Capital Audio Fest (CAF) 2023

@blisshifi 

I will share my cell and catch up with you. 

I went to CAF Saturday and Sunday.  Attendance was good but maybe a little less than expected.

notables to me:

- Geshelli labs has 2 new products an amp and a crazy 8 output DAC.  Really love what Geshelli can do for the price  there’s some videos on YouTube if you want to see

- Clayton Shaw showed his new open baffle speakers, Caladan, with Linear Tube Audio gear.  Sounded great.

- Linear Tube Audio is coming out with 2 new products: a Dac and a new entry headphone amp.  
- YG had some really nice new stuff.  The preamp was super cool.   Like what they are doing.

- heard Elacs new powered bookshelves.  Sounded really good for a small powered system and they have them for on significant intro sale for the next 2 days 
- there was a really cool prototype open baffle speaker made out of granite from a startup Maco (there’s some YouTube videos out there) .  They sounded really good.

so that’s my brief gear talk from only seeing 1/6 of the rooms! However, the best part about the show is talking to people. Getting to sit down and talk to people - the people who make all these cool things… being able to talk face to face with the speaker designer or Amp Designer is the best.  well worth the trip if you can make it.

I was hoping to go this year but couldn't make it--maybe next year. I hope more folks posts their experience there. It was a lot of fun when I went in 2019, then covid. 

I went Saturday afternoon. Got through floors 8, 3, and the ground exhibits. Missed floors 6 & 7. I'm a tube, open baffle, and horn lover. Almost every room sounded good. All relative. I enjoyed the VK Audio room. AER speakers in a see-through horn, SE45 amp, and vinyl. The Heretic speakers sounded amazing for $7,300. The VanSweikart 55 room with Lampizator sounded wonderful. But the price. The Atmosphere, Classic Horn room was my favorite. Oh, the Magico, Gryphon, J. Sakora was very nice. 

There are videos on YouTube of many of the rooms FWIW. They all definitely sound different.