Show attendees can be gruff, show exhibitors grouchy. Add a pandemic and things can get touchy. But if there’s one man you want to see at an audio show, it’s the ever-chilled Jeff Joseph, who gets my nomination for the calmest, best natured manufacturer in high-end audio.

I couldn’t decide what was more impressive, the larger-than-life personality of Bending Wave USA distributor Eliot Goldman or the massive products shown in his WADAX/Goebel room. Either way, I was grateful for the room’s bright light, which gave everything a fresh-scrubbed sheen and made it much easier than most rooms to photograph.

I've used the LKV Research PWR+ Amplifier as part of my reference rig for some time, so it was great to meet LKV’s Bill Hutchins in the flesh at CAF. Connecting with the designer behind a component is always a treat and helps humanize the process of technology-mediated listening.

When I walked into the large Twinbrook room, which was hosted by dealer United Home Audio and distributor Hi End by Oz, its Bulgarian-made Thrax Audio system, complete with reel-to-reel tape deck, was playing Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Once I calmed down and got a grip, I found Oz Curran’s Hi End by Oz room to be quite a delight.

To quote his bio created for CAF, “Master furniture maker John Semrad hand-builds each horn loudspeaker with a solid basswood core, poplar cross-ply, and American walnut face veneer. The process takes more 240 hours, and each completed horn weighs 240 pounds. With a Jean Michel Le Cleac'h profile for the horn flare and [full-range] resolution from Oleg Rullit’s Super Aero 8" field coil drivers, these units are offered at $36,000 per pair, including field coil supply.” Those drivers are said to be made of Korean Hanji paper.

I walked into the large Jefferson room, where VPI President Mat Weisfeld was doing something to a turntable while speaking, microphone in hand. He placed Ed Graham’s Hot Stix on the VPI 40th Anniversary HW-40 turntable ($20,000). Insane dynamics ensued, as did a stadium sized soundstage.

Campbell, California’s Jeff Wells released his Wells Audio Cipher Level II Tube DAC early last year, but the product debut was sidelined by the pandemic. Jeff chose the Capital Audiofest to premiere the Cipher ($13,000) alongside his Wells Audio Innamorata Level II stereo amplifiers ($15,000 each; two were in the system), Wells Audio Commander Level III Preamplifier ($18,000), Wells Audio Looking Glass II power conditioner ($2500), and Wells Audio Headtrip Headphone Amplifier ($7500).

My first night here at the Hilton, loud music pumped from the room next to mine. At 11:45pm and it was still blasting, interrupting my much-needed beauty sleep. Several calls later, the volume from the adjacent Daedalus Audio room went down, and I was down for the count.

I walked into the unassuming Fern & Roby Audio/Modwright Instruments room and spied, sitting in a chair with camera in hand, Twittering Machines’ editor/CEO, Michael Lavorgna. Michael and I go back to the days of Quartz glass, Coke in bottles, and 6Moons.com, from whence we both came. Michael smiled and directed me toward the Fern & Roby beer coasters, beige cork jobs each with an illustrated tube (and noted tube type).

Nothing soothes the frayed nerves of this CAF reporter like an Audio Note UK system, which consistently provide some of the most human, sweet, natural sounding hi-fi equipment at shows year in and year out.