Admission is free and Stereophile's Art Dudley and Robert Schryer will be wandering the Bonaventure's corridors, seeking out superb sound and reporting back on this site.
"Bonne Show!"
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The 2017 Montreal Audio Fest starts tomorrow at its traditional venue, the Hotel Bonaventure Montréal (900 de la Gauchetière Ouest). In its current incarnation, this is the second year for the show after being "rescued" in 2016 by Michel Plante and Sarah Tremblay. Both had been long associated with the Canadian show before it was sold to the Chester Group in 2013.
In 2016, the vinyl information and e-commerce site Discogs.com broke its own most-expensive LP-sale record twice. In March 2016, David Bowie's David Bowie went for $6826. That post-Bowie, death-related purchase was then topped when the next rock star fell. A month later, in April, a copy of Prince's Black Album, the grail of his catalog, went for $15,000. In recent days, however, the record was broken again when a test pressing of cult guitar hero Billy Yeager's 301 Jackson Street, one of just eight ever made, went for $18,000. The condition of the record was unclear from the listing.
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There’s already one good bit of news out of the 2017 Montreal Audio Fest, which begins at 11am today and runs through 5pm on Sunday: reconstruction of the interior of the show’s longstanding venue, the Hotel Bonaventure—a project that was in full, noisy swing during last year’s show—has now been completed, restoring the Bonaventure’s glory in general and its superb bistro/watering hole in particular. It was there that I enjoyed a short pre-show encounter with the audio-industry luminaries pictured above (L–R): Jeff Joseph (Joseph Audio), Doug Schneider (Soundstage.com), Keith Pray (…
The soul of a loudspeaker cannot be exclusively characterized by such unmeasurable, reviewer-friendly declarations as "lush tonality," "gossamer textures," "clear-water transparency," "microdetail," or "pacey dynamic rhythmic expression." Neither can it be fully described by such measurable characteristics as anechoic frequency response, dynamic impedance, or step response. More than anything else, a loudspeaker expresses its full character in how and where it directs the listener's attention. What a loudspeaker emphasizes—what it reveals, what it obscures, what it forces the listener to…
When rear-ported speakers are moved closer to the wall behind them, port plugs made of foam (or old socks) are sometimes necessary. Dynaudio's plug can be used to either fully block the Contour 20's port, or—by removing the center of the plug—merely narrow its aperture. I experimented with the plugs and nearly drove myself crazy. Every time I moved the speakers closer to or farther from the wall, I felt I had to try all three port possibilities: open, narrowed, and plugged. I was in audiophile purgatory.
After four days of anxious struggle, I ended up with the Contours slightly toed in,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, rear-ported, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.1" (28mm) cloth-dome tweeter, 7.1" (180mm) MSP-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.2kHz. Frequency response: 39Hz–23kHz, –3dB. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. IEC power handling: 180W.
Dimensions: 17.3" (440mm) by 8.5" (215mm) by 14.2" (360mm). Weight 34.2 lbs (15.5kg).
Finishes: White Oak Satin, Walnut Light Satin, Grey Oak High Gloss, Rosewood Dark High Gloss, White or Black Lacquer.
Serial number of units reviewed: 391113 & '4.
Price: $5000/…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Palmer 2.5 turntable, Audio Origami PU-7 tonearm, AMG Teatro cartridge; Roksan Series 7 turntable, Nima tonearm; Dynavector DV-20X2L, LP Gear Vessel cartridges.
Digital Sources: Mytek Brooklyn, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs; Hegel Music Systems Mohican CD player; Integra DPS-7.2 DVD-A player.
Phono preamplification: Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III phono preamplifier & Copla MC step-up transformer; Parasound Halo JC 3+, Tavish Design Adagio.
Preamplifier: Pass Labs HPA-1.
Power Amplifiers: Bel Canto Design REF500S, PrimaLuna…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Dynaudio Contour 20's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. I estimated the Dynaudio's voltage sensitivity as 84.2dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is slightly lower than the specified 86dB. On the other hand, while the nominal impedance is specified as 4 ohms, I found that it remained above 4 ohms for most of the audioband (fig.1, solid trace), with a minimum value of 4 ohms at 285Hz. Though there is a combination of 5.2 ohms and –38° capacitive…
What better way to start an audio show than with live music? With that in mind, one hour before the official start of the 2017 Montreal Audio Fest, Canadian distributor Plurison hosted, in their capacious display room, a too-brief performance by cellist Vincent Bélanger and singer-pianist Anne Bisson. They performed a few selections from their new LP Conversions—a project that was sponsored by Lily Luo and cable manufacturer XLO. While listening, I remembered something Steve Guttenberg once said (and I'm paraphrasing): How can one expect playback of a piano recording to sound realistic in a…
As Stereophile's true cub reporter—sorry, Herb Reichert, you're senior staff!—I work in the domestic fields of the high-end audio landscape. Meanwhile, my fellow Stereophile correspondents trot the globe, attending international audio shows, experiencing all the sweet spots offered by such far-flung locales as Munich, Montreal, and Northamptonshire, UK. Am I complaining? Not! But when an audio show of merit invades New York City, still the capital of the civilized world, you can believe I'm there on opening day, pen and pad in hand. The first rooms on my must-visit list usually include Audio…