Fantastic job moderating Kamran. It was so nice to meet and learn from all of you; such a wealth of knowledge and passion for the hobby on display, in harmony with perfect weather and hospitality. Thank you Steve and your family for hosting all of us; the memories are indelible. I look forward to next year, and in the meantime, continuing our conversations on this forum.

I received Randy's playlist which I wanted to share out. Some incredible recordings of tracks, many of which I heard for the first time on Decware amps this weekend. Hope you all enjoy as much as I do!

https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/9846004

** AM NO LONGER LOOKING. **
Thanks all

Christian McBride "Number Two Express" Verve cd



I'm listening this week in wonder. The system sounds better than ever. I credit the sets of Stack Audio EVO isolation feet I swapped in for my VooDoo Cable IsoPods used for years. Those have given me a bit "wetter" and richer presentation without obscuring any detail or damping any dynamics.

And I think the Graphene "Sluggos" I am using in the components with the three Swiss Digital Fuse Boxes I'm using have slowly steadily seasoned and are really helping those components be all that they can be. The move away from Cryotone to Amperex tubes in the system is a fctor as well.

I'm sipping some Ruta Maya Organic Mexican medium roast coffee with cream, my aged dachshund is asleep beside me, my wife is happily decorating for fall downstairs, and I'm just marveling at the sound. A great afternoon here in this sylvan neighborhood.

Kamran, as usual excellent summary!  It was also fun to meet new and old people.  Like you, I spent most of my time socializing and a little of listening.  Speakers that had the most play time were the HR2's, Randy's Caintuck with Fast 15s, the "omnis" and of course the headwreckers.  The Fast 15s were fantastic so I went ahead and ordered a pair for my Caintuck Baffles.  According to the Steve, the Z15MLs can be retrofitted to convert them to "omnis".  Thanks to the Deckert Family and the supporting cast.  You always make us feel so welcomed!  My only wish that I tie all of your names to your user names.
Bob aka Kulafu

Got to speak with many old friends with the exception of Donnie.

Have attended every fest since 2002.

The experience in the backyard fire pit really sounded exceptionally good.

The head wreckers were OK last year in the main listening room but this year they really showed what the design can do.

If a person has a room big enough for these large speakers, then it should be an endgame for speakers.  They are really that good..

Simon Moullier "Elements of Light" Candid cd

Bobby Donaldson "Jazz Party" Savoy mono LP

Part 2

East End—Single Ended Glory

On the East end of the listening room—Sarah 300B (known commodity in this household) was pulling exclusive amplification duty paired with both Digital, Vinyl, and the crème de la crème Tape Machine (more on that later) driving either Randy’s Baffles or Steve’s new creation, which we have dubbed the ‘Omni baffles’ for the time being (also fitted with Fast 15s) and the AMT Tweeter up top.

Let’s get one thing out of the way—-the Omni baffles are friggin amazing. I couldn’t get enough of them.  While I enjoyed Randy’s baffles (heck I’m listening to them right now at home even after an exhausting day of travel), the Omni baffles’ imaging was a mile deep, surprisingly high (considering how low the drivers are) and with decidedly lower and cleaner bass notes.  The tweeter, while set to 10db lower, was adding some magic on top—-Steve calls it the icing on the cake.  

He was not kidding….

People’s minds are going to get blown next year when they finally get their hands on it. Steve projects to update the website by end of the year.  Caveat —- you need to have a large room.  Steve only intends to use the ZF15M Masters to sell the Omni baffles later this year.

I was weighing my options as I was listening to them both days.

Bigger Better Baffles—or a Divorce?  Not sure if I have come to a conclusion just yet….

In an ideal world—there would be a size in between Randy’s baffles and the ZF15M—that would be such a compelling option.  

Pro Tip: Figure out a way to shine a light behind the ribbon tweeter…Looks mad cool that way.  We accidentally stumbled on to this when Bob was shining his iPhone flashlight behind the speaker trying to explore the caps on the crossover.

And of course, I have a picture.



