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Now, don't give me that "audio equipment should have no sound at all, it should be merely faithful to the source." And none of your "it depends on how well the design principles are implemented." Assume it's a forced choice: you have to choose one or the other, and no arguments or requests for clarification.

If you don't like having to make such a choice, or if your answer is "it depends on the mood I'm in. . .sometimes I like a tube sound, and at other times I like more of a solid-state sound" then you have some kindred…

Their motto is "Hi-End, not High Priced!" and while one could quibble with their spelling choices—if you're going to use the modern phonetic spelling of "high" then at least be consistent with it—the products are certainly very attractive and seem to represent excellent value. The products bearing the Grant Fidelity brand name involve design input from Canada.

A good example is the A-534 tube integrated amp, pictured here. It…

The answer this question, you have to think outsize the box—or, in this case, outside the building.

Give up? There's something wrong with the picture in that this is the time of the Montreal show, and it's not snowing! A first! It's raining, however, and if the temperature happens to take an unexpected dip...

To my ears, the system offered an exquisite balance: It exhibited all those audiophile things (imaging and soundstaging and thrilling bandwidth, bass to die for, speed and clarity), while managing to produce the more elusive, intangible emotional pull.

Son-Or-Filtronique's Dany Poulin said the goal here was to prove that "you don't have to…