AudioCircle
Community => Regional Audiophiles => Mid-Atlantic Audio Circle => Topic started by: pelliott321 on 2 Jan 2016, 08:28 pm
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This years dates are July 8-10
Same venue, The Hilton at Twinbrook metro stop, Rockville MD
Looking to make this the best show yet!
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Web site:
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/
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Looking forward to it. Not crazy about the venue but planning to be there. I hope they revisit the idea of the headphone ballroom this year. Seems foolish to walk away from the one segment of high end audio that is actually growing.
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The headphone community were in London during last years CAF. One of the reasons for the date change as well as feedback from the majority of the vendors who wanted the earlier date.
We have a couple of HeadFi guys running the headphone segment this coming year so hopefully that part of the community will be back in a big way.
As far as the venue goes, we got high marks from the media and participants about the great sounding rooms last year. We are going to make the traffic flow better by utilizing the second floor (lobby is actually the 3rd floor) rooms instead of the 4th floor which admittedly difficult to get to.
The hotel will be going through a lot of renovations during the first part of 2016, which should be done by the time of CAF2016. Mostly cosmetics to sleeping and meeting rooms. There will be a couple of more meeting rooms, new restaurant, etc.
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No headphones last year? Well, that makes me feel better about not going :-p
I should be able to Airbnb it for a few nights this year, I've been meaning to make a summer Nova/DC trip now that I don't live up there anymore.
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The local HeadFi group did a meet on Sunday. Looked like about fifty guys showed up and many set up their systems to share and compare.
Hope you can make it.
The Hotel is right on the Red line in Rockville. TwinBrook Station
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Paul, I felt the Twinbrook Hilton was/is a good venue, I noticed that most of the small rooms generated excellent sound, and the larger rooms accommodated bigger systems with great success. Parking was easy and it was no problem finding all the rooms. In general, I thought this show had the best ratio of good sounding rooms to disappointing ones, a real success. I'm looking forward to the 2016 CAF and reporting on it for EnjoyTheMusic.com.
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The headphone community We are going to make the traffic flow better by utilizing the second floor (lobby is actually the 3rd floor) rooms instead of the 4th floor which admittedly difficult to get to.
That will help a lot. That was my main beef. And if any vendors see this thread, I hope I can talk them out of going with the 'haunted house' lighting style. There was less of that last year than the year before though.
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I agree about the dark rooms, as the show (among other things) photographer it drives me crazy.
On the other hand how often do you turn down the lights to listen.
Maybe we can start a thread on the improvement in sound with low lighting lol
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It does seem like my hearing 'dials up' with subdued lighting. But subdued is one thing- sepulchral is something else. I have been in rooms where I literally had trouble seeing the equipment and on one occasion almost tripped over some garden-hose-sized speaker cables before my eyes adjusted to the light. That's taking it a little too far.
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Agreed
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Funny, I had no complaints about the lighting. I guess there must have been some dark rooms, but I just can't recall any issues with that. Perhaps I didn't go in if it was dark, dunno.
Yes, the Canfest or Canmania or whatever they're called were in London at the time of last year's show, the local crowd filled in nicely on Sunday. Hopefully it can be like the previous year where we had both. As a headphone junkie that makes all the difference for me.
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The 'Haunted House' lighting was a lot more prevalent at the Sheraton for whatever reason. But there were a few rooms...
I think it's important to have high visibility for headphone audio at these kind of events. Many of today's young people don't really care about SQ as long as it's really loud and has lotsa bass, and therefore aren't interested in setting up a 'traditional' component system at all (the current novelty market for vinyl notwithstanding). They'll never buy a thousand-dollar power cable, but they just might drop some fairly serious money on a pair of cans. Your audio dollar goes MUCH farther with headphones, and the popularity of portable audio has exploded the headphone market- headphones are the #6 product category in consumer electronics products, behind #1 smartphones, #2 tablets, #3 TV's (TV sets being only #3 surprised me a bit), #4 computers, and #5 automotive. Component audio isn't even a blip. So it seems like headphones are an important ice breaker for the audio hobby. That and more C&C choices and less emphasis on megabuck 'tweaks' will get more people interested in quality music reproduction at home.
[end rant]
Anyhoo, looking forward to a great Audiofest!
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I was out at RMAF and the headphone vendors were out in full force. They filled the one ballroom and Marjorie had to put the overflow in the Atrium. Both areas were active all weekend long.
Personally I am not big on headphones since I have a dedicated sound room, but understand it is a big part of the industry.
