As I noted in Part One of this report (Issue 225), Capital Audiofest is one of the biggest shows in the US, with over 160 exhibit rooms and suites at the Hilton Washington D.C./Rockville Hotel, plus two more rooms at the nearby EVEN Hotel. In addition, CAF 2025 offered seminars, live music, after-hours listening parties, vinyl vendors, and more. There was more on hand than this reporter could see, even after more than two days of working it. The mood was upbeat – why not, as this show is an audiophile’s dream. For more details about CAF 2025 in general, see my intro in Part One, and for advice on navigating audio shows, click on this link.
Some of my descriptions will be brief, as there was a lot to cover and in some cases I didn’t get more than a short stay in a room, or was rushed, or interrupted, or could only take brief notes. These shows can get very chaotic at times. All opinions are strictly my own.
There were many rooms to see at Capital Audiofest 2025.
Command Performance AV had a strong presence with three rooms and a number of world premieres, one of which was the Gryphon Audio Antileon EVO amplifier, which delivers 165 watts per channel of pure Class A power ($49,800 for the stereo version) and is one formidable looking (and sounding) piece of gear. Other components in the “big” Command Performance room included Gryphon’s Essence preamplifier ($21,500) and PowerZone 3.10 Power Optimizer ($15,700, and I don’t know just what’s in this thing but it did something very beneficial to the sound in a demo); the new top-of-the-line Aurender N50 music server ($38,500), playing into a Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference 3P and Reference USB reclocking interface ($34,000 and $5,995); a J. Sikora Standard MAX SUPREME turntable with KV MAX tonearm and Aidas Cartridges Violet Gold cartridge LE ($40,785, $15,680 and ($7,535 respectively) playing into a Doshi Audio Evo phono preamp ($23,995)
All could be heard through the Marten Mingus Quintet Statement loudspeakers featuring diamond, ceramic and aluminum-sandwich drivers ($120,000/pair), connected via Transparent XL and Opus series cable. I don’t know what components were doing what here, but the sound was outstanding. You want resolution? You had it here, along with clarity, presence, and…forget the audiophile stuff. The room had a back to the 1970s theme, complete with the Commanders in period-correct ’70s garb, and it was just a lot of fun to know you could go into that room and hear stuff like “Theme From Shaft” instead of the usual audiophile-approved fare.
Their other two rooms had impressive equipment rosters as well. One featured the debut of the J. Sikora ASPIRE turntable with ASPIRE 9 carbon fiber tonearm ($10,595 for both), along with the Aidas Malachite Silver MC cartridge ($7,295). Digital playback was handled by the new Innuos Stream3 music streamer with optional Phoenix DAC board ($12,500). Electronics were courtesy of Doshi Audio: the Evo series line stage, phono preamp and stereo amp ($23,995, $23,995, $25,995) Joseph Audio was showing their Pulsar2 Graphene speakers ($9,999/pair) in a new gloss white finish that Jeff Joseph said was especially popular in Europe. Cardas Audio Clear cable connected everything up. Command Performance AV’s press release boasted, “Whenever Nick Doshi and Jeff Joseph share a room, you can bet on astounding sound,” and you know what? It wasn’t hyperbole.
Good sound is pretty much a given with Joseph Audio and Doshi Audio. Here are the Pulsar 2 Graphene speakers in their new white finish.
A third room commemorated Luxman’s 100th anniversary with the L-507Z integrated amplifier ($10,495), network transport/streamer ($8,995) and DA-07X DAC ($8,995), via Marten Oscar Duo loudspeakers ($11,000) and Wireworld cable. The Oscar might have been Marten’s entry-level speaker, but the sound was anything but – in fact, the Luxman gear never sounded better to my ears, just outstanding with the Oscars, and the classic beauty of their components makes you just want to have them, even before they play a note.
