Capital Audio Fest 2025

Gary Gill has produced one of my favorite audio shows yet again in a beautiful section of Rockville, Maryland. And by beautiful, I mean they have a really cool Porsche dealership within short walking distance. I think what makes the show so exciting is that it draws in a lot of big and small name systems, yet has the feel of a smaller regional show. Rockville has excellent restaurants and that creates a nice atmosphere for industry dinners. However, what I really like is that every year I have been here, I have discovered cool new products and technology.

I would like to start off by showcasing the best rooms and then highlight some cool new products which really stood out to me. Let's just cut to the chase, shall we?

Best Sounding Rooms

Bending Wave, Best of Show

I struggle to write this as I am almost out of superlatives for the big, lifelike sound that this room provided my ears. And how often have we seen expensive systems advertised at shows that fall flat in sound in the demo? Probably 90% of the time in my experience.

Elliot Goldman brought his big guns for the show including the Goebel Divin Noblisse ($269K per pair) with matching humongous 18" subwoofers ($39,900 each) and these were driven by EMM Labs MTRX V2 monoblocks ($115K per pair). This genuinely spectacular sound quality was probably the best sound I have heard at dozens of trade shows since I started going to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in the mid 2000s. I visited the room three times and was wowed by three different sources.

Showman Danny Kaey was running his Arian Jansen modified ReVox PR99 tape deck (latest models at $30K) playing Arian's Sonic Holography tapes. Danny, wearing a three-piece suit and looking like a cross between Billy Idol and Guy Fieri, was serving up banger tracks in an often eclectic but satisfying mix. New stuff, not tired audiophile war horses I have heard twenty times at every show.

Holy cow! A very spacious and real sound. On digital was The EMM Labs DA2i but the secret weapons were the TXi transport at $35K and the Pink Faun Ultra 2.16 at $46K. Elliott played a blues track, Savoy Brown with Kim Simmons, Blues at Midnight. The guitar licks were conveyed with reference sound quality. Records were equally impressive with a Clearaudio Reference Jubilee turntable ($60K) and a DS Audio Grand Master Extreme optical cartridge ($25K) into the EMM DS-1 EQ V2 cartridge equalizer ($12,500). This was the best sound I have heard with an optical cartridge so far. Amadeus says his father Ed really got into the design as an intellectual exercise and did many revisions until he was happy. Cables were the new Neo Ag from Kimber Kable ($14,700 for interconnects and $30,760 for 2.5-meter speaker cables). Beautiful construction and open sounding.

Now, some of you may be thinking that 18" subwoofers will certainly pressurize a large ball room and you would be right. But what sent my heart and brain over the moon was the top to bottom coherency this system exhibited. Everything was 100% dialed in. Credit to Elliot Goldman and team for all the hard work on a seemingly perfect setup. I heard jazz, classical, blues and rock. It all sounded superb. I have been a fan of Goebel for many years going back to an interview I did with Oliver Goebel at the 2019 Munich Hi End show. These are very special loudspeakers. The subs are otherworldly. The EMM Labs electronics had real weight and handled dynamic passages with ease. The soundstage was both deep and wide. Midrange was musically involving and present. Bass was Marianas Trench deep but had texture and coherency. Highs were spacious and airy, never brittle. The synergy with Goebel was perfectly aligned. There was an ease to the presentation, but it wasn't polite. The huge amps had balls. Dynamic swings were presented instantly.

If I were Elliot, I would keep the same room and system and come back for an encore in 2026. A truly Best of Trade Shows -system. That may sound over the top, but it's a truthful testament to the design chops of Oliver Goebel, Ed Meitner, and Arian Jansen, and the setup skills of Elliot Goldman.

Simply outstanding!

Command Performance AV

Jeff at Command Performance is quite the character and has been doing themed rooms and costumes for his team. This year was all about big afros and 70's disco! Gryphon distributor dressed up like a cross between Santa and Fat Elvis. The sound was just as sensational...as was a demo of rare record pressings by Michael Fremer.

But for me, I was there to gain insights on the brand-new Gryphon Antileon Evo Revelation amp ($49,800) which offers 165-watts of pure Class A power. My friend Jim had one on order which came in after the show, and it sounds spectacular there as it did in the Command room with Marten Mingus Quintet loudspeakers ($120K). Gryphon's Essence preamp ($21,500) and PowerZone 3.1 conditioner ($15,700) were also used.

