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Montreal Audio Fest 2017: New Products 2

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 25 March 2017

Considering the local, regional nature of the Montreal Audio Fest, it’s a tribute to the show’s reputation that a number of big hitters take the time to augment the smaller distributors and manufacturers. It’s gratifying to sit at the bar in the Hotel Bonaventure, pecking away at my keyboard, and see within my peripheral vision at least three of the big names in audio. While the trend in shows seems to be going toward manufacturer and distributor support for dealer-based rooms, there’s still enough of a large-scale manufacturer presence to lend an air of authority to shows like the Montreal Audio Fest -- so that means a number of new product introductions. (All prices in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.)

Montreal Audio Fest 2017: New Products 1

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 25 March 2017

The Montreal Audio Fest is three short months after CES, so product debuts here are rather rare. But the Canadian audio scene is quite active, with many local fans and a fair scattering of Quebec- and Ontario-based companies. So it wasn’t surprising that a good number of the new products we could find were from north the border. (All prices in Canadian dollars.)

Montreal Audio Fest 2017: Plurison -- Doing It Right

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 25 March 2017

A good night’s sleep and I’m a whole bunch less pissy this morning. Late yesterday afternoon, after I launched into a snarky tirade about the Wynn Audio room, I wandered into Plurison’s expansive suite and was gobsmacked by a sleek, Matrix-like succession of small, stylish, otherworldly sections. Plurison is Canada’s largest audio distributor.

Montreal Audio Fest 2017: Black Car, White Car

Details: Written by: Jason Thorpe; Category: Features; Created: 24 March 2017

After four hours of sleep, a 5 a.m. departure from Toronto, and a five-hour drive in shitty, snowy conditions, I was not in a patient, receptive state of mind. I usually arrive at the Hotel Bonaventure, site of the Montreal Audio Fest (formerly called Salon Son & Image), later on Thursday night and start meandering around the show on Friday morning, fresh after a nice breakfast and an imperial quart of coffee.

Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit Loudspeaker

Details: Written by: Doug Schneider; Category: Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit Loudspeaker; Created: 24 February 2017

In my write-up about the unveiling of Sonus Faber’s Homage Tradition lineup of speakers, which took place on February 2 in New York City, I described acoustical engineer Paolo Tezzon and industrial designer Livio Cucuzza as being to speaker design what Mick Jagger and Keith Richards or John Lennon and Paul McCartney are to rock ’n’ roll songwriting. There’s definitely a synergy and timelessness with what the Italian speaker-making duo creates.

Sonus Faber Homage Tradition Loudspeakers

Details: Written by: Doug Schneider; Category: Sonus Faber Homage Tradition Loudspeakers; Created: 05 February 2017

When it comes to luxury products -- clothing, cars, furniture, you name it -- the Italians have a sense of style that is unmatched worldwide. Some will consider this a generalization, of course, but if you’ve ever been to Italy, or even seen an Italian film, you’ll know that there’s a uniqueness about them and what they make that helps to define their culture. As a result, it’s not surprising that when the Italian speaker maker Sonus Faber presents new hi-fi products, it has a knack for doing it in ways that leave the rest of the hi-fi world in the dust. The company is based in Vicenza, about an hour or so by car from Venice.

CES 2017 SnapShots!

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 09 January 2017

A random selection of photos from CES 2017. All but one of the photos were taken by Doug Schneider.

CES 2017: Mass-Market Headphones (and More), Part 2

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: Features; Created: 08 January 2017

As I write this, CES 2017 has wrapped up just one hour ago, so I’ll be using this article to cover everything I didn’t get a chance to fit into my other CES 2017 headphone reports. Some of what I’m featuring here isn’t especially “mass market,” but it’s all still worthy of attention, and some of the products are far more technically interesting than your average headphone. All prices in USD.

2016 Products of the Year Awards Presentations

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 08 January 2017

The 2016 Products of the Year award winners were selected from among products reviewed that calendar year in SoundStage! Hi-Fi, SoundStage! Ultra, SoundStage! Xperience, and SoundStage! Access. Only the products that received Reviewers’ Choice awards at review time qualified for selection. On January 1, 2017, Doug Schneider and Jeff Fritz wrote feature articles announcing the 2016 winners on SoundStage! Hi-Fi and SoundStage! Ultra.

Can You Still Build an Entry-Level System for Under $1000 at CES?

