Triode Wire Labs at the 2025 Capital AudioFest!

[Nick B]

Here's Stereophile's Ken Micallef interviewing Gary Dews on his new ZOLA DAC!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38pjn3E8eOY

Cheers,
Pete

TY 👍

[Triode Pete]

Here's the written Stereophile report by Ken Micallef... https://www.stereophile.com/content/borderpatrol-and-triode-wire-labs-feature-new-zola-dac-and-living-voice-speakers

BorderPatrol and Triode Wire Labs feature New Zola DAC and Living Voice speakers
Ken Micallef  Nov 20, 2025



Gary Dews of BorderPatrol Audio Electronics and Pete Grzybowski of Triode Wire Labs are old hands at audio shows, yet they bring the zeal of energetic newbie pups. Then again, there's nothing "newbie" about Dews's new BorderPatrol Zola DAC ($3950).

"The Zola DAC features the vintage Analog Devices AD1865 R-2R chip (often called the analog chip)[footnote 1], operating in non-oversampling, no digital filtering (NOS) mode," states the website. The AD1865 was discontinued in 2009, but it's still widely used, for example, in some Audio Note DACs. "The DAC features a tube output stage that uses a 5687 double triode," Border Patrol continues on their webpage. "The DAC has fully independent power supplies to the digital and analog sections. Both supplies feature tube rectification. The high-voltage tube supply uses choke input filtering. The casework, other than the aluminum faceplate, is made from copper. It has inputs for USB, coaxial S/PDIF and TosLink. A BNC S/PDIF input is also provided. The DAC will replay files up to 32-bit/384kHz via USB, 24-bit/192kHz via coaxial S/PDIF/BNC and 24-bit/96kHz via TosLink."



Beyond the DAC, the system included a BorderPatrol S20EXD 16Wpc parallel single-ended 300B tube power amplifier ($22,500) and a pair of Living Voice R80 OBX loudspeakers ($56,300/pair).
Grzybowski's Triode Wire Labs cables included a Freedom ethernet cable with Telegärtner RJ-45 connectors ($249 each), Spirit II RCA interconnects, with hybrid material design utilizing Ohno Continuous Cast 7N copper ($399/pair), American biwire speaker cables with TWL jumpers terminated with premium Cardas CAB bananas ($1099/pair), The Obsession NCF audiophile power cord with Furutech FI-50 NCF connectors ($1499 each), High Power Digital American II power cords ($749 each), and Digital American II power cords ($549 each).



For years I've covered Gary and Pete's rooms with Greg Roberts's Volti Audio loudspeakers. Their electronics sounds just as good with the British-made Living Voice loudspeakers. The solo bass of Kham Meslien's album Ta Confiance fired with natural drive; the massed strings of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in c, "Resurrection," conducted by Otto Klemperer, held together beautifully even when volume hit peak levels; the acoustic folk of Dave's True Story's "Like a Rock" provided toe-tappin' goodness within a wide soundstage, pure tone, and accurate fake handclaps. Well done, maestros Dews and Grzybowski.

Footnote 1: It is not the only "analog chip," however. Another discontinued R-2R chip—the Philips TDA1543—is also popular among designers of a certain sort of D/A processor. Computer Audio Design—CAD for short—uses 16 of them in parallel and even named its DAC after the Philips chip: In its current iteration, it's the CAD 1543 Mk.III—Jim Austin

Thanks, Ken!

Cheers,
Pete

[Triode Pete]

Here's Kim Micallef's Stereophile report on the Volti - Triode Wire Labs room... https://www.stereophile.com/content/volti-audios-revised-vittora-wiim-ultra-cary-sli-80-mojo-mystique-z-triode-wire-labs

Volti Audio's revised Vittora with WiiM Ultra, Cary SLI-80, Mojo Mystique Z, Triode Wire Labs
Ken Micallef Dec 02, 2025



My fondness for Greg Roberts's Volti Audio loudspeakers has been documented in reviews of the company's Rival and Lucera speakers.



