Capital Audiofest 2025 Show Report
By Dennis Young

Capital Audiofest 2025 was the biggest yet, with 122 rooms and 60 booths, spilling over into two rooms at a hotel across the street.

DreamScapes AV Partners with Keith Yates Design for Ultimate Home Theater

The first room I’d like to mention is the DreamScapes AV & Keith Yates Design exhibit.

I missed out on getting central seating and was a bit miffed that I had to sit way off to the right side. That was soon forgotten five seconds into the demo. I knew this was the best-sounding theater system I had ever experienced, and the video was up to par, too. I noticed the madVR tone-mapping difference.

The Greatest Showman “Never Enough” clip was very loud, to the point that it might have bothered me on lesser systems. This was loud without being the least bit oppressive, a tribute to how low distortion was, with massive impact.

With Top Gun: Maverick “The Mission” scene, the thing that stood out the most for me was the clarity of the dialogue between actors, even with the pow, boom, whiz, bang going on. Once again, the system’s low distortion, aided by the room’s acoustic design, made everything stand apart from everything else, making it amazingly easy to hear the banter between actors.

System
Speakers, subwoofers, and amplification: Alcons Audio (32,000W 11.8.4 system): $185,000
High-res movie and Atmos music content: Kaleidescape Strato V 4K movie player and Compact Terra Prime movie server 12TB: $11,490
Preamp/processor: StormAudio ISP Elite 32 Digital AES Mk.3: $25,999
Video processor: madVR Envy Extreme Mk.3: $15,995
Projector: Christie 4K860: $12,400
Acoustic treatments: DreamScapes ATP Line (various absorptive panels, quadratic-residue and random-math diffusive panels, and midbass absorption treatments): $8,000
Acoustic treatments: Overtone Acoustics (1″ FB absorptive panels): $2,200
Power distribution: DreamScapes BOSS (Built-on-Site): $2,000

Dynaudio Confidence 20A and dCS Bartók: A Strong Showing from JS Audio

My first impression of this system was the bass. Ghost Rider’s “Make Us Stronger” drew me in from an adjoining room, the 20As pounding out the song. I thought I detected just a bit of overload from the speakers, so I walked up to one and put my ear a little closer. Sure enough, the volume was just a little more than needed (this is a party room, after all) but I was impressed by how little the Confidence 20As complained about it. No one else noticed, and it certainly was not the system’s fault. I mention it only because I admire how gracefully the system handled being pushed. I think it’s an important attribute for a system to be taxed and not fall to pieces.

I spent three nights up there and heard many different tracks, enjoying the lifelike presentation the entire system delivered. As for the Dynaudio Confidence 20A pair, even on the first day I came away with the impression that if this speaker hoarder (me) had the money and the space, these would be mine. This is my second encounter with Dynaudio’s active consumer loudspeakers, and I continue to be dazzled by their performance.

I’d like to thank the DC Area Audiophiles & High-End Home Theater Enthusiasts group, JS Audio, and Dynaudio for hosting, providing a place of respite to decompress from the hustle of the show during the day, and creating a vibrant party scene at night.

System
Dynaudio Confidence 20A: $24,000/pair
dCS Bartók DAC
dCS Lina Clock
Shunyata Research Eiger power conditioner
HRS M3 isolation platform
Nordost Valhalla 2 analog and digital cables
Nordost Valhalla 2, Frey 2, and Heimdall 2 power cords

Orchard Audio and SVS: A 5.2.4 Atmos Experience

The SVS crew was at it again, this time with a pair of their new SB-5000 R|Evolution subwoofers in tow.

Last year, SVS had a two-channel–only display and asked me what I thought they should bring to the next show. I do not know that I had anything to do with it, but there I was, experiencing the 5.2.4-channel system created for this show. All tracks were in Dolby Atmos.

Peter Gabriel’s “Live and Let Live” had me surprised at how anchored the sound was to the front stage despite the rear and Atmos speakers playing. The surrounds and overhead immersion speakers only added to the left, center, and right soundstage, helping to mold the room as needed.

