Capital Audiofest 2023

[Treehaus Audiolab]

Thanks for doing this Ron. It is much appreciated as I didn't find time to get out of my room at all.

One thing I've learned over the years is that the phone processes the sound during recording AND during playback, and you actually get great fidelity if the recording and playback are on cellphones. Samsung, Apple, etc. all have large teams of engineers (smarter than I am) to deliver this sound quality - and listening to the videos on a phone rather than on a PC gives me much better an idea of what each room sounded like.

The fidelity is good enough for me to use in loudspeaker design as I will record different iterations of crossover changes, and this helps me tremendously in design and development. Not as good as a proper recording set-up, but far better than you would think just using a cellphone.

I agree here completely, and I have done the same. When all things are equal, there are elements of how the phone records and plays back that really illustrate design changes and their effect. Critical aural memory is actually quite short, so often by the time you have changed a piece of equipment its already been too long. The phone allows for very fast A/B. It doesnt sound enjoyable, and Id never use to to judge different systems in different locations, but as a tweaking tool, it can be highly effective.

 

[PeterA]

I agree here completely, and I have done the same. When all things are equal, there are elements of how the phone records and plays back that really illustrate design changes and their effect. Critical aural memory is actually quite short, so often by the time you have changed a piece of equipment its already been too long. The phone allows for very fast A/B. It doesnt sound enjoyable, and Id never use to to judge different systems in different locations, but as a tweaking tool, it can be highly effective.

when I was playing with speaker position and orientation I made my assessments by actually listening from the listening seat, but I also made videos and shared them. Those videos became the basis for some pretty interesting discussions.

I heard the difference between two power cords on the power supply for my turntable. My friend didn’t believe me, so I made two videos and he heard the difference right away. Yes, these videos can be a very useful tool.

 

[Elliot G.]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/bending-wave-wadax-and-riviera-labs

 

[Mike Lavigne]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/bending-wave-wadax-and-riviera-labs

congrats Elliot, great write-up.

 

[Elliot G.]

CAF 2023: Standout Rooms - Twittering Machines

Michael Lavorgna's Twittering Machines: HiFi with a twist

twitteringmachines.com

 

[bonzo75]

oh boy, now we are in a world of hurt.

I think I know the people in the "we". I can even rank them by the intensity of the hurt.

 

[Elliot G.]

more more more

 

[Alrainbow]

It’s been what 2 years or close to that I have started to hear the name Wadax.
I’ve been in there rooms two times at axpona
And now two times at capital
I do plan to make a clear statement on this years room sound , but I need to find the right words to begin to make sense of what I heard.
I lost count of how many times in 3 days I was in Elliot’s room.
Each time it gave me more information of the sound.
Elliot was very kind to making suggestions of what to play and was very happy to put the players into perspective.
It was kind for him to allow me to pick tracks and I do understand why many rooms don’t.
Elliot did explain why some rooms constantly play non musical music.
I spoke for a while with the Rivera rep too. really interesting and warm Italian man. while if asked I’m an American, I to have roots to Italy pure Sicilian

At shows we pop in Listen and like or dislike fast

I did a few rooms again for I’ve learned as time goes by my brains own perception changes.

Wadax was very different as it was better each time but in ways I can’t put words to as yet but I will.

Two tracks Elliot commented on it gave him tears in his eyes.
At my place this has happened to me it’s a mix of emotions bursting through.
in his room each time I kept my eye closed with sunglasses and just stayed focused.
Any new sounds to me must be learned and become what’s needed to make sense.
this has happened to me many times over
Make changes and feel it’s better but over time the new varies and can be worse.
what Elliot’s room did was quickly change my perception of pretty much everything else at the show as time went on
two rooms remained good the rest gone really gone.
I’m glad to see anyone make great comments on his room this year.
I too had tears as well as a female friend with me.

 

[Elliot G.]

