Ken Micallef

Supreme Acoustic Systems: YG Acoustics, Bergmann Audio, AirTight, Cardas
Capital AudioFest 2024
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 16, 2024
Supreme Acoustic Systems and Axiss Audio brought the kind of equipment that gooses my reviewer’s jones for new review gear. From the Brutalist looking Bergmann Audio turntable to the fantastical YG speakers to the fetish worthy AirTight amps, I tried to maintain dry palms while taking notes.
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Command Performance AV: J.Sikora, Doshi, Audiovector, REL, Gryphon, Marten, SOTA, Transparent, Solid Tech
Capital AudioFest 2024
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 15, 2024
The high-end audio world, with its shiny boxes and astronomical price tags, often gets a bad rap. People dismiss it as a playground for the wealthy, a place where form trumps function. But Jeff Fox, the mastermind behind Command Performance AV, isn’t buying it. He’s here to prove that high-end audio isn’t just about showing off; it’s about experiencing the blood, guts, and beauty of music. If the prices start to rise, at least you were warned.
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Bending Wave and Tone Imports: Göbel, Wadax, Riviera Audio Labs, Shunyata
Capital AudioFest 2024
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 15, 2024
Bending Wave’s Elliot Goldman and Tone Imports’ Jonathan Halpern brought a change of pace to the Jackson Suite, with not one or two but eight US debuts for the rowdy Capital Audiofest (CAF) crowd.
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True Source Audio Distribution / Sierra Sound Debut G.I.P Laboratory 4165
Capital AudioFest 2024
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 12, 2024
True Source Audio Distributors debuted the massive G.I.P. Laboratory 4165 field coil horn-loaded loudspeakers at CAF, featuring the Japanese company’s replicas of the original Western Electric 4165 driver. The 70lb G.I.P. 4165 Radiata pine cabinets filled nearly half of the small Hilton room. G.I.P.’s TW 38 tweeter sat atop the large cabinets.

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Fidelis Distribution Presents Pure Fidelity, Lab 12, and Argent Pur
Capital AudioFest 2024
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 11, 2024
Fidelis Distribution’s Walter Swanbon plays the long game. Like other legacy manufacturers—think Audio Note, Tannoy, Audio Research—Swanbon’s equipment offerings are classics: some in waiting, some long established as leaders.

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Fidelity Imports/The Listening Room
Capital AudioFest 2024
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 10, 2024
Compared to past years, Fidelity Imports and its stable of brands kept a lower profile at this year’s Capital Audiofest. It shared rooms with local dealer, The Listening Room (“Audio Systems of Distinction” since 1978), showing equipment I have become familiar with both from afar and up close, as in my recent review of the Michell TecnoDec at Analog Planet, and soon, the Union Research S6 integrated amplifier for Stereophile.
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Fern & Roby with Miyajima, ModWright, Black Cat Cable
Capital AudioFest 2024
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 10, 2024
Christopher Hildebrand, the man behind Fern & Roby, is a bit of a romantic. He's got that same sentimental streak I do, a deep appreciation for the simple things – music, books, and the love of family. It's no surprise, then, that he's poured his heart into his unique audio creations, honoring the memory of his grandmothers, Fern and Roby.

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Capital Audiofest 2024, Rockville, Maryland
Capital AudioFest 2024News
Ken Micallef  |  Nov 08, 2024
So there I was, in the parking lot of the Rockville Hilton, cigar smoke curling into the crisp autumn air, grilling Gary Gill about his brainchild, Capital Audio Fest (CAF). This East Coast audio extravaganza has grown into a monster, bursting at the seams of its Rockville venue.

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Quad Revela 1 loudspeaker
Stand Loudspeaker Reviews
Ken Micallef  |  Oct 31, 2024
Hi-fi's vintage-tech revival feels like a Don Draper fever dream. You know Draper, right? The smooth-talking ad man from Mad Men? In one episode, he pitches a new Kodak slide projector, but instead of focusing on the science and the specs, he calls it a "carousel"—think bouncing painted horses—and says it will take people back to a simpler time.

For its early-'60s moment, that slide projector is high-tech—and "technology is a glittering lure," Draper tells the assembled group of cigarette-smoking suits around a conference room table. Draper mentions Teddy, a Greek former colleague Draper says taught him the ropes years ago. Teddy says that "new" is the most important idea in advertising, but he also talks about a deeper bond that can sometimes be established with a product. "Nostalgia. It's delicate, but potent."

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Focal and Naim Debut Diva Utopia: A Fully Active, Wireless, High-End Loudspeaker Lands in the US
News
Ken Micallef  |  Oct 10, 2024
The Focal Diva Utopia loudspeaker made its US debut in New York City this past week, showcasing the combined expertise of French and English partners Focal and Naim in their first fully active, wireless, and connected loudspeaker.

Focal and Naim Audio CEO Cedrick Boutonet and group marketing manager Réjean Bedel were on hand to introduce the Diva Utopia at Manhattan’s Par Excellence store located in NYC’s fashionable East Village and the Bowery, where the city’s derelict community once held sway, now replaced by hip cafés and bars.

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