SSI 2009

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Grant Fidelity is the North American distributor of a range of Chinese-made audio electronics, under various brand names.

Their motto is "Hi-End, not High Priced!" and while one could quibble with their spelling choices—if you're going to use the modern phonetic spelling of "high" then at least be consistent with it—the products are certainly very attractive and seem to represent excellent value. The products bearing the Grant Fidelity brand name involve design input from Canada.

A good example is the A-534 tube integrated amp, pictured here. It puts out 9Wpc, runs in class-A, uses 300Bs, and costs just US$1979. The sample on display had the optional Shuguang Black Bottle 300Bs and 6CA7s, which adds about $700 to the price. The stuff looks beautifully made, and the sound, driving some Chinese-made speakers that looked Italian, was very appealing.