Hifi is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears, so please enjoy a visual tour around CAF 2022.
The stunning Remiga 1 Floor Standing Speakers ($40,000/pair) from Italy’s Alare Labs, distributed in the US by Fidelity Imports.
The Remiga 2 were driven by a stack from sister company Audia Flight. From the top: CD Three S CD Player (starts at $3999), Strumento no. 1 PreAmplifier ($19,999), and the Strumento no. 4 Stereo Power Amplifier ($25,999). An AudioQuest Niagara 3000 ($3900) took care of cleaning up the power.
The Marten Parker Trio Diamond Edition Floor Standing Speakers ($36,990/pair) from VANA Ltd.
E.A.T. EAT Forte S Turntable ($8699 w/C-Note Tonearm) / EAT Jo No. 8 Moving Coil Cartridge ($2399) also distributed in the USA by VANA Ltd.
E.A.T. E-Glo Petit Hybrid Tube Phono Preamplifier ($1699) from VANA Ltd.
Soulnote M-3 Monoblock Power Amplifier ($24,999 ea.) from Fidelity Imports.
Michell Audio Gyro SE in black ($5498 with Technoarm 2) and CUSIS S MC Cartridge ($1799) from Fidelity Imports.
Wolf von Langa WVL 12639 SON speakers distributed in the USA by Gestalt Fine Audio.
Piega COAX 411 Bookshelf Speakers ($9995/pair) distributed in the USA by MoFi Distribution.
EMT 928 II Battery Powered Precision Turntable w/EMT tonearm ($13,995 coming in January 2023) and EMT JSD Novel Gold Cartridge ($7995) from MoFi Distribution.
Sonner Audio Legato Duo ($9500/pair) always sound better than good.
Göbel and Thrax Audio.
J.Sikora Reference Turntable ($48,000), Integrity Tru Glider Tonearm, DS Audio Grand Master System ($60,000) in the NOLA Loudspeakers room.
NOLA Baby Grand Reference Speakers ($150,000/pair).
A complete(ly different) system from Treehouse Audiolab that did a very nice job with Julien Baker’s touchingly intimate B-Sides single “Guthrie”.
Another room from Alma Music & Audio this time featuring the alien curves of the Estelon XB Diamond Mk.2 loudspeakers ($58,000/pair), Bricasti M25 Stereo Amplifier ($18,000) and M21 DAC (from $16,000) with the Innuos Statement Server/Streamer (starts at $16,700).
The new MC Audiotech TL-12 loudspeakers sounded promising…
The caramel colored Pure Fidelity Horizon Turntable in high gloss quilted maple (yum) (starts at $9995 w/arm) was wearing the DS Audio DS 003 Optical Cartridge ($2500) in a room hosted by PA dealer Now Listen Here.
A customs delay in India prevented Rethm‘s new speakers from arriving in time for CAF 22 so the Rethm Maarga took over.
Rethm was using the intriguing ampandsound 300B-based Black Pearl amplifier ($16,000) to make the Maarga sing.
Acora Acoustics‘ SRC-1 2-way Floorstanding Loudspeakers ($28,000/pair) were powered by the new Hegel Reference H30A Stereo Amplifier ($18,995) and P30A Reference Preamplifier ($8995). An Ideon stack—Absolute DAC ε ($44,900), Absolute Time Reclocker ($8900), and Absolute Streamer ($19,900) took care of the digital to analog stream.
The Gryphon Audio Antileon EVO Stereo Amplifier ($38,350) in DC dealer Command Performance AV room.
