Show Reports

Fern & Roby’s Christopher Hildebrand not only brings distinctive turntables and other hi-fi gear to shows like Capital Audiofest (a.k.a. CAF), but you can also count on him to bring along diverse music selections — including, yes, digital options at times, but most especially his choice in LPs.

During my time in Room 304 at CAF 2025, Hildebrand and I got to sample a little bit of both by comparing two versions of a particular track: Phoebe Bridgers’ “Smoke Signals.” At first, “Smoke Signals” was playing from a Grimm Audio MU2 DAC/preamp/streamer as I took a seat. A Network Acoustics Muon Pro streaming system, along with their Tempus Ethernet switch, were also in use for the digital playback session. Bridgers’ soft, somber vocals, complemented by violin and gentle guitar accompaniment, sounded spacious and natural. with delicate details conveyed.

Next, Hildebrand switched over to the analog domain and cued up “Smoke Signals” on vinyl. (It’s the first track on Side A of Bridgers’ September 2017 LP on Dead Oceans, Stranger in the Alps.) Imaging felt more close-up, increasing the gravitas factor. The song also sounded more substantial and richer, though with hints of relative darkness on the stringed instruments’ tones. Both playback options were wonderful in their own respective ways — different sides of the same coin, as it were.

Speaking of the analog domain, the Fern & Roby room was showing a new turntable model — a late-stage prototype that had been introduced back at AXPONA and is now officially known as the Archival Turntable. Unlike Fern & Roby’s other tables, which are belt-driven, this one is a direct-drive model — it is, at heart, a Technics turntable, after all!

What I mean is that the Archival model combines Fern & Roby and Technics turntable elements by integrating a Technics SP-10 turntable and its tonearm into a Fern & Roby plinth made of solid walnut. The black top portion is Richlite, a U.S.-made, acetal material made from paper byproducts. (Fern & Roby notes that it’s also the material used in their own Raven speaker baffles.) The custom Archival turntable ($25,000) is now in production, with at least one significant change — an extra layer in the middle to increase isolation.

“This has the [Technics] SP-10 motor and SME M2-12 tonearm, and then we designed a plinth to support all of it and integrate it,” explained Fern & Roby’s Christopher Hildebrand. “We’re building a new version that actually has more isolation in between the actual motor unit and the plinth. So, it’s going to have an additional layer. There’s going to be a floating dampened support area directly under the motor.” Regarding the integration aspect, he added, “It basically puts us in our sweet spot of being mechanical designers.”

Fern & Roby first connected with Technics about three years ago, Hildebrand continued. “The work with Technics all started because I had a client who had an SP-10 arm, and he asked me to design a plinth for him,” he noted. “I liked it because it gave us a direct drive, and it also allowed us to have a product that would support different 12in arms or multiple arms. So, it taps into a really high-level analog turntable enthusiast.” Soon after, they became a dealer for the Japanese brand’s turntables — a move that also enabled Hildebrand to offer some less expensive Technics tables, as compared to Fern & Roby’s own bespoke high-end models.

Attached to this table’s tonearm was a Soundsmith Paua cartridge ($4,000). Also with the turntable were a Fern & Roby Isolation record weight, along with Technics’ separate power supply and speed controller unit.

Also in the demo system was a Fern & Roby Amp No. 2 integrated amp ($8,500 and up) — with an MM/MC phono preamp onboard — that drove a pair of Fern & Roby Raven II speakers in walnut ($5,950/pr) on Raven stands ($1,650/pr). Designed in collaboration with Michael Bettinger, the old-school-inspired Amp No. 2 uses a Class AB topology, is rated at 25Wpc, deploys JFETs, and bears a solid walnut faceplate.

Hildebrand also runs a Richmond, Virginia-based manufacturing and design company, Tektonics Design Group, that counts some other hi-fi companies — in addition to Fern & Roby — among their clientele. They make chassis for Linear Tube Audio, for but one example.

Part 5 is coming soon!

If you want to check out Ken Micallef’s “Turntables of Capital Audiofest” video, go here.