10 Audiophile Reviewer Observations from Capital Audiofest 2024

There’s no better place to experience high-end audio gear and systems than at a quality audiophile show. Not all shows, however,  are created equal. Domestically, AXPONA in Chicago stands out as the premier event, while internationally, the Munich HIFI Show holds the top spot—though its upcoming move to Vienna raises questions about logistics and branding. Meanwhile, Capital Audiofest in Bethesda, Maryland, has gained significant popularity in recent years, emerging as the go-to fall event after the Rocky Mountain Audiofest in Denver ceased operations prior to the pandemic.

There was a ton of fantastic audiophile gear/systems to hear at Capital Audiofest this year, and I was able to see (and hear) most of the rooms in the two days that I spent in Maryland before returning to Los Angeles. Inspired by one of my favorite NHL hockey writers, Elliotte Friedman, who does his “32 Thoughts” columns/podcasts on the sport, I will do the same from Capital Audiofest. There’s no priority or meaning in the order of the list, as much as there are ideas inspired by the show.

1.    David Chesky’s 17-year-old son Lucca is making amazing bookshelf speakers with his 3D printer. He’s 17. Really. Polk, Definitive Technology, and GoldenEar co-founder Sandy Gross told me about the speakers before the show, as he and David Chesky are close friends. Sandy wasn’t joking, as these passive radiator-driven small bookshelf speakers for under $1,000 were imaging like a banshee. 

Whether Lucca can make enough of them on a 3D printer is a question that his father answers with an enthusiastic “Yes.” The idea that a teenager can build a speaker like this is impressive.

2.    Reel-to-reel decks were everywhere. I badly want a Nagra or Revox or TASCAM reel-to-reel machine but there’s no way I am paying even dealer cost for one with my odd audiophile needs in this category. I simply don’t have access to enough one-quarter-inch master tape to ever make that worthwhile set piece for my “developing” YouTube.com channel. 

I have to say that reel-to-reels are visually really cool and sound a lot better than the most expensive audiophile turntables, and even a lot better than anything that spins a silver disc, assuming you have some access to some great music on one-quarter-inch inch tape.

3.    Are less crossovers better when it comes to audiophile loudspeakers? If you believe MC Audiotech, this is the case, as the Pennsylvania high-end audiophile speaker manufacturer was crushing it with the most open, dynamic, and powerful sound in a tiny-ass hotel room. 

TLA tube electronics brought the whole system in at well under $30,000, but the system was beating up on ones costing 10 times more. This was impressive.

4.    Vinnie Rossi gear might be the sexiest-looking and most well-thought-out in the high-end marketplace today. There are plenty of brands of audiophile electronics that sound great, but is there a brand that puts more effort into making a lust-worthy investment? Likely not. Vinnie Rossi was showing their gorgeous electronics, and I learned that their subtle gauges use the same type of glass that is found in high-end watches just to give their amps and integrals that fine timepiece look. Do gauges change the sound of your amp? No, they do not, but they sure make the amp look cool and help sell it and/or make you love your gear just a little bit more when you own it.

5.    The demographic of these regional audiophile shows isn’t getting any younger, and that is really scary. At the recent Seattle audiophile show that the same promoters did a few months back, I saw two older men fall down while walking around the 37 demo rooms at the event. That’s scary unless they were just blown away by the sound, which sadly wasn’t the case, as they were just walking down the hallway at the time that I saw them take a spill. 

At Capital Audiofest, we saw more walkers and wheelchairs than we saw teenagers, Gen Alphas or Gen Zs. While this challenge is anything but easy, this trend must reverse. And YES, some dads brought their kids, which must be encouraged.

6.    Unrealistically large listening rooms create unrealistic sonic results. I live in Los Angeles, where real estate costs over $1,000 per square foot and often as much as $2,000 per foot, thus having a dedicated listening room that is gigantic is simply unrealistic. The same thing goes for other top audiophile markets, like San Francisco, San Jose, and specifically Manhattan. 

