Fern & Roby with Miyajima, ModWright, Black Cat Cable
Christopher Hildebrand, the man behind Fern & Roby, is a bit of a romantic. He's got that same sentimental streak I do, a deep appreciation for the simple things – music, books, and the love of family. It's no surprise, then, that he's poured his heart into his unique audio creations, honoring the memory of his grandmothers, Fern and Roby.
Fidelis Distribution Presents Pure Fidelity, Lab 12, and Argent Pur
Fidelis Distribution’s Walter Swanbon plays the long game. Like other legacy manufacturers—think Audio Note, Tannoy, Audio Research—Swanbon’s equipment offerings are classics: some in waiting, some long established as leaders.
Fidelity Imports/The Listening Room
Compared to past years, Fidelity Imports and its stable of brands kept a lower profile at this year’s Capital Audiofest. It shared rooms with local dealer, The Listening Room (“Audio Systems of Distinction” since 1978), showing equipment I have become familiar with both from afar and up close, as in my recent review of the Michell TecnoDec at Analog Planet, and soon, the Union Research S6 integrated amplifier for Stereophile.
Gershman Acoustics with VPI, Infigo, VAC, Cardas
Ofra Gershman brought her 30th anniversary Black Swan Speakers ($95,000/pair) to CAF, that feature the company’s patented “Separate Sub Alignment System,” which physically separates the tweeter and midrange from the woofer.
Gestalt Audio: TW Acustic, PrimaryControl, Fuuga, Cinnamon, SW1X Amp, S.A.Lab, Samson, Trafomatic, Wolf von Langa, Sternklang, Hijiri, Silent Running Audio, Tchernov
Gestalt Audio held two rooms at CAF, each holding the kind of esoteric equipment I would love to get my grimy, ink-stained hands on.
Gramophone: Totem, HiFi Rose, Chord, AudioQuest, Solidsteel
What’s in a name? Joe Finn of Timonium, Maryland’s Gramophone clearly knows the answer. He brought a compact system to CAF, one stocked with overachieving gear and equally ambitious cables, courtesy of AudioQuest.
Hanging at the Capital
Lucca Chesky with his LC1 loudspeaker. (Photo: Ken Micallef)
"Shot?", said Boris. It was more a command than a question. He poured Beluga vodka into my glass. "My father drank three shot every day," Boris said. "Lived to 87." Boris Meltsner is the owner of Amped, a very fine range of class-D amplifiers. I was visiting him at the 2024 Capital AudioFest (CAF) in Rockville, Maryland. Boris hails from "Soviet Union, not Russia," he said in an accent as thick as a potato-filled piroshki. "Was called Soviet Union when I left."
Visiting CAF is a joy for me. I recently sold my company, Music Hall, and I was already missing the camaraderie of my industry colleagues and the fun of playing and listening to music.Harmonia Distribution: Harbeth, Grimm Audio, PrimaLuna, Cardas, Sbooster
Harmonia Distribution brought a respectable system to CAF, including a Grimm Audio MU2 Media Player Streamer Preamplifier ($17,500), PrimaLuna EVO 400 Tube Preamplifier ($4995), and a product I raved about at Stereophile and continue to use, the PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Power Amplifier ($7195).
High Water Sound: Cessaro, Zeiler Audio, TW-Acustic, Dalby Audio Design, Codia Acoustic Design, Silent Running Audio, Stein Music
Even if audio isn’t your thing, I always advise everyone within earshot to visit Jeffrey Catalano’s hi-fi rooms, the world over. ‘Cause more than a smart-witted audiophile, Jeffrey is a seasoned musician and experienced listener, his vinyl collection spreading to the many thousands. This man has serious taste in music, an influencer, you might say, of the highest degree.
Infigo Audio, Alta Audio with VPI
This all-Infigo-meets-Alta room was bathed in Infigo Audio’s Hans Looman’s usual blue light glow, showering the room with the same mystical vibrations I heard from this room at some CAF long since past.