Reel-to-reel fans had a lot to be thrilled about in the Revox room, where the company showcased their new and improved B77 MK III tape recorder. “The return of an icon,” said their product materials and if anyone could ever have claim to such a statement, it would be Revox, as the still-made-in Germany B77 is one of the most legendary tape machines ever created. The new version has three original Revox motors, an improved version of the original tape heads, upgraded electronics and more, and what they call Pure Logic Control, meaning, without computers, software or a touchscreen to provide “decades” of service without concern for obsolescence. (In a nod to modernity, the B77 can be operated with an app.)
The rest of the system was equally impressive, with the elegantly understated Prestige G140 loudspeakers ($5,995/pair and looking really sharp in their white finish), Connected Amp M500 ($4,795), T700 turntable ($4,795), and PC80 power conditioner ($2,695). Revox is also selling prerecorded reel-to-reel tapes. I heard one of Lori Lieberman’s tapes and it sounded sublime, the kind of reproduction of female vocals that I could dream about. Except I didn’t have to dream – I heard it right there in front of me.
The Revox room featured their iconic B77 MK III tape machine, newly upgraded.
The Margules exhibit sounded delightful, and it was also a case study in matching speakers to a room. The room was a smaller L-shaped one, and the Margules Century Overture Monitor speakers (16,000/pair with matching stands) and system were placed in an end of it that at first glance looked too narrow. Uh uh. The speakers delivered not only an expansive sound field that was wide and deep, it was one of the most natural presentations of voice and instruments at the show. Louis Armstrong’s voice and trumpet had an uncanny tangibility and presence.
The equipment was gorgeous too, with wood accents and a style that is unmistakably Margules. Said equipment included the Margules U280 30th Anniversary Special Edition tube amplifier ($12,000), SF220 tube preamplifier ($8,000), MS-01 music server/streamer ($3,500) and QR2 line conditioner ($2,500), with cables by Athena Muse.
A big part of Julian Margules’ design philosophy is the use of what he calls ANA, for Aligned Neuro-Acoustics. Briefly, ANA states that it’s of primary importance to preserve the characteristics of a note’s harmonic structure, not its fundamental tone, and that current forms of measurement and evaluation pay too much attention to the fundamental and not the harmonics. ANA posits that the characteristic of engagement should be given greater relevance. Engagement is related to the phase coherence of the harmonics and the fundamental, and the way our brains process information and the relationship between nearby and farther away sounds. You can read about ANA in more detail at this link.
This Margules audio room looks too cramped to work. It wasn't.
Volti Audio showed their new flagship Vittora loudspeaker ($50,000/pair), a fully horn-loaded design with 105 dB sensitivity, which showed in the speaker’s dynamic effortlessness. Finished in Padauk wood, the Vittora is absolutely gorgeous in a retro-meets modern way. Upgrades to the original Vittora include a tweeter that is now centered above the midrange horn, large bass and midrange horns, a redesigned throat for the bass, an improved crossover, and a number of other refinements. Mated with a Mojo Audio Mystique Z DAC ($11,000), Cary Audio SLI-80 tube integrated amp ($5,495) and Triode Wire Labs cable, my listening notes were simple: “Great sound. Jazz heaven.” After I left the room I ran into an attendee in the hallway and we agreed; we both coveted that system, which had a warmth and ease of reproduction afforded by this great combination of efficient horn speakers and tube amps.
I didn’t get to spend enough time in the T+A room, but I did get to hang out enough to be blown away by “Wicked Game” as played in an acoustic live version by Stone Sour. I could never imagine anyone other than Chris Isaak owning this song. Well, you learn something every day. The elegant system, comprised of the Symphonia streaming integrated amplifier and Criterion S 230 loudspeakers ($10,990 and $13, 490/pair, and that’s all you needed) really connected us with the performance, with clarity and depth and the nuanced delicacy that seems to be something of a T+A hallmark, especially in the acoustic guitars. Though my time was brief, I’ve heard T+A gear at length in previous shows and have been impressed.