Roberts's CAF room sounded excellent. His system included a WiiM Ultra configured in bit-perfect mode as a dedicated music server with a Teddy Pardo Audio external power supply ($945); a Mojo Audio Mystique Z DAC ($11,000); and a Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated amplifier ($5495) driving a pair of newly revised Volti Audio Vittora loudspeakers ($50,000/pair). Cabling was from Triode Wire Labs.



The Vittora is a three-way, fully horn-loaded design with 105dB sensitivity and power handling from a tenth of a watt to 100 watts. This pair was finished in African padauk with clear lacquer.

Thanks, Ken!

[Nick B]

Here's Kim Micallef's Stereophile report on the Volti - Triode Wire Labs room... https://www.stereophile.com/content/volti-audios-revised-vittora-wiim-ultra-cary-sli-80-mojo-mystique-z-triode-wire-labs

Volti Audio's revised Vittora with WiiM Ultra, Cary SLI-80, Mojo Mystique Z, Triode Wire Labs
Ken Micallef Dec 02, 2025



My fondness for Greg Roberts's Volti Audio loudspeakers has been documented in reviews of the company's Rival and Lucera speakers.



Roberts's CAF room sounded excellent. His system included a WiiM Ultra configured in bit-perfect mode as a dedicated music server with a Teddy Pardo Audio external power supply ($945); a Mojo Audio Mystique Z DAC ($11,000); and a Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated amplifier ($5495) driving a pair of newly revised Volti Audio Vittora loudspeakers ($50,000/pair). Cabling was from Triode Wire Labs.



The Vittora is a three-way, fully horn-loaded design with 105dB sensitivity and power handling from a tenth of a watt to 100 watts. This pair was finished in African padauk with clear lacquer.

Thanks, Ken!

Thanks for posting, Pete. I love the look of those speakers.

[P.I.]

Here's Kim Micallef's Stereophile report on the Volti - Triode Wire Labs room... https://www.stereophile.com/content/volti-audios-revised-vittora-wiim-ultra-cary-sli-80-mojo-mystique-z-triode-wire-labs

Volti Audio's revised Vittora with WiiM Ultra, Cary SLI-80, Mojo Mystique Z, Triode Wire Labs
Ken Micallef Dec 02, 2025



My fondness for Greg Roberts's Volti Audio loudspeakers has been documented in reviews of the company's Rival and Lucera speakers.



Roberts's CAF room sounded excellent. His system included a WiiM Ultra configured in bit-perfect mode as a dedicated music server with a Teddy Pardo Audio external power supply ($945); a Mojo Audio Mystique Z DAC ($11,000); and a Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated amplifier ($5495) driving a pair of newly revised Volti Audio Vittora loudspeakers ($50,000/pair). Cabling was from Triode Wire Labs.



The Vittora is a three-way, fully horn-loaded design with 105dB sensitivity and power handling from a tenth of a watt to 100 watts. This pair was finished in African padauk with clear lacquer.

Thanks, Ken!

Thanks for posting, Pete. I love the look of those speakers.

You should hear them!   

[Nick B]

Here's Kim Micallef's Stereophile report on the Volti - Triode Wire Labs room... https://www.stereophile.com/content/volti-audios-revised-vittora-wiim-ultra-cary-sli-80-mojo-mystique-z-triode-wire-labs

Volti Audio's revised Vittora with WiiM Ultra, Cary SLI-80, Mojo Mystique Z, Triode Wire Labs
Ken Micallef Dec 02, 2025



My fondness for Greg Roberts's Volti Audio loudspeakers has been documented in reviews of the company's Rival and Lucera speakers.



Roberts's CAF room sounded excellent. His system included a WiiM Ultra configured in bit-perfect mode as a dedicated music server with a Teddy Pardo Audio external power supply ($945); a Mojo Audio Mystique Z DAC ($11,000); and a Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated amplifier ($5495) driving a pair of newly revised Volti Audio Vittora loudspeakers ($50,000/pair). Cabling was from Triode Wire Labs.



