Brave Heart’s larger overall size results in more “torque” — a sure and muscular grip on the music, especially the bottom end. Damping-factor is better preserved over length, especially benefitting speakers with ported (4th-order) enclosures that rely on strong amplifier control to perform their best.

More metal also means that variation in speaker impedance values across the frequency spectrum has less effect on frequency response.

Quieter

Brave Heart also uses upgraded polypropylene insulation, which linearizes and expands the bandwidth of its noise-dissipation. With conductors that are farther apart thanks to optimized insulation, the out-of-focus, harsh-sounding effect of distributed capacitance distortions are meaningfully reduced.

Additionally, thicker layers of Carbon-Loaded PVC, newly added Graphene, and 4% silver shield drain wires further improves RF-Noise Dissipation.

Classic AudioQuest Design Elements

Everything mentioned above is added to a wealth of proven AudioQuest design elements:
Solid conductors prevent strand interaction, and, because the conductors are direction-controlled, RF noise is efficiently drained away from the vulnerable amplifier circuitry — toward where it will do the least or no harm.
To further minimize the negative effects of induced RF-noise and timing errors due to dielectric noise, Brave Heart includes AudioQuest’s 72v Dielectric-Bias System.

There is no RF-relaying metal in the cable dressing, breakouts, or plug barrels, and the cold-welded gas-tight connections are made to Red Copper spades or bananas.

ZERO-Tech

Featured in AudioQuest Folk Hero and Mythical Creature speaker cables, ZERO-Tech eliminates characteristic-impedance mismatches between a cable and the attached source and load.
Power seems to flow unencumbered, presenting music and soundtracks as if out of nowhere.

The necessary electrical connection that enables ZERO-Tech: Concealed by what appears to be a traditional breakout, the positive drain wire connects to the negative — at the speaker end only.

Despite Brave Heart’s appropriately large size, connections to the amp side are made significantly simpler thanks to increased physical flexibility.

Better

While a grossly overused and misused term, there is real synergy when all the above materials, values, and techniques employed in Brave Heart work in concert.

Brave Heart is bigger, better, and quieter than any speaker cable AudioQuest has ever offered at this price.

US: $4,990/8ft pr; $5,790/10ft pr
Canada: $6,790/8ft pr; $7,890/10ft pr
Europe: €4.999/2.5m pr; €5.649/3m pr
United Kingdom: £4,249/2.5m pr; £4,799/3m pr
Can be made to order in any length with choice of Bananas or Spades on either end.

Shipping in August.

The Expanded HMS Cable & Power Range

HMS Foundations (Energia SL, Duetto MKIII, Al Cinema)

The gateway to HMS excellence. Built with accessible price points but engineered for serious listeners, these products deliver clarity and neutrality. From speaker cables to interconnects and power cables, Foundations offers performance-driven designs for everyday audiophile systems.

Concertato Series

Positioned as the perfect bridge into audiophile territory, Concertato cables emphasize musicality while maintaining precision. Lower inductance, refined shielding, and natural tonal balance define this elegant range.

Armonia Carbon Series

A step up in technology and performance, Armonia Carbon employs advanced carbon-infused shielding to dramatically reduce RFI/EMI interference. Designed for advanced systems, it offers a perfect harmony of detail, depth, and tonal purity.

Gran Finale 50 Series

A tribute to the heritage of HMS and celebrating the 50-year milestone, Gran Finale 50 uses Monocrystal Copper and advanced air-dielectric constructions. It offers ultra-low signal loss, absolute fidelity, and is crafted for the most demanding high-end setups.

Suprema MC2 Series

The ultimate reference product in the HMS range. Incorporating the most advanced HMS and IAH research, Monocrystal Copper, and adjustable tuning switches, Suprema MC2 sets a new standard for flagship audio cables.

Energia Power Filter Range

HMS’s expertise extends beyond signal cables. The Energia power filters, incorporating proprietary GLS (Ground Loop Suppression) and DCS (Direct Current Suppression) technologies, ensure your power supply is as clean and pure as your signal path. From entry-level solutions to top-tier RC4/3, Energia products guarantee improved dynamics, lower distortion, and superior musicality.

Visit Us in Munich: Experience the New HMS

HMS invites the global audio community to experience this rebirth first-hand at High End Munich 2025 in Atrium 4.1 Room F130 from 15–18 May 2025. Discover the refined cable ranges, learn more about our technologies, and meet the team behind this exciting new chapter.

To make portable listening as engaging and musically rewarding as a reference home system.

Each product in the Liberty range is crafted with bespoke metallurgy, precision insulation, and a luxurious yet lightweight construction — combining performance with convenience in the most elegant way possible.

The Liberty Collection includes:

• Liberty Where performance meets simplicity. Using hair-thin proprietary silver-gold wires and Teflon® insulation, Liberty offers a clean, honest, and highly musical presentation. Perfect for everyday use by discerning listeners.
• Absolute Liberty Greater precision, deeper connection. Using the highest purity Infinite Crystal Silver and refined geometry, Absolute Liberty enhances detail, realism, and texture for true audio enthusiasts.
• Infinite Liberty The pinnacle of portable audio. Featuring double the conductors, Infinite Liberty delivers breathtaking dynamics, transparency, and immersive emotionality — for connoisseurs who desire the ultimate listening experience on the go.

All Liberty cables are available in configurations to match virtually any IEM or headphone connector, making them as versatile as they are beautiful.

A New Era for High-End Portability

Crystal Cable Portables represents a new way of thinking — where luxury and mobility coexist without compromise. Whether in the studio, travelling, or relaxing at home, these cables elevate every listening moment to reference level.

The Liberty Series will make its public debut at High End Munich 2025, and visitors are invited to join us in Atrium 4.1, Room F130 to discover the next step in Crystal Cable’s legacy — connected to music, anytime, anywhere.

The LINK range will make its worldwide debut at Axpona (April 11-13, 2025), followed by the High End Show in Munich, Germany in May.

MSRPs for the US, UK, and EU are as follows:

​Speaker Cables

L-LS3 $399 (US) / €299 (EU) / £325 (UK)

L-LS4 $479 (US) / €349 (EU) / £375 (UK)

L-LS5 $549 (US) / €399 (EU) £400 (UK)

Subwoofer Cables

L-SUB3 $129 (US) / €99 (EU) / £110 (UK)

L-SUB5 $169 (US) / €129 (EU) / £145 (UK)

L-SUB10 $269 (US) / €199 (EU) / £200 (UK)

Analog Stereo XLR Cables

L-XLR0.5 $199 (US) / €159 (EU) / £175 (UK)

L-XLR1.5 $279 (US) / €199 (EU) / £225 (UK)

Analog Stereo RCA Cables

L-RCA0.5 $99 (US) / €79 (EU) / £90 (UK)

L-RCA1.5 $139 (US) / €99 (EU) / £120 (UK)

Digital Coaxial RCA Cables

L-COAX1 $99 (US) / €79 (EU) / £90 (UK)

L-COAX2 $139 (US) / €99 (EU) / £120 (UK)

Digital Optical RCA Cables

L-OPT1 $69 (US) / €49 (EU) / £60 (UK)

L-OPT2 $99 (US) / €79 (EU) / £90 (UK)

**Pricing may be adjusted according to fluctuations in global market conditions, including tariffs and trade regulations.

Shunyata’s founder and chief designer Caelin Gabriel also improved the Kinetic Phase Inversion Process, which, over a four-day period, “conditions the conductors at a molecular level using high-energy pulsed frequencies that heat the conductor mass.” This results in less burn-in time, allowing the wire to reach its performance potential sooner.