The Grimm Audio room was playing Cecile McLorin Salvant’s “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” when I walked in and it was gorgeous, a beautiful presentation of her voice. The piano accompaniment was extremely lifelike in its tone and touch. An esteemed colleague of mine has been raving about their MU1 digital music source. As the company notes, when combined with the LS1c active loudspeakers with subwoofers, you have all you need for a “peerlessly elegant high-end audio system.”
The system is sold a la carte: the company offers a pair of speaker enclosures with the stands and bases (LS1c); the pair of SB1 motion-feedback subwoofers and the MU1 music server are sold separately. All necessary cables are included. The LS1c is available for $29,600/pair in lacquer finishes ($31,100/pair in bamboo wood veneer and $36,850/pair in HIMACS engineered stone (as shown at CAF). The SB1 subs are $14,950/pair in black finish, and the MU1 server is $14,800, with an optional 4TB SSD drive installed at an extra $490.
Listening to Youn-sun Nah singing “My Favorite Things,” accompanied by only by herself on kalimba, I was mesmerized. I could barely eke out one word of listening notes: “WOW!”
Science created art in the Grimm Audio room.
GT Audio Works debuted their Giulietta Bellissima 3-way planar speaker system and active open-baffle subwoofers ($49,000/system). The speakers have a 1/2-inch wide ribbon tweeter, 2-inch wide planar magnetic midrange driver, and 9-inch wide planar magnetic bass panel; each driver is 72 inches high. The speakers themselves are 81 inches tall and 3 inches deep. All the drivers are proprietary and built in Stockholm, New Jersey. There are no electrical filters on the bass panel, which is said to cover a wider range than typical bass reproducers. According to designer Greg Takesh, this method creates a “firm handshake” between the driving amp and the planar panel without any phase, capacitance or parasitic electrical losses, to give the speaker jump factor and resolution.
Well, that’s certainly the case. For those for whom only a planar magnetic driver will do, this speaker will make them as happy as it made me. It had depth, scale, clarity and excellent tonality and sounded outstanding in every respect in my all-too-brief time in the room. For those who enjoy deep bass, GT’s subwoofers complement the mains below 60 Hz, with two 12-inch subwoofers in an open baffle, powered by a 1,000 watt per channel Class D amp with DSP. The subs can be stacked from two to six per side if desired. As Greg noted, “the main speaker bass panels don’t go lower than 50 Hz. I do that on purpose. My logic is to leave planars to what they do best and cones to what they do best.” He’s not kidding.
The speakers were wonderfully complemented by the Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i9 music server ($4,000), Sonore Signature Rendu SE deluxe music streamer (($5,350), LampizatOr Genya DAC ($18,995), Traformatic Audio 30a preamp ($79,900), Westminster Lab REI Class A mono amps ($37,900/pair), Antek isolation transformer ($388), and Magnan cables.
GT Audio Works offers a complete planar magnetic speaker system with complementing dipole subwoofers.
Long Valley, New Jersey dealer GTT Audio had quite an exhibit, with a number of 2025 product debuts including the VIVID Audio Giya G3 loudspeakers ($54,940/pair in a custom color), Audionet Mach preamplifier and Schrödinger mono amps ($37,060 and $71,050/pair), Dejitter It NUC X server ($8,000), and Kubala-Sosna Ovation cables. The system also had Dejitter It Switch X and Wi-Fi X networking devices ($3,500 each and $850). When I commented on the clarity and depth of the sound and complemented the speakers, Joe Kubala said something to the effect of, “how come everybody talks about how good the speakers sound and nobody talks about how good the cables sound? The great sound is all about the cables! Without my cables, what would the system sound like? Nothing!” Point taken!
Hooked up: GTT Audio had quite a system, featuring the unmistakable VIVID Audio Giya G3 speakers.
