Bonus coverage concludes! Harmonic Audio's demo at Montreal Audiofest 2026—hosted by owner Fabrizio Caprioli, who is also the owner and chef of Barcola Bistro Audio, which is both a fine record shop and fine dining Italian restaurant!—was unconventional.
Held in a narrow passage abutting an escalator, it featured vintage gear, some on static display, and crates of mostly jazz LPs that visitors could browse while a system comprising a turntable, high-efficiency speakers, and single-ended tube amplification played in the background. (Ken Micallef left with a bundle of records, of course.)
But oh, what sound! Despite the less-than-ideal listening conditions—you'll no doubt hear some of the intruding ambience during our interview clip—but I can assure you that it was tactile, immediate, explicit, and effortless.
