Hifi is inextricably connected to people. The people who design and make it, the people who distribute it, the people who sell it, and the people who buy and enjoy it.
This fact is smack-you-in-the face obvious at hifi shows where all manner of gear is hauled, unpacked, set up and played by hifi people and I’ll share that hifi people are among my favorite people which makes attending hifi shows like the Capital Audiofest so much fun.
But the ‘Old Friends’ I’m referring to in this post’s title is gear (and people seeing as they’re inextricably linked).
I’ve been sitting in Audio Note rooms from the first hifi show I attended. Here’s some of the things I wrote about an Audio Note room from CES 2008 for 6moons:
I spent about 30 minutes in the Audio Note room and perhaps 5 of those minutes listening to music. The remainder of the time was spent listening (I’d be lying if I were to suggest this was a conversation) to Peter Qvortrup of Audio Note UK. Our lesson began with a comparison of two recordings on disk of Andres Segovia from 1928. The same track was transferred directly from the original 78 with no processing and a second time using a very simple and gently sloped filter to roll off some the HF hash from the original recording.
Peter’s question, albeit rhetorical which appears to be the case with him the majority of the time – which version was better? The obvious answer was a) the un-processed version since it clearly retained more of Segovia but also all of the scratch. The other version lopped off so much musical detail along with the noise one might be left with the impression that Segovia wasn’t so hot a player. A bit of a fat-fingered fumbler.
The issue at hand was the idea that in our pursuit of hi-fi cleanliness (my phrase and consider this a poor but hopefully semi-faithful paraphrasing with all the noise left in), we’re erasing essential bits of our precious and fragile musical heritage. We’re editing out irreplaceable nuance of musicians who will never be equaled. All in the name of a version that suits our evolving hifi sensibilities. The cart is killing the horse.
“Your system is only as good as its ability to play your worst recording.” While this may not be an exact quote, I think it captures an important aspect of an altogether captivating visit.
The Audio Note gear:
Meishu Konzertmeister 300B SET integrated amplifier: $65,000
AN-E/SPx LTD Field Coil speakers: $75000/pair
TT-Three Turntable/ARM-Three/II tonearm/IO I moving coil cartridge
CDT-Four Red Book CD transport: $22,000
DAC4.1x Balanced Signature: $37,000
This system, like every Audio Note system I’ve heard over the years—and from the Audio Note Cobra Integrated Amplifier I reviewed back in 2021—sparkled with life, immediacy and presence. I imagine even my worst sounding records would enjoy these same qualities.
This connection between hifi and people was on full display in the Zu Audio room with Zu’s Sean Casey spinning records. One of the tracks Sean selected was from the Minutemen whose Double Nickels on the Dime double LP ranks among my all time favorites. I reviewed the Zu Definition 6 (from $25,000/pair) back in 2023 and they were “wholly captivating in every way I want a loudspeaker to be, offering a sense of reach out and touch it intimacy, stunning clarity that recreates the human voice in seemingly material form, the speed and slam one expects from a high(er) efficiency speaker, and the power, force and low end reach of a true full range speaker.”
The gear:
Zu Soul 6 Speakers: starts at $6200
Black Ice Audio Fusion 85A Integrated Tube Amplifier: from $7999
Black Ice Audio Fusion F159 Tube Phono Preamplifier: from $1875
Black Ice Audio Fusion F360 V.2 Tube Preamplifier: from $2,699
Black Ice Audio ARIES Headphone Amplifier/DAC/WiFi Streamer/Preamp: from $2,500
a pair of Technics 1200s
During my all too brief visit an attendee sitting directly next to me asked about Zu as he was unfamiliar with the company. I tried my best to describe their basic approach–high sensitivity designs employing full range drivers—and before I could finish explaining how Zu has a following more akin to a band than a manufacturer, another attendee chimed in to say how he’s owned Zu speakers for decades.
Magnepan wasn’t messing around with an all out smashing surround system.
