Part 2: Capital Audiofest 2024 Rooms 833 To 861
Enjoying great gear and music on floor 8.
Capital Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker

849 Alma Audio
This room was listed as Alma Audio on the floor plan but Well Pleased A/V is listed for this room in the back pages. Alma is a retailer with stores in Sterling, VA, and San Diego, CA. Well Pleased is a distributor located in Virginia. Got that?

Primarily since Covid, I've taken more notice of the Qln line of speakers from Sweden, coming to appreciate this quality line that covers a fairly wide price range. The new Qln One v7 monitor ($12k) sounded especially good in this room. It uses a ring radiator tweeter and a mid-woofer similar to the one Acora modifies to use in their speakers. I like the styling and it is also available in a burl walnut piano finish if you want something more exotic.

The new Audio Hungary Qualiton 300B integrated amp ($11k) with 300B tubes from Russia did a splendid job with a mellow male vocal piece when I was there. Also in the rig was a Merason Reuss DAC ($6k), Innuos Pulsar streamer ($8k), and the Finite Element Pagode Signature rack ($4750).

Here is a better look at the GigaWatt PC-4 EVO power conditioner ($14,500) that I saw earlier on this floor. It's a handsome unit. Kubala Sosna cables were used throughout except for AB-Tech Klar USB cable ($1350) and network cable ($1250).

Suite 850 Alma Audio
Alma went big in this room with Vinnie Rossi Brama Gen 2 Preamplifier ($39k) and Monoblock amps ($60k) driving Stenheim Alumine Five SE speakers ($76,500). A new MSB Cascade DAC ($95k) was another premium component. An Innuos ZENith Next-Gen music server ($19,350) helped fill up the long and low SolidSteel rack. Again, there was a GigaWatt PC-4 EVO+ power conditioner and Kubala-Sosna cables everywhere.

I've seen Vinnie at shows ever since he started in this industry and I figured it was about time to get him in a photo once again. His products have matured faster than most companies and this was a good combination with the Stenheim speaker, but I liked his integrated amp with the YG speaker heard earlier even more.

Suite 851 ATC Loudspeakers
In a darkened room tinged with blue light ATC from the UK was displaying a pair of 50th Anniversary Limited Edition SCM20ASL active two-way stand-mounted monitors ($14k). Between them on the floor was the new 50th Anniversary Limited Edition C4 Sub Mk2 ($10k) but it was not playing during the time I was there. Also in the rig was the ATC CDA2 MkII CD / Preamplifier / DAC ($5k). The monitors sounded precise, strong, and transparent as you would expect from a company with deep roots in pro-audio. They also seemed over-priced until you consider the high-quality, built-in amplification that was obviously up to the professional standard of the fine cabinet and drivers.

But with the power amps locked into the monitors, this may be an important variable taken out of the equation if you would like to alter the sonic signature. In ATC's mind, their way is the right way, though they do offer many of their speakers in passive versions as well.

I was hoping to get a chance to hear the sub in action. It is a large unit, but very handsome without bling or conspicuous badging. As such, it exudes quality and confidence. Knowing ATC, I suspect it would be very tight with no bloat.

An inner room in this suite appeared to be set up with a surround-sound rig, but it was not playing. The hosts were pretty self-absorbed so I didn't bother with a special request to hear it. Lone Mountain Audio is the USA distributor.

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