Theta power cords feature VTX-Ag (pure silver center) conductors, both with an outer layer of ultra-pure OFE copper. They are constructed with both an inner center conductor made of pure silver and an outer concentric ring conductor made of pure copper. The Theta power cords use the finest fluorocarbon insulation to minimize dielectric absorption and re-radiation, which translates to an improvement in resolution and clarity.

Theta Series cables are terminated with Shunyata’s custom-designed connectors and cold-soldered terminals. The look is unpretentious in a braided Black Flex mesh cover and richly gold-plated interchangeable (banana or spade) OFE-copper terminations. The shield is a tight braid of silver-plated copper. To the eye and touch, construction-quality end-to-end appeared top-notch. Theta is available in speaker, interconnect (XLR or RCA), digital, and power cords. For this review I was supplied with Theta speaker cable, RCA interconnects, and for my second system, XLR interconnects long enough to drive my active ATC loudspeakers, as well as Theta power cords for the ATC on-board amps.

Sonically, Gabriel and the Shunyata team brought their high-resolution A-game to Theta. Transparent across the board, the Thetas had impeccable spectral balance, nimble transients, and smooth warmly lit harmonics. They produced an ineffable muscular midband energy that rippled up from the lower reaches of acoustic bass and seemed to strengthen as it rose through the octaves and sweeten in the upper ranges of violin. Tonal balance was essentially neutral, but if I were pressed, I would say that its signature leaned ever so slightly to the warmer side, but like a chameleon, this was truly hard to pin down.

More significantly, Theta produced an open and uncongested sense of spatiality within my listening rooms. Orchestral section layering of strings, winds, brasses was very, very good. A favorite recording of mine is the theme to the film The Cowboys from John Williams’ At the Movies (with thanks to RH for this tip). This 24-bit/176kHz Reference Recording is brilliant at describing the broad Meyerson soundstage thrown by the Dallas Winds and is overflowing with back-of-the-hall depth cues from the percussion section, and the long reverberant decays sustained throughout the auditorium.

Theta’s performance in the upper mids and treble octaves were among the most liquid and natural that I’ve heard. My conclusion was validated through two distinctively different loudspeaker systems—the Raidho X2.6, a small floorstander equipped with a superb ribbon tweeter (review forthcoming), and the redoubtable stand-mount compact MBL 126 Radialstrahler, a personal all-time fave—a magical omni whose musicality continues to stun every listener who passes through my home. In their own unique ways, these speakers reproduce the top octaves in the most revealing and natural manner of any I’ve heard. For that reason alone, they don’t suffer poor or middling speaker cable. In this instance, Evgeny Kissin’s upper-octave keyboard trills were bell-like and harmonically extended and bore all the hallmarks (openness, expanse, and air) of the live concert hall experience. Alison Krauss’ rendition of “Slumber My Darling” from Appalachian Journey was beautifully expressive, her soaring, almost ethereal vocal a luminous delight to my ears

Transient information was excellent in its naturalistic clarity. The Thetas easily caught the leading-edge snap and “pop” from Stewart Copeland’s high-pitch drum kit in The Police’s 1983’s Synchronicity disc, their final studio album. And not just the pop but the actual tonality that each of these skins produced. Equally superb were dynamics on both micro- and macro-levels, e.g., the thundering tympani and bass drum impacts and suspended decays during Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” But of all my reference recordings, “Autumn Leaves” by the Manhattan Jazz Quintet afforded one of the most vivid illustrations of Theta’s charms as regards dynamic contrast, transient behavior, and piercing pyrotechnics. From the gritty alto sax to the forward, stinging, wall-paper-shredding blasts from Lew Soloff’s trumpet solo, to, perhaps most of all, the deep, thick resonances and sustains of the acoustic bass and piano solos, Theta covered all the bases.

Other properties that most stood out were image focus and stability. Theta tracked and positioned the smallest and lowest-level musical cues with a degree of precision that I can only describe as dogged. This was exemplified during Peter, Paul and Mary’s “All My Trials.” When properly reproduced this simple all-analog track (tape hiss included) reveals the nuance of vocal timbre and texture with the best of them. Paul’s beseeching tenor is panned to the left of the soundstage and Peter’s growly baritone to the right, bracketing Mary’s plaintive vocal in the center stage position. What became ever more clear with Theta in the system were the timbral qualities of their delicate vocals, the harmonizing interplay, and the specific emotional character of each singer.

As for the harder to define sense of overall “musicality,” the liveliness factor, the pace, the jumpy rhythmic cues that get toes tapping and heads nodding, Theta hardly takes a back seat to any contenders. When jazz singer Melody Gardot sings “Who Will Comfort Me,” and her crack band enters with a vamping guitar and finger snap intro, slowly filling in the track with kick drum and toms accents and a bubbling double bass line, until seemingly out of nowhere comes the wail of a Hammond B3, joined by trumpet, sax, and backup voices, well, there was no moving me from the listening sweet spot until the final fade.

Every component in a high-end system has one mission: to allow the component ahead of it to operate to its full potential. In other words, to get the heck out of the way of the musical signal. I’ve heard cables that edge out Theta in minor ways, my own references (pricier to be sure) like Audience frontRow or Matthew Bond Insight (Issue 355) among them. But nothing I’ve heard matches Theta anywhere near this price segment. At least, not yet. Kudos to Caelin Gabriel and Team Shunyata for bringing to market such a top-notch, category-busting wire for the rest of us. My highest recommendation.   

Specs & Pricing

Price: Speaker, $1998/2.5m; interconnect, XLR $1198/2m, RCA $998/1m; power, $998/1.75m

SHUNYATA RESEARCH
26273 Twelve Trees Lane
Poulsbo, WA 98370
(360) 598-9935
shunyata.com

Six KGEAR GH4 high-performance point source satellite speakers deliver exceptional sound quality and coverage to the dining area with additional Thunder subwoofers installed in custom cut recesses within the banquettes. The upstairs dining room features six more KGEAR GH4 speakers and a KGEAR GU210 subwoofer.

The private chef’s table on the second floor is home to two Vyper-KV25 speakers and a Truffle-KTR26 subwoofer also built into banquets. In the upstairs private dining area a turntable keeps the music flowing with four Tornado-KT2 point source speakers and one Rumble-KU26 creating an intimate listening experience. Kommander amplifiers round out the system setup.

“Creating the right atmosphere was paramount,” Flannery explains. “We wanted an audio system that could truly bring our vinyl collection to life, particularly the timeless voices of Italian and Italian-American artists. Choosing K-array, an Italian system, felt like a natural fit. Their exceptional clarity and ability to distribute sound evenly throughout the restaurant, combined with their commitment to quality craftsmanship that mirrors our own, made them the perfect partner. We are proud to share our Italian roots.”

Vinile’s menu features prime chophouse dishes with Italian influences, such as oysters with caviar and dry aged porterhouse. With private dining rooms and a chef’s table experience, Vinile is a destination where Italian craftsmanship in both food and audio are prioritized. Just look at the menu and you’ll find K-array prominently featured, highlighting the importance of this shared Italian heritage.

So here’s 45 minutes of show video, more to come.

Chesky Audio LC1

These small (about 1 cubic foot) stand-mount speakers come from the mind of Lukka Chesky, son of composer and recording engineer David Chesky. At $998 per pair, with good imaging and a rich tonal balance, the LC1s are definitely on our “must review” list.