Huntington, New York dealer Sound Insight showed a home theater system with the revived Altec Lansing brand and the delightfully-named Ribonacci Reference bipole loudspeaker system ($89,000/pair). These tall, thin towers feature identical front and rear drivers for “balanced sound” and the subwoofers each house four 12-inch glass-fiber-woven flat panel woofers. They’re powered by dedicated 1,000-watt bass amps (pricing of the subs and amps TBA). The big-screen video, courtesy of a Valerion VisionMaster Max projector ($4,999) had sound to match – a live Eric Clapton concert sounded big, warm, and faithful to Clapton’s guitar and vocals and the rest of the instruments. It was easy to get lost in the experience of getting connected to the live concert feeling. The complementing equipment included Infigo Audio IS-1 Octacore Cryogen and Altec Lansing Simbolo streamers ($7,000, $7,000), an Infigo Method 4 DAC ($35,000), Method 7 preamp ($20,000) and Method 3 mono amps ($55,000/pair), and Infigo and Altec Lansing cables. Not to mention Sapphire Blue Slippers isolation feet ($400/set).
Robyatt Audio premiered the Simco Audio Simco ONE ($15,950/pair), a 2-way horn-loaded loudspeaker with a strikingly different design. It features a compression driver mated to a horn, complemented by a 12-inch woofer in a tuned enclosure. It’s available in a variety of bespoke finishes, colors, and materials. This is not your average loudspeaker, nor was it paired with conventional components: the rest of the CAF system consisted of a Miyajima Lab Wo-1 preamp ($21,750), 2020 OTL amplifier ($17,500; $31,500 for a monoblock pair), MC-2 tube head amp ($7,950), Destiny stereo and Infinity mono cartridges ($7,750 and $3,550), Bokrand DZT SAK tonearm ($7,750), VPI In the Can direct drive turntable ($15,500), Eversolo A6 Master ED streamer/DAC ($1,295), a Metal Mat gun metal platter mat ($1,650), and Finley Audio cables.
The sound had an immediacy that engaged the room, and this listener. “Roadhouses and Automobiles” by Chris Jones on Stockfisch Records is a true demonstration-quality track, and a cool song (unlike some tired old audiophile warhorses), and on this system, it shined, as did a very unlikely but fantastic-sounding demo album, The Gypsy and I by none other than Yul Brynner. Who knew? Well, Robyatt’s Robin Wyatt did. The last track I heard was the utterly insane bass workout “Sunshine of Your Wub” by YOOKiE, and when I say the bass on this cut is insane, I’m kind of understating the case. It’s ridiculous. The Simco ONEs handled it cleanly at a volume that caused attendees in the room to jump, a volume that might have vaporized other speakers. Did I mention that high-end audio should be fun?
The new Simco ONE loudspeakers are available in a variety of finishes and colors.
Bending Wave of Boca Raton, Florida always has an impressive setup at shows, and this time they blew my mind. The system was world-class, but what really got me…
Well, I’m a huge Kraftwerk fan. I’ve seen them in concert 11 times. Shortly after I walked into the room, Danny Kaey of Meitner Design just happened to put on an open reel tape of Kraftwerk’s Minimum-Maximum live album, and hearing “The Robots” and Autobahn” via an “unobtanium” SonoruS-modified Revox PR99 MI III tape deck was as close to hearing them live as I’ve ever heard. Just unbelievable sound that gripped the entire large suite with the sonic magnificence that Kraftwerk is legendarily known for. Incredible. You had to be there. Well, I was. One of the most unforgettable audio moments in my life.
The equipment: Göbel Divin Noblesse speakers ($269,000/pair), EMM Labs digital electronics, preamp and amp, Kimber Kable wiring, Clearaudio Reference Jubilee turntable with DS Audio Grand Master Extreme optical cartridge ($60,000, $25,000) Pink Faun Ultra 2.15 streamer, and other gear.
Kraftwerk was mind-bending on the Bending Wave system.
One of the most interesting things about being an audiophile (and sometimes the most maddening in terms of option paralysis), is that there are so many different approaches to getting good sound. Afton, VA dealer Afton Mountain Audio had an intimate setup with Sound Lab G5-4C electrostatic loudspeakers ($29,500/pair in Majestic Oak trim) aimed at about a 45-degree angle to create a very sweet sweet spot. Afton’s Mark DeBiasse told me they very deliberately wanted to re-create an actual living room experience that a customer would hear at home. The sound was pure in a very electrostatic way, and yes, the sound field was immersive, with a width and depth that belied the confines of the exhibit room.
