Capital AudioFest 2024

Gary Dewes and Pete Grzybowski, the minds behind Border Patrol Audio and Triode Wire Labs, respectively, conjured a sonic space that wasn't merely heard, but felt. A room where sound didn't just exist, but seized the listener, demanding attention.

Said setup included an Innuos Statement Music Server with Next-Gen Power Supply (4TB SSD–$26,200), Gary’s BorderPatrol S20EXD power amplifier (from $22,500) and BorderPatrol DAC SE-i (USB, from $1650). These drove the Living Voice R80 IBX Oak loudspeakers ($42,750–$54,250/pair, depending on finish), a two-way, ported, MTM loudspeaker with 92dB/W sensitivity at 6 ohms and a prodigious bandwidth of 25Hz–20kHz. Soft-toned, super refined, the LVs glowed. Various Triode Wire Labs cables connected it all.

Streaming files ripped from CD, the system brought to life a luminescent Buddy Holly, his voice singing True Love Ways. Gene Ammons’s tenor sax, resonant and rich, wove My Romance. And then, a crisp, early morning wake-up call: Junior Wells, his voice grabbing me by the collar. Shelly Manne and John Marshall’s Poinciana was visceral, natural-sounding. Percussion, drums, and tabla darted across the room like playful puppies. This was a sweet-sounding, naturally toned, fully robust system.