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Prices listed in CA$. Like in all the other rooms, the Motet room was playing music when I walked in. I waited to take the seat dead center and when I did, I slipped on my critical listening hat. Right after the song that was playing ended, as luck would have it, the next two…
Prices listed in CA$. Passion Audio’s demo was fronted by Wolf von Langa’s 12639 SON speakers ($27,000/pr). One can already see a lot of this speaker’s potential strengths on the spec sheet. First, its tweeter section is a dipole design which, in my experience, tends to give you more sense of space in the soundstage.…
Prices listed in CA$. Magico and Linn need little introduction to audio aficionado. Both brands are formidable forces in the audio industry, and products from both these companies were being demoed in the Audio by Mark Jones room. Those products were the Magico S3 Mkll speakers (62,000/pr), whose frequency range is rated as 24 Hz…
Prices listed in CA$. At the Montreal Audiofest, there were quite a few rooms with systems costing in the six figures. The system in the Audio Group Denmark / Wynn Audio room wasn’t one of them, despite sounding like it could cost that much. It included a pair of Børresen X6 loudspeakers ($30,000/pr), a 100Wpc Axxess Forté…
Bowers & Wilkins 800 speaker series has a long history, and the D4 is the latest line in that series. According to the company’s own description, its flagship 801 D4 is the most advanced 801 it has ever produced, and its “Signature Series” version ($55,000/pr)—the one demoed at the Audiofest—is an optimized version of it. Driving…
Take a look at the 2024 edition of the Montréal Audiofest and its cutting-edge gear through this photo report by Joseph Greenham of Psyphonyx Audio. Dive deeper into Joseph’s portfolio by exploring his social channels: Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn & Spotify.
Prices listed in CA$. I loved the ArtistCloner room, the simultaneously industrial, psychedelic, and archaic decor, the whimsical outfits of the two hosts, designer / owner Sylvio and his colleague / wife Isabelle. ArtistCloner stood out, not just aesthetically, but sonically. Their room sounded amazing. The sound was warm yet tight. It was colourful, fast,…
Prices listed in CA$ unless otherwise note. When I first heard Audio Physic speakers (the Classic 15) at Audio Element in Pasadena, California, I was immediately impressed. They were featured in PMA Magazine’s “Best Audio Systems For $10,000” series. I couldn’t believe that speakers costing less than US$ 5000/pair could sound so accomplished or have…
Prices listed in CA$ dollars unless otherwise noted. SVS is a company almost exclusively known for its subwoofers. So I was surprised to learn that they also make speakers. Doing its Canadian debut in the Laliberté Électronique room at the Montreal show were the Ohio-based company’s Pinnacle Ultra Evolution speakers (US$ 5000/pr; Canadian price TBD).…
In the days running up to it, from Tuesday to Thursday, the Montréal Audiofest is more of a warehouse scene than an audio one, with boxes and crates scattered around, and all that great gear waiting to take its place on the podiums. Here is a little sneak peak of what the show premises look…
The Toronto Audiofest 2023 had everything you could wish for in an audio show: great gear at all price-points, a communal and jovial atmosphere, overall good to great sound, friendly banter with peers or friends made on the spot, solid visitor traffic but not overcrowded, and plenty of coffee for dudes like me who were…
Prices listed in CA$. If you’re interested in speaker design, chances are you’ve heard the expression: “There’s no replacement for displacement”. Although today’s technology allows for speaker cones to be designed to very tight tolerances, there’s something to be said about the sound of a classic ”vintage” woofer. The sound reproduced by a 15″ diaphragm…
Prices listed in CA$. There are few exhibits at an audio show that immediately elicit a sense of prestigious luxury. Wynn Audio, which has Swarovski-style jewelry cases displaying some of the highest quality audio products, had definitely one of those exhibits. The company had two systems on active demo this year. Wynn of Wynn Audio…
Prices listed in US$. Exhibiting in Canada for the first time at the Toronto Audiofest, importer / distributor Audio Group Denmark showcased the new slim, 2.5-way Børresen Acoustics X2 tower speakers ($8800/pair), which uses the same designed-in-house tweeter membrane as the higher-priced offerings in Børresen’s speaker line. Feeding the Børresen speakers were a 100Wpc Axxess…
Prices in CA$. When it comes to audio companies that offer great price-performance value along with cutting-edge technology and style, very few can do it better than Paradigm and Anthem. This year at the Toronto Audiofest, the two companies partnered up to present two rooms: One for music, which included a relatively minimalist 2.1 system that…