Winnipeg-based retailer Altitudo’s exhibit rooms are always packed with some of the best gear at the audio show, with demoes that never sound less than musically nourishing. This show was no exception.

The system included three pairs of speakers, of which I was able to hear two: the Audio Physics Avanti ($13,900/pair) and the Audiovector R8 Arrete ($92,000/pair). Both sounded fantastic—colorfully toned, with solid bass, well-sorted soundstages and substantial, vivid images—being driven a Trilogy preamp 914 ($19,000), a pair of Trilogy 994 monoblocks ($16,000 each), and two front-ends, one digital and one analogue.

The digital one consisted of a Matrix Audio TT1 digital audio transport ($2,750) and Fezz Audio Equinox Prestige DAC designed by Lampizator ($4,250), while on the analogue side was a Lab 12 Melto 2 phono preamp ($5,400) and a Takumi TT level 2.1DC turntable ($2,450) with a Miyajima Labs Takumi cartridge ($2,000) (Somewhat confusingly, the first Takumi is a company name; the second is a model made by the company Miyajima Labs.)

Cables were from the Oephi Reference and Cardas Clear Beyond series, while accessories included HRS and CAD ground and noise control, Wireworld Gold Eclipse jumpers, and an ISOL-8 power conditioning Sub Station.

Products I didn’t get a chance to hear were the Hartley Reference speakers ($6,865/pair), an Aesthetix Romulus Eclipse CD Player with DAC ($29,275), a Gold Note A3 Evo II bookshelf speakers ($6,675/pair), a Lab 12 Integre4 Mk2 Toroid Version tube integrated amp ($9,500), and a Trilogy 921 solid state integrated amp ($9500).

Intriguingly, Altitudo’s Leonid, who was hosting the room, mentioned that two big hits with visitors at the show were the Trilogy 921 integrated amp and the Audiovector R8 Arrete speakers.