It’s been what 2 years or close to that I have started to hear the name Wadax.
I’ve been in there rooms two times at axpona
And now two times at capital
I do plan to make a clear statement on this years room sound , but I need to find the right words to begin to make sense of what I heard.
I lost count of how many times in 3 days I was in Elliot’s room.
Each time it gave me more information of the sound.
Elliot was very kind to making suggestions of what to play and was very happy to put the players into perspective.
It was kind for him to allow me to pick tracks and I do understand why many rooms don’t.
Elliot did explain why some rooms constantly play non musical music.
I spoke for a while with the Rivera rep too. really interesting and warm Italian man. while if asked I’m an American, I to have roots to Italy pure Sicilian

At shows we pop in Listen and like or dislike fast

I did a few rooms again for I’ve learned as time goes by my brains own perception changes.

Wadax was very different as it was better each time but in ways I can’t put words to as yet but I will.

Two tracks Elliot commented on it gave him tears in his eyes.
At my place this has happened to me it’s a mix of emotions bursting through.
in his room each time I kept my eye closed with sunglasses and just stayed focused.
Any new sounds to me must be learned and become what’s needed to make sense.
this has happened to me many times over
Make changes and feel it’s better but over time the new varies and can be worse.
what Elliot’s room did was quickly change my perception of pretty much everything else at the show as time went on
two rooms remained good the rest gone really gone.
I’m glad to see anyone make great comments on his room this year.
I too had tears as well as a female friend with me.

thank you Al you are very kind. I am thrilled you enjoyed our work.

 

[gleeds]

Tony 22. You are correct, the VSA VR5-Mk2 speakers were in a considerably smaller room than the Endeavor SE's.

The "small and mighty" Endeavor SE's were in the hotel's grand ballroom location with VAC amplification. The larger VR-55Mk2's were in a suite which was effectively a double standard room dimensionally. What was so nice about that room was we were able to present VSA's 55s in a space similar to a domestic living room so folks got a sense of what these fantastic loudspeakers can do at home. The considerable skills and attention to detail of VSA'a Leif Swanson and Damon Von Scheweikert (two of the most skilled speaker setup men in the high-end) made a real difference under tough show conditions.

Thanks Damon and Leif, as well as Fred and Rob of Lampi NA for partnering with me and WestminsterLab for one of the most enjoyable audio shows I have yet to experience.

 

[garylkoh]

Gary, I appreciate your post. You confirm what others have been saying about finding some utility from cell phone recordings. I have shared such videos to discuss the sound of different tubes in my amps as well as different VTA settings on my tonearm, as well as the sonic effects of different furniture locations. They can be quite a good tool.

Absolutely!

Once you understand the difference between precision and tolerance, and the difference between absolute and relative, then these cell phone recordings have great utility.

 

[Elliot G.]

Tony 22. You are correct, the VSA VR5-Mk2 speakers were in a considerably smaller room than the Endeavor SE's.

The "small and mighty" Endeavor SE's were in the hotel's grand ballroom location with VAC amplification. The larger VR-55Mk2's were in a suite which was effectively a double standard room dimensionally. What was so nice about that room was we were able to present VSA's 55s in a space similar to a domestic living room so folks got a sense of what these fantastic loudspeakers can do at home. The considerable skills and attention to detail of VSA'a Leif Swanson and Damon Von Scheweikert (two of the most skilled speaker setup men in the high-end) made a real difference under tough show conditions.

Thanks Damon and Leif, as well as Fred and Rob of Lampi NA for partnering with me and WestminsterLab for one of the most enjoyable audio shows I have yet to experience.

View attachment 119987

congrats Gary ! I thought your room was really well done and the sound was excellent as well. I listen to some Hilary Hahn Mercy on the set up and enjoyed it.Bravo

 

[gleeds]

It’s been what 2 years or close to that I have started to hear the name Wadax.
I’ve been in there rooms two times at axpona
And now two times at capital
I do plan to make a clear statement on this years room sound , but I need to find the right words to begin to make sense of what I heard.
I lost count of how many times in 3 days I was in Elliot’s room.
Each time it gave me more information of the sound.
Elliot was very kind to making suggestions of what to play and was very happy to put the players into perspective.
It was kind for him to allow me to pick tracks and I do understand why many rooms don’t.
Elliot did explain why some rooms constantly play non musical music.
I spoke for a while with the Rivera rep too. really interesting and warm Italian man. while if asked I’m an American, I to have roots to Italy pure Sicilian

At shows we pop in Listen and like or dislike fast

I did a few rooms again for I’ve learned as time goes by my brains own perception changes.

