Part 1 — 1200 & 1300 Hallways: Montreal Audiofest 2026 Show Tour And Sound Impressions
Exhibitor room and gear reviews, technical observations, and practical notes for serious listeners and music lovers.
Montreal Audiofest Show Report By Rick Becker

This Is Part 1:  1200 And 1300 Hallways

Coming Soon
Part 2:  2300 And 2400 Hallways

Part 3:  Industry Gala Banquet

Part 4:  Lower Level, And Left (St. Laurent / Outremont Rooms)

Part 5:  Lower Level, And Right (Westmount / Montreal Rooms)

Part 6:  Best Rooms And Honorable Mentions

It was an uneventful drive up to the border from Rochester, NY, this year, as I started earlier in the afternoon and the weather was merely grey. Crossing the border on Saturday morning was cordial, and the road into Montreal was dry. For the first time that I can recall, I had to wait in line for an elevator to take me up to the Bonaventure Hotel on the 10th floor. The admission line was orderly, and the Canadiens were patient. Staff and many patrons were sporting bright orange Enjoy the Music.com lanyards. A Press Pass was waiting for me at the last kiosk.

Following my usual protocol, I started on the upper floor, aiming to complete the four hallways on Saturday and descend to the lower level on Sunday. The buildings beyond the pool that were under construction last year looked habitable. Traces of overnight snowfall were not unusual for this time of year.

1204  Audiofillesprésentées par Rega
Having slipped up by missing the Audiofilles room last year, I made sure to delve further into the hallway to the right. In fact, several other sleeping rooms in that direction were included in the show this year.

The effort here was to attract women to the high end and provide a space with a system that was less intimidating than the vast majority of what lay ahead. The attractive women here certainly qualified as cheerleaders for the hobby. Note the requisite Lava lamp and mirrored ball. The smell of fresh-popped popcorn, which permeated the hallway, seemed to draw more men than women, even at this hour of the day. Overall, there was a noticeable number of women, and on Sunday, children at the show.

Some of the guys made themselves right at home in this room designed to look like their actual habitats.

An affordable rig comprised of Rega gear was hardly the center of attention, but it made its point. A Rega turntable and integrated amp on a Canopee rack were driving a KEF loudspeaker.

1208  Devore Fidelity And Phonographe
Devore Fidelity from Brooklyn, NY, and Phonographe, a Canadian distributor based in Montreal, are annual participants at this show, though I didn't see John Devore this year. Anthony Abbate of Box Furniture was hosting the room at the moment. His straightforward wood racks are seen at many shows.

A Wand turntable was inactive at the moment, while a Wattson Audio Madison streamer and power supply were being used. Amplification was from Sudgen, including the black Class A power amp to the right of the rack. The speakers were the Devore 0/93, which sounded very good in this room filled with serious listeners.

1211  mono/stereo
mono/stereo is a new boutique dealer in Montreal founded by Danny Labrecq, who also founded Luna Cables back in 2015. They carry a healthy assortment of very fine lines.

This was the first time I had seen or heard Jean Maurer speakers from Switzerland, as best I can recall. In addition to sounding very good in this room, they feature a developing trend of using protruding, angled drivers on the front baffle. The painted finish was rather industrial-looking, but perfectly balanced with the book-matched wood veneers, giving it an exclusive look.

Riviera amplifiers from Italy are slowly establishing a foothold in North America; the Levante integrated amp with gold knobs is as expensive as it looks, and an all-black anodized finish seen on their website gives their gear a provocative, contemporary appeal. A Pure Fidelity turntable from Canada also looked exquisite in the dark stain on figured veneer. Between the two pieces was a Luna step-up transformer for the low-output Aidas MC cartridge from Lithuania.

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