You can find my review of the PowerZone HERE on Positive Feedback. The new flagship Aurender N50 music server ($38,500) paired with a Berkeley Audio Desing Alpha DAC Reference 3P ($34,000) and Reference USB interface ($5995) provided digital and a J. Sikora Standard Max ($40,785) with KV Max tonearm ($15,680) and Aidas Violet Gold ($7535) provided analog.

The midrange was smooth, the bass was excellent, and both sources excelled. An entirely sublime playback system. The lava lamp was a nice touch as well.

Songer Audio

Capital Audio Fest also offered some systems for more modest budgets. Ken Songer created a room which I especially liked for it's clear and open yet warm and musical sound. Using their S1x field coil loudspeaker ($45k) and their A3 300B SET amplifier ($29,500) and Songer PS1 SE power supplies ($8500) combined with a digital chain of the Atlantic 3 TRP DAC ($10,895) and Innuos Zenith Server/streamer ($18,900), this system had warmth, resolution, and dynamics.

Normally on show reports the cable manufacturer is overlooked, but I felt the Black Cat Graceline cables were letting the music really flow. The sound was just at such a high level that everything must have been working. I had corroborating evidence for this as well. The Fern and Roby room was especially good this year and Christopher Hildebrand was using Graceline cables in his outstanding room.

Fern & Roby

I felt like there were two highlights of this boutique manufacturer and dealer: their "The Archival Turntable" ($25K) which pairs a Technics SPR-10R with an SME M2-12" tonearm. The plinth is a custom walnut which creates a beautiful retro look. Digital was also a step up this here with a Grimm Audio MU2 DAC/streamer ($20,600) fed by Network Acoustics Muon Pro streaming system ($2985) and a Tempus Ethernet switch ($5355). Supporting the sources were Fern's gorgeous but compact Raven II speakers ($5950 per pair) with stands ($1650 per pair) and No. 2 amplifier ($8500).

I listened to Phoebe Bridgers Smoke Signals on the Grimm. A very musical presentation. Just lovely. I fell in love with the midrange here on both digital and analog versions. The Raven loudspeakers just put out a surprising amount of bass. A wonderful value in my opinion as well given both the level of sound quality and craftsmanship. I hope my photos here may not do the finish justice here.

Acora and VAC

One wonders if reviewers are running out of superlatives to describe VAC and Acora reference systems that seem to be on display at every major show. This year was no different as they took over the huge room on the bottom level and created one of the most beautiful midranges at the show. The real secret weapon was the new VAC 300 iQ Mk II amplifiers and a $300K+ SAT XD1 turntable with an SAT CF1-09T tonearm and Lyra Atlanta cartridge. As my friend and fellow PF reviewer Bob Levi might say, the playing of albums was like "the clouds parted and you could see God!"

The best part was the introduction of the Seismion Reactio 2 active isolation platform which could be demonstrated by simply turning the device on and off. Folks, this wasn't subtle. With the platform on, you could hear better layering of the orchestra on classical performances like the Gala Performances of the Royal Ballet. The placement of musicians on the sound stage was sharpened with the platform on. Stay tuned as I have one at home now for an evaluation.

Joseph Audio, Doshi Audio, and Cardas Audio

Yet another outstanding room from this dynamic trio, Jeff brought in his Pulsar 2 Graphene loudspeakers at $10,000 a pair along with Nick Doshi's Evo electronics including the line stage ($24K), phono preamp ($24K), and stereo amp ($26K). A J. Sikora ASPIRE turntable with ASPIRE 9 carbon fiber tonearm ($10,595 for both) and an Aidas Malachite Silver cartridge ($7295). The sound was supremely musical with lots of resolution on the turntable. It almost made me not miss Nick's Studer tape deck.

For digital, we heard the new Innuos Stream3 music server with optional Phoenix DAC board ($12,500). Several classical and jazz tracks sounded terrific.

