In the above video interview on our YouTube channel, Robert Schryer speaks with John DeVore of DeVore Fidelity about the gear shown in the Phonographe room.
First a foreword: When Ken Micallef and I walked into the Phonographe room at Montreal Audiofest 2026, DeVore Fidelity's John DeVore was helming the room—Phonographe is a DeVore dealer—accompanied by Box Furniture's Anthony Abbate, a furniture maker who began as one of John's customers and now builds his company's speaker cabinets in the same building. I thought it was a beautiful story of destiny fulfilled, worth (re-)mentioning.
As for the sound—via both analog and digital formats, through the now-iconic but rarely spotted (in Montreal) DeVore Fidelity 0/93 speakers—it was tonally rich, naturally sweet, tactile, explicit, and holographically transparent, with engaging bass weight and solid imaging. I found the Sugden/DeVore pairing very satisfying, as was its synergy with both front-end sources.
Equipment list (all prices in Canadian dollars): Analog front end: The Wand turntable ($11,390 with tonearm). Amplifier: Sugden Masterclass SPA-4 ($10,425). Preamplifier: Sugden Masterclass LA-4 ($7725; shown above). Digital front end: Wattson Audio Madison LE Streamer, Wattson Audio Madison Power S External Power Supply ($3925). Speakers: DeVore Fidelity 0/93 ($13,995; shown below). Cables: Toneline. Stands: Box Furniture.
