Crutchfield's recap of Capital Audiofest 2025

n my early-morning drive to Capital Audiofest 2025, gray skies muted the vibrancy of the late-fall foliage lining the streets. This cast a hazy, pastel-like sheen over Rockville, MD — just outside of Washington DC.

But as soon as I entered the lobby of the Hilton Rockville hotel and conference center, everything sparked to life.

In mid-November, the Capital Audiofest filled the Hilton Rockville (near DC) with the world's best audio gear and most fervent enthusiasts.

There’s something about whirring turntables, swaying VU meters, and the vivid glow of vacuum tubes — plus oh, so many crates full of vinyl — that activates the senses. And I was about to learn that they do pretty darn well with voice coils, too.

What is Capital Audiofest?

The Capital Audiofest is a yearly mid-November event near Washington, DC, that’s billed as one of the East Coast’s largest audio shows. It’s also the closest to us at Crutchfield, here in Virginia. It almost defies description, but I see it as part fine art show, part tech expo, and part convention or fanfest.

We all packed the atrium floor to dig through the endless crates full of vinyl.

Audio industry insiders, engineers, and enthusiasts alike mingled together as we made our way up, down, and around several hotel floors. But when we entered each listening room, everyone quieted down while different audio brands showed off their gear.

Audio setups ranged from modest and minimalist to epic and grandiose. I saw everything from old-school vintage gear to cutting-edge prototypes, sometimes within the same room!

Welcome to the show

Stepping into the Hilton, it was clear that the Capital Audiofest had taken over. This particular high-end audio show is primarily focused on two-channel speaker setups — but home theater, turntables, and my beloved headphones were all well represented.

While there were a few rooms at the show with audio setups valued at over one million dollars, I still got a big kick out of this slightly more affordable speaker. Photos by Crutchfield's Tommy Kinstle.

Before I even got to the hotel’s front desk, I saw the show’s registration booth stretching nearly the length of the lobby. CAF Director Gary Gill was stationed there bright and early — already working the phones to ensure the hotel’s Wi-Fi and network were ready for the day’s approaching onslaught.

Qobuz was the show’s primary streaming service and served its role well as a high-res music source for all the world’s best audio gear.

Some rules were harder to follow than others.

Gary started CAF in 2010 as more of a casual meetup and at this point he has one of the country's major shows, and has it running like a well-oiled machine. He told us there were 122 rooms and 60 booths at the Hilton — but to “make sure to get over to the Even Hotel next door,” where there were two other mega-sized demo rooms.

Speaking of mega-sized, a few of the larger floor-standing speakers were on display in the lobby — complete with fine-wood paneling, giant horn drivers, and other exotic designs.

Talking good music — and keepsake gear — over breakfast

I headed over to the lounge, bar, and restaurant area for a bite to eat before the show. There, the night before, local Blues and roots rock legends The Nighthawks had jammed and performed for CAF attendees.

I was bummed to miss Friday night's Nighthawks show — I was told that it was a highlight of the weekend.

Over breakfast, we spoke to Steve Jain, the director of Fidelity Imports, who lamented the fact that some of the audio industry’s greatest artisan and development stories have been lost to time. And that they aren’t as commonly celebrated or mythologized as, say, watchmaking or Japanese denim manufacturing.

“It’s sad,” he said. “And it’s completely our fault. Because there are a lot of great stories out there and we need to tell them as well as these other industries' stories.”

He thought that a great piece of audio gear could — or should — be a more emotionally fulfilling hand-me-down than even a vintage Rolex. And believe me, this show was filled with heirloom-quality pieces.

I spent some time with Focal's top-of-the-line Utopia headphones, a personal favorite, through the expertly-built Synthesis EMBRACE tube headphone amp — both among the many "heirloom-quality" pieces of gear on display.

"If you ask a crowd of people what ten things matter most to them, music will probably be in the top 10 for [each person]," he said. "And the others may be family, friends, religion, food, a sports team… I doubt many will list their jeans."

Steve is doing his part to preserve and create the lore. He often plans trips for journalists, video producers, and content creators to factories and shops around the world. All so they can spread the word about the level of care and attentiveness that goes into building this incredible audio gear.

Fidelity Imports also ran several demo rooms at Capital Audiofest to put boutique brands from around the globe on display. After our meal, Steve accompanied me to the hotel's "Washington Theater" to see one of their modern marvels in action.

Is this the world's most elaborate turntable?

The Washington theater is one of the hotel's larger event spaces — complete with stadium-style seating. A local high-end dealer, aptly named The Listening Room, had a giant stack of gear at the front of house. This collection of separates included two beefy monoblock amps feeding a tall set of Magnepan 30.7 ribbon speakers. And at the center was a shiny, breathtaking turntable.

