Ken Micallef

Capital AudioFest 2024

MC Audiotech, Linear Tube Audio, Wolf Servers, ArgentPUR Cables

Ken Micallef Dec 04, 2024

MC Audiotech's Mark Conti, ever the gentleman, even when confronted by a rabid reporter, unveiled a system of such sweet tone and dynamic might that it soothed my inner beast. At

Capital AudioFest 2024

VK Music: Elekit, Sun Valley

Ken Micallef Dec 04, 2024

Gramophone Dreams’ columnist Herb Reichert has written glowing amplifier reviews of Elekit of Fukuoka, Japan, and Sun Valley, of Nagoya, Japan, both distributed by Victor Kung’s VK Music.

At CAF2024 Victor showcased many amplifiers at his CAF booth, most boasting fat tubes and open circuit boards, the kind of which activates my reviewer’s twitch.

Capital AudioFest 2024

Gestalt Audio: TW Acustic, PrimaryControl, Fuuga, Cinnamon, SW1X Amp, S.A.Lab, Samson, Trafomatic, Wolf von Langa, Sternklang, Hijiri, Silent Running Audio, Tchernov

Ken Micallef Dec 01, 2024

Gestalt Audio held two rooms at CAF, each holding the kind of esoteric equipment I would love to get my grimy, ink-stained hands on.

Capital AudioFest 2024

Vinyl Sound USA: Tannoy, Accuphase, HiFiRose, Transrotor, IsoTek, Shelter, HIFI Rack

Ken Micallef Dec 01, 2024

West Seneca, New York’s Vinyl Sound Hi-Fi Audio Systems assembled an unusual rig of German analog gear, Japanese electronics, and classic Scottish loudspeakers. Is this the United Nations of hi-fi?

Capital AudioFest 2024

Warwick Acoustics

Ken Micallef Dec 01, 2024

We've still got a few more posts to go from last month's Capital Audiofest, here's the first of the final batch:

I ain't no digital techie. Big headphones and me? Never gonna happen. But these guys from Warwick Acoustics, Martin Roberts and Orazio Pollaci, they've got a certain je ne sais quoi. We were knocking back drinks in the packed Hilton bar, and they were so damn charming, I ended up in their room. What a night. What a blast.

Capital AudioFest 2024

Linear Tube Audio, Eastern Bay Sound, Anticables

Ken Micallef Nov 29, 2024

Newcomer Eastern Bay Sound brought its new “Farm-to-Table” speakers to CAF2024.

Capital AudioFest 2024

Chesky Audio

Ken Micallef Nov 27, 2024

The buzz was palpable weeks before I hit the show. David Chesky’s son, Lucca, had designed a pair of small bookshelf speakers—the LC1—while still in high school and developed the speakers while interning at Princeton University with Professor Edgar Choueiri, the brains behind Bacch SP.

Capital AudioFest 2024

Audio Thesis: T+A Elektroakustik, Turnbull Audio, Rosso Fiorentino, Silent Angel

Ken Micallef Nov 27, 2024

Derek Skipworth of Arlington, Texas’s Audio Thesis was on hand to showcase several components at CAF2024.

Capital AudioFest 2024

Robyatt Audio: Quad, VPI, Thai-Scandinavian Engineering, Tzar, April Sound, Java HiFi, Sonore, and Finley Audio

Ken Micallef Nov 25, 2024

Robin Wyatt always gives great room, and this year’s CAF appearance was no exception. Prancing like a jolly bartender offering beautiful audio reproduction in place of libations, Wyatt’s room creates anticipation and soon enough, audio ecstasy.

Capital AudioFest 2024

Border Patrol, Living Voice, Triode Wire Labs

Ken Micallef Nov 25, 2024

Gary Dewes and Pete Grzybowski, the minds behind Border Patrol Audio and Triode Wire Labs, respectively, conjured a sonic space that wasn't merely heard, but felt. A room where sound didn't just exist, but seized the listener, demanding attention.