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(All prices are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.)

I seem to hear and read less about electrostatic speakers than I used to. I know they've always been a niche within another niche—audiophile speakers—but I remember the days when a vocal segment of passionate electrostatic devotees swore by the technology and refused to settle for the boxy colorations of your typical boxy speaker. Somehow, along the way, electrostatic speakers have become less visible, in the press as well as at audio shows.

That's a shame. Because whenever I do come across a pair of well-…

When I first saw the big black banner on the wall in importer/distributor Asona's room, which was, despite the chronological order of my postings, actually one of the first rooms I'd visited at the show, inscribed in big bold letters with Innuos across it, I thought: "Hey, Innuos, isn't that the company that makes streaming products? I guess they're exhibiting this year." By the second day of the show, every time I'd enter another room using an Innuos source, I'd be like, "Man! Is this the Montreal Innuos Show, or what?"

I don't mean this as a slight against the show but as an…

GO, KLH! The brand has become one of my coup de coeurs—which loosely translates as "darlings of the heart"—based on the two models I've heard at the show, the Model 3 in the Le Studio du Son room and now the Model 5 ($3750 w/stands) in this room. They sounded good and gave off an underdog-beats-the-odds vibe I find soulfully wholesome: their unassuming retro appearance, simplish design, small size delivering an earful (ear full?) of music. They remind me of the little engine that could, and did, climb that big mountain.

Here's another metaphor that's apt in some ways (and not so…

This year's annual audio-industry cocktail/supper ceremony was held in a ballroom-like room that gave the proceedings a bit of an Oscar-night flair. (Our invitation to Will Smith was rescinded in light of current events.) In what I'm assuming was a first at an audio-industry gathering, a drag queen entertainer was invited to perform on stage—Montreal's Rainbow—who did a skit with show organiser Michel Plante that involved her "translating" Michel's opening speech from French to English. What made it funny is that Rainbow's English is spotty at best, but she gave it a good, inventive whirl…

Two new Coltrane reissues on vinyl, from the partnership of Universal Music and Acoustic Sounds, typify the breadth of this range and the…

Those mesmerizing moments were precipitated not by nature but by spending several previous hours listening intently for differences between three stellar preamplifiers: the solid state Dan D'Agostino Momentum HD ($40,000),…

The power supply unit uses ECC83 and 6080WC tubes, one each, newly manufactured by JJ Electronic.

According to Lars, the Monica, which…

Description: Fully balanced stereo tube line stage preamplifier with mono switch, separate power supply, and app-based remote control. Tube complement: Philips ECG 5687WB (4) in the analog line stage, JJ Electronic ECC83 (1) and Philips ECG 6080WC (1) in the power supply unit. Inputs: 3 pairs balanced (XLR), impedance 40k ohms; 3 pairs single-ended (RCA), impedance 40k ohms. All inputs transformer-coupled. Outputs: 2 pairs balanced (XLR), impedance 75 ohms @1kHz, 400 ohms @20Hz; 2 pair single-ended (RCA), impedance 43 ohms @1kHz, 80 ohms @20Hz. Maximum input…

Digital sources: dCS Rossini DAC and Clock; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Roon Nucleus+ music server, Uptone Audio EtherRegen with AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModules (2) and Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys routers (2), and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 (3) and HDPlex 200 linear power supplies (3); Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Momentum HD, darTZeel NHB-18NS.
Power amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino…

I measured the Engström Monica Mk3 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, checking some of the results with the magazine's top-line APx500. (I made sure that the inputs were set to Stereo, as indicated on the front-panel display.) The volume control appeared to operate in approximate 1.5dB steps at the top of its range and 1dB steps at lower settings. The maximum gain was 4.8dB at the balanced outputs for both the balanced and unbalanced inputs. The gain with the single-ended inputs at the single-ended outputs was –1.2dB, ie, 6dB lower, as specified. With its…