The source components were a Pure Fidelity Harmony MK2 turntable ($8,995), Audio Origami PU-8 tonearm ($6,675), EBI Audio Khumar moving-coil cartridge ($2,599) and Innuos STREAM 3 music streamer ($8,000). These were accompanied by an Aurosound Vida MK 2 phono stage ($5,290) and Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC ($3,950). LTA also provided the amplification, courtesy of a MicroZOTL line stage and Century mono amps ($6,700, $28,000/pair). Audience, WyWires, and Fern & Roby rounded out the system with their power conditioners, cables, and equipment rack.
The Sound Lab G5-4C electrostatic loudspeakers and Linear Tube Audio electronics were an excellent match.
Sometimes things get so hectic at shows that I’ll forget to take notes, or scrawl some mental reminders that turn out to be useless a week later. Such is the case with the Burmester room that had a Burmester 232 integrated amp – new from the company’s Classic Line – with YG Acoustics Summit speakers and a Taiko Audio server. My notes for the first room simply read, “Fantastic – sterling – five stars – superb in every way.” You get the idea.
For those who don't want racks of gear and reams of cable in their listening room, this Burmester and YG Acoustics system presented an elegant solution.
Jacksonville, Florida's big House of Stereo suite showed three systems including one based around the upgraded all-in-one Focal Diva Mezza Utopia, which featured a new, lighter Ivory Felt finish, analog, digital and wireless connectivity, and other refinements – but I didn’t get to hear it, or the Cambridge Audio/QUAD-based setup. That’s because I wanted to keep listening to the new-to-me Silent Pound Challenger II loudspeakers, hailing from Lithuania at $38,999 per pair. It’s a 3.5-way design employing what they call an MTM mid-woofer/tweeter/mid-woofer driver array, plus two 12-inch woofers. The MTM array is flanked by a number of openings which are said to control unwanted baffle reflections.
It worked, whether playing Rumer’s “Walk On By” (she sounded like an audiophile’s dream), or Vicki Genfan’s “Atomic Reshuffle,” where her acoustic guitar had transient attack and dynamic power that took over the room. The rest of the system included an Accustic Arts AMP IV amplifier, Preamp V with phono stage, and Player III CD player/DAC ($40,000, $40,000, $20,000), Wolf Audio Systems Red Wolf 2 SX music server ($16,500), VPI Avenger turntable with Audio-Technica ART-1000x cartridge ($15,000, $5,999; my listening was via the Wolf), plus Synergistic Research SRX XL cables (price according to length), Powercell 8 SX power conditioner ($4,000) and Galileo Ground Block MK II ($7,500).
Silent Pound loudspeakers made an auspicious showing at CAF 2025.
Last year at CAF Eastern Bay Sound had a sneak preview of their Southwind speaker, crafted from beautiful solid hardwoods with contrasting nautically-themed accents, and available in a variety of woods. This year the Southwind was in production (at $2,450/pair), along with the Skeg subwoofer ($800 each or $1,400/pair). The Southwind employs a single full-range driver, and like other single-driver designs, it played with the seamless tonal cohesion characteristic of such an approach, mated with Belleson electronics. This speaker is an excellent solution for those who prize tonal purity and don’t need loud volumes or super-deep bass. That said, Eastern Bay Audio was doing demos where they turned the subwoofer on and off, and the Southwind played satisfyingly low without the sub, enough for me to personally be happy with the speakers alone. And kudos to Eastern Bay Audio for offering something aesthetically different than just another speaker in a plain box.
The Eastern Bay Sound Southwind speaker and Skeg subwoofer have an appealing look, and up close, the craftsmanship is apparent.