Wadax was very different as it was better each time but in ways I can’t put words to as yet but I will.

Two tracks Elliot commented on it gave him tears in his eyes.
At my place this has happened to me it’s a mix of emotions bursting through.
in his room each time I kept my eye closed with sunglasses and just stayed focused.
Any new sounds to me must be learned and become what’s needed to make sense.
this has happened to me many times over
Make changes and feel it’s better but over time the new varies and can be worse.
what Elliot’s room did was quickly change my perception of pretty much everything else at the show as time went on
two rooms remained good the rest gone really gone.
I’m glad to see anyone make great comments on his room this year.
I too had tears as well as a female friend with me.

It’s been what 2 years or close to that I have started to hear the name Wadax.
I’ve been in there rooms two times at axpona
And now two times at capital
I do plan to make a clear statement on this years room sound , but I need to find the right words to begin to make sense of what I heard.
I lost count of how many times in 3 days I was in Elliot’s room.
Each time it gave me more information of the sound.
Elliot was very kind to making suggestions of what to play and was very happy to put the players into perspective.
It was kind for him to allow me to pick tracks and I do understand why many rooms don’t.
Elliot did explain why some rooms constantly play non musical music.
I spoke for a while with the Rivera rep too. really interesting and warm Italian man. while if asked I’m an American, I to have roots to Italy pure Sicilian

At shows we pop in Listen and like or dislike fast

I did a few rooms again for I’ve learned as time goes by my brains own perception changes.

Wadax was very different as it was better each time but in ways I can’t put words to as yet but I will.

Two tracks Elliot commented on it gave him tears in his eyes.
At my place this has happened to me it’s a mix of emotions bursting through.
in his room each time I kept my eye closed with sunglasses and just stayed focused.
Any new sounds to me must be learned and become what’s needed to make sense.
this has happened to me many times over
Make changes and feel it’s better but over time the new varies and can be worse.
what Elliot’s room did was quickly change my perception of pretty much everything else at the show as time went on
two rooms remained good the rest gone really gone.
I’m glad to see anyone make great comments on his room this year.
I too had tears as well as a female friend with me.

Alrainbow, I completely agree with your comments on the Goebel room. The presentation had fantastic detail and dynamics and simply the best emotional connectivity I have experienced in some time. Brandon Lauer of Wadax was kind enough to play me a choral works piece and after closing my eyes and opening them there were indeed a few tears shed. The room was an oasis from the many big rig exhibits that in comparison were merely hi-fi.

Congratulations to Elliot for assembling a great team and really making the speakers sing. Sure, the usual suspects get all the attention but for those who can find their way to these impeccably built German loudspeakers they are truly an end-game purchase.

 

[Elliot G.]

Alrainbow, I completely agree with your comments on the Goebel room. The presentation had fantastic detail and dynamics and simply the best emotional connectivity I have experienced in some time. Brandon Lauer of Wadax was kind enough to play me a choral works piece and after closing my eyes and opening them there were indeed a few tears shed. The room was an oasis from the many big rig exhibits that in comparison were merely hi-fi.

Congratulations to Elliot for assembling a great team and really making the speakers sing. Sure, the usual suspects get all the attention but for those who can find their way to these impeccably built German loudspeakers they are truly an end-game purchase.

Thanks Gary, it was fun seeing you.

 

[Rexp]

It’s been what 2 years or close to that I have started to hear the name Wadax.
I’ve been in there rooms two times at axpona
And now two times at capital
I do plan to make a clear statement on this years room sound , but I need to find the right words to begin to make sense of what I heard.
I lost count of how many times in 3 days I was in Elliot’s room.
Each time it gave me more information of the sound.
Elliot was very kind to making suggestions of what to play and was very happy to put the players into perspective.
It was kind for him to allow me to pick tracks and I do understand why many rooms don’t.
Elliot did explain why some rooms constantly play non musical music.
I spoke for a while with the Rivera rep too. really interesting and warm Italian man. while if asked I’m an American, I to have roots to Italy pure Sicilian

At shows we pop in Listen and like or dislike fast

I did a few rooms again for I’ve learned as time goes by my brains own perception changes.