The Vittora is a three-way, fully horn-loaded design with 105dB sensitivity and power handling from a tenth of a watt to 100 watts. This pair was finished in African padauk with clear lacquer.

Thanks, Ken!

Thanks for posting, Pete. I love the look of those speakers.

You should hear them!   

I definitely want to! I need to get out more! Things have settled down, so shows in Texas and so. California are doable nowadays.

[P.I.]

Here's Kim Micallef's Stereophile report on the Volti - Triode Wire Labs room... https://www.stereophile.com/content/volti-audios-revised-vittora-wiim-ultra-cary-sli-80-mojo-mystique-z-triode-wire-labs

Volti Audio's revised Vittora with WiiM Ultra, Cary SLI-80, Mojo Mystique Z, Triode Wire Labs
Ken Micallef Dec 02, 2025



My fondness for Greg Roberts's Volti Audio loudspeakers has been documented in reviews of the company's Rival and Lucera speakers.



Roberts's CAF room sounded excellent. His system included a WiiM Ultra configured in bit-perfect mode as a dedicated music server with a Teddy Pardo Audio external power supply ($945); a Mojo Audio Mystique Z DAC ($11,000); and a Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated amplifier ($5495) driving a pair of newly revised Volti Audio Vittora loudspeakers ($50,000/pair). Cabling was from Triode Wire Labs.



The Vittora is a three-way, fully horn-loaded design with 105dB sensitivity and power handling from a tenth of a watt to 100 watts. This pair was finished in African padauk with clear lacquer.

Thanks, Ken!

Thanks for posting, Pete. I love the look of those speakers.

You should hear them!   

I definitely want to! I need to get out more! Things have settled down, so shows in Texas and so. California are doable nowadays.

😁

[Triode Pete]

Some additional feedback from Frank Doris of Copper Magazine... https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/capital-audiofest-2025-must-see-stereo-part-one?srsltid=AfmBOopqr9MlPBIF2Q60H5itWg0eL5tdEw-sFeWD1oeYJ5PDj5PTrhCb



Why do people like tubes? All you had to do was go to the Border Patrol Audio room to find out. The piano song they were playing sounded beautiful, as did the old Boz Scaggs audiophile standard, "Thanks to You." The Border Patrol gear looked gorgeous also, with its wood cabinetry an elegant alternative to the usual aluminum and black. It included the debut of the ZOLA DAC, featuring a 5687 triode tube output stage with no oversampling or digital filtering (from $3,950), and the S20EXD 300B tube-based power amp (from $22,500 depending on 300B tube options). The 2-way, high-sensitivity Living Voice R80 OBX speakers ($65,000/pair in the glossy ebony finish on display) were the perfect complement, as were the Triode Wire Labs cables and Innuos music server. An outstanding music-making setup.

Thanks Frank!

Cheers,
Pete

[Nick B]

Some additional feedback from Frank Doris of Copper Magazine... https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/capital-audiofest-2025-must-see-stereo-part-one?srsltid=AfmBOopqr9MlPBIF2Q60H5itWg0eL5tdEw-sFeWD1oeYJ5PDj5PTrhCb



Why do people like tubes? All you had to do was go to the Border Patrol Audio room to find out. The piano song they were playing sounded beautiful, as did the old Boz Scaggs audiophile standard, "Thanks to You." The Border Patrol gear looked gorgeous also, with its wood cabinetry an elegant alternative to the usual aluminum and black. It included the debut of the ZOLA DAC, featuring a 5687 triode tube output stage with no oversampling or digital filtering (from $3,950), and the S20EXD 300B tube-based power amp (from $22,500 depending on 300B tube options). The 2-way, high-sensitivity Living Voice R80 OBX speakers ($65,000/pair in the glossy ebony finish on display) were the perfect complement, as were the Triode Wire Labs cables and Innuos music server. An outstanding music-making setup.

Thanks Frank!

Cheers,
Pete

Thanks for posting and including a very nice summary on CAF by Frank Doris. That is a crazy amount of rooms at CAF.

Pete, I am curious how far to the west you go to demo at shows?