Montreal Audiofest 2025

Hearken Audio’s Dazzling Setup with Jean Nantais, Robyatt Audio, Miyajima, Bastanis, Cinnamon Audio, MasterBuilt, Yeti, HRS, Stein, and 432 EVO
Hearken Audio never fails to put on a demo that sounds very good and looks very good, with products that stray from the norm. Still, this year’s demo sounded particularly good.

The analog front end included a Jean Nantais Reference Garrard 401 turntable ($14,000, not including the Garrard turntable) fitted with two tonearm setups: the Glanz 1200s ($12,375) with a Miyajima Zero mono cartridge ($3420), and the Bird of Prey ($23,750) with a Miyajima Destiny stereo cartridge ($11,120), while digital duties were performed by a Cinnamon Audio Galle DAC ($22,000) fed Qobuz streams from a 432 EVO Aeon music server/streamer ($11,900). Electronics included a Miyajima stereo KSW step-up transformer ($4000), a Robyatt Audio mono SUT ($1450), a Miyajima EC-5 preamp/phono stage ($10,000), and a pair of open-baffle Bastanis Imperial Uno speakers ($85,000), each equipped with a 12" wideband driver and a 15" floor-firing horn woofer. The speakers were bi-amped via an SPL crossover ($3999) using a Miyajima 6B4G power amp ($7200) on the 12" drivers and a Miyajima OTL amp ($26,000) on the woofers. Completing the system was a variety of accessories and cables by Yeti, Stein, HRS, and Bastanis.

That’s a lot of gear, but if “keep it simple, stupid” is a motto to follow in most instances, this one wasn’t one of them, at least not if the ensuing sound this system produced was anything to go by. The sound I heard from this conglomeration of gear, with music sourced from a mono LP, a stereo LP, and a Qobuz stream, was, to quote Lucky, “magically delicious.” Sound like this is hard to describe because usual audiophile terms seem to understate the overall performance. So I’ll say this: imagine sound that is vivid, expressive, direct, articulate, open, vivacious, explicit, and off-the-hook musical, then multiply those qualities by three.

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Gentec International’s Triple Play: WiiM, Klipsch, TEAC, Pro-Ject, and Ultralink
Canadian distributor Gentec International was showcasing three demos. Retailing for less than $3200 total, the first system I heard included a pair of Klipsch RP-8000F II floorstanders ($1298/pair), a Klipsch 10-inch driver–equipped RP-1000SW subwoofer ($1399), and a 60Wpc WiiM Amp streaming D/A integrated amplifier ($449). Gentec used Ultralink cabling in its demos. This system sounded much more open and powerful, and projected a bigger soundstage than I expected. It might be a great entry-level system to awaken the audiophile in young ’uns.

The second system was the room’s big kahuna. Speaking of big kahunas, Roy Delgado Klipsch’s chief designer—and a humble one at that—was on hand to present the global launch of his new three-way, horn-loaded Klipsch AK7 loudspeakers ($27,998/pair). These come equipped with a 15-inch woofer and DSP for phase and time alignment, and are available with an optional Heritage active crossover ($5499) trickled down from the company’s Jubilee model. (On static display was a lone revamped La Scala AL6 speaker, also being launched. Gentec’s intention was to have the La Scala speakers set up to play music, but one of them got busted during transit.) The rest of the system included a 100Wpc WiiM Vibelink integrated amp/high-res DAC ($499), also being launched, and three flagship TEAC products: three dual-mono, class-D AP-701 amplifiers ($3999 each), a UD-701N streaming D/A preamp ($4599), and, not playing when I was there, a VRDS-701 CD player ($3999). The sound on Qobuz-streamed Jimi Hendrix? (God bless Roy’s soul.) Majestic, and as open as a country sky. The sound was transparent, articulate, effortlessly driven, and naturally balanced, with bass that was dynamic, limber, and substantial.

