Capitol Audio Fest


Did anyone else attend Cap Audiofest this year? I've seen no threads about it, I was only able to attend Friday afternoon but heard some good systems. Favorites for me,  Shindo/Auditorium 23, Zu Audio, Tidal, Classic Audio/Atmasphere, and Deja Vu Audio. I thought the Zu system with Omens and First Watt Sit monos was the best value priced system. Best system overall the stunning Deja Vu vintage system with their field coil speakers just astonishing sound.  I wish I had gotten more time to spend looked like there were lots more rooms this year.
128x128jond
I also thought the Border Patrol/Volti room was good and love it last year. I didn't like the setup as much this year and didn't get a great seat but excellent tonality and aliveness.Couldn't really get much soundstaging off to the side.
Hi gsm18439 and jond,
Both of you seem to have very similar taste to mine based on reading your posts over the years. How would you guys describe the sound of the Shindo? Which preamp and power amplifier were they using? I’ve always heard good things about the Auditorium speakers. This seems like a system that I’d enjoy listening to. I believe that both of you would have liked the Tekton Double Impacts, they are very good speakers. Heard them with my Coincident 300b SET amplifier,  exceptionally good match. 
Thanks,
Charles
hey charles the Shindo room was the first one I hit, the system was the Aureges Preamp and Montille amp, the source was a turntable names escaping me. I loved the Auditorium23 speakers Hommage something, first of all they are super cool looking a bit reminiscent of Advents or Tannoys. Really warm rich sound midrange was fantastic highs were warm and extended at the same time. Bass was solid for a single 8 inch full range driver overall very impressive.
Jond, 
Thank you. These components are Shindo's lower priced offerings and it is impressive that they were capable of sounding so well for you. Seems like a very high value proposition. 
Charles 
Jond, the turntable in the Shindo/Auditorium 23 room was a PTP modified Lenco.  Like you I was impressed with the Auditorium 23 speaker which uses a Line Magnetic replica of the Western Electric 755 running full range.  The midrange was very natural and musical.  My wife said this was her favorite speaker out of the whole show.  I wouldn't go that far since it was too rolled off in the extremes for my tastes but it was still a very musical sound overall.  It was also nice to see Dave Cope again even though it was strange for him to be in a room without any Audio Note gear.

i posted some comments on this year's CAF on AA, but my favorite rooms (in order of preference) were:

1.  Dave Slagle's EMIA room with stacked Quad 57's driven by biamped PP 300B amps built into the speaker base.  Amazingly lifelike fullrange sound.  These were not your father's Quads.

2.  The DejaVu vintage room with 3-way field coil speakers using GIP replica versions of Western Electric drivers.  A great example of Vu's open baffle designs using vintage drivers and horns, although the room was way too small to do the speakers justice.

3.  The Robyatt room with single Quad 57's.

i didn't spend a whole lot of time in rooms with more conventional systems.  For those who like thumpy bass and sizzling highs there were those rooms too.  I took my wife to a number of those just so she could hear what "other" systems sound like, but she too had no interest in staying very long in those rooms.