Or so I thought. Behind the curtain, resting on the windowsill,…
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My story with Wattson Audio began about three years ago. It was my first encounter with a network bridge, at least within the context of our hobby. It happened as I was covering the Montreal Audiofest for Stereophile, in the exhibitor room helmed by Canadian distributor Phonographe, which had perhaps the most minimalist demo at the show. When I entered the room, I saw vintage-looking speakers and a Thöress integrated amplifier—but no source. Where I expected the source to be, against the front wall, there was only a window.
Sidebar 3: Mercy. Mercy. Mercy.
While editing this review, I got sucked in to an investigation of the two albums Rob mentions in this section: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! by the Cannonball Adderley Quintet and Ron Carter's Spanish Blue. That investigation led to a story I think is worth sharing.
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! has an interesting history. The liner notes on the original LP claimed it was recorded live at the Club De Lisa, "one of the swingingest spots in Chicago's South Side." The Club De Lisa was a real place—in fact those liner notes were written by one of the club's…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel streaming network bridge. Input: 100Mb/s Ethernet on RJ45. Outputs: one 75 ohm S/PDIF (RCA) with isolation transformer, 500mV peak– peak; one 110 ohm AES3 with isolation transformer, 2.8V peak–peak. Standards: UPnP/DLNA, AirPlay, Qobuz Connect, Tidal Connect, Roon Ready, Airable internet radio. Plays with Audirvana. Control app: Wattson Music for iOS, Wattson Remote for Android. Supported formats: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA. Supports PCM to 24/192kHz, single-rate DSD natively. Power consumption: 2.5W while playing, 1…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Moon 260D CD transport, iFi iDSD Diablo and Benchmark DAC3 B D/A processors.
Integrated amplifier: Grandinote Shinai.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30i.
Cables: Interconnect: Kimber Kable 1016 (RCA). Speaker: Kimber Kable Monocle-XL (w/banana plugs). Digital: Kimber Kable D60 (RCA S/PDIF). Power: Shunyata Research Black Mamba CX, LessLoss DFPC, DR Acoustics Red Fire Ultra.
Accessories: DR Acoustics Polynice Power Management & Virtual Ground System; SBooster BOTW P&P ECO MKII external 5V power supply; a component…
How did an almost all-Quad system, featuring the brand’s 33 preamplifier with phono stage ($2299) and a pair of 303 power amps ($2299/each) in monoblock configuration driving flagship ESL 2912X speakers ($26,495/pair), sound at Montreal Audiofest 2026? Set up in retailer Codell Audio’s room and fed by a Brinkmann Bardo direct drive turntable ($18,000) equipped with a Supatrak Blackbird 9" unipivot tonearm ($6790) and an Audio Technica AT-ART20 cartridge ($3799), supplemented by two REL S/550 subs ($4550/each), a Saturn Audio 103E MkII power conditioner ($3800), and cabling by Audience—the…
In the above video interview on our YouTube channel, Robert Schryer gets the scoop on all the ArtistCloner, Saturn Audio, Baetis Audio, and Tough Nut Audio gear shown in this room.
This room offered a great matchup of gear. In earlier Montreal Audiofest iterations, ArtistCloner has consistently demoed an all-ArtistCloner setup, including accessories. But at the 2026 show, the company proved it can get sound just as good by including with other brands—specifically Saturn Audio and Baetis Audio. The resulting system combined impactful bass and a vast, airy, deep soundstage…
In the above video interview on our YouTube channel, Heaven 11 Audio’s Itai Azerad discusses the company’s new gear.
This was one of my top rooms at Montreal Audiofest 2026. The Heaven Audio Billie 11 integrated amp ($2995; shown below) and Buchardt Audio E50 standmount speakers stop you at the door—minimalist, sculptural, impossible to ignore.
The sound matched the looks: impactful bass with real authority, whistle-clean highs, and a soundstage far larger than the speakers' footprint suggested. From Billie Eilish to John Coltrane, the system stayed…
IIn our latest video interview from Montreal Audiofest 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with SPL cofounder Hermann Gier about the equipment shown in this room, including the SPL Crossover Mk2 active analog 2-way crossover, SPL Performer s900 amplifier (look for the forthcoming Stereophile review), and SPL Performer s1200 amplifier.
Like the studio-grade pro audio gear company which made its name, the SPL setup at Montreal Audiofest 2026 wasn't built to impress exactly. The SPL setup was something more disciplined—even frequency response, clarity, a consistency that made…