[Phil A]

I was there on Friday.  My favorite was the Joseph Audio Pulsars with the Manley and Bel Canto gear.
Yes the room was small but I was impressed with what the little Pulsars could do.  I thought they were very well balanced and sounded just right to me.  I was not able to enjoy the Luxman and Joseph Audio Pearl set up because some one was listening to the Pulsars at an elevated level in the adjacent room and we were listening to some vinyl with a soft passage and the Pearls woofers were pumping with subsonic input.  And it was really hot in that room.

The big MBL rig sounded really big and airy with the RR machine but I think the MBL speakers sound best with orchestral music because of the omni-directional configuration but lack the focus needed for the type of music I would listen to.  Also I do not have the means to buy equipment at that level and I am cheap.  YMMV.   

Personally I prefer simple, inexpensive gear that performs above its price point.  I would get more enjoyment out of the little Jolida FX-10 and a pair of bookshelf speakers for less than 1K than the big MBL rig.

All in all I enjoyed the show and like the venue but I think they should schedule it when the temperature is more in the 50's or 60's because Class A circuitry and a barely adequate AC system on the second floor are a poor match.  And yes serve me a beer in a 12 oz cup. 

Scott

Those Joseph Audio ones were the $7k bookshelf model?  Yes, they did sound excellent.  The MBL system did nothing for me.  If it were half as much as it costs, I'd still think it was over-priced.  Yes, if someone likes that type of sound, likes mostly big orchestras and has the money and is not cheap    then it might be a good choice for them

[panomaniac]

Oh yes, I remember HER.  How could I not?  Hard to tear the eyes away.

I also remember the major stink-eye she gave me when I asked her and her buddy to move.  They were chatting away a mile a minute right beside me, yackity, yack, nonstop.  Asked them very nicely to move to the other side of the room.  They left, but ouch! the dirty look I got.  Heaven forbid i should actually want to listen to the music.   

[Phil A]

Oh yes, I remember HER.  How could I not?  Hard to tear the eyes away.

I also remember the major stink-eye she gave me when I asked her and her buddy to move.  They were chatting away a mile a minute right beside me, yackity, yack, nonstop.  Asked them very nicely to move to the other side of the room.  They left, but ouch! the dirty look I got.  Heaven forbid i should actually want to listen to the music.   

As I previously noted, I had a less than pleasant experience with United Audio.  I know a couple of people who bought not super expensive items and are not what I would call serious audiophiles and were ignored multiple times when calling up to get the manuals they were promised.  Kind of like you are not going to probably spend more money so go away.  I took a ride up there one day (like 3 hours back and forth and I was not even there 20 minutes).  I went during the week.  I walked in the place (and there is a door alert) and walked through the show rooms and there were a couple of sick kids (I guess the owner's?) sitting in one watching a movie.  After 10 minutes, I walked in the back where they assemble Jolida stuff.  I was calling out and no one answered.  I wasn't particularly impress with the quality control of the shop from what I saw.  After 5 minutes of walking around back there I went back to the showrooms and still no one was there but apparently the owner was in one of the back rooms in the Jolida area and was not happy I walked through I guess.  Another guy who I guess worked for Jolida came back in from outside (probably was smoking) and I had about a three minute conversation with the owner (and was totally unimpressed by both his tone and knowledge - although as noted he was probably annoyed with me - but as noted the door has an alert and I called out loud enough to wake the dead and was in there during business hours) and left without listening to a thing.  I guess they fill a niche.  I wouldn't bother with the ride again though.  I've heard enough from two people I know well and seen enough in person to know it's not a place for me.  One would think if you have people serious enough into the hobby to want to listen to things or to take a long ride (and they are in the middle of nowhere) being more polite to potential customers would be a priority.  The nerve of you paying money to attend a show and want to listen to audio equipment

[fly_fish_nz]

My wife and I attended and enjoyed the Capital Audiofest and hope it is an annual event. 

I thought I'd chime in since my experience with United Audio was actually quite pleasant on Saturday.  I had a nice conversation with the gent running the large system regarding sources for reel to reel media and how much of what he was playing he had transferred himself from LP to tape.  He also turned me on to a live stones LP he had found that impressed my wife on the medium sized system.  The woman was also helpful when I asked a few basic questions regarding the Jolida set up in back.  Granted these are my brief observations from that day, and I've never been to the shop, but maybe they have some good and not so good days.

Regarding the MBL gear, I was actually pretty impressed by some aspects of the sound...one recording I had heard 100's of time before was incredibly airy and with textures and timber I hadn't heard.  Some other material didn't fare as well and the recordings seemed like they would have challenged any system- one in particular seemed highly compressed when produced.  In any case the gear is wildly expensive, so whether it represents good value can only be answered by the individual.

There were a number of good rooms and setups, but one that I'm surprised has not been mentioned more often was run by High Water Audio.  On my first brief listen, standing up, things seemed a little inncoherent and I wandered off quickly.  Later my wife dragged me back because she had liked it so much, and taking a seat I was really impressed, enough that I'll visit their store for demos next time I'm in New York.  For us, this analog and horn system was one of the highlights of the show.

[ScottB]

In my humble opinion...

I cannot afford much of what was shown at The Capital Audiofest let me say that right now. However try as I may I also could not deny the sound that the United Home Audio room was producing. I was there two days and actually spent hours listening in this room.

MBL with the United Home Audio Reel to Reel tape decks: I can seriously say that I see why the tape deck won a "Golden Ear Award" from The Absolute Sound Magazine. I have never heard sound like this in my life, The Tape Project tapes were stunning in their realism, the tapes recorded from vinyl were just amazing! Also, I actually listened to a CD I brought and the sound of the MBL CD player was spot on, don't know what you guys were listening to?? Of course not the quality of R2R but nothing like the previous post described for sure.

MBL has no focus?
I have been a season subscriber to The National Symphony Orchestra for the last 10 years, I attend almost every concert. I know what live music sounds like and it isn't focused between two boxes. Try a live performance and then go home to listen, not the same.
Yes some speakers can get close to that large real soundstage but I have never heard anything like the MBL for realism. Not to mention dynamics, real live music has dynamics and when they played big orchestral music at concert level on that MBL system I was there in the hall!

Jolida amp and Nola Boxer speakers:
This was the value priced sound at the show $1500 speakers and a $450 amp, what a sound for the money. There is none better for the buck.

I have actually ordered a pair of Nola Boxer speakers from United Home Audio and hope to have them soon. A friend of mine bought a nice turntable from them last year, I can tell you that the service we have received has been nothing short of perfect.

I have also attended one of the Baltimore Washington DC Audio club meetings at United Home Audio and it was a great experience. The tape deck and the Master Tapes produced a stunning realism even in a packed room! Paul (?last name?) from The Tape Project did a seminar on the master tapes and it was fantastic, plus they provided steamed shrimp, wine and cheese, what's not to like?

The turntable experience my friend had with them was quite good, evidently they have one of the best turntable experts in the USA there. He loves his Clearaudio turntable and appreciated the detailed set up they provided.

I have been an audio enthusiast in the Washington DC area for 30 years, I have been to every store that has ever sold better quality audio in the area. Frankly I have had some terrible experiences, a couple so awful that I would not be able to recount them here.
However I have found everyone at United Home Audio to be very knowledgable and easy to deal with, plus they seem to be pushing the envelope of current sound quality with their R2R analog experiments. I say good for them!