Speakers were tightly packed around the small dark room which made it difficult to get a decent photo, so I went artsy, but the sound of Dune (Part 2) was even more shocking than the visuals (which are very shocking). Magnepan has been making their Magneplanar loudspeakers for some 47 years and I’m always very impressed with their price versus performance in a good way. With some speakers breaking the 6-figure boundary, a pair of LRS+ at $995 seem nearly free.
Gary Dews from Border Patrol and “Triode” Pete from Triode Wire Labs had a room full of gear I’ve reviewed from source to speakers.
The gear:
Living Voice R80 OB-X: from $46,875/pair (review)
Border Patrol S20EXD Parallel Single-Ended Amplifier: starts at $22,500 without 300B tubes (review)
Cables from Triode Wire Labs
Border Patrol DAC SE-i : starts at $1400 (review)
Innuos Statement Music Server with Next-Gen Power Supply: $26,200 w/4TB SSD storage
I admit I didn’t spend a lot of time listening because I already have in the Barn which is a much friendlier place for gear (and people) so if you want to know how these things sound, a review beats a show report by a country mile. And while we’re here, a show report is never, ever, a review no matter who writes it. Think of the difference between a show report and a review as being like the difference between having a a sip of coffee with a stranger as opposed to dinner with a friend. Yet I know some people who walk away from coffee with a stranger thinking they know everything there is to know about them and other people who leave a room at a hifi show after a few minutes of listening thinking they know exactly what all the gear sounds like. And they’re always inevitably wrong due to the complicated nature of people and hifi.
While I didn’t ask, my guess is those are the very pair of the Vienna Acoustics Limited Edition Bach Ultimate Loudspeakers ($5999/pair) I recently reviewed as they’re limited to 100 pair in the US & Canada distributed by Playback Distribution.
The rest of the gear:
Java Single Shot LDR Preamplifier: from 4,995
Java Single Shot GaN FET Stereo Power Amplifier: from $6,995
TEAC NT-505-X USB DAC/Network Player/Preamp: regular price $2,249.99. sale price $1,699.99
Cables from Esprit
I reviewed the Java Hi-Fi Single Shot Integrated Amplifier back in 2023 and was impressed with its “superb detail, delicacy, and drive” all qualities on display here.
Here’s a full rack of gear from Cambridge Audio and I’ve reviewed it all.
The gear (starting from the top):
EXN100 Network Player: $1799 (review)
EXA100 Stereo Integrated Amplifier: $2199 (review)
Edge NQ Preamp/Network Player: $4999 and Edge M Monoblock Power Amplifiers: $4999/each (review)
While my favorite piece of kit from Cambridge remains the Edge A Integrated Amplifier ($5999), I’ve come to learn I’m a big fan of all their amps that offer big bang for little bucks.
While I didn’t ask, my guess is those are the very pair of the Vivid Audio GIYA G3 Series 2 Loudspeakers (starts at $47,800/pair) I reviewed back in March because that Land Rover Green is a custom color on display in the GTT Audio room, the NJ-based distributor/dealer who’s just a short drive from the Barn over a river and through lots of trees.
The gear:
TLA (True Life Audio) TSI-300 Integrated Amplifier: $53,700
Master Fidelity NADAC D 1-bit DAC: $23,000
NADAC C Master Clock: $27,500
Auralic ARIES G2.2 Wireless Streaming Transport: $6099 (review)
Dejitter It Switch X ($3,500) and It WiFi X: $850
Cables from Kubala Sosna
While relatively modest in size, the Vivid GIYA G3 have no problem energizing a large space, like the Barn, with full range fury.
MBL was founded by Wolfgang Meletzky along with his friends and future partners Bienecke and Lehnhardt in 1979, the year I graduated high school. Chief Engineer Juergen Reis, one of my favorite people in hifi for his generosity and dogma-free deep (deep) knowledge, was hired in 1982 and he remains the man behind MBL product design today.
Among my hifi show attending rules along with being polite, professional (ideally), and just plain nice (something I’m working on) is to spend time in the MBL room. Why? Because an MBL system sounds like no other hifi you’ll encounter at a show or anywhere else and that sound had two gentlemen behind me during my listening time trying to figure out where all the other speakers were hidden around the room.
