Montréal Audiofest 2024 Show Report
Canada's Montréal Audiofest 2024 Event Coverage

  The Salon Audio Montreal Audiofest 2024, which took place from March 22nd through 24th, brought together over 5000 visitors who desired seeing, touching, and listening to over 300 brands of high-performance audio products all under one roof. As the largest show in Canada, attendees experienced the very best audio/video industry manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in Canada. Within each listening room, exhibitors were elated to share their passion for music with you by demonstrating some of the world's best sound systems from $5000 to $500,000.

Montréal Audiofest is celebrating its 35th edition in 2024 and remains the must-attend event for audiophiles and music lovers. This long-standing event has become a tradition in showcasing the very latest advances in high-technology, high-fidelity audio equipment. More than 300 brands will present their latest innovations from music streamers and high-quality headphones to cables, tweaks, loudspeakers, turntables, and much more!

Saturday Preview! Montréal Audiofest 2024 Show Report
Enjoy an exciting selection of special sneak peek pics!
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
Thanks to Rick Becker, we have a fun selection of photos taken today at the Montreal Audiofest 2024. Rick says, "Today, Saturday, I had trouble getting into a lot of rooms – had to wait for people to leave, or in some cases double back later in the day. The Industry Party tonight was a lot of fun with live music and a Disco theme. Will hit the large rooms on the lower level on Sunday and double back to some smaller rooms on the main floor that I want to see again. Lots of great gear and inviting music. I expect to visit every room though I will only comment in depth on the most interesting ones." Much more coverage coming soon. Check back daily for more!
---> Saturday Preview! Montréal Audiofest 2024 Show Report.

Introduction To Rick Becker's Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report
Hundreds of photos spanning many pages coming soon!
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
As my travels to the Montreal show were wont to do, I awoke with my car covered with snow after a pleasant drive to my secret camping spot near the Canadian border. As I approached the Customs checkpoint I fell in line behind 30 cars and turned my engine off to conserve fuel. Talk about a non-porous border! After 20 minutes a man in uniform came walking down the line, talking with drivers. As it turned out, I was in line with people seeking to emigrate to Canada and he motioned for me to proceed to the far left inspection gate which is normally reserved for people with Express Passes. You don't want to get caught going through the Express Lane without an Express Pass.
---> Introduction To Rick Becker's Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report.

Part 1: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024
Show coverage of the 1200 hallway.
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
I think there were some Denon electronics and Polk speakers in a system here, but I was afraid to stick around to see where this photo shoot was headed. Danny Labrecque of Luna Cables in Eastern Quebec has had his cables in the rooms of other presenters for a long time. In recent years he has taken to hosting his room and they have typically been top-tier presentations. Here, the smallest model of the AudioNec speaker (EVO 1, $29.5k) was sounding pretty spectacular. A taller version of this same design was among the Best Rooms last year. This low-rider presented a low soundstage when standing in the room, but rose almost to ear level when sitting. While its physical design in black and white was eye-catching, its small size was right at home in this sleeping room.
---> Part 1: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024.

Part 2: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024
Let's explore the 1300 hallway.
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
Going from the 1200 hallway to the 1300 one was more of a zig-zag than a simple left turn. The cheat sheet for Brosseau lists a large and a small rig. This was the smaller one with a Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 integrated amplifier ($2k USD) with built-in streaming and room correction. It's the smaller box in the photo above. It features digital and analog inputs and when connected to your Wi-Fi it can access a multitude of streaming services. It also connects directly to your TV vis HDMI to provide quality sound and room correction. The two-channel amplifier puts out 60W @ 8 Ohms, 120W @ 4 Ohms and 30A peak power. One of the analog inputs is for the built-in MM phono stage. At 7.3 lbs., it is not a heavy weight, but a serious unit for people who want serious two-channel sound without all the complexity and cost of a decked-out home theater.
---> Part 2: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024.

Part 3: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024
Investigating the 2300 Hallway at the Montreal audiophile show.
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
After admiring the ducks floating motionlessly as they listened to Terry Riley's Music For Urban Wilderness, I retraced my steps and headed up the stairs to the 2300 hallway. After climbing the stairs there is one room in the hallway to the right which is traditionally a 'must-see / hear' room. The names on the floor plan vary somewhat from year to year but many of the players here carry over year after year. Frank Fazzalari of Coherent Speakers frequently parks himself in the hall outside the door to attract folks who might not know there is this one room in that hallway. After premiering the five-unit tall version of his new speaker in a much larger room at the Toronto show last October where it received a Best Rooms award, Frank chopped it down to just three units for this smaller room. The stack includes a full-range unit with a horn-loaded beryllium tweeter coincidently mounted with a 10" driver on top of two units featuring a 15" woofer.
---> Part 3: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024.

Part 4: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024
Many wonderful surprises within the 2400 Hallway.
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
It was a delight to enter the Erikson Consumer room to find JBL L100 Classic Mk II speakers ($3400 each) playing. They were driven by a rig comprised of JBL components including a streamer, CD player, and integrated amp. It sounded decent with the JBL components, but the components were entry-level to the high end at best and priced in mid-fi territory which is the fertile ground for Erikson Consumer. And I'm glad to see them at the show because they are a solid stepping stone to the higher-priced gear at the show. No shame in that. Even this level was way above my head when I was a young man.

Part 5: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024
The Industry Banquet And Lifetime Achievement Awards
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
During Saturday night here at the Montreal Audiofest 2024, Enjoy the Music.com once again sponsored the banquet and Lifetime Achievement Awards festivities. Below are many fun-filled photos from this once-in-a-lifetime memorable event.
---> Part 5: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024.

