Show Reports

We’re going back to the future, if you will, with Part 9 of my Capital Audiofest 2024 show report. Let’s hit the flux capacitor, and be on our way. . .

COMMAND PERFORMANCE AV & J.SIKORA
At CAF 2024, it was sure hard to miss Washington, DC-area dealer Command Performance AV’s Jeff Fox and Jesse Bentley. They were sporting goofy, 1980s hair-metal-style wigs to bring attention to their ’80s-themed demo inside and outside the Democracy Room. (Based in Falls Church, Virginia, Command Performance’s Fox also operates a distribution company called Notable Audio Products.) Outside the room, in addition to a neon sign, a square sign with a partially unwound audio cassette read, “If the music is too loud, you’re too old!”

Accented by some choice of-era knick-knacks — some of which can be seen throughout this story — the room’s setup that Bentley talked me through included a J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme turntable ($38,500) with a J.Sikora KV12 Max 12in tonearm ($14,500) made of Kevlar and fitted with an Aidas Mammoth Gold LE cartridge ($9,995) that was playing when I entered the room. The cartridge body is made of actual mammoth tusk. Aidas is a Lithuanian company known for their use of exotic materials, such as stone, coral, and jade. The namesake “Gold” refers to the wire material inside. (Other versions deploy silver or copper wire.) Meanwhile, the table’s second J.Sikora KV12 Max tonearm had attached a Lyra Etna SL Lambda MC cart ($10,995), which was playing when I stopped by again later.

The analog signal was sent into Doshi Audio tubed amplification — a Doshi Evolution phono preamp ($20,995) ahead of a Doshi Evolution preamp ($20,995) and Doshi Evolution monoblock amps ($43,995) powering a pair of Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined speakers ($19,950/pair) that I first saw and heard at the most recent High End Munich show back in May 2024.

The Trapezes have a cool retro look, its form factor with angled sides appearing as an optical illusion of sorts when viewed from certain angles. A pair of REL Acoustics Classic 99 subs ($1,899 each) completed the system, which was supported on HRS equipment racks and amp stands, and was connected with Cardas Audio Clear Beyond cables.

When I first stopped by this cool retro room, Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” — the live version from their original September 1984 Stop Making Sense soundtrack LP on Sire, a longtime favorite of mine — was playing on vinyl. Chris Frantz’s cymbals sounded extra metallic (in a good way — realistic) and crisp. The recording’s live energy was palpable. David Byrne’s spirited vocals came through with all the expected rapid-fire energy.

Next came David Bowie’s “Cat People (Putting Out Fire),” the opening track on April 1982’s Cat People (Original Soundtrack) on MCA, wherein Bowie’s voice commanded attention with a deep throatiness that sounded larger than life. The Giorgio Moroder-produced track was room-thematically appropriate with its big, chunky electric guitar sounds that may well have inspired a hair-metal band or two. Metallic precision pristineness showed up again here on “Cat People” — this time, on tambourine. Perhaps the Trapeze speakers’ offset tweeters lent a hand in this? All in all, Command Performance’s ’80s vibes made for a fun room with lively listening.

Got just a few more installments to go before I officially wrap up our CAF 2024 show coverage!

Author bio: Julie Mullins, a lifelong music lover and audiophile by osmosis who grew up listening to her father’s hi-fi gear, is also a contributing editor and reviewer on our sister site, Stereophile, for whom she also writes the monthly Re-Tales column. A former fulltime staffer at Cincinnati’s long-running alt-weekly CityBeat, she hosts a weekly radio show on WAIF called On the Pulse.

For more of our CAF 2024 coverage, go to Part 1 of Julie’s show report here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here, Part 8 here, and also see Ken Micallef’s turntable video extravaganza here.