Advance Paris

Advance Paris showed the MyConnect 250. This streaming integrated amp incorporates a CD drive. With the typical full-featured input and output array of Advance Paris integrated amps, the MyConnect looks like it really can be the complete center of a clean and attractive three-box audio system when paired with speakers. Or a 4 box system if you add a turntable or a TV, both of which are accommodated with the correct inputs. Price is $4299.

Magnepan MCR

Magnepan showed a new speaker that squeezes the wider bass/midrange panel and ribbon tweeter of the 1.7i into an LRS sized package. The MCR is intended for stereo in smaller rooms and also for Atmos multichannel systems. Magnepan showed the MCR as the left, right and height channels in an Atmos demo, and Atmos limitations aside, the sound had a noticeably smoother and more polished aspect than many theater-style demos. The price is estimated to be in the mid-$7000 range per pair.

PMC active Twenty5i speakers

For $6999, including electronic crossover and built-in amplifiers, the 22i version of these stand mount speakers sounded open and punchy. A nifty feature is that consumers can buy the passive version and then upgrade at a later date to the active version to gain the benefits of an electronic crossover and the compactness of built-in amplifiers. The premium for this is relatively modest.

With a streaming DAC with volume control, these could make for a high-performance 3 box setup.

Via Blue

German cable manufacturers Via Blue showed their nicely flexible cabling. Along these same “usability matters” lines, we inspected the ViaBlue cable lifters. The Rocket XL can hold and separate two cables with retention bands. The whole idea is to limit what ViaBlue calls “Kabelsalat” which is pretty straightforwardly translated to “cable salad” or we might say “rat’s nest”. Not only is KabelSalat ugly, proper dressing should reduce EMI. For $1310 for a set of 8 lifters, this seems like reasonable insurance for your expensive cable loom.

Unison Research 6S Black Edition with Opera Quinta speakers

These new products, from Italy, sounded rich and dynamic fed by an Aurender streamer. The Unison Research integrated amp is a fully tube design with 40 watts per channel and is priced at $6999. The Opera Quinta floorstanding speakers will be available later this year at a price in the $7000s per pair range.

Voxative Alberich Array System

These new speakers are a modular design. You can start with a pair of Hagen2 stand-mount sized speakers for $5900. You can then add more Hagen2 modules and/or add the Alberich2 active woofer module with 500 watts of integrated power. The Hagen 2 is a single-driver concept and the Alberich2 is an unusual Ripol dipole woofer design. The 100 db sensitivity speakers were demonstrated with the Voxativ T-211 integrated amp rated at 12 watts per channel. The sound was controlled and dynamic. The full array is priced at $30,900, but of course you can build smaller versions to keep the price down. Also note that the Ripol woofers are available separately, potentially for pairing with other speaker brands.

Acora Acoustics

Acora showed a new line of five speakers priced between $8k and $16k per pair. The sound of the entry MRB model, driven by VAC tube electronics, was dynamic, balanced and capable of high output. We heard the largest MRC-3 model with its high sensitivity of 92 db and it worked well with moderate tube power from VAC. Cabinets in this line are marble rather than Acora’s customary granite, but the base finish and optional versions seemed quite attractive.

Esoteric Class A integrated amplifier and 64-bit Streaming DAC

The Esoteric F-01 is a pure class A integrated amplifier that sells for $18,000. Pure class A is has technical advantages from the perspective of low distortion, but it is inefficient, which typically raises costs and lowers power. The F-01 is a 30 watt per channel amp, which is a good number for speakers over 90 db sensitivity.  When fed by the new Esoteric N-01XD SE network DAC ($22,000) the sound was crystalline and dynamic.

Audio Realignment Technologies

These EMF and RFI treatments were shown by Scott Walker Audio. The ART plates were developed by a former DoD contractor. We were treated to an A/B test of sorts, and the results were disturbing. The plates made a difference akin to comparing more and less compressed recordings. These are not inexpensive, so you would want to consider them only in highly-developed systems, but Scott Walker can demo them in your system easily (the plates are simply placed around your gear). Also note, this should be a once in a lifetime investment thanks to the simple setup.

Accuphase E-800 Class A integrated amplifier

The E-800 is a substantial and beautifully finished full class A, 50 watt per channel integrated amp. Priced at $19,975, the sound fed by an MSB DAC and playing through Stenheim Alumine Two.Five speakers was gentle, detailed, dynamic or powerful as fit with the music we tried.

AGD Productions

AGD showed a new streaming DAC digital preamp, the Andante MkII. Priced at $12,999, it has a new D/A converter design. As usual, the AGD room was sounding relaxed and clear, leveraging its GaN FET amplifier technology from the Audion mono amps that we have enjoyed. These were playing through single-driver speakers with open-baffle woofers.

Sound Lab

Sound Lab showed the G9-7C full range electrostatic speaker. This is a big speaker, which helps deliver low frequencies by reducing the dipole cancellation frequency. The height, which can be matched to various ceiling dimensions also gives acoustic benefits. Price is $65,900 per pair.

YG Acoustics with Bel Canto

YG showed the Sonja 3.3 speakers with the new Bel Canto Black DAC control system and MA 1200 monoblock power amps with 375 watts/channel. As you can see the speakers are quite large for the typical hotel room, and yet the sound was smooth and detailed. This is another example of needing to leave your expectations at the door.

Janszen

Janszen showed a new version of the Valentina hybrid electrostatic speaker. Designer David Janszen has added 3 full range drivers to the sides and rear of the speaker to open up the sound space. The key is that he has engineered a time-delay for these drivers so that the benefits of the directive electrostatic panel are maintained for imaging. We were skeptical, but the clarity and definition and soundstaging of a directive speaker, combined with a big sense of the recorded space, was very well done.

Dang!

Yes, these systems have very high prices. But the SQ also seemed very high.

Von Schweikert VR-30 with active bass

The VR-30 is a new design with passive midrange and high frequencies and three powered woofers. The powered section is adjustable to suit the user’s room and is connected to the high-level signal from the upper range amplifier. Shown in a beautiful Porsche Chalk Grey finish, these are priced at $59,000. Driven by Westminster Labs class A power and a Westminster preamp fed by a Lampizator Horizon 360 DAC, the VR-30 system was in the top tier of demos for sound quality with especially good imaging and bandwidth.

Audio Group Denmark

Borresen showed the new flagship of the T series loudspeakers, the T5. These contain an amazing bevy of technologies from the fertile mind of Michael Borresen, including ultra-thin planar materials, exotic metals and low-hysteresis motors. Priced at $225,000, and powered by the compact but mighty 300 watt per channel Aavik U-588 streaming DAC amplifier (also new and priced at $35,000), the sound was especially superb in terms of transient power and control. The sound was also quite well balanced.

Acora/VAC/SAT

Acora again demonstrated the big granite VRC speakers (priced at $218,000) with VAC Statement 450 iQ power amps and front end, fed by the new SAT turntable/arm with a Lyra Atlas Lambda cartridge on board. Note that the SAT arm was used on two of the top-flight systems in this section. Also, this is the best we’ve heard from the VRCs, with a spacious presentation, loads of detail and a lovely tonality. The dynamics on a Blood, Sweat and Tears LP from 1969 were in the “wow” category.

MBL/United Home Audio

MBL demonstrated the relatively new C41 network player, a streaming DAC with high resolution volume control. Priced at $11,000, the C41 was connected to the renowned 101e speakers powered by the giant 9011 monoblocks, making for a roughly $240,000 system. The sound was remarkable in its ability to create an image completely detached from the speakers. Jason said he tried as hard as he could to “see” the sound source and he just couldn’t do it. The clarity and dynamics were also impressive. MBL then demoed this system with copies of master tapes through a United Home Audio super deck. Holy schlemoly! A phenomenal reminder of how much farther recordings can go.

