampla e precisa enquanto os detalhes individuais dos instrumentos não soam de forma analítica mas ao contrário - extremamente naturais! Este pré amplificador brilha de uma forma musical admirável. Em certos aspectos muito importantes é o melhor pré amplificador que eu jamais ouvi."
[Knuth Vadseth, Fidelity]

“From the land of Black Orpheus comes the Audiopax Model 5. Perhaps its Brazilian provenance excited my desires, but this preamp struck me as a potential jewel. The designer, Eduardo de Lima, is a gentleman who resonates with intelligence. If he says his preamp is tunable for timbre, I believe him. If he says the Model 5 offers world-class dynamics and definition, I believe him. If he says I have to fly to Rio de Janeiro to audition the unit, I believe him. With Carnaval only a few weeks away, I must have some frequent-flyer miles somewhere."
[Jim Saxon, Soundstage]

"I spent a long time listening to music in the Audiopax room, where Eduardo de Lima explained the various and extensive changes made to his range of high end electronics... The sound was amongst the very best at the show, and it is clear music comes first in this Brazilian company.”
[Phil Gold, Enjoy the Music]

Of all the rooms I visited, I can't remember one that was more musical. The Audiopax Model 88 single-ended tube amps were driving a pair of Audiopax Ref 100 speakers. Also in attendance was the new Zanden CD transport. The music drew me in with its effortless quality. The midband was palpable and the highs extended. The bass was solid. The speakers threw an immense soundstage and imaged as well as any minimonitors.
[Bill Brooks, Soundstage!]

"The room that epitomized my central quality of spiritual energetics to utmost perfection was the Audiopax/Zanden/Grand Prix Audio/Z-Cable/Lindsay Cable/BPT system. It gets my vote for personal favorite of CES 2004 and thus takes pride of place on this opening page. Two notable speaker design houses, one by way of a technical engineer from a veritable conglomerate, congratulated Eduardo in no uncertain terms on his new speaker. The engineer was ready to place an order for the novel midrange driver, something its Brazilian inventor politely but resolutely declined. To get the low-down on this tube-optimized speaker design with its 11-ohm nominal impedance, our own Jules Coleman will do the honors with an in-depth review. Meanwhile, David Chesky returned to this room multiple times, spending more than an hour during one visit which is a very rare, blue-moon-kind of occurrence indeed. Why? I saw David barely last through one of his self-mastered Chesky tracks in multiple other rooms. Plus, I have myself been subject to his intense on-the-spot evaluation while still manning active exhibits for manufacturers in the past. David knows his recordings and only needs seconds to determine how closely playback mimics the live studio experience."
[Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons]

"When my soul needed nourishment, I found myself returning to three rooms at the CES. There was a magic in these rooms, a naturalness of sound, an ease of presentation in which barriers between sound and music, between hearing and feeling, between passively listening and actively experiencing were largely -- and occasionally entirely -- removed. In no particular order (and referring to the rooms by the names of the speakers for simplicity) I touched and was touched by the soul of music in the Audiopax, Duevel and FJ rooms. Music in the Audiopax room was more detailed, subtle, nuanced and enthralling than anywhere else in Las Vegas. In the four times I returned to this room, I never once saw someone stand up and leave in the middle of a song. I never once heard distracting conversations. People listened, deeply drawn into the music. On the one hand, the sound was subtle and seductive; on the other hand, it was powerful and musically right. The Audiopax speaker was the most outstanding new product I heard at the show."
[Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons]

"My favorite room of the show was without a doubt was Audiopax room. The highlight of the room was the Audiopax Ref 100 speaker. This listening session provided the best audition of a full-range loudspeaker I can recall. The musical detail, the subtlety and the micro dynamics were astonishing. The tone and timbre of instruments was very close to live. It is hard to imagine being more a part of the performance than I felt in this room. At $13k for the pair I would try to find a way to purchase these if someone would assure me that they would sound this good in my room. Accompanying electronics played their part I am sure. Audiopax Model 5 preamp, Audiopax Model 88 mono block amps went a long way toward providing this very seamless system and the attendant sound."
[Sensible Sound]

