Capital Audiofest Coming Up!

@mdalton

Thanks for your impressions on CAF. I agree with you on HWS, Gestalt and F&R…always a pleasure to meet them in person and their choice of gear + sound is usually in my Top 10. I almost bought F&R TT before I decided to pursue Garrard. 301. If you go back to @gestalt, say my hello to Colin.

@mapman 

+1 on MBL, wish I could afford to buy one of their offerings.  My alternative to MBL’s are WVL. While not as pretty as MBL, WVL are really great sounding speakers. 

I had a great day there yesterday with a friend.  Highlights for me were MBL room (Twinbriok), Gestalt audio (with Colin playing a wonderful Johnny Hartman LP)(325), YG with Burmester (737), YG with Bel Canto (806), Margules Group (832), Vitus/Estelon (one of the Alma audio rooms I think).  I’m sort of shopping for an end game integrated amp (which I’ve loved for the last few years, but then got used to it and started taking it for granted).  The Vitus SIA 030 was amazing (which at 50k or so, it should be); sadly, no Gryphon 330, though there was a 120 which sounded great. 

Almost forgot — best “low-cost” sound for me was the local pairing of Eastern Bay Speakers with LTA electronics (644).  LTA was featured in several rooms.  The newish LTA DAC and other gear sounded great in each of the different systems I heard. 
 

Also, this seems the be the year of sound effects, eg, lots of rooms playing percussion or vocal oddities to show off PRAT.  At one point, we skipped several rooms with systems I would have liked to have heard had they been playing music, just to avoid being annoyed.  Did anyone else notice this?  Or maybe I’m just easily annoyed this weekend — I mean, more so than usual. 

@disc  what system was being used by Burmester?

anyone else see/hear anything from Burmester or accuphase?

Standouts a CAF:

Odyssey Audio top of the line floor standers driven by Stratos mono blocks

MBL room

Focal Grand Utopia Evo

9 ft tall Soundlabs driven by LTA amps