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As a demonstrator at CAF the lighting in the rooms is taken away when the furniture is moved out. No clg lights. A big expense and elec. issue for sonics if addtional lights are brought in. It stinks for everyone. We used extra lights however affected sound so they went south.
get a better flash :thumb:
charles
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If having a lamp on in the room degrades the sound at a show, it would presumably do the same at home, and I'm not receptive to the idea of a system I have to sit in a darkened room to listen to. I actually have been tempted to bring one of these to a show (and still might, just for sh*ts n' grins) -
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=134735)
Anyway, before I cause thread derailment, I do hope the headphone segment is better represented this year. Here are some of the mfrs I'd like to see at CAF: Ohm Acoustics, Magnepan, U-Turn, Von Schweikert (rumored to be possible), Van Alstine (Come back, Frank!), Polk... Who else do people want to see exhibit there?
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That's actually a great idea. There are clip on lights that fit underneath the bill of your ball-cap, a stealth installation if you will. I may have bring mine this year for those using stygian darkness to enhance something.
I prefer the cold light of day to look and listen to unfamiliar gear.
If I need darkness I have eyelids for that.
Scotty
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Scotty:
Were you one of the volunteers last year?
If you were thanks you were a big help, hope you enjoyed the experience
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Yep. I will probably volunteer again this year.
Scotty
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CanMania will be back in 2016
website updated
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3081.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3081.html)
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I have a cap with LED lights under the visor. They are not expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A4HPKJU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687742&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0094EKBNE&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1V2VAYKGR7ZJYJCHV479
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CanMania will be back in 2016
website updated
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3081.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3081.html)
Yea!!! :) Good job guys.
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We are trying to do the best we can. This will be the seventh year. The show has grown each year, not fast enough for us but we are working hard to grow the show. The most important is to get the numbers of visitors up.
It is a bit of a catch 22. Vendors want more visitors and the visitors want more vendors. A chicken and egg thingy
Paul
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Perhaps a little guerrilla marketing is in order? Call/write/email that manufacturer whose products you've always wanted to hear, but never have, and ask them if they're exhibiting? Hmmmm.....
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Vendors want more visitors and the visitors want more vendors.
Visitors want more freebies, T-shirts. Some of us got used to snatching branded T-shirts from rooms. Kudos to VPI for handing out slipmats.
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We have a marketing team that persue the vendors. We went to RMAF to promote CAF, and there are plans to go to AXPONA ALSO.
We gave away many tee's last year and we are looking for sponsors for more freebies this year.
We are a rolling stone!
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We have a marketing team that persue the vendors. We went to RMAF to promote CAF, and there are plans to go to AXPONA ALSO.
We gave away many tee's last year and we are looking for sponsors for more freebies this year.
We are a rolling stone!
I'm talking about stuff you received just by showing up in the room. Vendors like "The Voice That is" giving away T-shirts. I can't remember who the vendor was but they made T-shirts with blank shirts and a big ink roller. VPI's slipmats. Things like that.
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That was Zu Audio. He does that at every show I have seen him at. Zu Audio was at 2014 CAF but not at 2015 CAF because of scheduling conflicts. Lets hope he comes this year so you can get something free.
What the Vendors do is up to them. CAF has no control what the Vendor decide to give away.
We do have Vendors that give equipment and/or cables/etc for the raffle
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Bring back that jazz singer.
Not that I'm into her music: I just think she's purty.
:inlove:
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I am pretty sure Lyn Stanley will not be back but there will be a naked jazz band, not
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This year I will attend with the wife come hell or high water.
Swag is good, even a key fob in the shape of a vacuum tube or something.
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Hey are you the Steve ford with 4 or 5 Buels that I bought Maggy llla's from?
I still have the maggy's
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Perhaps a little guerrilla marketing is in order? Call/write/email that manufacturer whose products you've always wanted to hear, but never have, and ask them if they're exhibiting? Hmmmm.....
My suggestion was that we, the audience, contact manufacturers we'd like to see there. I'd like to hear Von Schweikert, Vandersteen, Ohm Walsh for example. Just ask 'em if they'll be there. Plant the seed, y'know?
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That's an interesting idea db, I do not how it will work.
The big manufacturers work though dealers and the local dealers come to the show with support from the ma ufacturers. We have most of the local dealers coming to to show. It's a tuff nut to crack
Christina, our sales rep has been in the business quite awhile and knows them all.
