Capital AudioFest 2021

In the room of British Columbia’s Infigo Audio at the Capital Audiofest, CEO/founder Hans Looman was playing Michael Oldfield’s Tubular Bells II. Not quite new age, not “folk-tronica,” the music’s flowing, acoustic melodies and circular rhythms suited Looman, whose ponytail and pleasant banter recalled a taller, younger Obi-Wan Kenobi espousing wisdom and good vibrations. I quickly fell under the spell of Looman, Oldfield, and these attractive Infigo devices.

Infigo’s Method 4 DAC/preamp ($35,000) uses an ES9038PRO Sabre DAC chip and ARM-based controllers. The unit's “32-bit audio path with digital volume control ensures preservation of the smallest of details at all levels of playback”—that from the company's website. The DAC’s beautiful, thick-walled aluminum case and see-through top plate were stunning in the room’s atmospheric lighting. As a data source, an Apple remote controlled a Resonessence Labs Fluvius streamer.

For power, the system utilized Infigo’s Method 3 class-A monoblock amplifiers ($50,000/pair), which are capable of delivering 250Wpc into a 4 ohm load—including the Alta Audio Alec loudspeakers ($10,000/pair) used here. Alta specifies a frequency range of 10Hz–100kHz for the Alecs. Cabling from Infigo’s Sparkle series rounded out this tranquil-sounding hi-fi rig.