Wadax was very different as it was better each time but in ways I can’t put words to as yet but I will.

Two tracks Elliot commented on it gave him tears in his eyes.
At my place this has happened to me it’s a mix of emotions bursting through.
in his room each time I kept my eye closed with sunglasses and just stayed focused.
Any new sounds to me must be learned and become what’s needed to make sense.
this has happened to me many times over
Make changes and feel it’s better but over time the new varies and can be worse.
what Elliot’s room did was quickly change my perception of pretty much everything else at the show as time went on
two rooms remained good the rest gone really gone.
I’m glad to see anyone make great comments on his room this year.
I too had tears as well as a female friend with me.

Great feedback, it really is all about stirring the emotions. So your top three (digital) rooms were?

 

[Alrainbow]

Ok
After Elliot’s and it’s a cliff hahaha but
Matter horn audio group playing the large towers
I admit I like large scale systems and these were very good
Vinny Rossi Alma audio.
many rooms hit me wrong and I can’t say why but it did get worse as the days went on
I go to analog rooms to clean my head not kidding
nick Doshi was great and VPI with acora to me was tops in analog
I’m am not a pro nor review but since I don’t sell anything I can say just how I feel.
in reading the thoughts and friends there we do have a mixed bag of likes.

 

[beaur]

Unfortunately I was only there for Friday and a brief time Saturday morning. After having not been to CAF since the date switch I spent most of my time catching up with friends in their rooms and not really listening too closely. Missed many of the rooms but I will say that the quality of the rooms I visited was very good overall. No real clunkers from my sample. I decided to only comment on a couple of rooms that "surprised" me as I am generally a Horn/SET guy.

1. Bending Wave (Gobel/Riviera/Wadax) - I have heard Gobel before and my general impression has been, "nice for a box speaker" the room at CAF was fantastic. I almost walked out when I saw the Wadax in the room as I have been disappointed in them in the past, glad I didn't. I was lucky enough to be in the room when they played Tool's Fear Inoculum. That track was an awesome display of what a modern audio system can do.

2. Merrill Audio (Heed/Genesis/Wand) - Maybe it was meeting Gary in person for the fist time and having a nice conversation about aquariums or maybe it's because I like Heed but I thought that this simple little system was one I could live with if I was forced to buy a box type speaker. I sat there much longer than intended just listening to great music.

3. Border Patrol/Triode Wire/Living Voice - Heard this system many times over the years. Those new Living Voice speakers brought it to another level.

I briefly saw the back of Ron's head as he was boarding an elevator but he was moving too fast to catch. Sorry I missed connecting with others as I was too busy copying down Jeff Catalano's playlist for yet another LP buying binge to come!

Beau

 

[Al M.]

I decided to only comment on a couple of rooms that "surprised" me as I am generally a Horn/SET guy.

[...]

3. Border Patrol/Triode Wire/Living Voice - Heard this system many times over the years. Those new Living Voice speakers brought it to another level.

BorderPatrol/Triode Wire often show with Volti horn speakers. There is a family affinity, highly sensitive speakers, be it box speakers (Living Voice) or horns (Volti).

 

[Elliot G.]

First than you for the kind words.
I do think you bring up a valid observation about going to an audio show,
If you try to see everything you may find you really see very little.
You liked the Tool cut. I played in once during the whole event. I played it for Tom Martin and his guys as we were discussing drummers and Danny Carey is one of my favorites and hes a young guy, Had you comne in while we were playing something else woiuld you have had the same reaction?
Food for thought!
Thanks again

 

[beaur]

First than you for the kind words.
I do think you bring up a valid observation about going to an audio show,
If you try to see everything you may find you really see very little.
You liked the Tool cut. I played in once during the whole event. I played it for Tom Martin and his guys as we were discussing drummers and Danny Carey is one of my favorites and hes a young guy, Had you comne in while we were playing something else woiuld you have had the same reaction?
Food for thought!
Thanks again

Elliot,

I was in the room for much more than the Tool cut. The rest of the time the sound was similarly excellent. I mentioned the Tool cut as impressed me almost as much as it did when I heard the LP on the WE system at Munich. Given my admitted bias towards horns is saying a lot.

Beau