This Friday marks the Fifth Annual sonic block party known as Capital Audiofest.
I’ve been lucky enough to track this show from its inception; in fact, this may be the show that redirected this site and my orientation to audio’s high-end. The First CAF, back in 2010, was at a mansion out in Rockville — I remember my then 3-year-old twins thinking that this whole thing was quite the adventure. Especially after ice cream on the way home. A move out to Gaithersburg landed CAF in a traditional hotel for years two and three, but it wasn’t till last year, at the current “home” in downtown Silver Spring, that we were really cooking with gas.
The new venue at the Sheraton actually landed us near to “other things”, solving the location issue that most audio shows have serious difficulties with. The Sheraton was 3 short blocks from the DC Metro, and less than a mile from dozens of affordable eats — that’s walking distance. With the typical humidity-induced-strangulation of DC weather, I won’t necessarily be one to recommend strolling about DC in late July. But if you’re the adventurous sort, DC is chock full of touristy things to see and do.
As for the show, this year marks the launch of CanMania, one of the new show-within-a-shows springing up, showcasing the personal audio side of audio’s high-end. HeadAmp, MrSpeakers, Oppo, Moon Audio, Astell & Kern, Noble, Stereodesk and more will be on hand showcasing how far this end of the art has gotten — a must-stop on the tour.
On the more “traditional” side of things, The Voice That Is, High Water Sound, Robyatt, Modwright, Daedalus, BorderPatrol, Salk, Merrill and MBL will be joined by many others.
I’ve been told that a lot of friends are showing up for the show, and that’s exciting. This hobby, generally speaking, isn’t really known for its outreach or for its community building aspects. That’s a shame. It’s also one of my favorite aspects of meets and audio shows, because this is exactly where those things can happen.
So, PTA Contributor and Audio-Head Master Brian Hunter and I will be there with bells on, big bags o’ cameras and all, taking pictures and notes. If you see us, stop by and say hello. If you miss us, I’m guessing you’ll probably be able to find us after hours at the bar!
Hope to see you there.