Rush’s Moving Pictures track “Tom Sawyer” had that stadium sound and feel, this coming from an avid Rush fan who has seen them live more than once. Alex Lifeson’s guitar soared while being underpinned by subterranean bass, with the keyboard providing backup.

Elton John’s “Rocket Man” was one of the best audio presentations I’ve had the pleasure to experience, helped by the fact that this recording was sourced from the original masters before the Atmos remix.

A really good showing at a reasonable $28,600 excluding cables.

System
AV processor: Marantz AV7706
Power amplifiers: Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Ultra Premium (3): $2,600/ea.
Power amplifiers: Orchard Audio Starkrimson 25 Mono Premium (6): $1,250/ea.
Loudspeakers: SVS Ultra Evolution Tower (2): $1,500/ea.
Loudspeaker: SVS Ultra Evolution Center: $800
Loudspeakers: SVS Ultra Evolution Nano (2): $450/ea.
Loudspeakers: SVS Ultra Evolution Elevation (4): $450/ea.
Subwoofers: SVS SB-5000 R|Evolution (2): $1,800/ea.
Cables: Ricable XLR interconnects, speaker cables, power cords

Linear Tube Audio & Popori Acoustics

Listening to “Hey Now” by London Grammar made this planar and electrostatic owner feel right at home. Reid’s voice alternated between haunting and piercing, the bass weighty and full. No subs needed here (almost). I still think all systems benefit from proper subwoofer augmentation, but I digress; only that last little bit of slam at the very bottom was missing for me.

The Popori two-way WR1 and Ultra mid–high panel, backed by locally sourced Linear Tube Audio electronics (I did not catch the source component), gave me the familiar sensation of dipole depth, with images precisely located on a stage about three feet behind the loudspeakers. Two amplifiers running in a vertical bi-amp configuration powered the four panels.

System
LTA Aero DAC: from $3,950
LTA Micro ZOTL Preamplifier Level 3: from $5,950
ZOTL40 Reference+ amplifier: from $6,800

Chesky Audio and Schiit Audio: A High-Value System

The Chesky Audio LC2 represents a design that we are starting to see more of: a small monitor with decent-sized low-frequency drivers (passive radiators, in this case) located on the sides. The front baffle is 5/8″-thick aircraft-grade aluminum, and the rest of the enclosure is a 3D-printed monocoque, double-walled, composite-filled cabinet.

Hedegaard’s “Ratchets” has pounding digital drum bass and was missing only that last little bit of the first 20–40Hz octave. While a subwoofer would help with that, most people would find that it certainly isn’t necessary.

We were told that Café Da Silva’s “Espíritos da Floresta Amazônica” would make the walls and ceiling of the room disappear. This track was enveloping in a way unlike anything I’ve heard from two-channel before. Almost certainly a property of the recording, but the LC2 made it happen. The room’s boundaries fell away.

Ana Caram’s “Meditation” showcased the LC2’s ability to reproduce female vocals, and this song put me at ease.

Charles Lloyd’s “Beyond Darkness” has a busy soundstage with a lot going on, various images popping up left, center, and right. This effect sounded natural and provided yet another great example of the Chesky LC2’s ability to portray the realism many listeners are looking for.

System
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Singular DAC: $3,499
Schiit Audio Kara preamplifier: $799
Schiit Audio Wotan power amplifier: $1,999

Sound Insight’s Altec Lansing Ribbonacci Reference, Infigo, and Valerion VisionMaster Max Shake the Show

This room was always packed, so I showed up right at the end of the show on Sunday and was finally able to get a good listen to one of the most intriguing exhibits, for me, at the show.

The main reason for my interest is that this type of loudspeaker is so far removed from what this long-standing company typically produces. I talked to a couple of engineers and the marketing director and was told that AI helped greatly with the design, starting first by asking what the best possible way to move air is. The answer given sparked the beginning of the line-array ribbon dipole.

