Inside CAF 2025 Luxury Hi-Fi Show Part 1 — Capital Audiofest's Top Floors With 84 Rooms
New trends you need to know about, the latest audio gear, and not to be missed rooms!
Capital Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker

American Audio & Video
Shades of Crazy Eddie's in the 1970s?

Cool mid-century modern furniture with a Dual CS 529 that will also play your old 78s.

American Audio & Video
I'm sure this room made some newcomers to the high end feel more comfortable... assuming they made it up this high into the hotel. There was actually some pretty good entry-level gear in this room.

Audiolab solid-state stereo home audio gear.

Songer Audio
Ken Songer put on a very fine show with his field coil speakers, along with his power supplies for them and his tube amplifier. An Innuos ZENith streamer and a LampizatOr tube DAC. Simply gorgeous woodwork and beautiful music.

Note the use of Black Cat cables here. I ran into Mayu Sommovigo on Sunday, who was making the rounds to establish contacts in the industry. I'll have a photo of her in the Atrium in Part 2. Word is she is busy making cables in her "cable cave" down in Atlanta.

Haniwa Audio
There was news in the Haniwa Audio room this year.

The new two-horn speaker that I noted at AXPONA is now in the line at $60k, bundled with the four-channel GaNFET amplifier that bi-amplifies the speakers.

The new turntable is sold as a bundle with the long tonearm, top-of-the-line cartridge, and phono stage for $80k. Everything is made by Haniwa, including the cables.

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