We listened to the TT, that new tonearm is a thing of beauty but I was equally floored by the TT stand that Steve built—-I guess I never paid attention to it before.  His craftsmanship is just next level man….

Educated

Speaking of blowing minds, we have to talk about the stroke of genius to place the Headwreckers outside this year.  I recall walking to the backyard shortly after arriving and was just paralyzed when I heard the first bass note coming out of the speakers.  Stopped dead in my tracks looking at Phil (who had a wry smile on his face) and Paul—who was frantically calling someone on his phone and telling them—you have to come outside and listen to these speakers!

Let me tell the folks who listened to the Headwreckers last year in the listening room—-you actually didn’t listen to what this speaker is capable of.  Erase the room boundaries and this bad boy comes out to play—-talk about an out of body experience.

I had to take a break just now filling in my son about the fest and the experience of listening to the Headwreckers —- he had a lot of good questions (proud papa moment), but here are two questions that are relevant to the topic at hand:

Q. What amp was Steve using to Drive the Headwreckers?
A. The Mystery Amp, but that was an insurance policy to combat the noise floor outside (wind, ppl, fire)—pre fest, Steve was using Rachael and it worked just fine.

Awkward silence on the other end—I think he thought his dad was full of shit.

Q. Didn’t the outside noise bother you guys (since he knows that I’m anal about the noise-floor)?
A. It’s funny you asked that—-we were having the same discussion around the fire-pit while listening—Steve is anal about noisefloor too I said—-but that’s when he is inside—-outside, the noise of the wind, the crackle of the burning timber, the rustling of the leaves was actually adding to the sonic experience—-the Headwreckers were not only overcoming these external factors, but also blending in with them.  I couldn’t agree more.

It was an educational experience and a humbling one at the same time.  

I must have gotten my ten thousand steps by going back and forth from the main listening room to the Headwreckers, but Day 2 was probably tilted more towards the Headwreckers…as I realized that I can get 90% of the experience of the inside listening room in my own rig—but listening to the Headwreckers outside could be a once in a lifetime experience, and I just wanted to soak it in.

West End—The Boss

On the West End of the room, we had the Torii Monos and the experimental SS amp driving Bob Ziegler’s HRv2’s.

I have a love/Hate relationship with Bob—-his speakers are friggin amazing to listen to—and he makes me question my choice of going with Open Baffles.  

So how is the SS amp? Well, we did just one experiment so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I queued the cover of St. James Infirmary by Hans Theesink and we listened to it on the SS amp.  It was pretty darn good, if a bit dry.  Then we switched amps and let the Monos sing.  

LOL—-NO COMPETITION

That track was 10x more alive, engaging, and tonally satisfying on the Torii.  And I wasn’t the only one in the room who shared that particular opinion….

I can barely keep my eyes open—so I’ll cap off with how the second night ended.  During the last hour of the fest on Saturday, with only a handful of folks remaining, Steve’s internet connection dipped for some unknown reason.  We decided to go inside and with no digital to run either indoor or outdoor, Steve connected his tape Machine to Sarah and left to diagnose the issue.  

To say that I was dumbfounded for the next half hour or so before I left the fest, would be to put it mildly.

And here I thought Steve’s Digital and TT was offering rich resolution, sublime dynamics, and insane realism.  

The Audio Gods figured that I needed yet another education…

Looks good!

Wrecked—Part 1

So much to unpack…where do I even begin?  

Maybe I’ll do this in two parts.  Part 1 is dedicated to the folks who were there.

Steve, DeVon, Sarah, and the Decware family

I hate to sound like a broken record each year, but your hospitality is key in making every fest a memorable one.  This year was no exception.  The highlight of the fest was the minion dance at the tail end of Sunday overlooking a rainbow colored fire on a catchy beat coming from some insanely good speakers.  For folks wondering what the heck I’m talking about—well let’s just say that you had to be there…

Steve—thanks for granting me yet another opportunity to conduct a fireside chat and for being so generous with your knowledge. I learned a lot and I’m hoping it was equally as compelling to the attendees.