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Ohm sells factory direct. I bought a pair of Microwalsh Talls for a secondary system. Excellent speakers for the money.
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I understand why a dealer who may not be local would want to come. But perhaps one could ask those manufacturers who sell direct - e.g. Emotiva, Axiom, etc. I don't think it could hurt to ask. All they can say is no.
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Unfortunately I think I will be in Iceland at that time -- family vacation. I enjoyed it last year. Somebody else should arrange the steak dinner out. My 14 year old to be says we are going to check out a death metal concert in Reykjavik. :banghead: :rock: That will be my music appreciation for the week. :no_hear: Wink2
Good luck. I hope the crowd is bigger and I think it will be. Second year at the venue and canjam should bring more people in. :thumb:
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Unfortunately I think I will be in Iceland at that time -- family vacation. I enjoyed it last year. Somebody else should arrange the steak dinner out. My 14 year old to be says we are going to check out a death metal concert in Reykjavik. :banghead: :rock: That will be my music appreciation for the week. :no_hear: Wink2
Good luck. I hope the crowd is bigger and I think it will be. Second year at the venue and canjam should bring more people in. :thumb:
RMAF this year or does the wife have you locked away again? :lol:
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RMAF this year or does the wife have you locked away again? :lol:
I will be in Denver. Shanahan's too.
(http://www.thepalm.com/files/imagesPalm/photos/home/palm_home_images_0002_steak-wine.jpg)
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I will be in Denver.
:thumb:
Shanahan's too.
That makes one of us. :P
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I understand why a dealer who may not be local would want to come. But perhaps one could ask those manufacturers who sell direct - e.g. Emotiva, Axiom, etc. I don't think it could hurt to ask. All they can say is no.
That's what I'm saying- Ohm, for example, sells factory direct, as do more and more manufacturers, since there are fewer and fewer B&M dealers to sell through. In many cases there is no dealer to go hear these products at. Shows like CAF (or roll the dice and buy, hoping you won't want to return the item) are the only option.
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Hey are you the Steve ford with 4 or 5 Buels that I bought Maggy llla's from?
I still have the maggy's
Yes, that would be me. Down to 3 Buells but up a bunch of Triumphs.
I'll make sure to hit the show this year to give the wife and myself a much needed airing out.
We're smelling a little musty.
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Unfortunately I think I will be in Iceland at that time -- family vacation. I enjoyed it last year. Somebody else should arrange the steak dinner out. My 14 year old to be says we are going to check out a death metal concert in Reykjavik. :banghead: :rock: That will be my music appreciation for the week. :no_hear: Wink2
Good luck. I hope the crowd is bigger and I think it will be. Second year at the venue and canjam should bring more people in. :thumb:
What was the name of that place again?
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Vendor List is growing
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3103.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3103.html)
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Glad to see Martin-Logan back. Was in their room briefly last year and had the definite feeling that the setup was sub-optimal (mainly a too-small room). Hopefully they'll have better luck this year. Also glad the headphone ballroom will be back. I usually spend most of my time there on day one, while the speaker rooms are getting "dialed in" by their exhibitors. No room issues to overcome with cans :lol:
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Glad to see Martin-Logan back. Was in their room briefly last year and had the definite feeling that the setup was sub-optimal (mainly a too-small room).
Once they turned off the Balance Force sub in the back left corner, the sound was improved. But yeah the room was small - reminded me of Bill Thalman's room when the show was in Silver Spring.
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Thanks DTB. I could tell something was amiss but wasn't there long enough to try to figure it out. Seems like planars need room to "open up", and they weren't really getting it in that space.
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Thanks DTB. I could tell something was amiss but wasn't there long enough to try to figure it out. Seems like planars need room to "open up", and they weren't really getting it in that space.
Dipoles, regardless whether they're planar or not, need room to breath....
Roscoe
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We (Linear Tube Audio) will be there, as local manufacturers. CAF last year was the first show we ever did, and I'm looking forward to having a stronger presence this year. We'll have a table in the headphone area for our MicroZOTL2 as a headphone amp and also a room with the MicroZOTL2 as a preamp for either our ZOTL40 or ZOTL10. Still working things out as far as other components go. Hopefully we'll be able to convince David Berning to show up again.
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Sorry to see the ticket prices going up: Now $20/day or $30 for a "weekend pass", up from $20 for the whole weekend. Oh well, guess they had to do it.
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Hollis Audio Labs will be with GT Audioworks again this year at CAF2016.