Tidal Audio

The Voice That Is had a world premiere of the Tidal for Bugatti MP1preamp and the North American premiere of the Tidal for Bugatti MC1 digital controller. These were connected via Tidal Ferios Monoblock amps and Turnbull cables to the Tidal Akira loudspeakers. The front end  saw Equitech Balanced Power and with a signal from a Dohman Helix One turntable, SAT CF1 arm and Air Tight PC-1 Supreme cartridge. The sound was a rare combination of audiophile impressive, with balance, dynamics and resolution, together with a musically “right” sensibility that is often missing in show demos. We’re critics and here criticism was hard.

I should mention that the MP1 preamplifier demonstrated a technology that I hope we see more of: the preamp offers passive switching of a DAC with a volume control (like the Tidal MC1 or the MBL C41 or many other DACs). This allows a lossless DAC volume control implementation to be uncolored by preamp circuitry, while also allowing the optimization of phono circuits from cartridge to amplifier. Volume control is handled by the respective boxes. Nice, and maybe the future.

Oldies But Goodies

We’re fond of saying that progress in audio doesn’t always proceed in some predictable, linear fashion as it does with Moore’s Law-powered industries like computing. So, we heard a few demos of products that aren’t new but still reminded us of why we were impressed in the first place.

Theoretica BACCH SP processor

Even in the “generic listener” mode, this spatial distortion reduction and acoustic correction system deals with problems inherent in the stereo architecture and real rooms. On the spatial front, there is very little else like it. Low frequencies from the Janszen hybrid electrostatic speakers were also surprisingly deep but not bloated.

On a similar front, in a different way, there are the…

Linkwitz LX 521.4 speakers

The LX 521.4 speakers are full-range dipoles and they utilize technology developed by the late, great Siegfried Linkwitz to enhance soundstaging beyond the norm. The LX521.4 gets the image off the speakers in a rare and desirable way.

Best of Show

Doug White, of The Voice That Is, arranged a live concert in the Wilson Theater on Friday evening of the show. Joe Block’s Open Heart Trio, with Joe Block on piano, Mikey Migliore on bass and Aaron Seeberg on drums played a series of variations on work by Miles Davis. They were musically inventive and the sound was impressive: natural and dynamic. Dynamic is really an understatement here. And this was reminder that we have some distance to go to generate the full feeling of the live performance. This was clearly the best sound of the show.

Even if the crowds were down a bit (numerically and temperamentally), exhibitors were without exception pleased with CAF. That’s because, in the words of one audio exec, “the show was highly productive.” Translation: a lot of business was transacted. Companies took orders in high numbers, and that’s about the most welcome outcome they could ask for.

Because rooms at CAF are gradually transitioning from dealers to distributors and manufacturers, we’ve split up coverage a bit differently this time. To do justice to all the product introductions, Andrew and Alan focused exclusively on those intros, dividing them as usual between Inspirational (relatively affordable) and Aspirational (not so much). That freed Jacob to report on the best systems he heard at the show—and there were plenty of good-sounding ones.

So, without further ado, here’s what we found and heard at this year’s Capital Audio Fest.

My TAS colleagues, Alan Taffel and Andrew Quint, tasked me with writing about the rooms at Capital Audio Fest 2024 that I found most intriguing. Needless to say, I welcomed the challenge, but should confess that I did feel rather outfoxed, if not discombobulated, after I headed to the Command Performance AV room, the very first one that I visited. There disco music was blaring loudly enough to send you into sensory overload. Adding to the sense of confusion was the fact that Command Performance’s employees had donned fluorescent period wigs, rendering them almost unrecognizable. Good golly! For a moment, I was convinced that I really had gone back to the future.

Upon regaining my bearings, I was encouraged to discover that I had no trouble identifying one Michael Fremer, a longtime reviewer for TAS and full-time cognoscente of rock and pop music, who was, of course, well-suited to perform the eleemosynary role of DJ for several hours. He employed a beautiful J. Sikora Standard Max Supreme turntable ($38,500) paired with a Doshi Audio Phono Stage ($20,995). This union of Polish craftsmanship with American electronic wizardry produced some excellent audio alchemy. The Audiovector Trapeze Reimaged speakers, which retail for $19,950 a pair, displayed impressive punch and slam. Ultimately, I left the room shaken as much by the garb of Command Performance’s employees as by the dynamics.

A more soothing experience was provided by Jeff Catalano of the estimable High Water Sound located in New York. His Teutonic system—Cessaro Horn Acoustics Opus 1 SE loudspeakers ($55,000 per pair) coupled with two Opus Subs ($24,000 each)—sounded ravishingly sweet and inviting. Perhaps sweeter than the real thing, but who’s complaining? After playing an LP with tintinnabulatory effects, Catalano whipped out what I think was a Decca LP of Elgar that was more than a little enticing. His rig was not only a sonic treat but also an aesthetic one. He showcased the gorgeous TW-Acustic Raven LS-3 Copper turntable, which retails for $24,000, coupled with the Raven 12** tonearm ($6500) running into a. Raven phonostage ($25,000). It almost goes without saying that I was quite smitten by the sound.

At the other end of the spectrum was the Potomac Room featuring the Acora Acoustics VRC-1 at a not insubstantial $218,000 per pair, not to mention a passel of VAC Statement gear. The VAC Statement phonostage, which produces sublime sound, comes in at $82,000 as does the linestage. Add in the SAT XD1 turntable for $238,600 and a SAT CF1-09 tonearm at $71,100 (both the brainchildren of designer Marc Gomez) mated with a Lyra Atlas Lambda phono cartridge at $13,195, and you truly are talking about a statement system. And the overall sonic effect, as the music swelled and ebbed, was as prodigious as the nearby Potomac River.

Then there was United Home Audio’s demonstration of an MBL system. As always, I was taken by the ability of these omnidirectional loudspeakers to throw a marvelously stable, effortless and filigreed soundstage. The MBL 101 E Mk.II loudspeaker ($91,000 per pair) was coupled to MBL 9011 mono amplifiers ($64,1000 each). A new MBL C41 network player ($11,100) and the United Home Audio Apollo (currently in Jonathan Valin’s domicile, I was told by United Home Audio’s Greg Beron) analog tape deck supplied the musical goodies.

I only had a brief moment to pop into the superb gear that Elliot Goldman of Bending Wave and Jonathan Halpern of Tone Audio brought to the Jackson Room, but it was mouthwatering stuff, ranging from the Gobel Divi Comtesse loudspeakers ($60,000 per pair) and the highly touted Riviera APL-01SE preamplifier and AFM-100 SE monoblock amplifiers, respectively $51,995 and $82,000. Would I like to audition these remarkable electronics? You betcha. The hot new thing—the Wadax Studio Player ($38,800)—was also in situ.

