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Threshold is one of the longest-surviving high-end audio companies. Founded in the 1970s by <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/1191pass">Nelson Pass</A> and Ren&#233; Besne, it was acquired by a large, publicly traded corporation in 1988. This had both positive and negative results in that Threshold was then able to expand its activities, adding the cost-effective Fort&#233; line of products, but energies were drained away from cutting-edge design. Besne left the company in 1991, while Pass resigned in 1992 to pursue other interests. (These blossomed into the Pass Aleph 0 amplifier reviewed by DO in March '95, Vol.18 No.3.)

I am led by the sound of intricate rhythms and interesting textures, and I find myself in the <a href="http://www.audio-occasion.qc.ca/">Audio D'Occasion</a> suite, where Radiohead's <i>Amnesiac</i> is ripping into a pair of Thiel CS3.7 floorstanders, sending the speaker's impressive corrugated drivers into a mad dance. I take a seat.

In the <a href="http://www.brosseau.qc.ca/">Brosseau Audio/Video</a> suite, Linn's Adolfo Cano provided a fascinating demonstration playing back Barb Jungr's "Beautiful Life" from a Linn Recordings sample disc.

You get used to hearing expensive over-the-top systems at an audio Show, but the real delight is discovering more affordable set-ups that sound better than you expect. Such was the case when I entered the Bluebird Music room, where the Spendor A6 two-way tower speakers were being demmed with Exposure's 3010S integrated amplifier and an Exposure CD player, wired with van den Hul cable. The total system prices was $7500, and, again playing "The Mooche" from <I>Editor's Choice</I>, I was struck by how seamless the presentation was, with natural tonal qualities, well-defined stereo imaging, and good dynamics, if not quite in the same class as the much more expensive system featuring the Avantgarde horns I had heard just before.

The trend toward smaller, less imposing systems is continued at SSI by Verity Audio, showing their gorgeous Parsifal Ovation Monitor ($9000/pair). While <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/ssi2009/simaudio_reaching_for_the_moon/">Si… and Dynaudio</a> were showing what can be achieved at the lower end of the price scale, Verity, Nagra, and dCS put together a room-friendly system made to slay giants.

Lucien Pichette stands with the Avalon Acoustics Aspect ($8500/pair), introduced at <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2009/aspects_of_avalon/">January's CES</a>. Here in Montreal, the Aspects were creating soul-stirring sound in the <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/ssi2009/coup_de_foudre/">Coup de Foudre</a> room.

This is my first time attending a Montreal hi-fi show, and so it makes sense that I would make some new acquaintances. It is a pleasure to meet Graeme Humphrey and Danny Labrecque of Coup de Foudre, a pretty sweet looking hi-fi shop in Montreal. Here Graeme and Danny assume a sort of pirate-gangster pose. They appear pretty tough, but they're actually quite gentle.