To me, no particular trends stood out at this year's Montreal Audiofest, though I did notice one product category that could represent a trend or the luck of the draw: bookshelf speakers that sound meatier and bigger than they have in the past.
Case in point: the Triangle Duetto 40th Anniversary speakers in the Zebrano finish ($8999/pair), which I heard in the room hosted by Quebec-based electronics retailer Centre Hi-Fi, whose products from its own Absolu collection were being demonstrated.
Upstream components included a Technics SL-1300GPK turntable ($4499) with a Dynavector DV-10XA cartridge ($1100) and an Advance Paris 190Wpc A-I190 integrated amplifier from the upcoming Nova series, which debuted at the show and is expected to be available this June for around $7000. Cabling was by Advance Paris and AudioQuest, and the latter company also contributed a PowerQuest 707 power bar ($1999). (All prices are in Canadian dollars.)
The sonic result, coming from those small speakers, seemed to defy the laws of physics. Yet, there it was: big, meaty—bodacious. Instruments—double bass, strings, piano, guitar—were rendered with spatial definition and tonal density. Bass had rumble, power, and depth. Harmonics were rich and reverberant. Center imaging was rock-solid and rhythm-bounded, and the soundstage reached far into the room.
Also on demo but not playing during my visit: Triangle Cello 40th Anniversary speakers in Golden Oak ($17,999), the Triangle Capella II in Oak ($3999), Advance Paris 130Wpc A-I130 integrated amplifier—also from the upcoming Nova series, and estimated to cost around $6000—and some other integrateds from the current Advance Paris Apex series including the 190Wpc A12 ($4550), the 130Wpc A10 ($3250), and the 76Wpc A8 ($2600).
The sonic result, coming from those small speakers, seemed to defy the laws of physics. Yet, there it was: big, meaty—bodacious. Instruments—double bass, strings, piano, guitar—were rendered with spatial definition and tonal density. Bass had rumble, power, and depth. Harmonics were rich and reverberant. Center imaging was rock-solid and rhythm-bounded, and the soundstage reached far into the room.
Also on demo but not playing during my visit: Triangle Cello 40th Anniversary speakers in Golden Oak ($17,999), the Triangle Capella II in Oak ($3999), Advance Paris 130Wpc A-I130 integrated amplifier—also from the upcoming Nova series, and estimated to cost around $6000—and some other integrateds from the current Advance Paris Apex series including the 190Wpc A12 ($4550), the 130Wpc A10 ($3250), and the 76Wpc A8 ($2600).