A beefy stack of separates powered the Magnepan 30.7 Ribbon speakers. These speakers somehow managed to both expand and engulf the large conference room.

I’d heard of the Wilson Benesch GMT One turntable before. When it was released a few years ago, it made headlines for its six-figure price tag. But the story became even richer as I examined the intricate design up close and learned more about how it was created.

“Wilson Benesch is one of the most storied brands in audio,” said The Listening Room rep. He told me that the British audio experts designed the GMT One in collaboration with a consortium of engineers and advanced material researchers at Sheffield Hallum University. Then he took me through the creation of the turntable piece by piece and explained how each part was carefully plotted and built from the ground up.

The titanium and carbon-fiber tonearm of the $450,000 Wilson Benesch GMT One turntable is modeled off certain bone structures and tree trunks — because what’s sturdier and more symmetrical than nature, right?

It’s a three-phase direct-drive turntable that has 21 magnetic poles and a closed-loop motor. That means once it’s in sync and moving, the table spins extremely quietly to the point that it’s basically inaudible.

Each individual part was fascinating, but not nearly as impressive as seeing the whole thing in action. When the clear acrylic platter spun, the illuminated gold pattern underneath became a sparkling, mesmerizing roulette wheel.

This striking turntable had me entranced before anyone even played a record.

Then, they put on a record. The Beatles Abbey Road to be exact — and “Here Comes the Sun” bellowed beautifully through the Magnepan speakers. There were two of the large ribbon speakers for both the left and right channels, one dedicated to the bass and one for the mids and highs. Somehow, these four speakers that looked no thicker than a window panel managed to both effortlessly engulf and expand the sprawling conference room.

Headphone artisanship on display

I made my way down the hall to the “Headphone Lounge Area” powered by Linear Tube Audio (LTA) and their fleet of substantial, high-performance amps and DACs — all made in nearby Takoma Park, Maryland. The company is known for their hybrid designs that mix the warmth of tubes with the technicality of solid-state circuitry to squeeze out every musical detail. In this case, through some of the best audiophile headphones from the likes of Sennheiser, Dan Clark Audio, Audeze, and more.

After our discussion at breakfast, I immediately gravitated toward the Meze 109 Pro open-back headphones. This Romanian company is in the business of making keepsake-quality headphones that look and feel as good as they sound. (In fact, they make the model that we voted Crutchfield's most comfortable headphones.)

When I interviewed founder and lead designer Antonio Meze, he explained the company’s approach: "We're not selling gadgets...I'm trying to build products that feel precious and [offer] value on different levels."

The Meze 109 Pro headphones feature a comfy, secure spring-suspension system where the headband stretches over the head to ensure the pressure remains even.

The last time I saw Aurorus Audio was at the 2019 Capital Audiofest — the last show I personally attended. Back then, they were just starting out and only had a prototype of their Borealis open-back headphones. What a difference six years makes. This year, they had several full production models, including their newer Quasar open-backs that incorporate wood into the design.

Two headphones from the up-and-coming brand Aurorus — the Quasar and Borealis.

I remembered the OG Borealis so fondly from 2019, I wanted to give it another spin. I noticed that the company’s craftmanship had leveled up — now looking more industrial than DIY — and of course their sound was never in question. These warm-leaning headphones feature bass that hits hard and quick, mids that jump out prominently, and highs that are a bit restrained but still detailed.

They offered a fun overall listen that was a dynamic, welcome palate cleanser to some of the more buttoned-up speaker presentations in a few of the stuffier listening rooms.

There was plenty of vintage gear at Capital Audiofest, including this sweet Pioneer reel-to-reel player.

LTA wasn’t the only company showcasing headphones at Capital Audiofest. Fellow Virginia company HeadAmp had several on display. Their owner Justin makes his renowned headphone amps about 20 miles from our HQ in Charlottesville. (And I heard the Dan Clark CORINA electrostatic headphones at their best with HeadAmp’s Blue Hawaii amp/energizer.)

At their booth, I jumped at the chance to listen to the Audeze MM-500, complete with its spacious presentation and pinpoint imaging. When these professional studio headphones were released, I had the opportunity to interview 18-time Grammy-winning mixer Manny Marroquin about working with Audeze on their development. He also shared some thrilling anecdotes about using these headphones to mix the Mr. Morale album for Kendrick Lamar.

A HeadAmp GS-X headphone amp drove the studio-grade Audeze MM-500 planar-magnetic headphones.

And talk about an origin story. Manny was in the Bahamas for a wedding when the MM-500 deadline hit. With only his laptop and these headphones, he completed a mix worthy of his usual mixing room back at the legendary Larrabee Studios. He listened back to the mix and immediately called Audeze co-founder and CEO Sankar Thiagasamudram and said, "man, it's done. We don't have to mess with [these headphones] anymore."