The third demo wasn’t playing music, but it was showing something innovative: Pro-Ject’s Configurator user interface, which allows a customer to custom-design their own Xtension 9 turntable from a choice of 17,280 configurations. Once ordered, delivery is expected in 30 days.

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HIFIPRO Debuts Stable 33.33 with Davis Acoustics, Atoll Electronique, Goldring, Luna Cables, Nordost
This room was my kind of room. It's demo wasn’t exorbitantly priced, and it projected the kind of sound I crave: full-walled, tingling with energy, texturally explicit, reverberatingly rich, and flesh-based physical.

The system consisted of a Stable 33.33 Immuable turntable ($5000)—special launch price of $6500 for both table and arm if ordered by April 25—fitted with a T11 tonearm ($5000), an MC Goldring Eroica LX cartridge ($1199), a pair of Davis Acoustics’ The Stage speakers ($14,999/pair), and a trio of Atoll Electronique products, including a solid-state, 160Wpc IN400 Evolution integrated amp ($9829), an ST200 Signature streamer ($3799), and an MM/MC PH100 phono stage ($749). Cabling was by Luna Cables and Nordost.

I didn’t get a chance to hear the digital front end, but the analog one sounded superb. On the album Somethin’ Else by Cannonball Adderley, the sound was expansive and tall, occupying the whole front wall. Davis’s trumpet was positioned top left, Adderley’s sax top right, while Hank Jones’s piano notes spread out in a colorful array in front of me. Instruments delivered rich harmonics, sensuous tone, and vivid, touchable presence.

Two things: first, this was the second time I’d heard Davis Acoustics speakers, and they wowed me both times. Second, it is my opinion that the Stable 33.33 Immuable turntable/tonearm package is a bargain at $10,000, let alone $6500. I want one, badly.

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Bliss Acoustics Transcends with CSPort, J.Sikora, Etsuro Urushi, AudioNec, Luna Cables, Modulum, Nagra
If you like sound that’s so direct and intimate it feels like you’ve got a close-up view of everything that went into the recording mic—and who doesn’t?—then the Bliss Acoustics system that was demoed could be right up your alley.

Playing when I was there were a CSPort TAT1M2 turntable ($42,950) fitted with a J.Sikora KV9 Max tonearm ($16,450) and an Etsuro Urushi Cobalt cartridge ($6300); a string of CSPort electronics including a C3EQM2B phono stage ($17,000), a C3PR preamp ($25,750), and a 30Wpc, GM70-tube-based GM70PA-C power amp ($30,500); and a pair of 97dB-sensitive, open-baffle AudioNec OBI Max Black Edition speakers ($41,500/pair). Cabling was by Luna Cables and the equipment rack was by Modulum. Also being demoed but taking a break were a J.Sikora Standard Max turntable ($31,500) along with a collection of Nagra gear, including a Classic DAC II ($24,500), Classic PSU ($21,000), Streamer ($6500), and Compact phono stage ($6900).

I heard Louis Armstrong’s trumpet blow with such veracity of tone and textural tactility—and his singing sound so up-close and personal—it felt as if he were performing live for me. When a jazz band played, they sounded transposed into the room. The music was alive, spontaneous, highly descriptive, fresh-paint vivid, and micro-resolved. It was a revelation.

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Royal Fidelity: Bliss Acoustics Unites Nagra, AudioNec, J.Sikora, Etsuro Urushi, Luna Cables, Hemingway, Nordost, CS Port, Modulum & Synergistic Research
The second, larger room hosted by Bliss Acoustics may have demoed the system that came closest to duplicating real‑life soundstage layout, orchestral scale, natural timbre, dynamic range, venue atmosphere, and musician‑in‑the‑room presence of everything I heard at the show—perhaps followed only by Wynn Audio’s room. The sound was replete with texture, color, and sparkling transients. At one point, Jaco Pastorius seemed to play live for us, his bass strings bounding like rope whips.