The Valve Amplification Company/Acora Acoustics room is always a highlight of CAF, or any show for that matter. This time was no exception, as it featured VAC’s new Master 300 iQ MK II mono amplifiers ($44,000/each), with the VAC Statement phono and line stage ($85,000/each), and the Acora VRC loudspeakers in an exotic Mari Blue finish ($318,000/pair, $218,000 in standard finish). The room was immense, and looked even bigger thanks to a clever backdrop that made it look like the room extended into infinity. And if you closed your eyes with the right recording, the sound could seem like that too, or become warm and intimate, as was the case during an after-hours vinyl listening event with analog expert Michael Fremer of TAS and Tracking Angle. The LP rig was comprised of an SAT XD1 turntable and CF1-09 tonearm ($238,500 and $71,100) with a Lyra Atlas phono cartridge ($13,195). (An Aurender N30SA music server/streamer and LampizatOr Genya DAC handled the digital playback. Cardas Clear cable connected everything.)
The VAC/Acora room could deliver an immense, or an intimate, sound.
Fremer treated us to test pressings and rarities like a mono LP of Frank Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours on Tone Poet Records, which almost brought me to tears in the way you could hear all the nuances of his emotive singing. Nobody could deliver a phrase like Sinatra, and if you had any doubts about that, this system quickly dispelled them. An Interscope Records Definitive Sound Series one-step LP of Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” was breathtaking. You think you’ve heard this song a thousand times. You haven’t. Not like this.
As if that weren’t enough, Fremer played a test pressing of the new Caelan Cardello record, Chapter One, on his own Liam Records label. It is not hyperbole to say this young pianist is on a level with the greats of yore. Maybe the greatest complement I could give is that I could not get a seat at the sold out listening event and had been on my feet for over 10 hours, and it was becoming physically painful to stand up. But I could not tear myself away, and was gripped by the creativity and virtuosity of Caelan’s playing and the band and the exceptional sound or the recording to the point when I left only when I was literally physically unable to stand up any longer.
Here's a video that’ll give you some of the flavor of the event.
I go back a long way with Convergent Audio Technology (CAT) gear, back to when Ken Stevens first brought the original CAT SL1 preamplifier to Harry Pearson and I at The Absolute Sound in the late 1980s. We were impressed with it then, and over the decades Ken has continued to refine its design and that of his other electronics. The sound of his very big suite at CAF 2025 was the best I’ve ever heard from his gear and any combination of speakers and sources. The rendition of Samara Joy’s “Listen Awhile” was simply spellbinding. Like a few of the previous rooms I mentioned, I didn’t spend a lot of time taking notes. I just wanted to listen.
Here’s what cast the spell: CAT SL1 Legend Extreme aSC preamp ($99,995), JL7HPA mono amplifier ($74,995/pair), JL5HPA stereo amp ($34,995) and Black Path cables; Acora VRC speakers ($218,000/pair); Audio Arrow Capitol Classic CD player (discontinued); LampizatOr Atlantic DAC ($6,000); VPI HW40 turntable with Van den Hul Crimson cartridge ($22,000, $5,000); and Essential Sound Products ESP Renaissance, Reference, and Eloquence power cords and power distributors.
I somehow missed hearing the big Aequo Audio Ensium loudspeakers ($50,000/pair) at one of the 2WA Group rooms, one of a number of must-see exhibits that I somehow missed, like Songer Audio, AGD Productions, Alta Audio, BACCH-SP, Esoteric, Geshelli Labs, Grado Labs, Klipsch…I’m too embarrassed to go on. (I always try to visit the manufacturers I miss at a subsequent show.) But I did get to check out the 2WA room with the Falcon Acoustics LS3/5A Gold Badge loudspeakers ($3,990/each), mated with an Ideon Audio EOS DAC ($11,000) and SPL electronics. It once again reminded me that the LS3/5A is one of my all-time favorite speakers.