Speaking of headphone setups that don’t need to be messed with…

Across the main atrium floor, two things caught my eye at the booth for Maryland retailer All Elite Audio: the distinct beard of owner (and popular YouTube personality) Lenny Florentine and the distinct “Kurogaki” wood grain of the rare Japanese persimmon panels on Audio-Technica’s HPA-KG Narukami headphone amp.

All due respect to Lenny, I made a beeline for this $108,000 statement-piece amp.

I listened to Audio-technica's brand new flagship ATH-ADX7000 headphones through their $108,000 HPA-KG Narukami headphone amp (with its rare “Kurogaki” wood grain).

Those wood panels looked even more gorgeous up close. Kurogaki is a mysterious black pattern only found on persimmon trees that are over 100 years old, and it's even rare in those trees. Since it is a protected wood, it can only be harvested naturally and through a very specific registry system. Beneath these glistening, hand-lacquered panels, custom-made vacuum tubes lit up to cover the amp and preamp stage.

Audio-Technica had their brand-new ATH-ADX7000 headphones connected to the amp. These open-backs very much look, feel, and sound like flagship audiophile headphones. They are ultralight and well put together.

A tight, quick mid-bass punch permeated through “Creep” by Stone Temple Pilots. In all the years I’ve zoned out to this song on the radio, the low-end had never struck me as much before. Through this deluxe amp and headphone combo, it served as a powerful foundation for Scott Weiland’s melancholy, misty lead vocals, the haunting melody, and the tight percussion bite.

I eventually caught up with Lenny Florentine, who's been enjoying the freedom he’s had lately to further explore topics on his videos and the official AXPONA podcasts.

I’m also auditioning the ATH-ADX7000 headphones for Crutchfield. So, when I got home, I immediately started listening to them to ensure that they don’t require a six-figure amp. Good news: they hold their own, even through a more “modest” headphone amp.

The toe-tapping instrumental interlude of Eddie Kendrick’s '70s funk track, “Girl, You Need a Change of Mind” showed off the depth and sense of space. Ringing percussion held steady on the left, while a guitar kept rhythm off to the right. Meanwhile, the keyboard, bass guitar, and horns took turns occupying the space between — until they all converged together, remaining separated but cohesive.

Catching up with some people and meeting others

Of course, it was nice to catch up with Lenny and everyone at the booth. (Again, after I listened to the headphones — sorry again, and thanks, guys!) Lenny has become well known for unearthing and restoring vintage gear on YouTube, so it was kind of interesting to see that he was surrounded by all new stuff. Although, there were plenty of items clearly inspired by the classics of yesteryear.

Seeing old friends and meeting new people is always the real highlight of these shows — the gear just gives us all something to marvel at and/or nitpick together.

I ran into Dekoni Audio’s Product Manager Dylan Scarzafava at the hotel restaurant — naturally he carried a HATS (Head and Torso Simulator) rig with him, in case anyone needed to measure their headphones.

On our way to visit Cambridge audio, we overheard our rep, Dan, speaking with an attendee named George. George was impressed with the Cambridge Evo One — a single-unit powered wireless speaker and streamer that delivers a surprising amount of sound for its size.

Big Steve from Cambridge Audio let me audition their Evo One wireless steaming speaker.

When Dan told George we were with Crutchfield, he gave us the classic "I remember buying car stereos from you guys back in the day..." story.

We learned George is still a regular Crutchfield customer — and big fan — but buys more home audio gear these days. (His setup includes a high-end Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player for spinning CDs and movie discs.) The main speakers he uses for music listening right now are smaller Magnepan ribbons, similar to the ones we heard earlier with the Wilson Benesch turntable.

Longtime Crutchfield fan, George (pictured with the holiday Crutchfield catalog), and his wife Kris (not pictured) try to visit CAF every year — and this year they brought first-time attendee Zoé (right) with them.

George has been coming to CAF for several years and has started to bring his family along to enjoy the tunes and gear with him. His wife Kris (not pictured) attended the last few years and this year they brought first-time attendee Zoé (pictured above). Kris told me she didn’t “get the whole thing” at first but some of the rooms sound so fantastic, “how could you not come away impressed and moved?”

Zoé said she wanted to attend this year to see what the fuss was all about. She admitted it was a bit overwhelming at first but at this point they had made it through a few floors — and she could see the appeal. And they both liked seeing George’s face light up like a kid in a candy store.

Even if they both like to rib him a little bit when he gets excited.

The best speakers on the planet, all in one place

For fans of two-channel audio, Capital Audiofest was the place to be. Moving from room to room, I heard speakers ranging in size from compact stand-mounted models to huge floor-standers, towering over 10 feet tall. More than a few speaker systems were priced in the six-figure range.

