Capital AudioFest 2019

“Herb, did you see all that vinyl?”

I had woken up not long before, fallen out of bed, and descended the hotel stairs to the Atrium—to the sight of what appeared to be many tens of thousands of vinyl records. I had dragged myself away and met Herb Reichert for breakfast, where we made plans for Stereophile’s coverage of Capital AudioFest 2019. But the vinyl kept drawing me back.

Herb's response: “Ken, there’s over 80 rooms!”

Held for the 4th year at the Hilton Hotel in Rockville, Maryland by organizer and founder Gary Gill, this year’s CAF has increased its vendor count from 65 to 83, “plus a huge increase in Atrium marketplace vendors,” stated Christina Yuin, CAF's director of sales and one of the friendliest faces in high-end audio.

“Gary is a member of the local HiFi clubs and knows a lot of the vinyl vendors from the DC and Baltimore areas,” Yuin said. “And many were here last year, did really well, so were excited to come back this year. We’ve been working hard every year to grow the show and learn more on how to make things better for our exhibitors.

“One of the things that differentiates Gary from other organizers, is, Gary is a music lover and audiophile with as much a passion for the hobby as for trying to create a fun event for everyone and to share the hobby with as many people as possible,” Yuin continued.

Thursday night was stormy and rain-filled, with thunder and lightning seemingly determined to crash our party. But today it’s sunny, cold, and bright. I could feel the buzz in four floors of exhibitor’s rooms, in hallways shared with avid audiophiles—and most definitely on the vinyl floor.