My fondness for Greg Roberts's Volti Audio loudspeakers has been documented in reviews of the company's Rival and Lucera speakers.

If you find yourself in Monaco on a Sunday night, make your way to La Note Bleue, a rant and music bar on the beach by the Avenue Princesse Grace. There, you're likely to find a legendary world/fusion guitarist sitting in with a group of young jazz musicians eager to cut heads with the acknowledged maestro of inner awareness and otherworldly spirits.

SVS Sound's Larry McGough and Orchard Audio's Joyanto (Joe) Goswami and Leonid (Leo) Ayzenshtat were at Capital Audiofest (CAF) to show several SVS-supported systems.

Victor Kung brought his overachieving Elekit and Sun Valley amplifiers to CAF. Herb Reichert was there to welcome him.

"Songer Audio is pleased to return to the 2025 Capital Audiofest this weekend, where we will present two exciting premieres," the press release stated. "The show marks the East Coast debut of our A3 single-ended 300B amplifier, a design that unites the timeless beauty of early high-fidelity engineering with modern technical refinement. The A3, in concert with our S1x field-coil loudspeakers, delivers an effortless and deeply engaging musical presentation—a culmination of our pursuit of uncompromising performance."

One of the largest personalities in audio, Robin Wyatt is also a purveyor of exceptional sound systems. And his showing at CAF was no exception.

Greg Takesh's GT Audio Works Giulietta Bellissima planar ribbon speakers and OB subs, in their US debuts, are handmade in upstate New York, where he even makes his own drivers.

"Here, we believe in challenging the status quo," states the landing page on the La Dolce Audio website. "We believe in thinking differently to create new ways of accomplishing the musical experience. We believe everyone should enjoy the best musical experience in their own home."

San Marcos, California's Audience debuted its new Audience ClairAudient Bellare Loudspeakers at T.H.E. New York International Audio Show in New Jersey last month. Here they were again in Rockville, with essentially the same system.

Angie Lisi of American Sound Distribution always brings components that make my pulse race. Tube amps. Horn speakers. Turntables. What more could a music playback nerd ask for?