Will be running a HAL MS-3 Music Server and dspMusik as a HiRez DAC and room and speaker correction with MathAudio Room EQ.
Bring flashdrives with music and we will playback the files from the MS-3. There will be a CD player as last year, but Room EQ will not work with that source. If we rip the tracks from CD to SSD, then Room EQ will work.
Hope to see folks there again this year.
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Sorry to see the ticket prices going up: Now $20/day or $30 for a "weekend pass", up from $20 for the whole weekend. Oh well, guess they had to do it.
I think it was $20. a day last year also.
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Yes, the same as last year. I feel that $10 or $15 a day, depending if you go either 2 or 3 days, is pretty cheap for what you get. Of course everyone must make their own decision on what the show is worth to them.
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It is. I was just noting the change. IIRC it was still $20 for the whole weekend last year. Under the new pricing it definitely makes sense to go all in unless you know you are making it for just one day. I'm in. Glad to see the headphone presence restored this year btw.
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Check out the website all the info is there http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/ (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/)
Fees are $20/day $30 for weekend Student ID $10/Day
The big news is that for the first time ever there with any HiFi show is there will be a complete system given away
check out Press Release http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3319.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3319.html)
We could still use a couple of volunteers working the reception desk
You get free weekend pass for fours work
message me here or at pelliott321 at yah....om
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That's cool. Interested in hearing the Alta speakers.
Disappointed that (as of now) Salk, Van Alstine, and Philharmonic appear to be sitting this one out. Hope that changes.
Looking to check out Martin Logan again. Hope they have a better room this year. Heard them last year and although they were very detailed, you could tell something was not quite right.
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We have reached out to Jim a couple of times but have not heard back yet. He usually decided at last minute, but he might be out of luck sine there are very few rooms left
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The big news is that for the first time ever there with any HiFi show is there will be a complete system given away
check out Press Release http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3319.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3319.html)
Wow! That's worth coming down for, Gary outdid himself this year, but it may be hard to top next year ;)
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The official press release goes out to audio press later today, I jumped the gun and will probably pay for it down the road
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We won't tell.
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You were the first to know
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Any idea when the drawing will occur? In the past, drawings have been right at the close of the show. Asking because I have a couple twentysomething audiophile friends (yes, at least two exist) who I'm trying to cajole into coming to the Fest. One is definite for at least one day but one is on the fence. And will it be a "must be present" drawing?
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according to the Press Release:
"...Attendees who want to participate can get an entry form at Show Registration, which they will complete and drop off in Room 210 when they stop in and hear the system. The drawing will be held Sunday afternoon at Show Close, in the Atrium...."
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3319.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3319.html)
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The last couple shows, you had to be present town. That the case this year as well?
Jeez, you'd think I thought I was gonna win... nooooooo..... I just want to get a couple young audiophools there any way I can.
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Yes Coop, I'm almost certain you have to be there to win, 4pm Sunday. The only reason I'm not 100% certain is that I'm not Gary Gill. Best of luck, if I can't win hope it's you, haha.
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The discussion of whether one needs to be present to win is going on now. I'm reasonably assured that those details will be published soon. Lots of things to consider in this.
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Looking forward to the show regardless. Glad CanMania is back also.
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CanMania is only in 1/3 of the plaza ballroom, maybe 6 vendors so far, a disappointment but something to build on
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Got my room reserved and I'm ready to go, can't wait for July. I'm already mapping out the rooms I want to see first. Yes, Canmania does look a little light, hopefully it will grow in coming years. I was under the impression that it was a traveling roadshow sort of thing, but I assume that's not correct? Or did just a lot of venders drop out? Regardless, I'm sure I'll enjoy myself.
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Just got the news from our sales gal
all rooms are sold! and she have a few leads for the few tables in the MarketPlace left
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3103.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3103.html)
Be sure to check out the press releases on the Giveaways
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3318.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p3318.html)
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It seems there are vendors missing.
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which vendors are missing?
there are some vendors that are not back from last year, and there are many new vendors this year
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Is the website up to date?
While i had high hopes for CanMania, what I remember from last time (2014) was largely a sea of HD800's, LCD's and Hifimans with a smattering of Beyers. If the vendors who are coming bring a good variety of cans it should still be good.
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I work in the website everyday
I heard from the sales team that there are a couple of live ones swimming near the hook for the last few tables in the headphone area. In the past some of the head people wait until last miniute.
We are hoping the system giveaway will be a gib draw.