And I'm bummed that I hardly got to spend any time in Alma Audio room with the Von Schweikert VR.thirty speakers ($59,900/pair), as the speakers at T.H.E. Show New York sounded superb. (I must have been pulled away at CAF 2025, which happened more than once.) The Alma room also showcased the most excellent VinnieRossi Brama Gen 2 preamp and mono amplifiers ($38,995, $59,550/pair), along with an MCB Technology Cascade DAC ($95,000), XACT Audio S1 EVO music server ($18,600), Thales Reference turntable (shown in the Elegance package including turntable and arm for $28,800), FM Acoustics phono stage, Kubala-Sosna cables, NEMESIS acoustic panels, cables from MasterBuilt Audio (a division of Von Schweikert) and a Gigawatt PC-4 EVO+ power conditioner ($14,500).
The Thales Reference turntable with a unique articulated arm that pivots to compensate for the tonearm's geometry as it moves across the record.
There’s something to be said for old school design, as a visit to the Classic Audio Loudspeakers suite emphatically proved. Their T-1.5 field coil loudspeaker system ($72,950; Tungar power supplies, $8,000/pair) features field-coil drivers, which use an electromagnet requiring external power rather than a standard permanent-magnet speaker. There seems to be a growing number of other advocates for field coil speakers, like Audio Note, Songer Audio, Wolf von Langa, Voxativ, Treehaus Audiolab and others. Well, the Classic Audio Loudspeakers system absolutely killed it on the Drifters’ “Up On The Roof,” and Sam and Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming.”
I try never to use the old cliché, “it sounded like the musicians were in the room.” But in this case, it really did. I’ve never heard Duck Dunn’s electric bass sound so in the pocket; you could feel the push-and pull of his simple yet devastating playing and the behind-the-beat feel of backing band Booker T. & the M.G’s and drummer Al Jackson Jr. These speakers had life, they had the feel, they had the sound that just lifted this great 1960s soul and R&B. (Clapton’s “Layla” unplugged sounded good too, but I think even he would admit that’s no match for Sam and Dave.) The system also featured Atma-Sphere and Exclusive Power electronics, Studer 810 and Crown CX 822 tape decks and a Technics /Triplanar/Ven den Hul vinyl rig. Sometimes, when it comes to recapturing the past and making it come alive, you really can go home again.
Big speakers, big room, big sound, courtesy of the Classic Audio Speakers T-1.5 field-coil speakers and Atma-Sphere amps.
Classic Audio Speakers had no lack of reel-to-reel source material.
Old school audio was further present and accounted for thanks to the Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club (MAARC). President Dave Rosetti showed a table of vintage gear, which was enough to stop me and others in their tracks and kibitz about the cool old hi-fi and radios of yore. MARRC holds meetings in Davidsonville, Maryland, Centreville, Virginia, and elsewhere. As their website puts it, it’s a club “for those dedicated to collecting, restoring, and preserving vintage electronics. This includes radio, television, hi-fi, electrical instrument, vacuum-tube, electronic test equipment, and tube-based audio gear.” In other words, our kind of people!
A vintage gear aficionado's delight: the Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club brought some golden oldies.
On the other hand, Capitol Audiofest had plenty of modern technologies and tweaks on hand, from isolation devices to high-tech equipment racks to power conditioners to power, er…I don’t know quite how to categorize them, like the Gryphon Power Zone 3 power optimizer and the ADD Powr Sorcer Apprentice AC Conditioner ($2,999). This device claims to “change the quality of the AC line from the entry point…it does not employ filters, isolation transformers, line regenerators, or balanced power techniques.” Instead, it uses proprietary digital-amplifier “harmonic pulse resonance technology” to create a “pulsed” AC line that becomes “re-referenced” with low-frequency harmonics. The technology claims to provide signal noise reduction and signal boost. I talked to ADD Powr’s Bill Stierhout enough to realize that, while he wasn’t going to reveal trade secrets, the device is based on science such as the Fourier harmonic series, principles of resonance, and their application into electronic systems. The company claims increases of 0.25 to 0.65 dB in audio signal-to-noise measurements.
