Part 6: The Lower Level, Montreal, And Westmount Rooms
Robots, high-end audio exhibition rooms, plus audiophile rock 'n' roll.
Montreal Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker

M8   Emotiva Corporation
Emotiva has had confusing presentations in the past, and we here at Enjoy the Music.com notice these things because we report on many high-end luxury audio events globally, but it was well laid out and very understandable this year. Maybe it was the thin crowd at this hour of the day on Sunday that helped. They had a lot of products on silent display, and it was all clearly labeled with model numbers and key features.

At the back of the room on the short wall (which was still pretty wide), they had a stereo rig that rocked hard with plenty of bass. It was well set up and sounded good.

The floorstanding loudspeaker was their Airmotiv XT3, and when I got close enough to see the price tag and realized $2917 CDN was for the pair, I thought this must have been a misprint. If I had heard a speaker like this back in the early 1990s, at this price, I never would have discovered the high end. It would have been like — load it in the car; game over. Except that's not how the game is played with Emotiva. They are a direct-to-consumer brand, so unless you attend the show or know someone who owns a pair, you're not likely to hear them. The customer reviews on the internet are also very positive for this flagship speaker and wonder how they compare to SVS' outstanding loudspeakers.

Here's a look at the Canadian prices for the entire rig. In the U.S., we will be subject to tariffs and possibly even availability, as this product comes from China. Unfortunately, their room was down a short hallway that branched off the main thoroughfare. Many people may not have known they were down at the end of the hall.

Emotiva is also very big into home theater, so immersivephiles take note here! The middle section of the room was curtained off for a surround sound demonstration with the usual video demo clips.

To keep my coverage and photos in order, I returned to the bottom of the escalators before hitting the mid-sized Westmount rooms on the opposite side of the hallway I just covered. Here's the badass end of the McLaren Artura to help you visualize where I'm starting now.

Anne Bisson
Anne Bisson was dutifully at her table, greeting fans and selling CDs and LPs at the foot of the escalator.

Barcola Bistro Audio, Faber's Power GM Phono, Harmonic Audio, And Thoress
Beside the escalator, there was a narrow alcove that many may have missed. I shot this photo from the upper level earlier. It is a smorgasbord of items that typically features some interesting items from manufacturers beyond the mainstream of the high end.

The Lesa MTT6 (Manual Transcription Turntable Sixth) with two tonearms from Harmonic Audio is an example of an intriguing product from a company I've never heard of before. Was this only the sixth turntable they've ever made? I donno.

Likewise, with this Harmonic Audio multi-horn speaker. Thoress, manufacturer of the amp sitting on top of the speaker, is certainly a known manufacturer from Germany. The EHT Integrated Single-Ended Hybrid Triode Stereo amplifier combines a triode front end with a MOSFET power stage delivering 20 Wpc with zero negative feedback. While keen-eyed Enjoy the Music.com fans will notice this unit has a classic or vintage look, I've heard more modern Thoress components perform in Best Rooms quality presentations at Capital Audiofest. It was nice to see even this modest footprint at the show in Montreal.

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