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Few audio shows are more consistently pleasing than Montreal's well-loved Salon Son et Image, which is now in its second year of management by the Chester Group. Even this morning's snow showers—a bit of a come-down, given the spring-like temperatures I left behind in upstate New York—couldn't dampen my spirits. Another plus: Even though the show began at 11:00am today, it wasn't until well after 1:00pm that I first heard an exhibitor demonstrate a system with Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Tin Pan Alley." Two hours without that well-worn chestnut may be something of a record: Montreal, I salute you…
All of us Stereophile were deeply saddened this morning to learn of the death of Bob Reina, after a brief battle with cancer. Bob was 61. After a stint at The Absolute Sound and cofounding a high-end audio magazine, Sounds Like..., Bob joined Stereophile in 1995 and his first review was of a Creek amplifier. Bob's final review will be of VAC's Signature SE preamplifier in our June issue.
Although Bob could appreciate the sonic virtues of the finest audio gear, he was always excited to discover budget-priced components that delivered better sound quality than they had a right to.
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When it comes to designing and building loudspeakers, I confess immunity to the DIY bug, mostly because I wasn't drawn to woodworking until age 50. (At age 10, my Pinewood Derby car was a simple wedge, requiring only a single saw-cut on a rectangular block of wood—although I felt vindicated when the Triumph TR7 came along.) Had things turned out otherwise, I would be spending all of my time in the room of Solen Acoustics: Salon Son et Image stalwarts who make available nearly every sort of drive-unit known to humankind.
Another SSI stalwart is the indefatigable Bruno DeLornier,…
The first room I visited at SSI 2015 was the one devoted to the Soltanus Acoustics ESL Virtuoso loudspeaker (CAD$10,995/pair). Why did I choose this room? First, their room was right next door to mine, so it was a matter of convenience. And when I saw the sign that said that they were showing a full-range electrostatic loudspeaker—well, given my history with the original Quad and KLH Nine, I was most intrigued.
And this speaker turned out to be one of my "finds" at the show. The sound had that classic electrostatic purity and quickness, but was more dynamic than either of those classic…
One of the characteristics of shows like SSI, where many of the exhibitors are dealers rather than manufacturers or distributors, is that you may get a chance to hear equipment combinations you would never encounter at CES. At SSI 2015, the Totem Earth speakers were combined with McIntosh electronics, to good effect. Another thing that distinguisher these dealer-exhibitors is that you can buy the products on display—something that's strictly forbidden at CES. The Totem Earth has a list price of CAD$9000/pair, but you could have it a "show special" price of CAD$6000/pair.
Two of…
The psychology of shows: Upon exiting an especially pleasant, successful demonstration, one almost expects to be disappointed by the next one down the line. Yet after leaving behind the excellent playback quality and (literally) rare music in the PS Audio room, I was surprised and delighted by the fine sound in the room of Gershman Acoustics—a brand that, for whatever reason, has seldom if ever been a part of my beat.
I've never been wild about "Hotel California," which is one of those chestnuts that's overplayed in both the audiophile and non-audiophile universes—yet the three-way,…
Register to win an Audioengine B2 Bluetooth Speaker (MSRP $299) we are giving away.
According to the company:
Wirelessly stream all your music from any Bluetooth-enabled device. Your computer, iDevice, or Android phone already has Bluetooth, so get more out of your music with the B2 wireless speaker. Experience award-winning Audioengine stereo sound, including a hand-built wood cabinet, Bluetooth aptX and extended wireless range.
The audio quality of most Bluetooth products isn't usually very inspiring and their limited range can be frustrating. The B2 solves…
As mentioned in my earlier report, Sony came to town with more than just a system's worth of ES-series components. As I discovered on Saturday morning, they also brought the new NW-ZX2 ($CAD1199), which is the new big brother—forgive the fraternal illogic of the metaphor—to last year's well-received ZX1. The new Sony, which will be reviewed by Michael Lavorgna in the May issue of Stereophile, offers the same Dynamic Sound Enhancing System as the company's HAP-Z1ES file player, and its amplifier is more powerful than that of the ZX1; perhaps best of all, the ZX2 provides 128GB of built-in…
Montreal dealer Coup de Foudre's exhibit featured the 2012 Stereophile Loudspeaker of the Year Vivid Audio Oval K1 (USD$26,000/pair), in a system featuring Luxman electronics. I've never heard these speakers sound anything less than great, and their sound at SSI 2015 did nothing to change my previous impression. I really liked the red of the demo pair, and asked importer Philip O'Hanlon if it was a popular choice. He said that although the red is much admired, most people end up choosing a different, more conservative, color. I guess I'm not like most people. My Avantgarde Uno Nanos are red,…
Montreal dealer Audioville drew crowds to the St. Pierre ballroom with an impressive system built around B&W 800-series loudspeakers, Conrad-Johnson electronics, and an AudioQuest Dragonfly-equipped Apple MacBook Pro, cloud-streaming CD-quality files from Tidal. Adding to the SRO factor were the workshops conducted by AudioQuest's Steve Silberman, under the title of Computer Audio Explained. (Actually, it was Audio Informatique Appliquée.)
Steve spoke eloquently and entertainingly about all things computer audio, listing his most fervent recommendations (I believe he had just…