Details: Written by: Roger Kanno; Category: CES 2017; Created: 08 January 2017

If you’re an audiophile on a budget reading our show coverage and becoming frustrated by the lack of affordable gear, it may be a function of the fact that there were fewer specialty audio manufacturers at this year’s CES. And as with everything, the prices of audio gear are going up. But if you’re shopping for a truly budget-friendly audio system, there’s still hope -- Emotiva introduced a slew of very affordable products at this year’s CES, including all-new electronics and speakers that you might consider.

CES 2017: Product Coverage Gallery 3

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 08 January 2017

Companies featured in gallery below: Arcam, Chord, Genesis Advanced Technologies, Rockport Technologies, Naim Audio, Avantgarde Acoustic, Bel Canto Design, Furutech, Zanden Audio Systems, Keith Monks, YG Acoustics, VTL, Roksan, Wilson Benesch

CES 2017: The Venue Matters -- and Vegas Sucks

Details: Written by: Jeff Fritz; Category: CES 2017; Created: 08 January 2017

OK, this is CES-related, but it could just as easily be my next monthly “Opinion” on SoundStage! Ultra. I feel the need, however, to expand upon the article I wrote yesterday: “The Graveyard That Was CES 2017.”

What I Would Buy if I Had About $5000 to Spend on a Stereo System

Details: Written by: Roger Kanno; Category: Features; Created: 08 January 2017

The Adante speaker line from ELAC was one of the first things that caught my eye at CES 2017. Although ELAC manufactures some very high-end loudspeakers, its most recent products designed by Andrew Jones, such as the Debut and Uni-Fi speakers, have definitely been more budget-oriented. Jones also designed these latest Adante speakers, and though they’re a step up in price from those models, they still aim to provide high value. The model being demonstrated was the stand-mounted Adante, which retails for $2500 per pair (there were also a floorstander and center-channel, but those were on static display).

CES 2017: Audiophile Headphones and Two Amplifiers

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: CES 2017; Created: 08 January 2017

Even though high-end audio seems to be vanishing from CES, I did find a handful of audiophile-oriented headphones at the 2017 show. It’s worth noting that most of these were on display in the Las Vegas Convention Center, not at the high-end exhibits at the Venetian. Here are the models I found, along with a couple of interesting headphone electronics products I heard. All prices in USD.

CES 2017: Noise-Canceling Headphones

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: Features; Created: 08 January 2017

For frequent flyers like me, the most welcome trend in headphones at CES 2017 was the emergence of many models in the $200 price range combining active noise canceling with Bluetooth wireless capability. Previously, this combination of features typically ran the price up to $400 or more. Here are the new noise-canceling models I saw at CES, with all prices listed in USD.

The Graveyard That Was CES 2017

Details: Written by: Jeff Fritz; Category: Features; Created: 07 January 2017

I'm writing this only because I’m a competitive guy. And because I have a competitive advantage I’d like to exploit. Over our very own Ken Kessler.

Revel and GoldenEar: How to Improve an Already Great Loudspeaker -- Times Two

Details: Written by: Roger Kanno; Category: Features; Created: 07 January 2017

I used to think that some $5000/pr. speakers were the epitome of high-end audio playback at a reasonable cost. At this price you can get some truly outstanding speakers that also represent excellent value for money. Well, we sometimes get set in our ways, and at recent CESes I would often find myself scoffing at speakers that cost more than $5k/pr., thinking that they couldn’t possibly offer the same value as some of those excellent-sounding, less-expensive speakers. But this year I heard a couple of floorstanding speakers that changed my mind.

CES 2017: Product Coverage Gallery 2

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 07 January 2017

Companies featured in gallery below: Crystal Cable, Siltech, Nordost, Musical Fidelity, Music Hall, M2Tech, Rogue Audio, Emotiva, Totem Acoustic, KEF, ELAC, Technics, High Fidelity Cables

CES 2017: Product Coverage Gallery 1

Details: Written by: Administrator; Category: Photos; Created: 06 January 2017

Companies featured in gallery below: Mark Levinson, Revel, Audionet, Kharma, Burmester, Magico, Constellation Audio, Scansonic, Aavik, Philharmonia, GoldenEar Technology, Quad, Simaudio

CES 2017: Cool Earphones

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Category: Features; Created: 06 January 2017

Officially, we’re only one day into CES as of this writing, but already I can spot a clear trend: a renewed focus on earphones. Much of it appears to be because companies want to get in on LG’s surprise success with its Tone line of neckband-style wireless earphones. And some of it seems to be driven by nothing more than a simple striving for better sound at lower prices. Here are some of the most interesting new earphones I’ve seen so far at CES. All prices in USD.

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