Some of the brands were familiar — we’re fortunate at Crutchfield to get to hear some excellent audio components on a daily basis. But I also listened to exclusive gear that is only showcased at major events like these.

Still, these rare pieces often played side by side with gear found in Crutchfield's own extensive product selection. (Or sometimes balanced on top of them — I'm looking at you, IsoAcoustics.) And some of the speakers we carry more than held their own against the stiff competition at the show.

Paradigm speakers are known for their reliable, well-balanced and engaging sound — so they work well for demoing other gear and accessories (in this case, an interesting paneling design from RDacoustic).

In fact, Paradigm floor-standing towers were the speaker of choice for several brands and vendors showing off their gear and accessories. Evolution AV had a Paradigm-based 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos home theater, driven by an Anthem preamp/processor.

Naturally, at a show celebrating music, they chose one of 2025’s most memorable movie scenes — the surreal, time-traveling blues number in the middle of Sinners. Sounds floated around the room like the characters on the screen and I could feel the percussive pulse that linked the genres together.

There were all types of visually interesting designs — like the supersized, Suessian horn drivers protruding from the Avantgarde Acoustic Trio G3 loudspeakers. At a more practical size, few can match the mix of performance and flair from Devialet. The French audio experts had two of their Phantom Ultimate 108dB powered speakers running in a stereo pair.

The Devialet Phantom Ultimate 108dB plays music wirelessly and delivers deep bass — no separate amp needed.

At their size, these speakers had no right delivering the amount of bass I heard walking into the room. They switched over to their $20,000 Astra amp powering a set of YG Acoustics speakers, and I heard a noticeably brighter, slightly more textured presentation from this combo.

A look inside the Astra amp. My colleague Charles Fontaine writes, “Devialet gives you the best of both worlds — the silky smoothness of Class A amplification with the raw power and efficiency of Class D.”

I was drawn to one of the large ballrooms when I heard a Johnny Cash cover of “The Sound of Silence” spilling into the hallway. Turns out it was actually “the Ghost of Johnny Cash,” a moniker for vocalist David Radcliffe. I was hypnotized as his somber, gravelly voice resonated through the room thanks to the oversized Borresen Acoustics speakers from the Audio Group Denmark’s setup.

Wilson Benesch makes super high-end speakers, too. They thumped out a trippy EDM version of “Sunshine of Your Love” in one of Fidelity Import’s more intimate listening rooms.

When it comes to thump and resonance you can feel in the hallway, few do it better than the subwoofer savants at SVS Audio. And they’re pretty well-rounded with other speakers, too. Case in point, they occupied two listening rooms, side by side. One of them was their full Pinnacle home theater surround system, complemented and completed with one of those powerful, but precise SVS subs.

I found myself even more impressed in their second room. I knew what SVS could do with home theater, but inside their packed-house demo space I heard a stereo pair of their Ultra Evolution Pinnacle floor-standing speakers for the first time. Wow.

SVS had one of my absolute favorite rooms at the show anchored by a pair of their Ultra Evolution Pinnacle speakers.

This will probably sound like home cooking — because we’ve proudly carried SVS for years — but this setup went toe to toe with some of the way costlier speaker systems at the show. The funky break on Bobbi Humphrey’s “Jasper Country Man” had heads nodding in the room, while the jazz flutists’ intricate playing levitated front and center.

A lot of times at these shows, people are coming and going while different music plays. In this case, everyone remained in the room until the track was done. To me, that speaks volumes.

Wrapping my head around the day

I ran into traffic on the way home, but perhaps that was fortuitous. To avoid a backup on 495, my GPS routed me toward more suburban and rural areas of Montgomery County. Passing by wooded areas lining the Potomac river, the sunlight finally stabbed through the clouds in hues of pink and orange.

The skyline helped highlight the last gasp of autumn leaves and inspired me to recount my whirlwind day — and what Steve Jain said back at breakfast. There are a lot of vibrant stories to tell about the gear, the people who create it, and all of us who gather to celebrate, critique, and enjoy it.

We’re used to seeing photos and reading about high-end gear like this — but it really hits home when you interact with it and see it up close.

At high-end shows like these, the conversation understandably revolves around price tags. It’s easy to get caught up when the cables alone in these systems cost five figures. But even the most cynical attendees among us can’t dismiss the dedication to craft on display, nor the deep appreciation for music.

Around the show, I realized that some of us visiting could afford to splurge on the exotic marvels of "unobtania." Others of us treated the show more like an art gallery, where we valued our brief time with the gear. But it was also refreshing when we heard something with the ability to move us and faithfully reproduce music, and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

It was a good reminder that there’s often a tale worth telling behind all great audio gear. There can be something enriching and worth cherishing — regardless of price. At least that’s my story.

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