Capital Audio Fest 2016

Welch my guess is that most of the rooms were not large and most people look for smaller more compact speakers anyway.   So that somewhat means speakers might not be as large or expensive as they can be.  

Whereas there is no practical limit to what might go into an amp quality wise and less space issues with amps versus large expensive speakers.  

These are the rooms I heard with sound I would like to hear more of.  

Kef
classic audio/Atmasphere 
martin logan
care audio
daedelus
Odyssey
rogue/Joseph audio/now listen here
benchmark
vac/gershman
berning/voxitive custom horns
Star sound
Audio note

There were many very nice sounding rooms at this year's CAF.  That makes 2 for 2 at the new venue, and considering that the sound quality for the several years previous was not as so uniformly good I have to conclude that the new quarters must have something to do with this.

For me there were 2 truly excellent experiences at the show.  The first was listening to cellist Vincent Belanger accompany himself via recorded tracks in the Audio Note room.  I thoroughly enjoyed listening to a live cello 6' away played by an accomplished musician.  (The Audio Note J-LX speakers sounded really nice too!).  The second great experience was listening to Dave Slagle demonstrate 3 different RIAA equalization topologies in his phono preamp---LR vs. LCR vs. RC---with all other aspects as constant as possible.  Very interesting!

Another interesting experience was hearing the new Volti Rival speaker which uses the same drivers as the Vittora but with a smaller bass reflex cabinet (and smaller price).  I hope this new speaker gives Greg Roberts the commercial success he deserves.

Lastly another measure of whether a hifi show was a success is how many LPs I heard that are now on my Need to Get ASAP list.  By that standard this CAF was a great success!

Saletric There were few if any CDs being played on CD players. Mostly vinyl and digital streaming.   I suspect that and strides in Dac technology in recent years  helped achieve better more consistent sound throughout the show.  I know it has for me at home.  I heard very little if any digital glare or brightness. 

One of the rooms I enjoyed most with gear I could see myself owning someday was the Vac/Gershman room.  The Gershman monitors playing were perhaps my favorite new find at CAF this year.  

The room running Rogue hybrid amp and Joseph Audio compact floor standers was another.   I was already a Big Rogue fan but never noticed Joseph audio before.   The sound was nice and hit well above the size of the speakers much like Totem.  Lots of competition at that price though.