CAF 2021 Postmortem

[Chris]

Okay, Gary Gill and company pulled off what some thought impossible: one of the only live audio shows in North America in 2021. And it was in our backyard. How lucky are we?

So, what did people think? What things did people hear that got their juices flowing?

I, for one, was pleased to hear the new bookshelf speakers from Eikon audio.

Feel free to "talk amongst yourselves".

[mark]

I also enjoyed this year's CAF -- I learned a lot and got to talk to some of the actual designers about their products.

The Eikon Image .5 bookshelf speakers were definitely one of my favorites, if not best in show. The bass was not only punchy but also very controlled and tight. And the midrange and highs were very clear and free from distortion and coloration.

I was, on the other hand, very put off by the proprietary "wavelet" room correction process used with these speakers -- the people selling it either couldn't or wouldn't explain what it was doing, and although it sounded pretty good, I don't think I'd want to buy something I didn't at least somewhat understand.

I also really liked the MC Audiotech "forty-10" speakers, and I spent some time talking to the guy who designed them. I thought the mid and high end had the qualities I appreciate in electrostatic speakers (which they aren't), plus the bass was amazing. They look weird but they sounded great. Getting to actually hear them and to form an opinion is what makes CAF great!

[mark]

Probably I was the only DCHFG member who went to CAF this year!

But another thing that struck me about those MC Audiotech speakers was the manufacturer's emphasis on very wide dispersion. Their idea is to make the ideal listening area in front of the speakers as large as possible, in contrast to the more common idea of a "sweet spot" for ideal listening.

I liked that idea -- making hi fi listening a little less of a completely solo activity!

[Deleted]

My first time going, lots of cool stuff but I'd say the ones that made the biggest impression on me were the Acora SRC2.5, the TAD compact reference one, whoever was selling those giant tubes, and the reel to reel setup from United Home Audio. The first two had better make an impression given the cost, but the reel to reel was most significant in that it piqued my interest in trying out tape at home (one day!).
I would have liked to hear more familiar songs being being played, I got the sense that the selections heard would sound great on any system. But of course I wasn't there to buy and put them and put them through my own musical paces, just enjoy the moment, and in that regard they sounded great.
Oh yeah, and von Schweikert was playing some soft music when I went in, I feel like that shouldn't even be allowed in that room...

[sailor]

The true hero’s were the vendors who took a chance on the show. It’s a massive effort and cost to come to the show. Think about for a minute. What would it take for you to move your system across country for three days and then move it back. OST of the companies are small with a hand ful od employees.
They gambled big and won.
The media showed up the people showed up. It was a very good show.