Unlike any dipole I’ve ever seen, the Ribbonacci is also a bipole, meaning it has three ribbon transducers on the front and three identical drivers on the back, separated by magnets—the back wired in reverse polarity to give the desired figure-8 output, front and back. A bipole/dipole! Also suggested by AI was a housing around the neo magnets to mitigate stray magnetic fields, focusing energy only forward and back. Sub-bass was handled by two Ripole Subwoofers for a completely full-range exhibition.

I feel the room was a bit too small for this exhibit. Front-row seating was only about five feet from the plane of the speakers, with the second row about three feet farther back, up against the wall. I sat in both rows, and the images seemed stretched left to right just a tad. I’m going to blame the limitations of the room for that effect and not the system. The soundstage was as wide as one can imagine. Cécile McLorin Salvant’s “John Henry” (Live on KCRW) features one of my favorite instruments (the upright bass) which was rendered as perfectly as the reproduction side of music listening gets. The sound was relaxed and natural, sounding like neither horn nor dipole; it was just there.

Tickled by how pleased I was with the upright bass, the Altec crew decided to demo Bass Mekanik’s “The Bomb” for me. This allowed the Ripole Subwoofers to stretch their legs and run with it—and they did, with seemingly unlimited dynamics. The Ribbonacci and Infigo electronics kept up with the demand, providing support for the subs as we expect mains to do with Bass Mekanik, instead of the other way around.

System
(Listed from source to ear)
Files on SSD or streamed from Qobuz
Streamer 1: Infigo Audio IS-1 Octacore Cryogen: $7,000
Streamer 2: Altec Lansing Simbolo: $7,000
USB cable 1: Infigo Audio Cryogen USB 1M: $1,500
DAC: Infigo Audio Method 4: $35,000
XLR cable 1: Altec Lansing Reference Series Cryogen XLR 1M: $4,000
XLR cable 2: Altec Lansing Reference Series Cryogen XLR 6M: $9,000
Preamplifier: Infigo Audio Method 7: $20,000
Amplifier: 2 Infigo Audio Method 3 monoblock amps: $55,000/pair
Speaker cable: Altec Lansing Reference Series Cryogen: $5,000/set
Speakers: Altec Lansing Ribbonacci Reference: $89,000/pair
Subwoofers: 2 per side, Altec Lansing Ripole Subwoofers with 1,000W amp: TBD
Projector: Valerion VisionMaster Max: $4,999
Equipment feet: Sapphire Blue Slippers feet: $400/set

Evolution AV Demos Anthem and Paradigm 7.2.4 System

One of the rare, but becoming increasingly more common, immersive audio/multi-speaker audio/video systems at the show was brought to us by Paradigm and Anthem, two very familiar brands to the Sound & Vision crowd. This one was a basic 7.2.4-channel configuration, perfect for the average-size listening room.

Starting off soft, A Star Is Born‘s “Always Remember Us This Way” highlighted Gaga’s upper registers as well as her lower-range rasp, with the emotional impact of that clip fully intact.

I was initially sitting in the front row, about six feet from the center speaker, which itself was placed quite low, about one foot below the screen. This positioning allowed the center’s location to be easily called out instead of seeming to come from the screen. I moved back a couple of rows and everything snapped into place as it should be, a reminder that one doesn’t always want to grab what seems to be the “sweet spot” seat up front at these demonstrations.

System
Kaleidescape server (model unknown)
83″ LG G5
A/V processor: Anthem AVM 90
Amplifiers: Anthem MCA 525, MCA 325, and MCA 225
Mains: Paradigm Founder 120H with hybrid powered bass and optional ARC room correction
Center: Paradigm Founder 90C
Rear: Paradigm Founder 100F
Side: Paradigm Founder 80F
Atmos: Paradigm Millenia LP
Subwoofers: Paradigm XR 13 (x2) and XR 11
Prices: not provided