Capital AudioFest 2024

NLH’s Aaron Sherrick was busy, yet oddly calm, as he sat and directed the action in the Executive Lounge. NLH’s Matt Early (an old friend of mine from Tower Records on 66th St. NYC) controlled the iPad, while Qobuz’s David Solomon offered support, emotional and otherwise!

In the Executive Lounge, a new Pure Fidelity Symphony turntable ($21,995) with a DS Audio W3 cartridge ($5000) juiced the new EMM Labs DS-EQ1 V2 optical equalizer ($12,500), with digits relayed via a new Bel Canto Design Black DAC ($40,000), balanced by an Innuos ZEN NG server ($12,000).

The Pure Fidelity Symphony turntable accommodated a 12” Savant titanium tonearm made by Audio Origami.

The all-new Vandersteen L5-ACC preamp ($15,000) and Vandersteen M5-HPA monoblock amps ($21,000/pair) drove Vandersteen Kento Carbon speakers ($47,000/pair).

An AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner ($11,000), AudioQuest Niagara 5000 power conditioner ($5900) completed a bevy of AudioQuest cables including Pegasus XLR interconnects ($1995/1m/each), Diamond USB ($699/0.75m), Diamond Ethernet ($1295/.075m), a Tornado Constant Current power cord ($1095/1m) and a Tornado High Current power cord ($1545/1m).

More debuts were in store at room 319
A new EMM Labs DA2i DAC ($35,000) joined an Innuos Pulsar streamer ($7999); analog duties were performed by a beautiful Rega Naia turntable ($12,995), with a new Audio-Technica ART1000X cartridge ($5499). A new Ayre PX-8 phono preamp ($6500) fed an Ayre KX-R preamp ($40,000), moving signal to Ayre MX-R monoblocks ($24,000/ea), driving Acora QRC-2 speakers ($37,000/pair).

In this room, an AudioQuest Niagara 5000 power conditioner ($5900) was accompanied by Finley Audio Cirrus Speaker cables ($3685/2.5m), Finely XLR ICs ($1485/1m), Finley USB cable ($1185/1m), and Finley power cord ($1185/1m).

A word about the new Audio-Technica ART1000X cartridge ($5499)
“This is the first update to the ART1000 cartridge in the eight years since its release. It still features the coils sitting directly above the stylus tip rather than at the other end of the cantilever. Locating the coils so close to the stylus allows it to deliver fidelity with greater musical detail without losses from the cantilever. The new model has higher output due to a reduction in the gap of the magnetic circuit.”—Audio-Technica