Show Reports

Hello and welcome to Part 2 of my Capital Audiofest show report! Let’s get right to it!

J.SIKORA / COMMAND PERFORMANCE AV
J.Sikora is known for high-end turntables that are not inexpensive. And now, the Polish gearmaker has just launched a high-grade entry point for their lineup: Enter the aptly named Aspire turntable, which made (at least) its domestic debut at CAF 2025 in one of Command Performance AV’s rooms (Room 305).

Like the maker’s other models, J. Sikora’s Aspire turntable is belt-driven, and customers must also select a tonearm to accompany it. The Aspire is available in a standard configuration for $10,595 that includes J.Sikora’s new CF9, a 9in tonearm that sports a unipivot design with a carbon-fiber wand. An alternative arm option is the KV9 tonearm with a wand that’s made of Kevlar instead, and that one goes for $12,800.

The Aspire turntable uses a single DC motor for its 33⅓ and 45rpm playback speeds, which users can fine-tune via buttons on the plinth’s lower-left corner. Users can also adjust VTA and azimuth.

In order to reach its price point, the Aspire uses a combination of aluminum, inox (a.k.a. stainless steel), and cast iron. Other “trickle down” design elements include the same inverted ceramic ball bearing and isolation feet also deployed in J.Sikora’s higher-end models. The Aspire also uses the same Delrin platter as found in the company’s Initial table. The Aspire comes in silver, black, or white finishes.

The “trickling down” of technologies in hi-fi gear (and other) manufacturing is nothing new, but when it’s done properly, it can yield joyous results for customers. Plenty of hi-fi makers have been finding ways to draw in new customers for whom cost is an object — and it appears that J.Sikora has done their due diligence here with what they’ve done with the Aspire table.

The J.Sikora Aspire turntable was shown at CAF 2025 in its standard configuration, along with an Aidas Malachite Silver cartridge ($7,295) in Room 305’s demo system. A suite of Doshi Audio Evolution tubed amplification (phono preamp and line preamp, $23,995 ea; stereo amp, $25,995) powered its signals — and digital music was accessed via an Innuos Stream3 music server/streamer with DAC ($12,600) — as well as a pair of the latest loudspeakers from Joseph Audio.

In short, the Joseph Pulsar2 Graphene speakers ($9,999/pr) sounded huge. The room was crowded, and, from my chair towards the back, I was surprised to see them on stand mounts, because they sounded more like towers. HRS provided the system’s stand/rack, and cables were from Cardas Clear Series.

This delightful demo achieved very pleasing sound on some classics, including an Analogue Productions 2004 mono repress of Thelonious Monk Septet’s 1957 masterpiece Monk’s Music. I noticed the distinctively pleasing reediness of Coleman Hawkins’ tenor sax and, as Jeff Joseph noted, its vibrato on “Ruby, My Dear” (Side 1, Track 3). Instrumental tones seemed spot-on. Art Blakey’s drum rolls were rendered authoritatively. A balanced blend of three-dimensional imaging, bloom, and airiness filled the space.

J.SIKORA – CTD. / DEMOCRACY ROOM
Command Performance AV also held hi-fi court in their other usual CAF space, the larger Democracy Room. Here, Jeff Fox and his colleagues decorated the room and dressed in a retro theme once again. (One of them, Jessie Bentley, is seen all decked out below.)

Last year, CP AV covered the 1980s — this year, they were all over the ’70s by featuring lava lamps, boxes of candy cigarettes, and, of course, classic music of the era: Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall (1979), Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On (1971), Blondie’s Parallel Lines (1978), soundtracks for both Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Super Fly (1972), Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (1977), and The Clash’s London Calling (1979) among the selections at hand.

This Democracy Room setup featured a higher-end J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme 15th anniversary edition turntable with a KV Max 12in tonearm fitted with an Aidas Violet Gold cartridge, whose signal was amplified by a Doshi Evolution phono preamp. (I should also point out that the Max Supreme table is a recipient of the Analog Product of the Year Award for 2025 from our sister site Stereophile, and you can read more about that honor right here.)

Gryphon supplied the balance of the chain’s amplification, leading to a pair of Marten Mingus Quintet 2 Statement speakers. Gaye’s singular vocals on “What’s Going On” (Side 1, Track 1) sounded full, lush, and smooth — the timeless cut as moving and relevant today it as ever was. Command Performance AV also demo’ed a digital-focused system in Room 837 that featured Luxman amplification and source componentry.

Part 3 is coming soon!

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