Partaking in that demo was a quintet of Nagra components: the Reference Anniversary turntable ($232,500) with Reference cartridge ($24,500); the Reference preamplifier ($129,500); a pair of HD AMP monoblocks upgraded to Reference status ($159,000/pair); and an HD PHONO ($115,000). These fed a pair of AudioNec Evo 3 tower speakers ($144,000/pair), while cabling was by Luna Cables, Hemingway Audio, and Nordost, and stands by CS Port and Modulum.

Products not in use during my visit included a Nagra Classic Streamer ($6500)/HD DAC X ($89,500); a J.Sikora Reference turntable ($64,500) with a J.Sikora KV 12 Max tonearm ($20,300) and Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux cartridge ($9635); and a Synergistic Research network switch ($4200).

This system made music fit for a king—complete with a royal price tag.

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Focal & Naim Reimagine High-End Simplicity with the Diva Utopia
The most painstaking part of writing a show report is listing and pricing each demo’s components. It’s a momentum killer: model numbers, brand names, currencies, prices (is it per speaker or per pair?)…they all blur together after a while, which is why the Focal–Naim room report felt like a treat.

The main demo in the Focal–Naim room—there were six demos in total—was the Diva Utopia one, which consisted of a pair of Diva Utopia loudspeakers ($49,999) and...that’s it! There’s nothing else. Thanks for reading, and come again!

Okay, it’s not that simple. The Diva looks like a speaker, but it’s more of a complete system, minus whatever is streaming music into the Diva’s internal DAC, which supports WAV, FLAC, and AIFF up to 24-bit/384kHz, as well as DSD64 and DSD128. The Diva employs a beryllium tweeter and class-A/B amplification (developed by Naim) to drive each driver, and comes in a felt jacket.

Via Qobuz streams, the sound was solid, clean, and impactful, yet it also offered finesse and an introspective quality that revealed the depths of the soundstage and the structure of notes. The Diva may not be for everyone, but it’s for those who want top-notch sound without the usual boxes, wires, and potential incompatibilities. It’s an optimized package that takes the guesswork out of the equation.

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Audiophile Experts: Accuphase, KEF, Revox & Luna Cables Deliver a Soul‑Stirring Finale
Retailer Audiophile Experts’s room offered me the most touching demo of the show. After closing hours on the final day of the ’fest, co‑proprietor—and friend—Stacy gently ushered out the remaining visitors from his showroom. He then turned to me with something personal: an introductory speech written especially for the moment, in which he shared reflections on his audio journey and his relationship with his father. When he finished, he pushed play on a Revox B77 Mk.III reel‑to‑reel machine ($23,999), launching into “In This Bed,” a slow‑burning blues track from the album Legacy by Jimmy D. Lane, son of the legendary Jimmy Rogers.

It didn’t take long for my brain to get out of analytical mode and settle into the music’s soulful groove and sound, as laid down by a pair of KEF Blade One Meta speakers ($43,999/pair), and a core of Accuphase electronics, including a pair of A‑300 monoblocks ($29,999/each), a C‑3900 preamplifier ($37,999), and an eight‑outlet PS‑1250 Power Regenerator, with cabling by Luna Cables. Also demoed—but not in use when I was there—was an Accuphase DP‑570 CD/SACD player ($14,999).

In the moments when I pulled myself out of my reverie to focus on the sound, I noted its seamless tonal balance, solid imaging and center fill, and its completely unforced and organic presentation. The timbre of harmonica, organ, and guitar was raw and real—full of texture, grit, and warmth—accompanied by expansive, lingering decays.

By the end of the track, one thought filled my mind: This is what it’s all about. It was a soul‑stirring, heartwarming conclusion to a wonderful show.

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Previously Posted:

Acora Acoustics / Audio Research: Cardas, Grimm, VPI

Nothing but Bryston

Laliberté Électronique: SVS, Eversolo, AudioQuest

Northstar Audio: Von Schweikert, Network Acoustics, Yeti, Antipodes, Rockna, WestministerLab, REI, MasterBuilt

Lenbrook Americas: DALI, NAD, Kimber Kable