Capital AudioFest 2023

If you're a fan of my Stereophile scribble, you know I don't consider myself a fan of stuff like DSP processing, digital amplification, spatial reconstruction, or active room correction—all of which play an important role with Bill Dudleston’s Legacy Audio loudspeakers.

So you could have knocked me over with a flea-watt tube amplifier when I heard Dudleston's Legacy Aeris ($23,400/pair), Legacy Focus XD ($15,200), and Legacy Signature XD ($11,200) loudspeakers. I was floored. This was one of the best-sounding rooms I've heard so far at CAF 2023.

Whether playing Shelby Lynne (her cover of "Just A Little Lovin'"), the Oscar Peterson trio, or Herbie Hancock’s take on "Besame Mucho," these speakers—and I mean all of them—were stunningly natural sounding, thoroughly engaging on all levels, rich but detailed, with the kind of kick and sense of fun that is rare. Music had jump, grace, scale, startling depth, flow, and the kind of ease that draws not just your ears but also your heart into the music.

Also in the system (as shared with me by email by Legacy Audio's James Thompson): Legacy Wavelet II Preamp/Processor ($7950) and Lattice speaker cables ($600), Lumin U2 Mini Streamer/Transport ($2400), with power and interconnect cables by Douglas Connection.