The MBL gear:
101 E MKII Loudspeakers: $91,000/pair
911 Mono Amplifiers: $64,100/each
C41 Network Player: $11,100
This room came courtesy of United Home Audio and MBL North America, a subsidiary of MBL Akustikgeräte, and Jeremy Bryan, CEO and President of MBL North America, is among the most professional and fastidious exhibitors I know. It’s worth noting that set up, including making a room feel comfortable and look presentable, is as important as the gear in terms of what we hear (and see and feel) and Jeremy always gets things right. “Are you a Neil Diamond fan?” “Not usually but I’m game.” I answered so Jeremy spun up “Cherry Cherry” from Hot August Night on the UHA Ultime Apollo reel-to-reel deck and this large room soon filled with a rousing fun funk coming from nearly all sides and I never realized a rousing fun funk was part of Neil Diamond’s repertoire. Bravo!
Fern & Roby‘s Amp No. 2 just left the Barn a few weeks ago about which I concluded, “If you care about what your hifi gear is made from, how it’s made, where it’s made, who made it, what it looks like, how it feels to live with, and how it sounds, Fern & Roby’s Amp No. 2 offers a very compelling and complete package.”
The gear:
Fern & Roby Amp No. 2: from $6950 (review)
Fern & Roby Montrose Heirloom Turntable with Schröder CB Ebony Tonearm: $16,500
ModWright PH9.0X Phono Stage: $4750
Miyajima Carbon Cartridge: $2999
Weiss Helios DAC: $21,995
Network Acoustics Tempus Switch: $4325
Network Acoustics Eno2 Filter: $1075
F&R Iso Brass Record Weight: $375
F&R 3” Isolation Feet: $495
F&R 2” Isolation Feet: $325
The Raven II (in Ash): $5450
F&R Isolating Speaker Stand: ($1650
Black Cat Graceline Level 2 (1m) XLR Interconnect: $2495/pair
Black Cat Graceline Level 2 (3m) Speaker Cable: $395/pair
Black Cat Graceline Level 2 (1m) RCA Interconnect: $2495/pair
The sound in the Fern & Roby room was as easy on the ears as it was on the eyes with lovely textures and a smooth relaxed feel. I, for one, care about what hifi gear is made from, how it’s made, where it’s made, who made it, what it looks like, how it feels to live with, and how it sounds and the Fern & Roby gear checks all those boxes.
The Bending Wave USA room featured electronics from Italy’s Riviera Labs, imported into the US by Jonathan Halpern/Tone Imports. I first met Jonathan in 2003 when I went into NYC retailer In Living Stereo to listen to the then newly released Cain & Cain Abby single driver speakers (I bought them). Jonathan was working at ILS and his music selections had us talking about mostly music which has remained the case in the intervening 20+ years.
Of all the gear I’ve reviewed over the past nearly 20 years I’ve been reviewing, the Riviera Levante Integrated Amplifier ($22,995) and APL10 Preamplifier ($18,500) & AFM25 Monoblock Amplifiers ($35,800/pair) are my very favorite among all my favorites.
The gear:
Göbel Divin Comtesse Loudspeakers: $70,000/pair
Riviera Labs AFM100 Special Edition Monophonic Power Amplifiers: $52,800/pair
Riviera Labs APL-01 Preamplifier: $51,995
Wadax Studio • Player: $39,000
During my stay Jonathan played “Sandy” from Richie Havens debut album Mixed Bag (1966) which was a mini revelation as my knowledge of Havens’ music was largely shaped by his amazing performance at Woodstock. Even after 20 years of sharing there’s more new and old music to discover.
NJ’s Audioshield Distribution were showing the “where’s the sub” Credo EV 1202 Reference Loudspeakers I reviewed back in 2022. I’ve also reviewed the Meitner MA3 Integrated D/A Converter as well a complete EMM Labs/Credo system.
