Ken Micallef

Pathos InPol Remix MkII integrated amplifier

Ken Micallef Jan 06, 2023

Sometimes when the world shouts too loudly, I immerse myself in other sounds: in music. I escape the cacophony by diving into my stash of vinyl records (not literally, although that's a fun image) and reveling in the soundwaves they release. The soundwaves liberated from those physical grooves, combined with impressions stored deep in my hippocampus, never fail to soothe, energize, fascinate, excite.

Turntable Reviews

Pure Fidelity Harmony Record Player

Ken Micallef Nov 17, 2022

When scouring the labyrinthine halls of big audio shows for products to review in Stereophile, I use three main markers to determine which rooms to visit: a must-hear designation from Editor Jim Austin; a company or brand whose products always light my fire; and systems fellow Stereophile correspondents have described, in a text or an in-person conversation, as worth checking out. Other times, though, I just follow my nose.

Capital AudioFest 2022

Capital Audiofest 2022: A Fantastic Show

Ken Micallef Nov 16, 2022

CAF 2022 was fantastic! There were many great sounding rooms, and everyone was in good spirits. Soon after the show kicked off, many rooms became so packed, I couldn't enter. SRO! As always, my eyes and ears bulge to take it all in. CAF organizer and promoter Gary Gill (above) has much to be proud of.

Capital AudioFest 2022

Fidelis Distribution/Heretic Loudspeakers Co./Lab 12/CEC/ArgentPur

Ken Micallef Nov 16, 2022

Fidelis Distribution and Heretic Loudspeakers Co. brought their high-sensitivity Heretic AD612 loudspeakers ($9290/pair) to CAF, paired with CEC and Lab 12 equipment.

Capital AudioFest 2022

Classic Audio Loudspeakers/Atma-Sphere Music Systems/Purist Audio Design/Tri-Planar

Ken Micallef Nov 16, 2022

John Wolff brought his Classic Audio Loudspeakers T-3.4 Field Coils ($29,500/pair) to the Show. This speaker comprised an all wood cabinet, 300 HTZ radial wood Tractix horn, two 15" woofers, a "4" beryllium tweeter diaphragm by Truextent loaded into 6475 2" throat field-coil compression driver," and a 16 ohms impedance. They weigh 350lb apiece.

Capital AudioFest 2022

Now Listen Here/Legacy Audio/Bel Canto/Innuos/Transparent

Ken Micallef Nov 15, 2022

Legacy Audio founder and designer Bill Dudleston (center) brought his Aeris and Calibre loudspeakers to CAF, joined by Now Listen Here's James Thompson (left) and Aaron Sherrick (right).

Capital AudioFest 2022

Rethm/Ampsandsound/Auralic

Ken Micallef Nov 15, 2022

India's Rethm loudspeakers, California's Ampsandsound, and China's Auralic combined forces to make unique sounds at CAF 2022.

Capital AudioFest 2022

Fidelity Imports/Diptyque/Cyrus/Innuos

Ken Micallef Nov 15, 2022

Steve Jain, Managing Director & cofounder of New Jersey's Fidelity Imports had [edit] six rooms (!) at CAF, all packed with enough hi-fi goodness to make my North Carolina grandmother give-me-my-inheritance-now to buy more gear!

Capital AudioFest 2022

Acora Acoustics/Hegel/JMF Audio/Ideon Audio/Cardas

Ken Micallef Nov 15, 2022

Val Acora returned to CAF with his new quartz QRC-1 and QRC-2 two-way Scanspeak driver-equipped loudspeakers, the quartz cabinet material a variation on his former granite-enclosure models. Why quartz? Acora said quartz is more forgiving, easier to work with, provides a more rigid material that holds drivers more securely, and has better sound.

Capital AudioFest 2022

MoFi Electronics/Alma Music & Audio/HiFi Rose/SolidSteel/Isotek

Ken Micallef Nov 15, 2022

Andrew Jones enthuses about his new MoFi SourcePoint 10 speakers

CAF 2022 was all abuzz with news of Andrew Jones's new MoFi Electronics 10 standmount loudspeaker, the SourcePoint 10 ($3699/pair, Stereophile review by John Atkinson scheduled for the February 2023 issue). With a specified sensitivity of 91dB/2.83V/m and an impedance of 8 ohms, the two-way, reflex-loaded speaker features a 1.25" soft-dome tweeter concentrically mounted in a 10" woofer. But that's not all that was on display and in use in the MoFi room.