”The sound in this room? Elegant, refined, married to the very essence of music. Positive Feedback's Clark Johnson raved about it in the elevator as a must-hear attraction. He was somewhat disappointed that not only had I already been to it but actually "discovered" Audiopax many years ago.”
[Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons]

"My favorite high-end audio exhibit demonstrated just how intimate and expressive properly matched SET amplifiers and horn loudspeakers can be. Avantgarde USA, the US distributor of the famous German horn loudspeakers, now handles an excellent line of vacuum tube amplifiers and preamps designed by Dr. Eduardo de Lima and manufactured by Audiopax of Brazil. The demonstration combined a pair of Audiopax Model 88, SET monoblocs with a pair of Avantgarde Duos. The combination was stunning, not just by reproducing music in a convincing manner, but by allowing the listener to experience every nuance, to feel completely involved, and to be totally enveloped in the music. Becoming entranced by the sound of this system was easy. Prying oneself away and escaping to see more of the show was not. "
[Richard & Deborah George, TNT-Audio]

"Audiopax surprised many people this year by introducing a new single-ended solid state monoblock amplifier. Yes, you read it right – solid state! Rated at 30 watts per channel in pure Class A, the new Model 55 still has Audiopax’s patented “Timbre Lock” controls and come finished in classy chrome with lacquered wood sides. The look reminds me of their flagship Model 88s and the sound was eerily similar too! Partnered with their own Model 5 preamp and driving the new Ref 150 speakers – a design that incorporates an adjustable tweeter module for time alignment, the combination produced one of the sweetest-sounding and most musically satisfying sounds of the show. Eduardo de Lima, Audiopax’s chief designer, explained to me that the Model 55 was produced to suit those who love the Audiopax sound but for one reason or other, cannot (or will not) own tube amps in their system. I personally think it is an excellent idea, as the sound quality is what actually matters, not whether the technology is solid state or tube, push-pull or single-ended.
[Cecil Tan, HiFi.com.sg]

Best of Show: The first, and least expensive alternate, was found in the Audiopax room at the St. Tropez. This system was unusually clean, fast, dynamic, and detailed. I first listened to an excellent recording that featured a very potent drum kit. Hearing the different drums reproduced by the Audiopax Ref 150 speakers, I was very impressed by the tautness of the drums, and their lifelike dynamics and natural tonality. Moving to my blazing Tim Reynolds guitar cut, I dared the Audiopax to reproduce those ferocious strings without blurring or smearing and with the proper timbre and bite. To my amazement, they did exactly that without a fret, glitch, or a hitch. The Ref 150 speakers are medium sized 3-ways with de-coupled tweeter modules and custom-built woofer and midrange units. They were finished in the slick-looking Dark Imbuia furniture-grade wood veneer. The thing about the Audiopax system that really made me pause and think was when I learned that these 92 dB efficient speakers could play so loudly and authoritatively with solid-state mono-block amplifiers rated at only 30 watts. This was a tough lump to swallow, but apparently, it was the case. Using the Audiopax Model 5 LE preamp, and a pair of Model 55 single-ended mono-blocks, the sound was not only incredibly dynamic and articulate, it was also highly musical. I am told that Audiopax also markets excellent 30-watt tube mono-blocks, the Model 88 Mk-II, but unfortunately they were not hooked up during my visit.”
[Frank Alles, Stereotimes]

"... I recently had one of those magical moments ... In the last CES show I listened to many demonstrations, some good, some interesting. Near the end, David Chesky pulled me to listen to some rooms that I had missed ... including the Audiopax . Seconds after the start I was totally immersed in the music ... David then asked me to pay attention to a certain detail of recording and remember the feeling of being torn from somewhere kilometers away to do so. So I answered it, I relaxed and I was transported again. The system showed a huge response, soundstage, treble silk, natural tones, stunning resolution, etc.? I really can not say. At that moment, in that room, I was unable to listen analytically, I could just respond musically. The question is how to create this "ability to carry" in our equipment and recordings "?
[Paul Stubblebine]