The gear:
Linear Tube Audio ZOTL 40 Reference + Monoblocks: from $6800/each
Meitner PRE Stereo Preamplifier: $7500
Meitner MA3i Integrated D/A Converter: $11,500
HiFi Rose RS130 Streaming Transport: $5195
Dr. Feickert Analogue Volare turntable: $4495 w/Origin Live MK4A tonearm
DS Audio W3 Optical Cartridge: $5000
DS-EQ2 Optical Equalizer: $5000
Cables from Van den Hul
NJ Dealer Tom Artale from Fidelity Farm HiFi had a vinyl copy of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds latest Wild God and I bathed in my favorite track “Conversion” before leaving uplifted.
I first became aware of Bel Canto Design way back in the 1990s when their SETi 40 Integrated Amplifier, built around a pair of 845 triodes, was making the rounds. The SETi 40’s minimal design and Metropolis-looking tube cages caught my eye but I’m sorry to say my ears never had the pleasure. I eventually met John Stronczer, owner and Chief Engineer of Bel Canto, at a CES long ago and learned that he, like me, studied fine art. I’ve reviewed a bunch of Bel Canto gear over the years including their e.One Pre5 Preamplifier and REF501S Stereo Amplifier (review), e.One C6i DAC Integrated Amplifier & e.One Stream2 Network Bridge (review), and E1X Integrated Amplifier (review).
The gear:
Bel Canto Bel Canto Black MA1200 Monoblock Amplifiers: $40,000/pair
Bel Canto Black DAC System: $40,000
YG Acoustics Sonja 3.3 Loudspeakers: $146,800/pair
I know, big speakers small room but during my stay I heard mostly system, not room, which was not always the case elsewhere even with much smaller speakers.
The first time I heard a pair of Vandersteen speakers was in 1997 when my father and I visited John Rutan’s Audio Connection on Bloomfield Ave in Verona, NJ. My father wanted to hear the then-new YGA CD 1 Blue Laser CD Player which is what he told John and we were summarily escorted into the back room so we could listen to Rogue Audio gear power Vandersteen speakers. John, to his credit, was more excited about us hearing music through this setup than a CD player with a blue laser.
I first met Aaron and Jessica Sherrick of Now Listen Hear, with locations in Harrisburg, PA and Falls Church, VA, at a CAF long past before they became dealers, hifi not the other kind, and we’ve been sharing gear opinions, music, and laughter ever since.
Their gear:
a lovely purple pair of Vandersteen KĒNTO Carbon Speakers: $47,000/pair
Vandersteen M5-HPA Mono Amplifiers: $21,000/pair
Pure Fidelity L5-ACC Preamplifier: $15,000
Pure Fidelity Symphony Turntable: $21,995
DS Audio W3 Optical Cartridge: 5,000
EMM Labs DS-EQ1 V2 Optical Equalizer: $12,500
Bel Canto Black DAC: $40,000
Innuos ZEN NG Server: $12,000
AudioQuest Niagara 7000 Power Conditioner: $11,000
Cables from AudioQuest
The Executive Lounge where this system was living during CAF 24 is very large but it filled this space with authoritative ease and a track from Phoebe Bridgers debut Stranger in the Alps on vinyl tickled my ears and lightened my step.
Among my fondest memories of the Fidelity Imports sponsored Italy trip that included visits to 4 manufacturers in 3 lovely cities was learning that Donatella Vigilante, Unison Research’s CEO, still has Lavorgna relatives from the same region, Campania, where my family is from and her father used to take her to San Lorenzello, whose current mayor is Antimo Lavorgna and where my family is from, every Saturday morning for a special treat, a sweet taralli, that this little town is known for.
The gear in the Fidelity Imports/The Listening Room room:
Unison Research S6 Black Edition Tube Integrated Amplifier : $6999
Aurender A1000 Music Streamer Server DAC: $3500
Opera Quinta SE Loudspeakers: $6999/pair
This relatively modest system offered an easy natural sound that felt familial, I mean familiar to the Unison Unico 90 I recently reviewed with its agile yet powerful manner.