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For folks interested, just checked and tomorrow is the last day for the show rate for the hotel rooms for attendees.
Until then it is $109/night, after that it is $189/night. They still have rooms left as of today.
Hope to see folks there!
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Thanks for the reminder HAL
http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p133.html (http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/p133.html)
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pelliott, it is great to have someone with som inside knowledge of the show hanging around here keeping us in the loop. Thanks
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duplicate post.... oops
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I've very excited for CAF. At Newport and AXPONA I was stuck at the table with the headphones the entire time and didn't really get to enjoy any speaker listening rooms. We'll be sharing the table at CAF and I'm really hoping to spend some time in front of transducers that don't go on your head, as lovely as those are. CanMania does look a bit sparse, especially after coming from a disappointing Newport, but hopefully it will be well-attended and rewarding for those vendors who do go, and next year it can attract a larger crowd. With RMAF being so pricey and CanJam London probably even moreso for non-UK vendors, I imagine that many personal audio companies have to see the worth in budgeting for CAF.
Also, at CAF I'm going to get to see our amps paired with a bunch of stuff I've never seen them paired with before, which is fun.
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Viva Hifi Giveaway:
Viva Hifi is giving a pair of ELAC Debut B5 bookshelf speakers by Andrew Jones to a lucky winner at this year's CAF. Plus, there will be special 20% off offers on show and demo models at the show. Good luck to AC members.
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Very generous Scott. For those that don't know him, Scott is one of the good guys in audio, couldn't recommend him more highly. However I have to put my facilitator hat on and mention that the 20% off part is riding the thin edge of promoting on the community circles. But I'm inclined to view it as a simple statement of fact, valuable information given by an AC member. So unless there's some sort of outcry from members or admins it stays. Helps that it comes with free stuff, we love free stuff.
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Letitroll, you can erase that part if it's a problem. I thought I was steering clear of trouble by not naming any products in the post except for the giveaway. Not trying to be a troublemaker!
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Anyway we are 14 days away and just wanted to pass out some info
All rooms are sold out and only a couple tables are open in the Marketplace
also almost all Lecture slots are filled and I will publish the final schedule in a day or two
The $12k system giveaway is still set plus a couple other raffles are set too.
Lots of new (for CAF) vendors this year so it should be a great show
http://capitalaudiofest.com/ (http://capitalaudiofest.com/)
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Letitroll, you can erase that part if it's a problem. I thought I was steering clear of trouble by not naming any products in the post except for the giveaway. Not trying to be a troublemaker!
No worries Scott, I thought the not mentioning any products was also in your favor, just didn't put it in my post. My decision stands, the post is approved unless vetoed by the powers that be. The fact that you're never a troublemaker also weighs in on your side. Pays to be polite and well mannered, see you at the show.
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I had impressions made yesterday for custom sleeves for my Shure IEM's and got into a conversation with the audiologist about the show. She got a table and will be making impressions at the show as well as giving a presentation on hearing health. If you've been considering custom tips, or have questions about hearing health/preservation, find her at the show. I don't want to even skirt the understandings here about promoting in non commercial parts of the site, so I will just say that I am offering a recommendation as a satisfied customer only and, having done this three times now, I can tell you not all audiologists "grok" the requirements of audiophiles and/or IEM type devices. This one does, and if you are near the Baltimore/WDC metro area, PM me if you'd like contact info. If not local to the area, the show might be a good opportunity to have the impressions done. I assume further details will be available through official show channels shortly.
Also glad to see Mark Waldrep back, and recommend his presentation on hi-res audio.
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Oh no Coop, there's absolutely no restrictions for regular members like yourself regarding promoting anything or anyone, commence to promotin' away. It's only Industry Participants that can't promote their own products.
Getting excited about CAF, I'm set on making it on time Saturday morning, I usually goof around and get there at noon, or 1. This year I'm going to maximize my time. Are you headed to Canmania straight off?
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My usual plan is to start off with headphones and concentrate on those on day one while the speaker based vendors are getting their rooms 'dialed in'. (No acoustics or placement problems for the 'cans' guys!) I will make a quick overall sweep of the show though to get an idea of which rooms I want to come back and listen to in-depth. (You'd almost think I was a customer, not just a tire-kicker, huh?) This year I'm likely to skip rooms whose products I'm already familiar with just because I'm tired of reading show reports and thinking, "What?!?!?? I didn't make it to that room!"
