Part 3: Sensational Sound During The Montreal Audiofest 2025 High-End Audio Show
Exploring the 2300 Hallway here at Montreal Audiofest high-end audio event.
Montreal Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker

2328  The Watershed Group, Vienna Acoustics, Primare, And Qobuz
In this smaller room, The Watershed Group presented a much more modest group that nonetheless had very good sound quality. This isn't the first time that has happened in a room with Vienna Acoustics speakers — the Mozart SE ($10k) in this instance. I noted the fine wood finish of the cabinets, too. The rig was comprised of Primare electronics, Jorma cables, and a more modest Bassocontinuo rack. The Primare PRE35 Prisma preamp included a streamer and it has both single-ended and balanced inputs and single-ended and two balanced outputs. I noted the Qobuz sign on the rack, indicating that David Solomon of Qobuz had been busy at the show.

Here again, the price list points out the benefit of not skimping on cable quality, devoting nearly a quarter of the cost of the system to cabling.

2333  SPL, KEF, And Luna Cables
The KEF Blade Two Meta speakers were playing along the long wall in this small room, which meant the sweet spot consisted of just one chair and I didn't get to sit in it. Regardless, this was a much better sound than I heard from the larger Blade in Toronto last year, probably because of room placement as much as the electronics used. The turntable wasn't being used, so they must have been streaming. On the floor to the left of the SolidSteel rack was an AC distribution box that looked to have the Luna Cables logo burned into the wood.

The SPL Performer m1000 monoblock had a red logo plate attached. The plates come in different colors, as do the faceplates as I recall, so you can mix it up to create a unique look. The KEF Blades are also available in a variety of colors with complementing front driver cones. With a sensitivity of 86dB and an impedance of 4 Ohms (3.2 minimum), you are going to need a strong amp to drive them. The SPL Performer m1000 puts out 750 Watts @ 4 Ohms and 1000 Watts @ 2 Ohms, so this should be more than sufficient. On the bottom shelf appeared to be a large stereo amp. Their gear is scaled down in size but not performance. If it looks a little ‘techy' to you, it's because the long end of the bat provides products for the Pro Audio side of the industry.

2336  Boutique Alpha Audio, JBL, Arcam, AudioQuest, And IsoAcoustics
Boutique Alpha Audio on the west end of Montreal in Pointe-Claire was a new name to me, but I was excited to hear the JBL Classic L100 Mk2 speakers again, this time powered by an Arcam Radia SA35 ($5k) or Radia SA 45 ($7600). The L100 is $6800 and I noticed it had been enhanced with IsoAcoustics footers on the metal stand that comes with the speaker. While it was fun in this modest rig, the L100 can get serious with much more expensive gear, too.

It might be the last component you choose to upgrade on your audiophile journey as it can draw you into rock music, unlike many more expensive brands. That was a Focal Aria Evo X N2 speaker ($6,238) in moss green next to the JBL, a popular color that broke onto the scene last year.

The larger Arcam Radia SA 45 ($7600) with 180 Wpc in Class G, the first 50 Watts in Class A, looks considerably larger than the SA 35 ($5k) because it is supplemented with an IsoAcoustics zaZen shelf on the elegant rack in a cherry finish. And as the sign says, the modest rig was wired with AudioQuest cables. The SA 35 below the SA 45 was a new model, coming out in a couple of months with 120 Wpc in Class G, but with the first 20 Watts in Class A which should be plenty for most home situations. It looks like they have a built-in streamer as I saw data for BB King's The Thrill Is Gone coming from Tidal on the very legible screen as the song played.

---> Next Page.