Shows

A week after Capital Audiofest concluded, the event remains vivid in memory. Recognized as the premier audio show on the East Coast, it successfully maintained its informal yet upscale ambiance, focusing primarily on high-end, two-channel audio.

In this collection, you'll find an array of demonstration videos I captured during the event, including a couple of interviews. The aim of these audio demo videos is to provide a glimpse into the sound quality experienced in each room. For an optimal listening experience, I recommend using high-quality headphones or speakers.

My visit to the show lasted just one day, insufficient to fully explore every aspect. However, several rooms stood out, delivering outstanding sound quality despite the challenging acoustics typically found in hotel rooms.

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The Lobby Tour
Kicking things off is a walk-through of the lobby area. This turns into a vibrant pop-up record and accessory shop with multiple vendors. The selection of records is impressive.

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Demos and Interviews
As I visited the rooms, I waited to get the center front seat and captured the sound. In a couple of instances I also captured interviews.

Dynaudio Confidence 20 Speakers
The Dynaudio Confidence 20, a high-quality compact bookshelf speaker. It features a 28mm Esotar3 soft-dome tweeter for enhanced clarity and detail, and an 18cm NeoTec MSP woofer for deep, impactful bass. The speaker's cabinet, made from Compex, combines strength and lightness while damping unwanted resonances. A down-firing bass port extends the bass response and improves room coupling.

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Versatile for various setups, the Confidence 20 suits 2-channel stereo systems and home theaters. Compatible with multiple amplifiers, these speakers are easy to drive.

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Larsen 9 Speakers
At the heart of the Larsen 9's design are three Scan-Speak Illuminator tweeters, which are renowned for their clarity and detail. Two of these tweeters are located at the top of the cabinet and fire upwards, while the third fires diagonally into the room. This unique tweeter arrangement helps to create a wide and immersive soundstage.

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Mission 770 Speakers
The new Mission 770, a two-way standmount speaker, reimagines the 1978 original with modern materials and design while preserving elements of its classic sound.

The seminal Mission 770 influenced British speaker design in the '60s and '70s, offering a sound that melded broadcast accuracy with engaging listening. The remake features an updated mid-bass driver and tweeter for performance that's both dynamic and refined.

If you use good headphones or good speakers to listen to this demo video you will get a taste of the excellent bass Mission has teased out of the updated 770.

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Paradigm Persona 3F Speakers
At the heart of the Persona 3F's design are its Beryllium drivers, which are known for their incredible lightness, stiffness, and damping properties. These drivers allow the speaker to reproduce audio with clarity, detail, and accuracy.

In addition to its Beryllium drivers, the Persona 3F also features a unique Beryllium-laminated aluminum bass driver. This innovative design provides the speaker with extended bass response without sacrificing sound quality.

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Perlisten S7T Limited Edition Speakers
I interview Perlisten CTO Erik Wiederholtz regarding the S7T Limited Edition speakers demoed at the show, as well as how things are going with Perlisten in general, one of the most exciting new brands competing in the high-end two-channel space. And then we demo the speakers (starting at 05:36).

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Praiseworthy Speakers Prototype
It takes guts to do what Percy Chase did. Follow his dream to build a prototype speaker following his vision and show it at a show. In this case it is Praiseworthy Speakers, the concept shown being a sealed cabinet with an isobaric woofer design and sculpted front baffle that incorporates the tubes in which the drivers are mounted. It’s all shown in the latter part of the video.

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Songer Audio S1 Loudspeaker
Sublime sounding speakers featuring craft-made field coil full-range drivers. Music - "The Temple of I and I" from the album of the same name, by Thievery Corporation - starts at 02:39

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TAD Labs CE1TX Compact Evolution One Speakers
The CE1TX features TAD's proprietary CST (Coherent Source Transducer) Driver, which combines a midrange cone and a tweeter in a single driver unit. This design helps to create a wide and immersive soundstage.

TAD Labs Grand Evolution One Speaker
A quarter-million-dollar all-TAD system sounded almost ethereal, such was its transparency, even in the “rough” environment of a hotel-based audio show.

A quarter-million-dollar all-TAD system sounded almost ethereal, such was its transparency, even in the “rough” environment of a hotel-based audio show.

The TAD Labs GE1 Grand Evolution One speaker embodies the pinnacle of TAD's engineering expertise. It takes inspiration from the flagship Reference TX Series, incorporating advanced technologies and meticulous craftsmanship.

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Technics SL-1200G Grand Class Turntable
The SL-1200G features a new coreless direct-drive motor with a high-precision optical sensor for stable rotation and minimal cogging. Its high torque and startup performance accurately reproduce challenging music passages.

Its three-layered platter combines brass and aluminum, offering rigidity and vibration damping for stable rotation and reduced noise. The 3.6-kilogram platter maintains consistent speeds.

The lightweight, S-shaped aluminum tonearm includes an advanced damping system to reduce external vibrations. Its gimbal suspension ensures precise tracking and low error.

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Triangle Antal EZ 40th Speakers
The Triangle Antal EZ 40th Anniversary Edition are high-performance floor-standing speakers commemorating Triangle's 40th anniversary.

These speakers have a 3-way design, featuring a 28mm magnesium horn-loaded tweeter, a 160mm treated paper midrange driver, and two 220mm bass drivers. Constructed from high-quality MDF, the cabinets are damped to reduce resonances.

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Zu Audio Soul 6 Speakers and Black Ice Audio Electronics
The Zu Audio Soul 6 loudspeakers, distinctive in design and performance, appeal to audiophiles seeking alternatives to conventional products. Emphasizing quality and longevity, its design—clean, modern, and favorably sized—combines high audio standards with aesthetic appeal.

Formerly Jolida, Black Ice Audio crafts premier tube-based audio equipment, renowned for its sound, reliability, and value. Designed by electronics luminary Jim Fosgate, the Fusion line features integrated amplifiers, including Fusion models F11, F22, F35, the F100 mono power amp, F159 phono stage, F360 tube preamp, and FOZ Series components.