Who is excited about Capital Audiofest 2023?

@vthokie83 

He had a Linear Tube Audio integrated and their streamer. Clayton admitted the sound was a little thin with these components. I thought the highs were slightly brittle, which I attribute to the LTA stuff. I have become very sensitive to edgy mids and highs, so have never been a fan for those reasons.

On the plus side imaging was excellent; bass and mid bass were articulate, clean, and powerful; midrange was seamless. Boogie factor really was there. Unless you listen to a lot of pipe organ you won't need a subwoofer. 

Regarding the negatives, I know determining the cause is a bit of a crap shoot. But what I heard fit with my previous impressions of the LTA gear. A few years ago I had a pair of Spatial X5s, so I have a pretty good idea of what Clayton thinks sounds good.

Hope this helps. Specific concerns? 

I spent over 6 hours there yesterday and am planning on returning tomorrow.  I was surprised by how many good sounding rooms there were this year.  Other speakers not already mentioned included the active ATC SCM50ASL ($22k), Borresen M1 ($100k!), and Heretic AD614 ($7.3k, and very relaxed sound).

 I also got to hear Avantgardes for the first time.  Weird pairing for an efficient horn - dartzeel - and room was way too small, but if you sat in the chair against the wall, it gave you a much better idea of what the Duo GT ($74k) is capable of; I’d rather hear it with tubes though.  

Oh, and the Deja Vu room, with Vu’s Western Electric driven wooden horns, was very nice.  His room last year was disappointing, pretty awful in fact, so it was nice to see a return to form.

Very 1st much smaller Capital Audiofest in the old Rockville mansion venue had a custom Goto horn setup that was outstanding.

Hmmm I missed Avant-garde on the card this year. That would be an attraction for me.

Deja-Vu is usually worth carving out some time.