Nothing seemed more ubiquitous than Stenheim loudspeakers, which I encountered in at least three separate rooms. The first was in the VPI room, the second at Alma Audio’s room, and the third at the House of Stereo’s room. I heard a few strains of the Janacek Quartet playing a Dvorak string quartet in F major on a Decca LP, but it was hard for me to make out what was occurring in the VPI room, at least musically, because there was some scuffling among reviewers far more important than yours truly about who was top dog. I made a hasty exit. In the Alma room, the Stenheim Alumine Five SE ($76,500 per pair) was on display along with Vinnie Rossi Brama Gen 2 monoblock amplifiers ($59,950) per pair) and a preamplifier from the same company at $38,995. It’s always hard to know exactly what you’re listening to in a show environment, but the Stenheims seemed to deliver alacrity and clarity. A knuckle rap indicated immunity to resonance above and beyond the call of duty. The Stenheims were also on display in the Lincoln Room where the House of Stereo paired them with a passel of Viva equipment, which has always appealed to me. Here it was with a Viva Audio Solista stereo amplifier ($30,000) and a Viva Audio Line preamplifier ($32,500). To my ear, Viva has always punched above its price class. But then again, I’m a sucker for the venerable 845 tube that the company likes to employ.

I don’t want to sound like I’m shirking the stern mandate that my colleagues gave me, but I can’t help concluding that the Capital Audio Fest isn’t really about deciding what’s “best at show,” or about drawing what the lawyers like to call invidious distinctions. If I had to pick a new product that intrigued me the most it would probably be the new Wadax Studio player, partly because of its cool looks and partly because it’s not priced in the stratosphere, at least by high-end standards. The room that, in many ways, I liked best is a simple one—the central atrium where various vendors were busily selling LPs, both ancient and modern. To me, it, more than anything else at the show, represents the essence of the hobby.

Even if the crowds were down a bit (numerically and temperamentally), exhibitors were without exception pleased with CAF. That’s because, in the words of one audio exec, “the show was highly productive.” Translation: a lot of business was transacted. Companies took orders in high numbers, and that’s about the most welcome outcome they could ask for.

Because rooms at CAF are gradually transitioning from dealers to distributors and manufacturers, we’ve split up coverage a bit differently this time. To do justice to all the product introductions, Andrew and Alan focused exclusively on those intros, dividing them as usual between Inspirational (relatively affordable) and Aspirational (not so much). That freed Jacob to report on the best systems he heard at the show—and there were plenty of good-sounding ones.

So, without further ado, here’s what we found and heard at this year’s Capital Audio Fest.

There were a surprisingly large number of new low-to-moderately priced items to investigate at CAF 2024. To allow for a somewhat more expansive description of what I came across, I’ve included just two dozen of them, omitting those that seemed less newsworthy—as well as those that weren’t actually new, despite insistence to the contrary from a manufacturer, dealer, or marketing person.

Most Significant

VPI Forever Series Model One turntable ($5250)

Many of the demonstration spaces on the lower floors of the Hilton—the largest rooms at CAF—were dark places with men in suits, wordlessly standing on the periphery and operating iPads to summon up a stream of impressive-sounding, if forgettable, music. Not in the VPI suite. The lights were full-up and Mat Weisfeld, dressed in shorts, was in constant motion, high-fiving his young daughters, playing LPs from all eras and genres, and exclaiming his optimistic vision for his company, the industry, the hobby. It was the show’s most joyous epicenter. As his father, Harry—the company’s founder—watched with pride and purpose, Mat introduced the first product in the new “Forever” line, the VPI Model One, to be followed by two subsequent turntable introductions, at Munich 2025 and next year’s CAF. The Model One sports a 20-pound aluminum platter and a subchassis with a great deal of flexibility—it can accommodate a linear-tracking arm, for instance. The $5250 price includes a VPI S-Tonearm and a hinged dustcover; there’s a 10-year warranty. The new product is definitely reminiscent of the venerable HW-19, and the vibe in VPI’s rooms evoked an earlier era in perfectionist audio when anything seemed possible, and spirits soared. Mat Weisfeld’s still do.

Acora Acoustics MRB-1 loudspeakers ($7990)

Valerio Cora launched his new MRC line of five loudspeakers, priced from $5490 to $15,990, considerably less than previous Acora products. These have marble enclosures, that material being easier to get out of the ground and machine than the granite, quartz, and quartzite utilized for other models. Creating quite a buzz in Rockville was the MRB-1 stand-mount—the “B” is for “bookshelf”—a small 2-way with a front-firing port, so it really can be placed on a shelf. For demonstration purposes, Cora had the MRB-1s on stands, positioned adjacent to the manufacturer’s 420-pound, $218,000/pair VRC-1, and many entering the room, me included, were astounded to learn we were hearing the modestly sized stand-mounts and not the big guys. With VAC electronics in service, Shostakovich, Gordon Goodwin, and the most exuberant sort of rock, blew most observers far, far away.

Theoretica Applied Physics BACCH-ORC room-correction software ($1000/$3000)

As usual, Dr. Edgar Choueiri’s room was a popular destination for audiophiles who enter curious or skeptical and leave incredulous after a demonstration of Choueiri’s crosstalk cancellation (XTC) technology. At CAF 2024, however, Theoretica was also introducing BACCH-ORC, a room-correction methodology different than any other currently on the market. Instead of having a listener place a microphone at several locations in a space and averaging the in-room frequency response, BACCH-ORC employs the same tiny in-ear microphones used to make an XTC filter to create binaural correction for an individual listener—it’s listener-based rather than room-based. Head tracking is performed by an optical or infrared camera system (the latter works in the dark) to prevent degrading of the room correction by a listener’s head movements. Especially with crosstalk cancellation also running, the sonic image with ORC was exceptionally convincing and stable. The $1000 price is the cost for adding BACCH-ORC to the BACCH4Mac product; $3000 is for adding it to BACCH-SP processors.

Qln One (v7) loudspeaker ($12,000)

Some things in audio really do get better over the time and the Qln One is a good example. The Swedish manufacturer presented the original version at CES in 1981, the world’s first “truncated pyramid” design. (Yes, five years before the WATT.) The v7 update has a proprietary 5.5** mid/woofer and a 25mm textile-dome tweeter with a large roll surround that’s said to result in exceptional off-axis dispersion. Powered by another notable new product, the Audio Hungary Qualiton 300B integrated ($11,000), orchestral sonorities were appealing and well-recorded rock/pop material had gratifying weight and punch. It was hard to keep one’s eyes off the gorgeous walnut burl finish of the pair at the show; stands add $850 to the asking price.

Volti Audio Lucera loudspeaker ($11,750)

Volti Audio introduced a new product to their line of horn-based loudspeakers, between the Razz and Rival models. The Lucera has a 15** dynamic woofer complementing two horns (the midrange sports a 2** compression driver mounted concentrically)—the speaker is specified as having a frequency response of 32 to 18kHz. At CAF, power was provider by a Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated, rated at 40Wpc in triode mode, though Volti feels that 8Wpc will do the job. If your belief is that large, wooden, super-sensitive horn speakers must sound colored and roughly diffuse, hearing the Luceras should cure you of that. With varied musical content, there were nuanced dynamics at both ends of the loudness continuum and quite natural instrumental sonorities. Though the company maintains a small inventory of completed loudspeakers, Volti has only two employees, other than owner/designer/builder Greg Roberts and his wife. You can get a custom finish but be advised that a wait time of three to six months may be required and there could be an associated upcharge. Such is the nature of bespoke audio.

Auspicious Debuts

Chesky Audio LC1 loudspeaker ($996/pair)

Lucca Chesky—son of composer/pianist/producer/HDtracks founder David; twin brother of rising jazz vocalist Paloma—has, at age 17, launched a new loudspeaker company, its only current product the LC1 Bookshelf Monitor. Lucca, a musician himself, spent time with audio scientist Edgar Choueiri at Princeton University. He built eight prototypes of his bookshelf/standmount before settling on a final design that utilizes a proprietary HD polymer for the cabinet material and a driver complement that includes a wide-dispersion 1** dome tweeter, a 6.5** bass/midrange, and two side-firing 8** fluid-coupled woofers. Chesky asked: “How good could I get it for under $1000?” and the answer seems to be “pretty good.” With familiar Reference Recordings material, the spatial presentation bordered on immersive when listening in the nearfield. The speaker will be sold directly by the manufacturer.