Earlier in this thread I read that CanMania was sparsely booked so it may not keep me occupied as long. Hope there are some latecomers. It was a little disappointing last time though in that, although it was big, it looked like a sea of HD800, Audeze and Hifiman, pretty much the same stuff at almost every table. There's lots more headphones out there.
Sorry to see that Salk, VanAlstine, and Philharmonic are apparently all missing the show this year.
Last year there was some conversation about making up some audiocircle nametags and leaving them at one of the entry tables so we could recognize each other and put faces with our names. There used to be a link to buy Audiocircle T shirts but I can't find it now.
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We're showing with one of our dealers at the table and in one room, Care Audio, who will be wanting to have the headphones they sell -HiFiMAN and Audeze - but we'll also have the ZMF & LTA Omni LE, and I'll ask about bringing a couple other headphones. Even if you don't see them on the table, you can give me a nod and I can pull out some Ether-Cs or the Fostex TH-X00.
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Thanks Will. I hope the Sine and EL-8 (open version) will be available somewhere. They're on my Listen List (I'm a C&C audiophool. )
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Thanks Will. I hope the Sine and EL-8 (open version) will be available somewhere. They're on my Listen List (I'm a C&C audiophool. )
EL-8 Open you say? I don't know if those were part of the "re-voicing" they recently did, but I can bring along a set about a year old. No dealer clash necessary!
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Come & join us for a libation! Bring your music!
Cheers,
Pete
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=145655)
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EL-8 Open you say? I don't know if those were part of the "re-voicing" they recently did, but I can bring along a set about a year old. No dealer clash necessary!
Great!
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There are many lecture speakers this time around.
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I like that. I'm familiar with two of them: One is audio engineer Mark Waldrep, whose presentations on Hi Def/Hi-Res Audio are always informative; and the other is audiologist Pam Mason, who is coming to the show (after hearing about it from yours truly when I got ear impressions done about ten days ago) to give two talks on hearing health and do ear impressions at her table. If you've been considering having custom sleeves or CIEM's made, seek her out; this would be great timing. Pam is capable, fun to work with, and knows what audiophiles need from a set of impressions. Headphone and 'personal audio' people especially should benefit (speaker people often get 'input' from family members or neighbors before things get hazardous).
I hope to have my sleeves and impression molds in time for the show and will try to make myself known for anybody who is curious and wants to see what these things look like.
Several vinyl-oriented presentations appeal to the 'spinners' (and it seems like there is more vinyl presence this year than the last couple.)
Show less than a week away!
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So, who all's gonna be there?
I'll be wearing this. If you see me, feel free to say hello, and have a great show regardless of whether we cross paths or not!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146456)
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HAL is already here with mix4fix. Just had dinner.
Will have gear in both the GT Audioworks room 242 and DCAudioDIY room 218 as well. Stop by both for a listen when you get a chance to say hello and bring music.
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GT Audioworks was already on my Hit list; will be by.
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Lot of good sounding rooms this year and nice to see Market Place populated.
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Woo hoo! Packin' the bag tonite, headed down tomorrow AM. If you see me I'll be the balding older fat guy with bluejeans....wait, that's all of us. Never mind.
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Which balding older fatguy would that be? A more specific description is needed before we can issue a BOLO.
Your compliance would be aporeciated.
Scotty
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Which balding older fatguy would that be? A more specific description is needed before we can issue a BOLO.
Your compliance would be aporeciated.
Scotty
Why the good lookin' one of course.
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Big 'find' for me today was Larsen Speakers (Democracy room)which have a very unusual design aimed at reducing interaction between speaker, room, and listening position (as were the Allison speakers of yore, in a very different implementation.) I was very impressed at the way they 'drew me in' to the music, no small feat considering I had just come from hearing the $220K KEF 'MUONs", which looked like they were designed by Salvador Dali.
These are the $7K Larsen 8's, with and without grille covers:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146487)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146488)
Only beef I had here was that the cabinetwork may not have been quite up to what you see in the same price range from, say, Daedalus or Salk, but they did sound very musical. But I was impressed enough to link to their website here: www.larsenhifi.com.
The MUONS were very detailed and had much better driver blending than I am accustomed to hearing from multiway/multidriver systems like the Legacies, but IMHO they share a certain 'hi-fi' affect and although they impress at first, I can imagine their ruthlessness becoming an issue over time. Darn it, I was ready to drop the $220K for a few minutes there... :roll:
For that kind of coin it ought to be impossible to find a flaw.
