Part 7: The Lower Level, Outremont, And St. Laurent Rooms
A symphony of spectacular high-fidelity sound!
Montreal Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker

O6   Audiophile Experts
The system became more complex next door in the Audiophile Experts room. They carry some top brands and run their store about 10 miles east of Montreal in a suburban town. I had to wait in the hall to get into their presentation and listen to a long introduction, but it was worth the wait as I wanted to share with Enjoy the Music.com the sound / music from the new Revox B77 Mk III tape deck as well as get another listen to the KEF Blade One Meta speakers.

I was hoping the fine Accuphase A-300 monoblocks would make the KEF Blades sound better than the last time I heard these speakers. On the bottom shelf of the rack was an Accuphase PS 1250 power conditioner with a big amp-meter on its face. Above it was a C-3900 preamplifier. Above that was a DP-570 Super Audio CD player, and then the Revox tape recorder. It looked like they were using Luna Cables Rouge speaker cables. Danny Labrecque started out modestly, but has progressed up to a seriously expensive Luna Noir series.

The KEF Blade One Meta has evolved with the evolution of the Uni-Q coaxial driver on the front edge, with a 1" aluminum dome tweeter and a 5" aluminum midrange cone. The four opposing woofers on each speaker are positioned to create a point-source location for the sound, but I've heard a lot of other speakers that create a better soundscape without the complexity of this speaker. I love the aesthetics, and the fit and finish are superb. It also comes in some interesting colors. The presentation here was much better than my previous exposure to the Blades, but something was still lacking.

The Analog Productions Ultra Tape reissue of The White Stripes' Elephant ($500 USD) was high resolution with a black background revealing the passion and musical excellence of the recording, but this rock music didn't reach out into the room and punch my chest like I expected it might. Standing up against the back wall, perhaps I was in an acoustical suckout, but I didn't want to occupy a chair as I was not going to stay for the entire presentation. Or maybe The White Stripes need to be played LOUD! Other than that, it was a very fine presentation.

O7   SonUltime
Son Ultime, in the next room, was even more complex, and here, the music reached out into the room and touched me. Not in the way of The White Stripes, but rather, with Taylor's Version of "Shake It Off." Granted, we are listening to Sonus Faber Amati's driven by an ungodly amount of power from the new McIntosh 75th Anniversary MC2.1KW one-channel (monoblock) solid-state amplifiers ($100k USD/pr). It is a three-box solid state amplifier that puts out 2000 Watts — way more than enough for Taylor Swift in your home. The Amati presented music that reached out into the room with transparency and dynamics. I wish they had played something a little more heavyweight, regardless of whether it was classical or rock.

And as if that were not enough, the Amati were supplemented with a pair of REL Reference No. 32 subwoofers with 900 Watts of Class D power in each. I mean, why not? (Aside from the fact that there wasn't any real bass content in Taylor's song.) It was a missed opportunity to hear what the big REL can add to a presentation. Having them switch the subs in and out would have been very illuminating of any bass or ambient room tone in the recording, but that's not the way they were running the show. The black & yellow tape on the floor sends a message. You can't fault the fit and finish of the Sonus Faber Amati or the REL sub. It's world-class.

The McIntosh gear, and reviewed here on Enjoy the Music.com, is world-class! It may not be every audiophile's cup of Kool-Aid, but whether you prefer tubes or solid state, they have plenty to offer, which brings me to the HiFi Rose RS130 Network Transport ($5195 USD, and out of stock) that was streaming the 24-bit/48kHz signal, and the RD160 Absolute True Fidelity DAC ($5295 USD, also out of stock). I'm not into streaming, and I know very little about this gear, but I'm fool enough to ask if this is as good as the rest of the rig. Maybe that it is out of stock answers the question. And if it is from China, maybe it is a moot point.

I had to move on, but I left this very fine-sounding room with important questions. I just couldn't wait around in hopes of more definitive music.

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