Eastern Bay Sound Southwind loudspeaker ($1459/pair)

Eastern Bay is a new Maryland company, located on the Chesapeake Bay that manufactures what they call “farm-to-table loudspeakers”. The cabinet is exquisite, utilizing locally sourced hardwoods: a pair on display in the hotel lobby attracted considerable attention. The Southwind is a small—8.5**(W) x 17**(H) x 12**(D) transmission-line design with a single Mark Audio CHR1P-90 full-range driver. Sensitivity is given as 89dB and frequency response is 45-20kHz (±3dB). There’s a matching subwoofer, the Skeg, available at $600 each, $950 for two. EBS expects to begin shipping product in the Spring.

PrimaLuna EVO 300 hybrid power amplifier ($7195)

Generating 100Wpc into an 8-ohm load (at CAF 2024, a pair of Harbeth M40.3 XD bookshelf speakers), the EVO 300 employs six 12AU7 input tubes in a circuit said to be quite responsive to experimentation. The power stage features factory-matched MOSFETs and hand-wound transformers, potted and otherwise thoroughly protected from mechanical sources of distortion. With orchestral music, tonal nuance and subtle dynamic gradations were preserved with playback of the best recordings.

Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Ultra Premium amplifier ($4999.90/pair)

Utilizing gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors, the Starkrimson Ultra Premium monoblock is an exceptionally refined sounding switching amplifier, delivering 250 watts into 8 ohms and 500W into 4. The amp’s linear power supply features a 1000VA toroidal transformer with 133,600uF of capacitance that the manufacturer says is responsible for its superior bass and transient performance. At CAF, the amps were driving various Philharmonic Audio speakers with excellent results up and down the loudspeaker line. Production will be limited to 33 pairs.

Wireworld Cable Technology Series 10 audio cables (price varies)

After five years of product development, Wireworld has replaced its Series 8 cables with a new range of Series 10 products—nine levels of analog interconnects (including five tonearm cable models), six levels of digital cables, twelve speaker cables, and several power cords. Series 10 wires feature additional strand groups, without necessarily an increase in the amount of metal, which Wireworld says reduces signal loss due to eddy currents. The company also reports utilizing an improved insulation material to lower triboelectric noise. If judgement of the audible merits of electronics—and even loudspeakers—is difficult at an audio show, it’s pretty much impossible with cables. Fortunately, Wireworld founder and product designer David Salz offered to replace the one Wireworld cable I use every day, the company’s previous top-of-the-line AES/EBU digital interconnect, with the Series 10 version so I can, in a familiar context, hear for myself any sonic advantages to using it between server and DAC.

Infigo Audio Inc. Streamer Model IS-1 ($5000/$7000)

The Canadian manufacturer Infigo Audio introduced a new streamer—two new streamers, actually, as the Model IS-1 is available in Signature ($5k) and Cryogen ($7k) versions. Both are designed for use with USB DACs, utilizing the interface that permits the highest sampling rates. The IS-1 has a built-in linear power supply to assure a very low noise floor and is supplied with an “armored” gigabyte fiber-optic cable connection that isolates the audio chain from network noise and jitter. Infigo’s streamers are quite versatile, with the capacity to operate as a UPnP endpoint, Audirvana server, Roon endpoint (or, in the case of the Cryogen version, a Roon core), and as an HQPlayer Network Audio Adapter. That pretty much covers the waterfront when it comes to commercially available music players. Infigo’s streamers are readily controlled with a network-installed browser.

Altec Lansing Iconic Series: I-1 loudspeaker ($13,000/pair) and Iconic 300B monoblock amplifier (initial price $3500/pair; subsequently $5000/pair)

Altec Lansing, in business with that name since 1941 and better known for its pro-audio products, has a new line of components for the home high-end market, but the segment of that market where the sky is not the limit, pricewise. For AL, the prototypical customer will be a household where “the wife is a schoolteacher, and the husband is a BMW technician.” (I wish that I could have been at the sales meeting when they came up with that.) The ported 3-way I-1 floorstander has a ribbon tweeter and a 12** woofer, with a 2** dome between them. It’s specified as having a frequency response of 29 to 40kHz and a sensitivity of 97dB—which makes it a good match for the Altec Lansing 300B amplifier that has a power rating in the 8–10W range.

In Other News

Yes, $6k is an expensive price point for headphones and the Audeze CRBN 2 headphones ($5995) could be considered an Aspirational product. But Alan didn’t get to hear them, and I did—and was very impressed. Since I was a teenager living with my parents who craved quiet, I’ve never been much of a headphone listener. But the experience of listening to familiar music of several genres through the new Audeze electrostatic CRBN 2s was pretty extraordinary. With these substantial but comfortable phones, orchestral weight and detail was as involving as a good speaker-in-front-of-you experience. When the time comes that my living situation necessitates some “personal audio,” Audeze will be a consideration.

Making its North American debut was the Vienna Acoustics Mozart SE Signature loudspeaker ($7495/pair). This two-and-a-half-way floorstander is the latest iteration of a design developed nearly 35 years ago. The current version employs three bespoke drivers—a hand-coated silk-dome tweeter, a midrange fabricated with the manufacturer’s proprietary XPP cone material, and a 6** version of VA’s “spidercone” bass driver. Driven by the Class D JAVA Hi-Fi Carbon Double Shot integrated amplifier ($12,995)—first heard in Munich this past May—the Mozart SE Signature’s tonal accuracy and soundstage presentation were excellent, even off-axis.

Philharmonic Audio, based in Maryland, showed two recently introduced loudspeaker models, the ridiculously inexpensive True Mini ($380/pair) and the Ceramic Mini ($850/pair), a 2-way ported design with a 1** ceramic-dome tweeter and a 5** ceramic woofer. Bass was nicely articulated, and there was plenty of “sock” to snare drum. On a favorite Bonnie Raitt cut (“Storm Warning”), I heard excellent separation of the lead vocal from the rest of the arrangement.

Triode Wire Labs introduced a new AC power cord, the Digital American II ($549).

It’s designed to lower the noise floor on any kind of digital electronics—DACs, disc players, servers, music computers. TWL reports an approximately 20% increase in the amount of conductor in the Digital American II, which helps ameliorate the usual culprit—electronic interference that can translate into audible hash accompanying the musical output from an audio system.

Belleson Audio Products is currently located in South Carolina and has, for some time, been manufacturing components, specifically regulators, for electronic devices; the company only built its first full-fledged piece of audio gear, the Brilliance phonostage, in 2023. The new Radiance Phono Stage ($3250) has both balanced and single-ended inputs, and with the Wi-Fi remote control, one can select cartridge type (mc or mm), resistive/capacitive loading, and gain, all from the listening chair. With a Rega cartridge, turntable, and arm, LTD electronics, Volti loudspeakers, and Anticable wires, vinyl playback had exceptional life and timbral accuracy.