Audio Group Denmark

ADG and Blink High End had an interesting and very good sounding large room that included the premiere of a new Italian turntable called the Thuono TH-400 turntable ($59,500) which sounded very good. Paired with Borreson's M3 speakers ($294,000), the Aavik R-880 phono stage ($73,500) and Aavik 800 amplifiers and sources (C-880, P-880, SD-880, all $73,500 each) and a half million dollars of the Ansuz Gold Signature cables and Ansuz equipment rack, the sound was liquid and highly resolving.

As someone doing professional set-ups, I am always dismayed by the ultra-wide speaker placement they use, but fortunately I was able to sit in some comfortable sofas near the last row which were far more musically engaging than the prime chairs up front. I was really struck by how coherent this system sounded and the musicality of the Italian turntable. They played the Vivaldi Four Seasons, and it had clarity, space, and dynamics.

Best Innovation & Sound Award

Synergistic Research showed a breathtaking display of forward-thinking technology with an entirely new approach to transforming sound, by blending AI software control with their Ultra Low Frequency RF generators. Essentially these generators overpower ambient RFI and EMI in components to create a lower noise floor. The FEQ generator I use in the reference room does this well. SR uses the FEQ and "Atmosphere" towers to effect the change in the sound field an early issue was that the towers had the ability over a million potential broadcasts… so which ones do you use?

In prior designs Ted was able to create scenarios for a jazz club or an orchestra by guessing at what the broadcast of RF should look like. The breakthrough Ted had was to use AI to map the sound characteristics to these broadcast potentials. They then created a software app with the mappings so you can use natural language algorithms to change the sound. The great news here is that the process does not interfere at all with the signal path.

Here is where it gets interesting for the audiophile. Owner Ted Denney and factory leader Andy Wiederspahn (effectively the software developer) used an iPad running their own software to interpret owner commands such as "more midrange," "more envelopment," or "deeper soundstage" to "tune" the Atmosphere towers. To be honest, the demo genuinely blew my mind. The changes were quick and noticeable, all contributing to better sound. As if this weren't enough, the room was one of the best sounds at the show, leveraging much of Synergistic's UEF technology.

Also on display was a sneak preview of the upcoming Galileo Lux cables which now come in a new white color with platinum-colored connections. Absolutely stunning. Sound is said to be beyond the original SRX. These guys are on a roll.

Special Mentions

The Stellavox Stellamaster

This diminutive tape deck with compact reels from Charles King sounded simply wonderful playing vintage tape.

Sonorus ATR10 Mk II Analog Tape Recorders

Paired with an incredible system of Estelon loudspeakers and Vitus electronics, this was quite the system. Two decks, side by side, again demonstrating the fantastic sound of tape from Arian Jansen's machines, not unlike the Goebel and EMM room.

Chesky Audio LC2

Lucca Chesky killed it again. The more expensive Chesky monitors only cost $2K per pair! Combined with Schiit electronics, this was my favorite budget system at the show. Open sound, surprisingly good bass from a monitor and real-world electronics was terrific. Schiit's latest Yggy DAC is really something too. More natural sound from renowned designer Mike Moffat. And a total system price that embarrasses the industry.

TIDAL Audio

Doug White doesn't mess around when it comes to perfect setup for show sound but this time, he brought a pricey Turnbull cable loom including their $90,000(!) power conditioner. Using Piano loudspeakers paired with REL subwoofers, the sound was musical, detailed, and just flowed.

VPI, VAC, and Acora's MRC

The new MRC monitors I first heard at the Florida show really sang at Capital. I cannot think of a better value for a world class monitor that sells for $8000 with marble cabinet construction from the Acora stone masons in Canada. As a long-time VPI fan and former Scoutmaster owner, the analog source was top notch and Mat and staff spun some very high-quality records deep into the evening.

Nola Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 Loudspeaker

Carl Marchisotto has made a "breakthrough" in his crossovers and developed some Alnico magnet-based bass drivers, all while improving sensitivity to a generous 91 dB. I really enjoyed the sound of these. They paired very well with some beefy Western Electric amplifiers.

Nordost QBase, QSine, and QWave Grounding

Nordost had a convincing demonstration showing the impact of its cables and grounding system using Simm Audio electronics and Borreson loudspeakers. I am ever more convinced that cables, conditioning, and grounding devices are essential to reference sound. This was also a nice reminder of the resolution and overall quality of the more affordable Borreson loudspeakers.