Capital Audiofest Coming Up!


Been to all but 1 or 2 and probably going again this year.  You never know what you will see or hear.  Always something new and a little different.  Maybe this year I will even carve out enough time to not have to zip through it all and be able to soak it all in better.  
 

Anyone else going?

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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

@ckr1969 Burmester 232 Integrated Amp.  It sounded great.  Reminded me of my Boulder 866 — very clean and engaging, great soundstage and accurately conveyed instrumental and vocal timbres.  

I also heard the Accuphase E-800 and E-5000 integrated amps.  Also impressive.