Here is a MUON (The speaker, not the guy- sounds like some species of alien from Star Trek, doesn't it?) :
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146486)
(On second thought, a better name might be the LOWWAF? :lol: )
Other general impressions: Seems like much more emphasis on vinyl this year. I was reminded of why I don't miss it very much as I listened to the MUONs play the pops, clicks, and surface noise with breathtaking clarity. I recognize others feel differently, and admit that I heard some very nice vinyl playback today, and to each his own, but... One turntable exhibitor said pretty much the same thing to me, so "you pays your money" I guess.
Sorry to see the headphone contingent rather underrepresented as this is the one segment of audio that is experiencing solid growth. These mfr's should be courted energetically.
It will be interesting to see if the move to the first week of November rather than July/August when it is hot AF brings more attendees in.
I am skipping most of the rooms which bring the same stuff every year (even stuff I like) to maximize my time.
See y'all tomorrow. If you see a redheaded guy in a black 'Knights Who Say NI' T shirt, let's introduce ourselves.
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So, who all's gonna be there?
I'll be wearing this. If you see me, feel free to say hello, and have a great show regardless of whether we cross paths or not!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146456)
See y'all tomorrow. If you see a redheaded guy in a black 'Knights Who Say NI' T shirt, let's introduce ourselves.
Would that I could dB, wrong end of the country. Thanks for the picks & thoughts, and Great 'T' shirt collection. Keep 'em comin'. :thumb:
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Good to meet Letitroll98, mix4fix, HAL, and Bunky (who actually may have been at the same Frank Zappa concert as me 35 years ago.)
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Good meeting you Coop. I had a ball for the whole show. My best moment at this year's Capfest was early Sunday morning when I stopped in the VPI room so Matt Weisfeld could show me a new arm mount. After Matt showed me the arm I sat down to listen to the system on display which included KEF's $225,000 Muon speakers and VPI's new $48,000 air bearing Titan turntable. Harry Weisfeld puts on some Mussorgsky and sits down next to me, a minute later Johan Coorg of KEF sits down in front of me, the three of us listening to this remarkable system shooting the breeze about the various qualities of the system. Tremendous dynamics and unmatched clarity. Imaging and soundstage were consistent and rock solid stable if not the widest or deepest I've heard. Instruments were hard to distinguish from live music. I felt like I had calibrated my ears, for the rest of the day all systems were judged against the clarity of the KEF/VPI system, nothing came close. Nothing quite replicated that realism. Others mentioned the room had problems earlier in the show, by Sunday they had that sorted out. Great show with some really outstanding rooms.
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I thought the Tidal room gave the KEF's a real run for their money, also very detailed but a much more relaxed (and relaxing) presentation.
My issue with the show... all shows... Hell, the 'high end' in general... was economic. I did some math and the systems I had info for and those mentioned in the Stereophile show report came out at a mean of $58K if you don't consider cabling, excluding the Odyssey room and the KEF Muon room. Add in those rooms and you get a mean of around $70K and a median of well over $100K. I didn't work out the mode but would guess that would be in the upper 20's. Again, that's excluding cabling (now a big buck accessory too) and for some rooms, a front end. While I don't begrudge anybody to spend their money however they please, I think the hobby would be well served by having a healthy entry level market and giving that market visibility on the show circuit without turning noses up by deriding it as 'mid-fi'. If the perceived price of entry for satisfying reproduction of music in the home is $~60K, it's going to be a tough road for the 'high end' ('deep end' might be more applicable to much of what I saw), we're going to need young people to be interested- and at these price levels, they generally aren't. They're fine with their $400 Bose tabletop system. By contrast, my first $330 Dyna system, which I saved and mowed lawns for a year to buy when I was 15 years old, would cost about S2400 in today's dollars- and it gave me years of musical satisfaction. There needs to be some sort of counterpart to that system today, and for the most part, there isn't.
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All good points, I had a manufacturer tell me his $8,000 amp was a bargain. It was his lowest priced separate. Really? Didn't bother telling him no amp is worth that much to me. I think at these shows it's what Klaus of Odyssee told me, everyone at the show are vying for the same five millionaires. The rest of us are tire kickers. And it's too expensive to bring the lower priced stuff to the show, only so much space in the truck. Klaus bucks this trend and generally brings affordable gear, but this year there wasn't any other inexpensive display that I saw other than VPI that had a few of their lower priced tables on a silent display and some stuff in the Canmania room.
