Earvana

As always, the Earvana room was bustling with activity. A festival within the Audiofest—and Canada’s first and only event dedicated to personal headphone listening—it brought together major audio brands showcasing their latest and greatest headphone-related gear via wall-lined displays. Visitors didn’t just get to see or hear the products, they were encouraged to touch and try them, just as they would at home.

Earvana might be, pound for pound, the most popular feature of the Audiofest. That makes sense: when it comes to bang for your buck, it’s easier to achieve top-tier playback with a headphone setup than with a traditional audiophile system—which is also far less convenient to lug around wherever you want great sound.

Artysan

New Quebec-based manufacturer Artysan helmed a second-floor display demoing the company’s various hand-made cables, each designed using a range of technologies—two of them proprietary—to achieve several goals: dissipating static charges and vibrations; improving conductivity and oxidation resistance; and neutralizing inductive and capacitive residues. All of this is aimed at preserving signal integrity and delivering a more natural, immersive listening experience.

The company’s cables aren’t inexpensive, but neither are they mass-produced. While Artysan sells its products through a dealer network, you can also arrange directly with the company to borrow a cable for an in-home trial. One aspect of Artysan’s sales approach I particularly liked is its upgrade program: if you upgrade your cables within the first year of purchase, you receive 100% of what you paid for the previous model; 75% if you upgrade in the second year; and 50% if you upgrade in the third. For more information about Artysan, click here.

The Beer Tour

For the first time in Audiofest history, this edition featured a beer tour. Sponsored by Ontario-based microbrewer Rorschach Brewing Co., the tour, part of a $100 + tax package that also included an all-weekend Audiofest pass, offered six beer tastings, a small meal, and six tall cans of Rorschach beer to take home. Officially named Pitcher Perfect Pairings, the tour might not keep that name for long if Audiofest organizer Sarah’s lightbulb moment during the event is anything to go by: “The Beer & Gear Tour!” she exclaimed. “I should’ve called it The Beer & Gear Tour!”

Participants were divided into groups that visited six exhibit rooms, each pairing a different Rorschach brew with music played on the host exhibitor’s system. Midway through, we were treated to delicious caramelized-onion-topped hamburgers—washed down with, you guessed it, beer! Beyond the suds and sound, the event was just plain fun: a lively, social moment of bonding with other visitors in a joyful, relaxed atmosphere.

Take that, blood clot!

A week before the Audiofest, Iain Richardson—one of the nicest guys in the biz—suffered a blood clot that, thankfully, didn’t burst but did cause his blood pressure to spike to a level requiring hospitalization. His daughter, Landon, quickly rallied to organize a charity event in the lobby of the show’s venue, with all proceeds from ticket sales going to the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Donating audio products for the cause were Grado, Monitor Audio, and EQ Audio Video.

The Amazing Beatles collection

I know many people who like the Beatles, and a handful who are fanatical about them, but I don’t know anyone who has devoted their life—and put as much effort—into the group as Gerry Dubé has. Over decades, Gerry—a multi-instrumentalist and longtime piano tuner / refurbisher—has amassed what may be the world’s largest Beatles memorabilia collection. Called I Love the Fab Four: A Beatles Art Story, the ever-expanding collection includes a variety of authentic and reproduced Beatles artifacts spanning the band’s career, including gold records, lithographs, photos, instruments, and more.

Gerry has brought his traveling show to recent Montreal and Toronto Audiofests. If you’re a Beatles fan, the Beatles Art Story is a must-see. For more information, click here.

Gala Industry Awards

As with every Canadian Audiofest, this year’s industry gala in Toronto had an award presentation that included the traditional and self-explanatory Lifetime Achievement Award and, more recently added, the Next Wave Award, which honours the influential contributions of younger generations in the industry. This year, the Next Wave Award was presented to Motet Distribution’s Peter Tan and Bonnie Wong for—as noted in the announcement introducing them—their significant investment in the industry, outstanding dealer support, and their company’s continued growth.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to distributor Tri-Cell Enterprises’ Vince Scalzitti, recognized for running one of the most enduringly stable companies in the industry, his constant pursuit of high-quality brands, and his ongoing support of the industry’s marketing ecosystem.

Last but not least, organizer Sarah and her son, Dylan, have a nice surprise in store for us at the next Toronto Audiofest, taking place October 16–18, 2026. While we wait to find out what it is, I invite you to visit the Montreal Audiofest, held March 20–22, 2026—and feel free to say hello!

Until then, may you continue to enjoy ever better audio.

Header image by Joseph Greenham.