Capital AudioFest 2017

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CanMania at CAF

Herb Reichert Nov 08, 2017 First Published: Nov 08, 2017 0 comments

What I love most about the CanJam-CanMania world of headphones is, when I enter these rooms full of tables stacked with gear and cans; all laid out into individual listening stations; each with its own folding chair, DAC, amp, and headphonesall with table cloths and tangled wiresI am reminded of those ham radio meets I used to attend. Those tribal rooms were always alive with a collective vibe of discoveryjust like here and now. CAF 2017's CanMania was no exception, and, exactly like those old hamfests, there are tubes everywhere.

And of course, the most hamfest-tubealistic of all is (as always) Justin Weber's Ampsandsound table...

Capital AudioFest 2017

Herb's Final Report from CAF2017

Herb Reichert Nov 08, 2017 First Published: Nov 08, 2017 0 comments

Dan Wright is most famous for his Oppo disc-player modifications that seem to cure the colorlessness and industrial ennui that contaminates the stock Oppo players. They look a bit weird sci-fi with the two tubes sticking out the top like alien antennaebut his BDP-105 and 205 mods sound rich fast and wonderful. Dan also makes beautifully crafted amps and preamps. And lately, he's been making glamorous-looking and -sounding headphone amplifiers like the shiny red $7900 300B tube-powered HA300 amplifier pictured above.

Capital AudioFest 2017

Art Wraps It Up from CAF2017

Art Dudley Nov 08, 2017 First Published: Nov 08, 2017 0 comments

After the Capital Audio fest vintage seminar and my visit to Vinyl Revivers, I looked at my phone and saw that time was running out: I had just over three hours left to cover seven or eight more rooms. Time to get cracking!

Capital AudioFest 2017

Art's Saturday Afternoon at CAF

Art Dudley Nov 07, 2017 First Published: Nov 07, 2017 0 comments

Because I'm ill-disposed to flyingwhen you get right down to it, I'm not wild about traveling in generalI usually go by train. That's where I'm working on this portion of my CAF 2017 coverage. (We're near Trenton, New Jersey as I write this.)

Capital AudioFest 2017

Herb's Third Report from CAF

Herb Reichert Nov 07, 2017 First Published: Nov 07, 2017 0 comments

When I walked into the VK Music room, I was jealous and embarrassed. I was jealous, because obviously VK Music's Victor Kung was doing something I admire; I was simultaneously embarrassed that I had never heard of his British Columbia-based operation.

Capital AudioFest 2017

Sunday Morning at the 2017 CAF

Art Dudley Nov 07, 2017 First Published: Nov 07, 2017 0 comments

On Sunday morning, my Capital Audiofest 2017 experience began in the Hilton's Washington Auditorium, as my friend and colleague Herb Reichert (above) and I hosted a seminar titled "The Virtues of Vintage."

Capital AudioFest 2017

Art's Saturday Morning at CAF

Art Dudley Nov 06, 2017 First Published: Nov 06, 2017 0 comments

Pros: Tactile, clear, colorful, and remarkably spacious sound; beautifully made gear

Cons: Audiophile music, audiophile demonstration protocol.

The sound in the room that featured the Daedalus Apollo 11 speaker ($22,800/pair), a selection of tubed electronics from ModWright, and cabling by WyWires was superb: detailed without sounding etched, and pleasantly liquid and warm, with good texture and a really great, spacious sense of scale. On top of all that, the gear from both brands is gorgeous: as rich and colorful in appearance as in sound.

Capital AudioFest 2017

Art’s Second Report from CAF

Art Dudley Nov 05, 2017 First Published: Nov 05, 2017 0 comments

I began the second half of my Friday in the room sponsored by Tone Imports and Connecticut dealer Old Forge Studio, enjoying a mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar. In the former category was the enduringly recommendable PTP Solid 12 turntable (2950 Euros, available direct) from the Netherlandsa cleverly refurbished idler-drive Lenco with a smart Corian plinth...

Capital AudioFest 2017

More CAF Coverage from Herb

Herb Reichert Nov 05, 2017 First Published: Nov 05, 2017 0 comments

Fyssion? That rhymes with "fishin'," right? Every year I pop in the Fyssion room and every year I start thinking of fishin' before I even sit down, because these Fine Southern Gentlemen remind me of how good the bass fishing must be in their home state of North Carolina. I always cause a little friction 'cause I try to get them to have a room sheet with info about the gear they are playing and they always say, "Why should I do that?" I grin and explain that, "No words from you gets no words from me." They all laugh.

Capital AudioFest 2017

Art’s First Report from CAF

Art Dudley Nov 04, 2017 First Published: Nov 04, 2017 0 comments

Perhaps you've heard this before, but it bears repeating: Veteran exhibitors and attendees alike have a great deal of loyalty and affection for this seven-year-old show and its busy founder, Gary Gill. I was reminded of that during my very first stop on day one of Capital AudioFest 2017, when Kevin Hayes of VAC described the reasoning behind the decision to assemble such a large, expensive, and distinctly ambitious playback system: "In light of the move to this time of year, we wanted to help Gary and the show by doing something exceptional." The result: a system built around the mighty Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 11 loudspeaker ($295,000/pair), powered by two pairs of VAC's Statement 450 iQ monoblock power amplifiers ($120,000/pair).