Capital AudioFest 2024

Fidelis Distribution’s Walter Swanbon plays the long game. Like other legacy manufacturers—think Audio Note, Tannoy, Audio Research—Swanbon’s equipment offerings are classics: some in waiting, some long established as leaders.

One of those soon-to-be-classics is Pure Fidelity’s Harmony Turntable mated with a new Savant Tonearm ($13,995).

Swanbon brought another soon-to-be-classic brand, Lab 12, including the Lab 12 Melto 2 Tube Phono Preamplifier ($4600), Lab 12 DAC 1 non-oversampling DAC ($3300), Lab 12 Pre1 remote controlled Class A Tube Preamplifier ($2400), Lab 12 Suono class A Single-Ended 25Wpc power amplifier ($3500), and a Lab 12 Gordian Power Conditioner ($2500).

A classic brand by anyone’s measure, Falcon offers the M30 'Classic BBC Sound Loudspeakers' ($6000/pair) and the Falcon Gold Badge LS3/5A Bookshelf Loudspeaker ($3950/pair), both based on the original BBC monitor speaker. Cables for the system are by Argent Pur.

Streaming Led Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song” over the smaller Falcons, the performance was clear, musical, magical, their big sound and atmospheric stage was frankly stunning for their diminutive size.

Adrian Belew’s “Trouble,” over the larger Falcons wasn’t quite as magical, but room filling, forceful, and music-life affirming.