Capital Audiofest 2023 Show Report / Chronicles Part 10
The Atrium Rooms
Show Report By Rick Becker

The Booths
The Atrium floor did not seem as tightly packed with vendors this year, nor did it have the variety that I recall from the past. If anything, there seemed to be more record vendors this year. And my experience buying a Beach Boys LP, mentioned in the Frederick Room above was an eye-opener for me. Normally, I don't have time to do more than just wall by the boxes of LPs and this year was no different. I snapped some photos of some of the more prominent vendors.

Cash For Music
These guys seemed to be prepared to buy your old records as well as sell you some to fill in the holes in your collection.

Iconoclast Cables
Iconoclast Cables, a spin-off of Belden, was heard in the Treehaus Audiolab room with Rich Pinto in room 812 (Part 1). I'm glad they offered this table for one-on-one conversations with customers in the Atrium where they wouldn't interrupt the music appreciation in the active room.

Association For Recorded Sound Collections
Was the title of this organization code for "record collectors club"?  I recall that they were a little more sophisticated than that. If you think you might qualify, ask Mr. Google.

ArgentPrr
While it looks like the person at the ArgentPur cable booth was out to lunch, closer inspection suggests he left his lunch behind on the table. Handcrafted in Boston.

AV Room Service And Wally Tools
J.R. Boisclair (left) of Wally Tools, the turntable adjustment specialist, seems to be working hard to move his company and their tools forward. I get frequent email updates from him. He is seen here on a slow afternoon chatting it up with Norman Varney (right) of AV RoomService, Ltd, who offers a wide variety of tweaks to properly tune your room and isolate noise in your home.

Kirmuss Audio
Charles Kirmuss puts on the airs of a record doctor, but he's also an evangelist for high-quality sound. His system goes far beyond merely cleaning your garage sale LPs to restoring the sound quality hidden in the groves during the manufacturing process. "Liberating" might be a more accurate term. As usual, he offered a Show Special for his cavitation machine and a bundle of accessories.

I can't recall all the details, but this equipment allows him to demonstrate how his full restoration process allows you to pull a stronger signal out of the grooves, improving the S/N ratio. You might not want to perform ‘The Full Monty' with every record you own, but certainly your favorite ones you play frequently. Charles and his assistant were constantly busy throughout the weekend.

Isonic
The folks at Isonic offer cavitation record cleaning machines that allow you to clean multiple LPs at a time.

East-West Jazz Connection
Mathew Cravens extols the virtues of the Japanese pressings of jazz records he smuggles back from his occasional trips to Japan. I heard one within the Democracy Room that I covered in Part 8, but it looks like his offerings go beyond the Japanese pressings.

Coming Soon: Best Of Capital Audiofest 2023 Awards
This wraps up the coverage of the rooms and booths but I still have to reveal my selections for the Best Rooms. I'll do that in Part 11, a bonus for the faithful who have stuck with my chronicles through the thick of it all. Check back early next week as I intend to review every room before making a final selection.

---> Onward To Enjoy the Music.com's Best Of Capital Audiofest 2023 Awardsn.

---> Back to the main Capital Audiofest 2023 show report homepage.