Part 6: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024
The Lower Level, Montreal, and Westmount Rooms.
Before heading down to the lower level I revisited the ASONA room to listen to the new Dan Clark E3 closed-back headphones driven by a Pathos headphone amp. It was a very impressive experience – near-flagship performance for $2k USD from a premium headphone manufacturer. The Pathos amp is a very classy amplifier as well. Somewhere on the upper level was a sleeping room with a Cabasse Rialto all-in-one system playing. I had marveled at these speakers with all the system electronics built into them at last year's Axpona show. The display there was not nearly as optimal as in this room in Montreal. They sounded great at AXPONA and were even more spectacular here. Priced at $4k USD, it sounds a lot more expensive and plays a lot deeper in the bass than you would expect with a rear-firing woofer in this diminutive cabinet.
---> Part 6: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024.

Part 7: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024
Time to check out the Lower Level, Outremont, and St. Laurent rooms.
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
To reorient readers and those who have attended the Montreal show this year or in the past, Part 7 covers the rooms off to the right after you descend the escalator to the lower level. The Outremont rooms are generally just a little larger than the Westmont rooms covered in Part 6, so think of them as larger living rooms, but far smaller than the St. Laurent rooms on the opposite side of the hallway. Ahead and off to the right was the Audio Technica display with headphones, entry-level turntables, and phono cartridges. The Aston Martin took me back to 1966 when I lusted after a bright red DB6 in their showroom window bordering Hyde Park in London. The current iteration is much more elegant, but they should have named it the dB12, as it is more understated than its current competition.
---> Part 7: Montreal Audiofest Chronicles 2024.

Montreal Audiofest 2024: Best Rooms And Honorable Mentions
Rick Becker picks his Best Rooms at Montreal Audiofest 2024.
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker
The playing field at audio shows is never level. The room itself can make a huge difference as was notably evident to me this year. And mishaps can happen. A piece of music might be playing that doesn't show off the greatest strengths of a system. After 286 photos and over 17k babbling words, out of 66 rooms it came down to six I thought were outstanding and another nine I could live very happily with... plus another couple if headphones were my destiny. The Best Rooms did not all sound alike, but they were all very impressive in achieving what they set out to do. Hopefully, in attending the show the visitors will have tuned their listening skills a bit further and identified what is realistically achievable for their own listening pleasure.
---> Montreal Audiofest 2024: Best Rooms And Honorable Mentions.

This year marks the 35th edition of their popular annual meeting at the Bonaventure Hotel in Montreal. Located in the heart of downtown Quebec, the recently renovated hotel will once again be transformed into a multitude of listening rooms to accommodate thousands of music lovers and nearly 100 exhibitors, representing more than 300 brands of products from the world of high-fidelity audio. Attendees may engage with sound experts and industry insiders, immersing themselves within mindful music through some of the very finest high-performance audio systems available today.

The Montreal Audiofest 2024 is very proud to showcase The Musical Wine Tour in collaboration with LBV International and Agence Trinque. Here you'll experience a private visit of six luxurious exhibitors, with each group of eight to ten participants accompanied by its sommelier, where you will taste six fine wines to the sound of some of the best audio systems of the show. This is a very unique epicurean moment, with limited space availability and including your show admission adds $125.

The very popular Prohibition Night is a special limited and private visit of six high-end exhibitors. There are planned to have eight to ten participants per group, where you will taste six very fine whiskies to the sound of some of the most appreciated audio systems of the Montreal Audiofest. Pricing for this activity is your show admission plus $115.

Montreal Audiofest will open their exhibition doors on March 24th for an exceptional day dedicated to AudioTeens aged 12 to 17. The Montreal Audiofest warmly invites parents to experience the many joys of music with their teenagers, where admission will be free for the parent accompanying their AudioTeens. Join exhibitors for an immersive experience where the world of audio and music comes to life in a unique and captivating way. Exclusive activities for AudioTeens includes live demonstrations, dedicated space for AudioTeens, and many other very special surprises.

Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors Montréal Audiofest 2024 Exhibitor / Press Party
Enjoy the Music.com, high-performance audio's long-celebrated online publication for 29 years and a leader in providing industry news, high-end audio reviews, and luxury show reports, is pleased to announce for the third year in a row we're sponsoring Montréal Audiofest's Saturday evening Exhibitor / Press Party. We invite exhibitors and members of the press to join us for delectable drinks, marvelous music, and friendly fun! The Salon Audio Montreal Audiofest 2024, scheduled from March 22nd through 24th, will bring together over 5000 visitors who desire to see, touch, and listen to over 300 brands of high-performance audio products all under one roof. As the largest show in Canada, you may experience the very best audio/video industry manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in Canada. Within each listening room, exhibitors are elated to share their passion for music with you by demonstrating some of the world's best sound systems from $5000 to $500,000.
---> Enjoy the Music.com Sponsors Montréal Audiofest 2024 Exhibitor / Press Party.

When
Friday, March 22nd from 11am to 8pm
Saturday, March 23rd from 10am to 6pm
Sunday, March 24th from 10am to 5pm

Where
Hotel Bonaventure Montreal
900 Rue De La Gauchetière O
Montréal, QC H5A 1E4

Currency Value
On March 19, 2024
$1 USD = 1.36 CAD
$1 CAD = $0.74 USD

Previous Salon Audio Montreal / Audiofest Reports
2023, 2022, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, and 1999.