MC Audiotech co-owner and sales/marketing manager Mark Conti, with a stern but affectionate glance in the direction of his engineer partner Paul Paddock, the inventor of the wide band line source (WBLS) driver common to all the company’s loudspeakers and a tinkerer bent on achieving perfection, told me that the TL-8 loudspeaker ($15,000 to $17,000/pair, depending on finish) could now be considered a “finished” product. Some fine-tuning of the crossover occurred, among other changes, and I can confirm that the current iteration of the transmission-line design is the best-sounding one yet—and it sounded pretty damn good to begin with. The manufacturer continues to build a dealer network and if one isn’t convenient, MC Audiotech will reimburse you for travel expenses to get to the Philadelphia suburb where the company is based, if you purchase one of its speakers. Details are on the website.

Gestalt Audio of Nashville, the importer and distributor of Wolf von Langa loudspeakers, known for their field-coil designs, was demonstrating the manufacturer’s newest product, the Serendipity loudspeaker ($9995)—their least expensive model, with Trafomatic Pandora monoblocks. Anne-Sophie Mutter’s violin sonority was exceptionally believable, and the joining of the attack of a piano note to the main body of the sound was as seamless as in life. Also imported by Gestalt are products from Cinnamon, a Portuguese high-end company. It manufactures a wide range of components, including speakers, a phonostage, a network transport, and two models of DACs—all technologically advanced and stunning examples of industrial design. The Galle DAC ($14,995) utilizes a “quasi non-oversampling scheme” that features a dual-mono 27-bit differential ladder with more than 430 precision-matched resistors. The signal path is short because an analog output stage is made unnecessary by the substantial voltages generated by the DAC engine itself.

SVS started life as a subwoofer specialist, but after Gary Yacoubian acquired the company in 2011, the manufacturer has expanded the range of products considerably. Still, truthful rendering of the bottom octaves is in SVS’s blood, and the SVS 17 Ultra R/Evolution subwoofer ($2499 sealed, $2999 ported), with a dual voice-coil configuration, four internal amplifiers, and plenty of DSP adjustability, provides meaningful output down to 10Hz territory.

Remarkably, one of the most innovative new products encountered at CAF 2024 was quite approachable in cost. The Ayre PX-8 phono preamplifier ($6500) will accommodate two cartridges with either balanced or unbalanced connections and allows for independent gain and load settings, controlled via the PX-8’s front panel. Two options that will increase the price of the unit are offered. One is to add a third input for a DS Audio optical cartridge, the other is an analog-to-digital conversion circuit that makes it a straightforward process to digitize and archive an LP collection.

Best of Show

Best Sound of the Show

What a difference the room can make at an audio show! I’ve admired Gershman Acoustics loudspeakers for years, but they were overshadowed by other large speakers deployed in the ballrooms and conference rooms. For CAF 2024, Elie and Ofra Gershman had a 1440 square-foot space to demonstrate their Black Swan 30^th Anniversary Edition ($95,000), and sound was commanding, detailed, colorful, involving…in short, it was music.

Best Sound for the Money

The word heard frequently in the big Acora room was disruptive. What else can you say about the Acora MRB-1 at $7990? To point out that these diminutive bookshelf/stand-mount loudspeakers “play big” is the audio understatement of the year.

Most Significant New Product

The VPI Model 1 turntable ($5250) isn’t just a well-built, good-sounding piece of gear; given the company’s history, that’s expected. It’s the spirit associated with the product—a respect for the past but also a positive vision for the future of the high end that all stakeholders, consumers included, should find uplifting.

Best Demo

Showgoers can always count on terrific sound when they visit Doug White’s room, demonstrating brands that he carries at his boutique dealership in Pennsylvania, The Voice That Is. But White went several steps further at CAF 2024 to offer an experience beyond simply playing top-notch, meticulously set-up audio equipment. In attendance were the principals from several of his brands: Mark Dohmann (Dohmann Audio), Jörn Janczak (Tidal), Joe Salvato (Equitech) and Nathan Vander Stoep (Turnbull Audio) were around to answer questions. Even more impressive was that Doug White sponsored a performance by a jazz trio led by pianist Joe Block in the Hilton’s Washington Theater after show hours. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

Most Disappointing Demo

The Listening Room, a dealer in Chestertown, MD, set up an all-Magnepan Atmos 5.1.4 speaker array in a small room on the Hilton’s seventh floor and, though there was a video screen operating, mostly played music and not movies. Unfortunately, they seemed to have little concern that they were streaming the highly compressed version of Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, rather than the high-resolution Dolby TrueHD format. With an audiophile audience, skeptical and dismissive of immersive audio to begin with, this was a missed opportunity.

Most Notable Trend.

A growing impatience with/intolerance for classical music. Even requesting a Beethoven or Chopin “greatest hit” will clear a room within minutes, and some manufacturers will actually decline to play even a brief selection. C’mon guys: I listen to “Keith Don’t Go” and “Just a Little Lovin'” without grousing. Would it kill you to sit through a movement of a Brahms sonata once in a while?

Even if the crowds were down a bit (numerically and temperamentally), exhibitors were without exception pleased with CAF. That’s because, in the words of one audio exec, “the show was highly productive.” Translation: a lot of business was transacted. Companies took orders in high numbers, and that’s about the most welcome outcome they could ask for.

Because rooms at CAF are gradually transitioning from dealers to distributors and manufacturers, we’ve split up coverage a bit differently this time. To do justice to all the product introductions, Andrew and Alan focused exclusively on those intros, dividing them as usual between Inspirational (relatively affordable) and Aspirational (not so much). That freed Jacob to report on the best systems he heard at the show—and there were plenty of good-sounding ones.

So, without further ado, here’s what we found and heard at this year’s Capital Audio Fest.

Most Significant

VPI, a company that has always lavished attention on CAF, launched a turntable so new it didn’t have a final name. On Sunday, the company seemed to have settled on the Avenger Statement. It’s a top-flight direct drive table with improved materials and an acrylic/aluminum sandwich plinth. The price is $60k, including a Fatboy 12** tonearm that normally runs $6k on its own. At the show, the whole shebang was positioned atop the stellar-looking Vanquish modular stand, which, at $60–$100k, can cost more than the turntable. 

Burmester is trying to make its products more approachable. To that end, the company introduced the 232 integrated amplifier, which starts at a very reasonable (for Burmester) $21k. Add a DAC/streamer module and/or a phonostage and the price can reach $35k, which is still very competitive. The amp puts out 150Wpc into 4 ohms (an 8-ohm spec was not available) and bristles with the quality and beauty of all Burmester gear. One unique feature is a very cool haptic control knob at front and center. Its function varies depending on the screen currently being displayed.

Ever since Focal and Naim became sister companies, the industry has wondered when they would collaborate to create a powered speaker. Now they have. Indeed, they’ve gone a step or two further with the Utopia Diva. It’s a $40k/pair powered speaker with built-in room correction, a streamer, and a DAC. Being wireless, the only connections needed are power and internet. Each speaker incorporates four Class AB amps, a new beryllium tweeter, a sandwich-cone 6.5** midrange, and four 6.5** woofers. There are also a variety of wired inputs, including analog. Watch for Andrew Quint’s review in an upcoming issue.

Kharma, the Dutch speaker veteran, introduced its new $300k flagship: the Enigma Veyron 4D. Aluminum enclosures are anathema to old-world builders like Kharma, so the cabinet is made of extremely stiff and dense bulletwood. All drivers are made in-house, including the diamond tweeters and carbon/Kevlar midrange and woofers. With a 91dB sensitivity, the Enigma Veyron should be an easy load. At CAF the speaker’s sound was evocative and rich.

