Jeff Catalano of High Water Sound always make my Favorite Rooms list. Always.
The reason being Jeff always gets great sound, his rooms feel more like part of a home than a hotel, and he plays captivating music that is so far off the beaten path I feel as if I’ve entered an alternate reality. While I haven’t tried, my best bet is Jeff can talk about new, old, and interesting music (or hifi, art, construction, cars, etc.) for a few years straight without ever a single repeat.
Axpona 2026 was no different and I always walk out of Jeff’s rooms with iPhone photos of albums I’ve never heard typically made by musicians I’ve never heard of. For the record, I find the endless audiophile ‘debate’ or ‘discussion’ that posits music on one side and hifi on the other of some fictional divide makes as much sense as arguing over whether peanut butter, jelly, or bread is the more important ingredient in a PBJ. “You just eat a PBJ for the jelly! Ha!”
Think carefully curated in every respect which is something I respect.
The System
TW-Acustic:Raven LS-3 Copper: $25,000
TW-Acustic Raven 12.9” Tone Arm: $7,500
TW-Acustic Raven 12” Tone Arm: $6,500
Glanz MH-1200S Tone Arm
Cartridges: DAVA Soul, Fuuga, Miyajima Infinity Mono
Cessaro Horn Acoustic Opus SE Limited 1 of 1: $65,000
Alieno 100 SE 2A3 Amp: $60,000
Alieno Phono Extremo: $60,000
Ferrero F-9 Preamp: $25,000
Massif Audio Design Lingum Vitale Record Weight & Footers: $2,600
Codia Audio 7000 Titanium Rack
Silent Running Audio Virginia Class Isolation Base
ADD-Powr Sorcerer AC Harmonic Resonator / Power Conditioner
Room Treatment from Acustica Applicata and Shun Mook