With that said, some audiophile demos at Capital Audiofest were installed in Hilton Hotel meeting rooms that are so big that the main floorstanding speakers are placed 10 or more feet from the back wall and often 15 to 20 feet from the side walls. How’s the imaging? Outrageously good, but fully unrealistic, as nobody who can afford a $250,000 audio system is guaranteed to have a room that big or with commercial height ceilings, so be careful not to expect those types of sonic results at home, unless you’ve got the room to back it up.

7.    Integrated solutions are becoming more popular for audiophiles. At CEDIA in Denver a few weeks back, I got to see the new NAD M10 integrated amp, which at under $2,500 has a BlueSound Node streamer, room correction, an internal DAC, and a modern Class-D switching amp (Hypex, I think), all in one box. Impressive. At Capital Audiofest, T+A was showing their nearly $19,000 integrated “amp” (really more of a solution or component, as I am seeking the right word) that has everything in it, including a silver disc spinner and a DAC not far from their T+A DAC 200, as well as everything else a high-end audiophile might want to power his or her $20,000-plus speakers. Burmester (you know them from Mercedes) had an integrated amp that was staggeringly beautiful and, at $30,000, sound that lives up to its lofty price.

8.    Vinyl is still popular at audiophile shows, but more people are understanding that the 100-year-old (-plus) format is not an HD source in 2024. Vinyl has its benefits for the modern audiophile. Vinyl delivers an authentic playback experience that was the chosen format for most pre-mid-1980s classic rock and popular music. 

Vinyl provides an all-analog music playback experience that comes with “the ritual” that so many of us who spend our lives in front of computers can relate to. With that said, at its most compressed, vinyl can produce about half of the dynamic range of a Compact Disc and, in my opinion, couldn’t dream of competing sonically with HD streaming or 24-bit audiophile downloads, which are realistic copies of the master tape in a format that we, the audiophile consumers, can play back right in our listening rooms. I wonder if the recent rise in popularity of reel-to-reel decks and cassette players has tempered the performance expectations for vinyl to a more realistic level. That would be a very good thing.

9.    ADCOM’s comeback is pending but going slowly. Anybody who knows Boris knows that he is a force to be reckoned with. Like MacGyver back in the 1980s, powered with nothing more than a battery, a paperclip, and some chewing gum, Boris can fix any audiophile product known to man. It might be something in his Russian upbringing, but he’s also bringing ADCOM back to the States. 

New Class-D amps are being designed right at this moment to replace the aged legacy products like the ADCOM GFA-555 SE with newer designs. Will they be like Boris’ house-branded AMPED AMERICA 2400, and packing a Pascal chipset? We can only hope so, as the AMPED 2400 might be the best higher-end ($5,000) modern Class-D amp on the market today.

10. SVS’ Ultra Evolution Pinnacle Speakers deserve a price increase but are not going to get one. When I reviewed these speakers this summer, I had a pair of $23,500 Stenheim Alumine Two. Five speakers in from Switzerland, as well as Estelon Aura speakers at $20,000 per pair from Estonia, not to mention my reference $28,000 Bowers & Wilkins 802 D4s. 

The SVS speakers are mind-blowingly good for the money. Are they as exotic? No, but do they sound comparably good for at least one-quarter of the money? Yes, my friends, they do. These speakers are game-changers, as we heard again at Capital Audiofest.

Conclusion

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) now meaningless to audiophiles after decades upon decades of that early January show being the Super Bowl for our hobby, regional shows like Capital Audiofest are increasingly important. Can we find new ways to get some youth to these shows? Time will tell, but anybody who lives within a reasonable distance of Bethesda, Maryland should consider making the effort to hear some audio every fall. For me, I pack up my bags and slide my butt into a United Polaris Class, lie-flat seat on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner there and back from Los Angeles, as this is the last, meaningful chance to hear audio at a show before the holidays. For me, that’s worth flying across the country for.

By no means does this report cover all that happened at the show. What did you see that you liked? Were there things you didn’t dig? Comment below, as we always want to hear from you with your take.