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Stereophile will be reporting live from the 2009 Salon Son & Image show in Montreal.
Okay, so I'm outside the hotel, attempting to take a photograph of the show banner, but it's far too dark to capture adequately. After a few failed attempts, I give up, and decide to go for a quick walk. It's not too cold and I'm not too tired, and I may not have another chance at this.
I arrive at the corner of Drummond and Saint-Catherine, and I just get this feeling that I should stop and take inventory. I look left, I look ahead, I look right. On the corner of Drummond and Saint-Catherine, above the Payless shoe store, there is an awful-looking Middle Eastern restaurant…
It is just about as beautiful a day as you can imagine. You can see both the sun and the moon in this clear, blue sky. It is the kind of day that you hope for throughout the cold, winter months.
A crowd of people form a circle near the entrance to the Centre Sheraton, and they smoke and laugh. Inside, on this first day of Salon Son & Image, the atmosphere is quiet and relaxed. The show opened at 9am, at which time many exhibitors were just beginning to set up their rooms, or were still just stretching their legs from a long trip or rubbing their eyes from a long night…
Totem's Vince Bruzzese was happy to tell me about the Wind Design, an enhanced version of the company's flagship floorstander. It uses a "skid plate" decoupling system with a front "claw" which is user-adjustable to complement the phase interactions between the speaker and various associated electronics. Totem strives to create loudspeakers that will mate happily with all sorts of associated equipment, and today they were making music with an Arcam FMJ disc player and Bryston amplification.
Though a matching Tribe III center channel ($2750 CAN) and Storm subwoofer ($1750 CAN)…
Monitor Audio's Sheldon Ginn is very excited about the company's new PL200 loudspeaker ($8000/pair). This attractive floorstander fills the gap between Monitor's PL100 bookshelf and the much bulkier PL300 floorstander, and uses a three-driver configuration with a ribbon tweeter. It's available in ebony, rosewood, and piano black finishes, and boasts a real leather front baffle.
The PL200s were partnered to an all-Simaudio system: Andromeda CD player, P-8 preamplifier, and W-8 power amp. We listened to a bluesy acoustic guitar track called "The Beat Hotel" by a fellow named Allen…
Monitor Audio took advantage of one of the show's larger suites by setting up a home theater system, a two-channel hi-fi, and a static display. Starting from the far right, here we see Monitor's entry-level Bronze series, the Silver series, and the Gold series. The flagship Platinum series, including the new PL200 floorstander, is just outside the frame.
Simaudio's Costa Koulisakis was excited to tell us about the company's new "Reach For The Moon" trade-up program. For up to a year after initial purchase, Simaudio customers interested in moving up the Sim price ladder can receive a 100% refund on their well-maintained gear. After the first year, Sim owners can receive a 75% refund on their used gear. "It's a way to stimulate the economy, while building brand loyalty," he said.
Meanwhile, Simaudio was partnered with Dynaudio loudspeakers, and the duo created a refreshingly room- and wallet-friendly system. I was impressed by…
Dynaudio's Mike Manousselis introduced me to the OCOS (Optimal COnnection System) coaxial, copper speaker cables ($500/3m pair). OCOS insists that a speaker cable should be completely transparent, imposing no sonic signature of its own. Manousselis explained that the cable provides a constant impedance throughout the entire frequency range, so as to stabilize the partnering amplifier, allowing it to "see" the speaker directly.
I like them because they're skinny and not crazy-expensive.
It was a pleasure to finally meet Stereophile forum member, KBK, also known as, Ken Hotte. If you think he looks a little crazy here, you should read his forum posts.