Pacific Audio Fest 2022 – Seattle July 29-31

We will be exhibiting in Seattle next week at the Pacific Audio Fest 2022.

Two systems.

A big room upstairs (Acapella and Audio Note U.K. DAC and HRS rack) on the second floor meeting room Cascade 3.

A normal-sized sleeping room downstairs (Audio Note U.K. and HRS rack) in first floor room 2120.

First time visiting Seattle, Washington for both of us (and Eugene, Oregon on the way). Heard a lot of good things about these two cities (and coming, as we are, from draught-ridden states, the potential for rain does not bother us in the least).

Lou Hinkley created this show, with help from Capital Audio Fest’s Gary Gill. Lou was our upstairs neighbor at the first several Rocky Mountain Audio Fests. He was one of many people we met during those early years who became lifelong friends (people who just sort of became family that we see mostly just at tradeshows [you know, audiophile holidays]).

This is my first show since COVID (and Neli’s second), so going to feel a little weird. Nah, make that VERY weird – for me anyway. But I will attempt my standard show report routine – trying to photograph, video and record as many of the rooms as I can (there look to be about 50), depending on how busy things get and how Covidity people look :-o.

Here is the handout for the Acapella room:

PDF: acapella-room-pacific-audio-fest-2022

 

And the handout for the Audio Note room:

PDF: audionote-room-pacific-audio-fest-2022

T.H.E. Show Los Angeles 2022

In mid June, in the middle of our unexpected move in the Bay Area with so many reasonably-priced homes with hotel room-sized or larger listening rooms, there was the L.A. Show.

In the middle of our freaking out [and finding out just how functionally fit were we, anyway? as we moved home and store ourselves…] Neli drove down and exhibited an all Audio Note U.K. room.

It was a nice modest system, with Audio Note AN/E Spe HE speakers and Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister Silver integrated, an Audio Note CD4 CD player, and an Audio Note TT2 turntable with an AN Arm 3//II, S4 stepup transformer and IO1 phono cartridge on an HRS SXR equipment rack.

Cool white stands, huh? Look awesome in a room with white walls, to my eyes. The stands almost disappear and one’s listening-gaze semi-focused stare [you know what I mean] is much more centered on the Audio Note wood cabinets, where it really is just a lot nicer on the eyes.

Everyone seems to have had a great time, even with COVID still lurking. Here is a photo of Neli and the system from PMA magazine.

Acapella at Munich Hiend 2022

The new Hyperion loudspeakers [most notably 15 inch woofers, and reportedly even more efficient than the Apollon speakers] and a prototype of the new Acapella amplifier (the current amplifier is a hybrid – with small gain stage tubes inside – so my guess is this one is too, but the tubes are now easier to change :-)). [I am sure Neli will correct all my mistaken facts and guesses when she reads this, but I wanted to get these photos up tonight :-/]. Acapella is showing at Hifi Deluxe, held at the Marriott in Munich.

Hermann Winters and his partner Alfred Rudolph, of Acapella Audio Arts