“I just want you to know that you have brought real joy to my life” – That is what I heard today outside listening room at Capital Audiofest 2023. Directed at a speaker designer from an obvious superfan, the took me back a little and away from all the hustle and bustle of what audio shows have typically become for a regular in the audio show press circuit. While the trip getting here was a bit more fertilizer than roses, there were some pretty cool moments that transpired in the Hilton DC/Rockville Hotel this weekend already.
First order of business to discuss, when did Uber rides grow to be so astronomically expensive? When the service first kicked off they were definitely cheaper than most cabs at the time were, in Los Angeles at least. Now, the fares have soared to more than 2x what they once were. A real bait and switch, if you ask me. But I digress. On to the show…
As anyone who regularly follows our coverage on the site here will know, Dealer Doug White’s The Voice That Is room is a must-stop for anyone interested in some top-tier sound. This year in a big room at CAF 2023 was no different. Sporting the brand new (and first US appearance) TIDAL Audio Contriva G3 loudspeaker ($79k) attached to the TIDAL Intra Stereo amp and Contros Digital Controller, the grand sum of audio here was quite the treat. Doug played a sonically dynamic drum solo demo that managed to capture a ton of that real-life thrill of sitting behind (or standing in front of, in this case) a well-played drum set. The high-end of the frequency spectrum was tight and accurate, but never shrill, my favorite balance for the situation.
Wire in The Voice That Is room was done with some new Siltech Ruby Crown cabling. Two other pretty cool accessories that were featured were an “almost floating” design isolation platform by Ictra Design called the Silencer II, and the flagship Equitech 2RQ balanced power conditioner. The available sway from the Silencer II’s top and bottom platters offered up a significant opportunity to believe the device would do well at reducing any unwanted vibrations to a turntable, digital device, or even amplifier.
For those who love great sound but don’t quite have a second home in the Hamptons (just yet, at least) Zu Audio out of Ogden, UT decorated their room with some alternative affordable options for the more budget-conscious audiophile. Founder Sean Casey’s newest product to market is the Omen DWX, which starts at around $1.4k per pair. Featured across two rooms alongside Black Ice Audio (formerly Jolida) the brand duo combined could likely be joined together for a system that barely breaches the $2.5 mark with tubes. Also on static display in the room at the time I was there was the big Zu Audio Definition 6 we first heard back in December. In the room across the hall, Zu was showing the Soul 6 reviewed here.
With a makeshift DJ booth on the far side of the room, it was easy to get into the laid-back vibes the brand appears to take big steps to gather. It was clear that attendees came to the room as a destination, not just foot traffic swinging through. The diverse selection of music that was played matched the intent as well, although the Zu team does take requests. The smaller speakers managed to capture some big tone, and the bass response was surprisingly more than I expected as well from the stand mount option. Another great stop at any audio show, even if you aren’t as familiar with the Zu brand.
On the subject of speakers that I have some first-hand experience with, I was sincerely delighted to see some of the entry-level wares from Von Schweikert Audio in the room they shared with VAC/Valve Amplification Company room this year. With a huge space right off the main atrium area, there were several samples of the gorgeous and luxurious Ultra and VR line on static display. However, the real highlight for me was the Endeavor SE on active display in the center of the room. While not the least expensive floorstander VSA offers (that title belongs to the Endeavor E-3 MKII reviewed here) the SE shared a ton of the same guts outside of the finish and tweeter assembly. Instead of the Dual Ring Radiator tweeter, the treble is handled by a more expensive Beryllium dome on the SE.
The in-room experience was fairly mind-melting, thanks to a ton of room work and two huge subwoofers in reverse phase placed in the far corners (and I mean far). The implementation here, as it was explained to me by VSA’s Leif Swanson, was to manage bass nodes and help smooth out things overall (including the mids and possibly even treble). Indeed, the volume on the two subs was very slight, even standing right next to the huge units. Walking around the room, things did feel pretty even. But perhaps Leif’s best trick was the soundstage he was able to create. Sitting in the sweet spot, it was almost confusing to hear how wide the soundscape was. With a Roger Walters track, I could swear the psychoacoustic phenomena rendered a piano tinkle directly to my right. As in, a full 180 degrees of displacement. I’m trying to avoid the old adage of “I was fooled into thinking there was another speaker in the room”. However this time, there was an extra sub that I didn’t really hear (and wasn’t ultimately supposed to) and the missing transducers should have been to the port and starboard. Neat trick.
You can check out our room-to-room video coverage from CAF 2023 in easily digestible, 1 minute segments in our Facebook Reels feed.
How could two subs in reverse phase make a real difference in a room that size? I get the idea but not in that large a room. Still, I too loved the sound.