Luna Cables, Thöress, AudioNec, Wattson Audio
"I could live with a system like this," I thought, as I sat beguiled by what I was hearing and seeing in the room co-hosted by Luna Cables, Thöress, AudioNec, The Wand, and Wattson Audio. At that moment I wasn’t thinking only of the system’s sound quality but also of the artisanal, passionate, old-values aesthetic these companies represent. Certainly those components—those values—were making beautiful music together, music with touch, tactility, air, pure tone, expressive delicacy, vocal purity, solid bass, transparency, and informational fullness.
Moon by Simaudio, Estelon, Cardas Audio
I heard rarefied, potently musical sound (out-of-this-world sound? hehe) in the Moon by Simaudio room.
Motet, PMC, Accuphase, EverSolo, Lumin, Kimber
The room shared by distributor Motet and PMC Speakers showcased a system—actually, two systems, but I only experienced one. This system surprised me, not merely because it delivered a full, big-picture sound but because the source of that sound was not what I initially assumed upon entering.
Passion Audio: Shindo, Wolf von Langa, J.Sikora, Luna Cables, Wattson, HANA, Fezz Audio
Retailer Passion Audio just opened a few months ago on Montreal's South Shore, which is where I live. I couldn't be more pleased about that after listening to the artisinal, gorgeous-sounding, soul-of-the-music-capturing equipment it demoed at the Audiofest.
Planète Haute-Fidélité: MartinLogan, Hegel, Wattson, Stable 33.33, Reed, EMT, Luna Cables, Cardas Audio, Saturn Audio
My memory isn't good to start with, but I could've sworn I heard substantially more bass coming out of the MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A hybrid electrostatic loudspeakers ($23,500/pair) in Planète Haute-Fidélité's room than during any other visit to the retailer's showroom in past years.
SPL, PMC, Luna Cables
The first thing I thought when I spied SPL’s component rack was how nifty its gear looked—neither too large nor too small, with faceplates just the right size to accommodate their features with style.
Studio Economik: Kii, Wattson Audio, Mogami
The first time I heard a pair of standmount Kii Audio Three speakers, a few years back at a Montreal Audiofest, I immediately got them—their sound, their purpose, their futuristic, polished look. I was infatuated by these strange, complex, almost entirely self-sufficient sound-reproduction devices, so unlike anything else I'd seen they may as well have been from outer space.
TAD Laboratories, Synergistic Research, Modulum, Jocavi
TAD was demonstrating a beefy all-TAD system, beefy in looks and sound. The result? As I listened, "An iron fist in a velvet glove" came to mind.