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

2342  ABSOLU, T+A, PrimaLuna, AudioQuest, And SolidSteel
The Absolu Centre HiFi in Brossard, across the river from Montreal featured the Gershman Acoustics 30th Anniversary Grand Avant Garde speakers driven by Prima Luna's top series Evo 400 tube preamp and power amplifiers. A T+A MP 2000 R MKII Multi Source Player seemed to be the source here, playing a live version of Elton John's Benny and the Jets, which was probably not the best choice for evaluating the sound. It fed a PrimaLuna Evo 100 tube DAC.

This speaker has earned many awards and I've heard it play superbly in Gershman's larger room at Montreal in the past. In the small room here the Grand Avant Garde cannot display its greatness. They might better have showcased one of Gershman's fine stand-mounted monitors which are also outstanding. An AudioQuest PowerQuest power conditioner was on the lower left shelf of the SolidSteel rack. Still, it was a very good-sounding room that would have benefited from more space.

2345  Northstar Audio, Master Built, Yeti Acoustics, And WestministerLabs
Northstar Audio, about 45 miles west of Toronto features a select number of outstanding brands and I had an "I've seen this movie, before" experience when I entered their small room. All that was missing was Damon Von Schweikert of Von Schweikert Audio and Steven Norber who helped design the powered woofers in their new Model 30 loudspeaker ($88k). Like the Gersman Acoustics speaker in the previous room, I've heard the Model 30 play superbly in a much larger space, but the Model 30 played just as superbly in this smaller room.

The WestministerLabs REI monoblocks ($55k) are a small, lightweight, cool-running Class A amplifier from China delivering 100 Watts @ 8 Ohms and down to 400 Watts @ 2 Ohms, and a favorite of Von Schweikert for mating with their speakers at shows. Von Schweikert Master Built cables were used throughout, as usual, and likely make a significant contribution. Better photos of the speaker can be seen in my coverage of Capital Audiofest 2024 last November where this configuration earned a Best Rooms Award. There, you will see the larger room and the rear-firing AMT tweeter on the speaker which creates such a spacious soundscape.

The digital front end of the system, streaming Qobuz, included a Network Acoustics Muon Pro Ethernet filter ($2760), a Yeti Acoustic Reference Switch ($3240), and a Rockna Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($38k). The WestministerLabs Quest preamp ($41k) used here is available with optional phono cards ($7k) for DS, mono, and MM/MC cartridges.

2346  CANVAS HiFi And BACCH 3D
The room was dark and nearly empty, save for a TV screen and a video playing. With a curtain pulled back to let in a little light, I could see a large soundbar beneath the TV screen, along with a banner boasting an EISA Award for Best Premium Soundbar, 2024 / 2025. Audiophiles don't usually pay much attention to EISA Awards because they cover such a broad spectrum of electronic products including cameras and mid-fi electronics. The awards typically go to mass-marketed products.

But I have to tell you, even as an audiophile, this soundbar from Denmark sounded very, very good. It is large and has a considerable presence in a lighted room, but the vertical grille seen in the photo will eliminate the technical objections to the visible drivers. Later investigation turned up built-in room correction, BACCH 3D crosstalk cancellation, and an integral TV mount for most flatscreen TVs, all of which suggest further investigation and reading of reviews is necessary This was one of the most fascinating discoveries at the Montreal show this year.

Part 4 Coming Soon
Part 4 will appear next week when I cover the 2400 Hallway and the large Bonaventure room. Keep checking back.

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