For the audio industry at large I'm told the ultra high end and the lower priced products are what's selling. The vast midpriced market is pretty soft. Companies like NuPrime, Elac, and Rogue are going strong at the lower end, I'm sure there are other examples. You can find sensibly priced products without too much trouble, so I'm not too worried about price being the downfall of the high end, rather other market forces are in play.
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The GT Audio Works, Hollis Audio Labs room has to be considered a bargain. If you used Odyssey preamp and power amp HAL and GT Audio for the front end and speakers, you would have a hell of a system.
Scotty
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The GT Audio Works, Hollis Audio Labs room has to be considered a bargain. If you used Odyssey preamp and power amp HAL and GT Audio for the front end and speakers, you would have a hell of a system.
Scotty
Scotty, I wholeheartedly agree! I'm using a pair of Odyssey monos on my GTA 2.5s, Exogal Comet Plus as Pre/DAC, Pete's Triode Wire Labs cables, and Mark Schifter's Core Power Technology E=Q 300 for Balanced Power AC, pretty reasonable. An MS-3 is next up as a purchase, works perfectly, has room correction and upsampling built in as user options, and is a bargain compared to the norm of $2000 to $10,000 servers.
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While I don't begrudge anybody to spend their money however they please, I think the hobby would be well served by having a healthy entry level market and giving that market visibility on the show circuit without turning noses up by deriding it as 'mid-fi'. If the perceived price of entry for satisfying reproduction of music in the home is $~60K, it's going to be a tough road for the 'high end' ('deep end' might be more applicable to much of what I saw), we're going to need young people to be interested- and at these price levels, they generally aren't. They're fine with their $400 Bose tabletop system. By contrast, my first $330 Dyna system, which I saved and mowed lawns for a year to buy when I was 15 years old, would cost about S2400 in today's dollars- and it gave me years of musical satisfaction. There needs to be some sort of counterpart to that system today, and for the most part, there isn't.
I think there are a lot of companies that agree with you, and in some cases it's show pressures from the vendors you're sharing the room with. Even if you want to showcase a high-quality component that sounds as good as something 3x its price, another company won't want to show unless the component 6x its price is being shown. Figuring out the ratio of prices for the system is difficult as well. We make amplifiers that some consider pricey, some consider cheap, but either way we ideally choose components that could fit economically into a theoretical system that would include our amplifiers, though we haven't managed to do that yet, because we also hope to make our first impressions in rooms that sound really good. At CAF we were in one room with speakers that were $13k a pair, one room with $10k speakers, and one room with speakers that would sell for around $6k if put into production. The room with the $13k speakers had $7500 worth of amplification (amp + preamp) and a $5000 digital source. The room with the $6k speakers had $10k worth of amplification (preamp + bi-amping) and what was likely a $15k+ turntable setup. Completely inverted value chain. It's funny. It does seem that, even though the majority of the audio show vendors are still showing the shiniest things and playing the same tracks they've been playing for years, more people are complaining and more vendors are wanting to show, or showing, more reasonably priced components with music that people might actually listen to at home (that said, I do listen to a lot of live jazz, love a good female singer with a bassist, but come on).
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Good meeting you Coop. I had a ball for the whole show. My best moment at this year's Capfest was early Sunday morning when I stopped in the VPI room so Matt Weisfeld could show me a new arm mount. After Matt showed me the arm I sat down to listen to the system on display which included KEF's $225,000 Muon speakers and VPI's new $48,000 air bearing Titan turntable. Harry Weisfeld puts on some Mussorgsky and sits down next to me, a minute later Johan Coorg of KEF sits down in front of me, the three of us listening to this remarkable system shooting the breeze about the various qualities of the system. Tremendous dynamics and unmatched clarity. Imaging and soundstage were consistent and rock solid stable if not the widest or deepest I've heard. Instruments were hard to distinguish from live music. I felt like I had calibrated my ears, for the rest of the day all systems were judged against the clarity of the KEF/VPI system, nothing came close. Nothing quite replicated that realism. Others mentioned the room had problems earlier in the show, by Sunday they had that sorted out. Great show with some really outstanding rooms.
What Cart did they have on the Titan?
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Lyra Atlas. Don't know if it was the SL version or not. Harry said he adjusted the VTA for Sunday morning and it made all the difference, "The thing is like an MRI it's so revealing". He told me Saturday night they had a cellist come in with his own recording and played side by side live and recording, and you couldn't tell the difference. Wish I had come down then (I was on the 8th floor and didn't hear anything).