Tidal has initiated a joint project with car-maker Bugatti called Tidal for Bugatti. All the components in this line are gorgeously styled—and they sound good, too. At CAF, the $125k MP1 preamp made its debut. The flagship model is an all-out assault on linestage technology. For example, the highly complex volume control uses relayed resistors under digital and fiber-optic control. Paired with the MP1 was the also-new MC1, a digital controller that is a DAC and streamer with level control.

Auspicious Debuts

In the Bending Wave room one could hear, for the first time in the U.S., the Göebel Diva Comptesse. This is Göebel’s smallest and least expensive speaker (the company detests the phrase “entry level” because it implies a lower standard of parts and craftsmanship). The Comptesse has an 8** woofer and an AMT tweeter in a bass-reflex enclosure. At $60k, it’s a great way to get into the superb Göebel ecosystem.

Tubed electronics maker Viva introduced the Solista stereo power amp ($30k). Putting out 25 pure Class A watts/channel, the Cremona, Italy-built amp features all point-to-point wiring and a front-panel gain control. It was a superb match for the high-efficiency Stenheim Alumine 5SE. Dynamics were especially sprightly, and the tonal balance was beyond reproach.

Gershman Acoustics launched the latest incarnation of its Black Swan speaker, the 30^th Anniversary Edition ($95k). As in previous Black Swans, the woofer cabinet is within—but physically completely separate from—the midrange/tweeter enclosure. This both reduces cabinet vibrations and allows for time alignment of the drivers. But whereas earlier Swans also had a separate bass trap below the woofer module, the latest version combines those elements into a single cabinet. At CAF, the new speaker sounded spacious and neutral, and the bass was heroically deep. No subwoofer needed with these babies!

New to me was a company called Turnbull Audio, maker of bespoke cables. CAF saw the world premiere of the Prestige Line. The new cables feature unique methods for shielding, vibration control, and resonance breakup, as well as specialized conductors and dielectrics. Such research and exotic materials don’t come cheap. Interconnects run $9k–$13k per meter (depending on termination); power cords are $18,500 apiece; and speaker cable starts at $37k for 3 meters.

Designed in Switzerland and manufactured in Canada, the Master Fidelity NADAC C+D is a combination DAC and clock. The two functions are in separate chassis, but they’re sold together as a combo meal. The DAC is a 1-bit unit that converts all incoming signals to DSD.

High end turntable maker Thuono introduced a new intermediate turntable and tonearm system. The TH350 table (16,500 euros) has a magnetic suspension, and the motor sits on a detached marble pod to reduce vibrations. The TH12 carbon-fiber arm (5400 euros) is sold separately. Both products are made—and exquisitely finished—in Thiene, Italy, just outside Venice.

Bel Canto has come out with the Black MA 1200 monoblock amps at $40k/pair. Each delivers 375 watts into 8 ohms. The Black Series began with a 3-chassis integrated amp, but the Bel Canto has been moving toward separates ever since. The MA1200 monoblocks are the final piece. Among other features, they boast triple-shielded, ultra-low-noise transformer technology.

In Other News

Starting with electronics, the Alexus Audio EQ1 is a DS Audio-compatible phonostage. Besides DS Audio optical cartridges, the EQ1 will happily handle mm and mc models. The phonostage also offers multiple equalization curves, and there’s no need to set loading for mc devices. Made in Brooklyn, the EQ1 runs $19k. Meanwhile, DS Audio itself debuted its first-ever tubed equalizer, the TB-100 ($20k). At CAF, the unit was on static display, but we can expect to see functional versions soon, probably at AXPONA.

Speaking of tubes, Lampizator, maker of tubed DACs, showed the Horizon 360, an update to its Horizon model, which is now discontinued. The 360 features the latest in chips, programming, and power supplies. It can be yours for $62k. Also, EMM Labs has a new DAC/Streamer, the $35k DA 2I. What differentiates this iteration from the previous DA 2 are a switch-mode power supply and a reworked analog stage.

In speakers, CAF saw the debut of Von Schweikert’s latest, the VR-30. It’s a three-way floorstanding model with an optional built-in powered sub. The sub amp has a gain control to facilitate blending and room integration. The standard version runs $49k, while the speaker costs $59k when fitted with the powered sub. Finally, From Bayz Audio comes the new Courante 2.0 ($49k–$69k, depending on finish), the baby brother of the much more expensive Counterpoint 2.0 ($109k–$169k). The speaker is unique in that the midrange and tweeter are omnidirectional, and the latter extends all the way to 45kHz. Paper cones for the mid and bass drivers and a first-order crossover round out the specs.

Best of Show

Best Sound of the Show: Although there were many noteworthy runner-ups (Gershman, MBL, Acora), the Stenheim 5SE/Viva Solista pairing takes the prize. What this system offered that others didn’t was an airiness that gave the presentation a lifelike, effortless quality. That, combined with exemplary bass and imaging, made for the best sound I heard at CAF.

Best Sound for the Money : The Marten Duo/Gryphon Diablo 120/Aurender 815 system. Though not exactly cheap, this $30k system would be approachable for many audiophiles, and it delivered a gorgeously lush sound that didn’t lack for inner detail.

Most Significant New Product: Acora MRB Bookshelf Speaker. Val Cora wanted to see what he could do on a limited budget, and the result is stupendous. At just $8k/pair, the MRBs sounded so good they were frequently mistaken for the $218k flagships flanking them.

Best Joke of the Show: Michael Fremer and I were in a room (which shall remain nameless) that was playing a steady diet of electronic Krautrock. The exhibitor was discussing how the use of exotic metals had contributed to the sound, which was impossible to assess fairly, given the constant stream of beeps and blips that supposedly constituted music. I leaned over to Michael and whispered, “I think there’s too much Zirconium.” To which Michael replied, “The problem is it’s supposed to be a violin we’re hearing.”

Best Demo Tracks: Here’s a link to a Qobuz playlist with all the best-sounding demo tracks I heard in various rooms at CAF 2024: https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/26365652

The combined forces of Bose and McIntosh Group also opens new opportunities in the automotive sector. By leveraging Bose’s 40-plus years of experience in automotive audio, and McIntosh Group’s legacy of performance and design, the brands will work together to expand their research and continue to engineer authentic in-car experiences that redefine automotive sound.

“Over the last six decades we’ve delivered the best premium audio experiences possible; now, with McIntosh Group in our portfolio, we can unlock even more ways to bring music to life in the home, on-the-go and in the car,” said Lila Snyder, CEO of Bose Corporation. “We look forward to honouring the heritage of these brands, investing in their future and pushing the boundaries of audio innovation to bring customers experiences they’ve never heard before.”

“Bose’s dedication to research and singular focus on audio provides a tremendous opportunity to complement and enable our own pursuit of delivering inimitable, ultimate-quality audio experiences,” said Daniel Pidgeon, CEO of McIntosh Group. “Gaining access to their expertise as a pioneer in automotive audio will also help us accelerate our presence and enable us to deliver solutions that are commensurate with our reputation and performance standards.”

Bose will continue to develop products and experiences in popular categories like headphones, speakers, soundbars, and car audio while advancing critical technologies such as noise cancellation, hearing augmentation, and immersive audio. McIntosh and Sonus faber will maintain its focus on amplifiers, loudspeakers, turntables, and other high-end products. Together the brands will imagine what’s possible in the future of audio — delivering new products, bespoke offerings and unparalleled listening experiences for music lovers around the globe.

Bose acquired McIntosh Group from Highlander Partners, L.P., a Dallas-based private investment firm.  Jones Day acted as Bose’s legal counsel. Additional information, including financial and other terms of the transaction, will remain confidential.