Part 4: Montreal Audiofest 2400 Hallway And Bonaventure Room
A fabulous fusion of audiophile gear.
Montreal Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker

2401   Art et Son, Erikson Consumer, Cord, Spendor And Innous
Aside from the Innuos Zen audiophile-quality music server here at Montreal Audofest 2025, this all-British room delivered the classic British sound with warm, very inviting music — the kind of system for the guy (or family) that isn't interested in spending large for state-of-the-art gear, but rather wants to enjoy their music, whether it's for just an hour or all day long.

Art et Son and Erikson Consumer explained the room very simply with their posted price list for all to see. (Thank you!)

2405   Hegel Canada
Hegel used one of their rooms to display a large portion of their products (if not all) and answer questions people might have, though their signage was very informative by itself. Good show, gentlemen!

2407   Hegel Canada
Their other room was both dark and packed with prospective customers. I frequently see Hegel products on the Canuck Audio Mart which suggests they are a very strong brand in Canada. The speakers might have been Andrew Jones' MoFi speakers in there, which would have also drawn a crowd regardless of amplification. I heard the newest MoFi speaker at AXPONA 2025 audiophile / high-end audio show two weeks after the Montreal show. (That show report is currently in production along with this one.) No one appeared to leave the room after a minute, so I moved along.

2410   Kanto Audio
Back in 1991, I was looking for a speaker comparable to these Kanto Audio models when I stumbled into a high-end audio dealer. The rest is history, as they say. The REN model was the orange one on stands, and the UKI was the green desktop speaker in the middle of the array on the table. Good sound at a great price for people of any age.

2414   Filtronique Son-Or
Sonus Faber speakers are so often heard with McIntosh amps, and Bryston typically shows their own speakers with their amps. It was a real treat to hear this fresh combination. I found the music very inviting, musical, and satisfying, with luscious decay to the notes.

This was the Amati Homage G5 (5th Generation) shown in the dark Graphite finish. The other options are Wenge with white fill in the horizontal ribs, and a violin red. The photo doesn't do the exquisite finish justice, and the finish certainly doesn't complement the wood floor or the wood diffuser in the corner. If you're attracted to this speaker, chances are you already have a fine sense of décor or a favorite interior decorator who will help you out.

If the Amati seems a bit too large for your room or your budget, there is the nearly identical Serafino model just below it that may be a better fit for you.

Speaking of décor, the Bryston electronics are available in numerous finishes to match the components you might already have, or fit with the colors in your room. Heard here were the Bryston BDA-3 DAC (bottom shelf), BP-19 Preamp (to the right of the power amp, and 14B3 (cubed) power amp (top shelf). The rack with black leather-covered shelves with blue-contrast stitching was from Bassocontinuo. An AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner was used, and Audioquest cables from the series des Creature Mythique connected the components. A Naim Audio server was resting atop the Bryston DAC.

---> Next Page.