Dan: First of all, sorry for not getting to say bye properly last night, but most importantly—- Congrats on getting engaged!!!! So so happy for you guys! I know you’re eagerly awaiting your turn on the list for the Sarah 300B, but you’re also well placed to kill that time with your Torii and 25th Anniversary amps.  Hang on to that feeling of anticipation—-you’ll miss it!

Tom—it was good seeing you (albeit briefly) and getting an update on your rig!  I’m stoked that you’re so happy and content with your system.  That’s the place to be—-to just enjoy music!

Spencer—thanks a lot for taking pictures and recording that clip at the fireside chat—it is always a pleasure to learn about your multiple systems…Oh and if you needed a hand or foot model for your next marketing campaign, hit me up!

Bob—it was a pleasure hanging out with you second fest in a row.  Our rigs are very similar and will be even more, when you get your Fast 15 drivers! Hopefully, we can manage to make CAF work in a couple of weeks—stay strong brother—-from the bad influencers, lol!

Steve—hope you get your Rachael soon even though you talked me out of getting one 2 years ago! It remains one of the best audio recs I have received to date!

John—safe travels back to Indianapolis!  The record you played on Friday was amazing.  Please let me know what album it was.

Randy—the man, the myth, the legend! Your playlists are to die for and contribute to making the festival so compelling each year.  I was a little worried not having you at the shed, but you were doing your magic in the main listening room and not once did I see you sit at the sweet spot—giving it up for the fest attendees and just playing track after track of great music!

Abhishek—it was a pleasure meeting you.  Congrats on starting your tube journey and snagging up the auctioned SE84UFO2 earlier this year—-she is a beauty! Hope to see you more engaged in the forums and soak up knowledge from the members.  I learned a lot from them and still continue to do so.

Steve (with the nice sports jacket) — it was a pleasure getting to know you sir! Found multiple common grounds w.r.t East Coast life and some overlap professionally as well.

Danish Dude with the Awesome beard—Sorry, I didn’t catch your name but it was fun talking about turntables.  It was a discussion I was meaning to have anyways so it was perfect timing!

This list obviously does not cover everyone but hopefully gets the point across—-I loved our respective interaction and I look forward to engaging with you either on the forum or at a future Decfest.

"Jazz Celebration--A Tribute to Carl Jefferson" Concord Records 4 cd set, disc 4

So I finally got the DH Labs Coaxial Digital cable built.  After some research and obtaining the build instructions from DH labs, I opted to not make this a directional cable due to the design of the barrel connector.  The only soldering I had to do was to solder the center pin of the cable to the internal pin of the connector.  

After it was all soldered up, I made the terminations, added the tech flex, and finished it off with heat shrink tubing.  Here’s a few pics of the final product…





Going to give it a listen tonight, but this build saved me $80 bucks on the cable…essentially half off the original price.  

I enjoyed watching the stream, off and on, too Dom.

Steve, what kind of microphones are you using for the stream? It sounded really good!

And thanks for the pics and updates Kamran. I look forward to yours (and anyone else’s) summary of the fest.

Best,

Geno

Didn’t finish watching all the Decfest streams yet, but it looked like a great group of guys and a good time.  I was able to SoundHound a few played tracks that I really enjoyed, and added them to my Qobuz collection.  Looking forward to the post Decfest feedback from the forum members.

Dom

Guttenberg just released his review yesterday: https://youtu.be/Z0GHvuOlTKc?si=DKiIOnqkojd9yH2O

Curious to check it out. Wish he had paired it with one of his decware amps.

So far I am really liking it -- still burning in, but more open and more detailed for sure.

Jon Hendricks “Salud! Joao Gilberto, Originator of the Bossa Nova” Reprise/Muzak Japan lp facsimile cd



A very nice listen. . . the mastering on these Muzak Records reissues from Japan is wonderful.

Glad all are having fun at Decfest!

A cool morning punctuated with the wonderful sound of intermittent owl hoots.