Blink High End had a strong presence at Capital Audiofest 2025 in two rooms, partnering with Audio Group Denmark for an all-out presentation in the big Plaza Ballroom 1. The room featured the American premiere of the Thuono Audio TH-400 turntable ($59,500), incorporating aluminum and marble among other materials in a magnetic suspension design. According to the company, the “…dimensions of the platter, frame and motor system allow an extraordinary inertial torque to be obtained, giving extreme dynamics levels and authority of sound.” The rest of the system featured the Børresen M3 loudspeakers ($294,000/pair) with Aavik 800 series electronics ($73,500 per component), and literally half a million dollars’ worth of Ansuz cables and equipment rack. Let’s face it, for most of us, this system is unobtanium, but I can tell you that the vinyl playback I heard of Count Basie and His Orchestra from the 88 Basie Street album was stunning, with exceptional dynamic range and a huge spatial presentation, but proper in scale. Chris Botti’s trumpet and vocals were remarkably accurate in their tonality.
Blink High End spared no effort or expense in presenting this mega-system.
Orchard Audio went with an immersive audio/video setup for CAF, based around a Marantz AV7706 11.2-channel preamp/processor ($3,200) compatible with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, and Auro 3D The system was powered with nine Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Ultra Premium and 25 Mono Premium amps ($2,600 each and $1,250 each respectively), with SVS Ultra Evolution Tower, Center, Nano and Elevation speakers ($1,500, $800, $450 and $450 each) and an SB-5000 R subwoofer moving the air, all connected with RICable. The total system cost less cables: $28,600. This was a popular and packed demo room and I heard sounds from an Elton John Blu-ray that I never knew were on the originals, like a subtle reverb on his voice on “Rocket Man” and some background vocals…who knew there were background vocals?
Devialet has been impressing listeners with sleek, great-sounding and easy to use components and systems for a while now, and the Astra ($25,000 in standard finish) is an impressive embodiment of this philosophy. It’s only 1.3 inches high yet contains a preamp, amp, DAC, streamer and phono stage. The Astra is compatible with AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Bluetooth 5.3 and UPnP, and is Roon Ready. All functions are accessible from one of the coolest remotes I’ve ever seen. It was playing through Devialet Phantom Ultimate orb-shaped speakers ($3,800/pair) with side-firing woofers that put on quite the visual show by vibrating almost an inch in excursion! That’s normal, and the full-range sound was satisfying – with no lack of bass. You can even get the Astra in a 23-carat gold leaf finish for $5,000 more, an edition offered in partnership with the Opéra de Paris.
The two low-profile components on the right are Devialet Astra systems. The white spheres are the Phantom Ultimate speakers.
MC Audiotech showed their new TL-8 floorstanding loudspeaker (starting at $17,000/pair). Based on the company’s larger TL-12, as you can guess from the name, it’s a transmission line design with an 8-inch woofer and patented dipole midrange/tweeters, what designer Paul Paddock calls a Wideband Line Source (WBLS) transducer, which is crossed over at 475 Hz. The TL-8 employs 10 WBLS devices consisting of a twin cylindrical diaphragm driven at its junction by a vertical wire loop located between a twin magnetic gap that acts in a manner similar to a voice coil of a conventional driver.
The speakers were driven by the very interesting Heaven 11 Audio Billie MK3 hybrid integrated amplifier (starting at $3,560) which allows easy swapping between different types of preamp tubes, paired with a Class D amplifier section. Available in two configurations named Billie Classic, featuring a DAC, phono stage, and Bluetooth connectivity, and Billie Spartan, offering RCA line inputs only. The amp is small, attractive, and powerful at 250 watts per channel into 4 ohms. This was one of my last exhibits of the show before having to head to the train, but I heard enough to enjoy the distinct purity of the TL-8's WBLS drivers and its articulate bass. Next show, I’ll make it a point to spend more time.
As the sun set on Capital Audiofest 2025, the MC Audiotech system was an enjoyable way to round out the day.
Header image: The striking Italian-made Aileno vacuum-tube electronics in the YG Acoustics room.
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