This is our first trip to the Capital Audiofest, and we honestly have to admit that for several reasons, we will be looking forward to returning, including to see show-stopping systems like “The Ultimate in Sound” put together for this year’s show.
- While not as big as AXPONA or maybe even RMAF, this show has grown to a significant size with plenty of showrooms to fill up our weekend.
- While some of the bigger companies you would expect to see at AXPONA and RMAF aren’t here, there are some East Coast exhibitors we don’t see at the bigger shows.
- This show seems to have a dedicated crew in charge, and things ran pretty smoothly. If something needed to be taken care of, there was someone to see about it. At first, our badges couldn’t be found on Set Up day, but they were quickly located (they had been misfiled), and the sign-in crew seemed to really care about resolving this issue as quickly as possible.
- The hotel is conveniently located close to lots of restaurants and shopping for the things we left at home. The rooms are comfortable for both sleeping and listening.
So, thank you, Capital Audiofest. In our opinion, you are doing a great job to provide an enjoyable show experience! Now, here’s what you readers are looking for– our impressions. Once again, The Audio Company put together what was by far the biggest of the big rooms at this show.
The Audio Company, VAC, and Von Schweikert Room
There’s no surprise that we spent some time in this room. This trio has been an expected exhibitor at audio shows for at least the last couple of years, and their lineup for this show did not disappoint.
It was all about location, location, location with this room where the big blue VAC (Valve Amplification Company) logo above the door of the hotel’s Potomac Room was prominently visible from the hotel lobby, elevators and just about anywhere you might be on the first or second floor. Once inside the room, the massively big Von Schweikert Audio speakers were center stage. The room also included products from Masterbuilt Audio, Esoteric, Aurender, Kronos, AirTight and Critical Mass.
“The Ultimate in Sound”
Pictured here is a look at System One in this room, which was only a portion of what was dubbed “The Ultimate in Sound”. It certainly was put together to show how glorious a system can sound. Components in this system included:
- VAC Statement Phono Preamplifier ($80,000)
- VAC Statement Line Preamplifier ($80,000)
- VAC Statement 452iQ stereo/mono power amplifier (2 pairs, $300,000 total)
- Von Schweikert Ultra 11 loudspeaker system ($300,000/pair)
- Von Schweikert V-12XS Shockwave subwoofers X 2 ($11,500 each)
- Esoteric P1x Grandiose CD transport ($50,000)
- Esoteric D1x monoblock DAC X 2 ($25,000/each)
- Esoteric N-01 streamer/renderer/DAC ($20,000)
- Aurender N10 music server/streamer/renderer ($8,500)
- Kronos Pro Turntable with Black Beauty tonearm and Ultracap Power Supply ($51,000)
- Airtight Opus 1 cartridge ($16,000)
- Critical Mass Olympus V-12 Luxury rack ($121,800 for this system)
- Critical Mass Olympus V-12 Luxury amp stands ($41,000 for this system)
- Critical Mass Cables throughout, price not given
Various options could be combined with or interchanged with System One components to create the systems listed below.
System Two
- VAC Statement 450i iQ Integrated Amplifier ($150,000)
- Von Schweikert Ultra 55 Speakers ($100,000)
System Three
- VAC Sigma 170iQ Integrated Amplifier ($11,500)
- Von Schweikert Endeavor SE Speakers ($20,000)
- Transrotor Fat Bob Turntable ($11,000)
- Airtight PC-7 cartridge ($2,500)
- Esoteric K-07 CD/SACD player ($7,000)
- Esoteric N-03T Streamer/Renderer ($11,000)
- Critical Mass Soto Voce rack ($4,500)
System Four
- VAC Renaissance V preamplifier with phono stage ($12,990)
- VAC Signature 200iQ power amplifier ($14,500)
- Von Schweikert Endeavor E5 loudspeaker system ($40,000)
- Clearaudio Innovation Wood Turntable ($16,000)
- Airtight PC-1 Supreme Cartridge ($11,000)
- Esoteric K-03Xs CD/SACD Player ($13,000)
- Critical Mass Olympus V-12 Luxury Rack ($40,000 for 4 for this system)
And yes, the sound was ultimate! We will be providing more information in a later post.