Starting off with

Fort Apache Jazz Band "Pensativo" Milestone cd



Such a great blend of jazz with Latin music touches.

Hope all are enjoying Decfest 2024. My wife and I are traveling through Greece. Just spent 5 days on Paros, now heading for Naxos on the ferry. Opa, Opa.

So far my listening has been limited primarily to downloaded playlists on Qobuz via my Nura Pro IEM's. Excellent SQ given it's via Bluetooth.

HK

Thx mambacfa! I’m flattered! Just passionate about the hobby!

I’m also trying to connect the dots since yours is a new username on the forum.  Feel free to PM me, if you prefer.  

I’m working on my post Decfest summary post, which I guess, is also becoming a bit of a tradition now.

Cheers!

Kamran

My first time attending DECFEST and I'm so glad I did! What a nice bunch of audiophiles with a wonderful sense of community. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, and it boosted my sprits tremendously to be there. Much appreciated!

Kamran was the perfect moderator for this fireside chat. What a natural!  You would think that he does this for a living. I see a second career here...

how to upload images to the internet

Randy .......awesome speakers with beautiful tunes. Decware.  I appreciated your input MC yesterday and today...........this evening... .  

I will catch up on the rest of this thread on Monday.  A lot of baseball and football till then .....my Vikes 8:30 tomorrow.

Contact Information

London Decca Cartridges are sold direct.

Contact us at business@londondecca.com
We have found that there is an unbelievable synergy between the Decware product line and the sound of the Decca cartridge.

Feel free to contact us for information or sales.

Please make sure that you mention that you are a Decware owner. We are here to support you in any way we can.

Cheers,

London Decca Team

Sherman Irby "Full Circle" Blue Note cd

Richie Kamuca/Bill Holman "West Coast Jazz in HiFi" OJC cd

Yeah, I suspect you could have heard these shows from the freeway.

I saw Zeppelin in Chicago in '74. Loudest sounds I've ever heard, period. And I was really close to the stage, off to the left. Saw everything clearly, could have heard everything clearly from the back of the parking lot!

Mrs. CA is out of the house, and I felt like getting loud.



On CD.

It doesn't happen often but when I want to turn it up to 11 this is my go to. It seems like a lot of Zeppelin fans don't know about this album: it is Zep at its absolute best and for me, my desert island rock and roll album, YMMV. It is made from live shows in LA, I would have loved to have been there but I was 11 and my parents said it was past my bedtime.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers "Witch Doctor" Blue Note Japan 85th Anniversary UHQCD

This amp is now sold. Thanks for looking.

Keith Jarrett "Treasure Island" Impulse reissue LP

https://share.icloud.com/photos/048EoN6PolYkSsAuOwOOWU_cg

This clip will be publicly accessible until Nov 4

image uploading site

I really enjoyed this one too, Lon. It’s available on Qobuz in this week’s new releases.

I think it's a fantastic rectifier. Let us know your impressions.

Thanks Lon.  And yes - it went right in.  I think I was thrown off because the guide didn't align with the lettering on the tube.

You do not need an adaptor to use the Aqua II. Just let the guide pin position it and pop it in--will work perfectly with no danger to the amp or tube.

Hi there... I am relatively new to tube rolling with my Rachael.  I've rolled the input and output tubes without incident and recently bought a Sophia 274B Aqua II rectifier.  I noticed that the pin configuration is different than the Decware branded rectifier that I have.  Do I need an adapter to use the 274B?  Just wanted to check.  Thanks!

-- Alan

A box set that I ordered in January 2022 finally has been released and is in hand. Worth the wait? I guess so--it sure is a great release.





"Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision" cd 1

A cool, quiet morning. . . still out there, and a nice dew. Had a nice date night with my wife, to get out of the house last night after a day dealing with installing a new hot water heater. . . .

Starting a listening session with:

Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra
"Fire & Song" Sackville 2 cd set, disc 1

After finding a new favorite baroque keyboard album I went back to an old favorite.



On CD.

Glenn Gould's performances of Bach's English and French Suites are Lutheran Severity at its most delightful.