Inside CAF 2025 Luxury Hi-Fi Show Part 2 — Capital Audiofest's Large Exhibit Rooms And Lobby Displays
Fresh trends, the hottest audio equipment, and rooms everyone's talking about.
Capital Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker

Fern & Roby
Fern & Roby is another company with a house sound that is consistent because their product choices are so limited. This is a quality sound for people who want the exclusivity of a boutique brand without getting involved with the complexity and diversity of the high end. It will fit right in with your Ralph Lauren décor without trying to impress or compete with the other people in your circle.

The Archival Turntable ($25k) uses a Technics SP-10R table with direct drive, an SME M2 12" tonearm, and a custom Richlite and walnut plinth. It was fitted with a Soundsmith Paua cartridge ($4k). Next to it was the F & R Amp No. 2 integrated amp with phono stage ($8,500). The F & R  rack #1 ($5950) has a refined industrial look to it that has an authentic Old World look to it. The speaker was the F & R The Raven, in walnut ($5,950).

Black Cat Cables were from the Graceline Level 2 (1m, XLR $2,495) and 1.5m, RCA $2,495), and Level 3 (3-meter, speaker $11k). And here was yet another Grimm MU Server, ($20,600).

Command Performance AV
This was a very fine-sounding room with Joseph Audio's new Pulsar 2 Graphene monitors ($10k) providing satisfying bass.

This was my first opportunity to actually hear the new J. Sikora Aspire turntable from Poland, equipped here with the Aspire CV 9 carbon fiber tonearm ($10,595 for both) and fitted with an Aidas Malachite Silver MC cartridge ($7,295) from Lithuania.  This has a more approachable form factor that many will welcome.

Jeff Joseph likes to display his Joseph Audio loudspeakers with Doshi tube amplification. From their Evolution Series was the line preamp ($24k), phono stage ($24k), and stereo power amp ($26k) on the floor. To the right of the rack, on the floor, were the separate power supplies for the line stage and phono stage. An Innuos Hi-Res Music streamer was on the bottom shelf of the rack. Cabling was Cardas' Clear series. This rig might seem fairly straightforward, but this gear is fairly expensive. The pay-off was excellent sound that made me wonder why people need to spend more.

O/ Audio
The name of this speaker company requires a special keyboard for my computer. I'll forgive them this time. I'm told it is even harder to pronounce than to type. Harmonia Distribution didn't cut corners in their presentation here, making a strong statement that deserves further investigation of this new player from Scandinavia.

The HRS rack was filled with premium components. I believe this was the only room equipped with Boulder amplification at the show.

With a compression horn driver, I would have expected high efficiency and the use of tube amplification, but they went with solid state monoblocks. The cabinet tapers to the rear and two relatively small ports fire to the inside. They went with flat feet, presumably with some vibration-absorbing value, rather than spikes. The large square black horn seemed a bit awkward on this white chassis, but on a colored chassis it would be less obtrusive. I expect it gave good vertical dispersion.

MC Audiotech
It was a pleasure to see Mark Conti again this year and find yet another surprise—the new, smaller MC Audiotech TL-8 loudspeaker was reviewed this month by Enjoy the Music.com ($17k, $13k direct). It has the same airy, dynamic sound with high resolution and transparency that I heard in their Legacy Forty-10 I reviewed years ago, but in a more affordable and room-friendly chassis.

With 91dB/W/m efficiency and 8 Ohm impedance, the TL-8 could easily be driven by modest tube amplification in most rooms. The footers looked like vibration-absorbing IsoAcoustics, rather than spikes. The large slots on both sides provide what they claim is an open-baffle design from 475 Hz on up. I've reviewed numerous open baffle speakers, and the TL-8 has that open, airy feel along with pleasant bloom. While not widely distributed, they offer demos at their North Wales, PA, location near Philadelphia.

The loudspeaker comes in four lovely standard wood veneers and is offered in gloss black, gloss white, with some more exotic veneers available for a small upcharge.

The rig was minimal with the Heaven 11 Audio Billie Mk3 hybrid integrated amp ($3650). I've been watching the Canadian Heaven 11 grow for a few years, and I get progressively more impressed with it as each new version appears. A pair of tubes in the preamplifier stage does wonders for the choice of Hypex or ICEpower Class D stages that put out 250 Watt and 215W @ 4 Ohms, respectively. The Classic version features a DAC along with AptX Bluetooth and a MM phono stage, while the Billie Spartan is a straightforward integrated amp.

The wood rack from Rigidrack was exceptionally handsome and added to the minimalist trend this room presented—a very high-quality look and sound for not a huge amount of money. I hope everybody exploring the entry level got to visit this room. It was a very strong presentation.

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