Toronto Audiofest 2018

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Toronto Audiofest 2018
Zesto Audio Leto Ultra Preamplifier, Eros 300 Monoblocks, Andreos Deluxe Phono Stage, and Allasso Step-Up Transformer; Transrotor Apollon TMD Turntable; TriPlanar Tonearm; Benz Micro Cartridge; Opera Callas Diva Loudspeakers; HRS Racks; Cardas Cabling
Jim Austin  |  Oct 18, 2019  | 
The first thing I did at the Toronto Audiofest—after eating breakfast and attending some business meetings—was visit the Zesto Audio room, where I was hosted by Zesto Audio President and designer George Counnas. I was eager to hear the just-announced Leto Ultra vacuum tube preamplifier ($9995 US), which features—wait for it—tone controls.
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Toronto Audiofest 2018
The Final Report from Toronto Audiofest 2018
Robert Deutsch  |  Oct 23, 2018  | 
Borrowing a page from the Montreal show—and, before that, from the shows sponsored by Stereophile—Toronto Audiofest presented some live performances of music. One of the performers was the gifted cellist, Vincent Bélanger—see photo above—familiar to audiophiles from his recordings and appearances at audio shows.
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Toronto Audiofest 2018
Day 2 at Toronto Audiofest 2018
Robert Deutsch  |  Oct 22, 2018  | 
Vince Scalzitti's Tri-Cell Enterprises had five rooms on Level 4 of the Westin, with lots of product introductions. One that caught my eye was a piece of equipment that looked like it was from an airplane used in WW II. Labeled a "Puristic Audio Apparatus," this was the Thöress F2A11 integrated amp ($11,500, all prices in Canadian dollars unless marked otherwise) and is cradled like a baby by Vince in the photo above.
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Toronto Audiofest 2018
Toronto Audiofest Day 1
Robert Deutsch  |  Oct 20, 2018  | 
Perhaps the most unusual speaker at Toronto Audiofest 2018 was Bryston's whimsically-named T-Rex Model T. It's a stacked pair of Model Ts, the top speaker upside down. I was reminded of the Double Advent system popular in the 1970s, but the T-Rex goes well beyond the Double Advent, with substantial bracing joining the speakers, a layer of rubber between them, and Bryston's DAX-1 digital crossover included. The total price is $18,000/pair (unless otherwise noted, all prices in this report are CN$), which represents something of a bargain for all this hardware.
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Toronto Audiofest 2018
Toronto Audiofest 2018 Starts Today
Robert Deutsch  |  Oct 19, 2018  | 
Once upon a time—October, 2011, to be exact—there was a show called TAVES (Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show). Reading my report on the show, and looking at the photo accompanying the first installment of the report fills me with a certain sadness. The photo shows Suave Kajko, Simon Au, Sarah Tremblay (left above), and Michel Plante (right above), whom I described as "a winning team," and, indeed, that show could not be described as anything but a complete success. For several years, the annual TAVES events were on an upward trajectory.

And then something happened.

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