Salon Audio Montreal / Audio Fest 2019 Show Report

  Salon Audio Montréal / Audio Fest was celebrating 32 years of producing a wonderful consumer audio event. The Montreal Audio Fest will also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Woodstock Fest during its 2019 edition from March 22nd to 24th at the Bonaventure Hotel, which has just received a refreshing facelift to celebrate its very own 50th.

To help revive this period of Peace & Love that has marked multiple generations worldwide, a "playlist" taken from some of the best albums of 1969 was made available to exhibitors. SHow hosts are hoping to see bell-bottoms, flowers in hair, round glasses and peace & love signs all over the place during this memorable event.

The Montréal Audio Fest hopes to bring more than 5,000 visitors who want to hear, see and touch over 300 brands of high-end audio products under one roof. It's the biggest get-together of audio-video industry manufacturers, distributors and retailers in Canada. Show attendees could meet over a hundred exhibitors, all eager to share their passion for music with you, by demonstrating some of the world's best sound systems from $1000 to $1,000,000.

Salon Audio Montreal / Audio Fest 2019 Show Report

Salon Audio Montreal / Audio Fest 2019 Show Report
Part 1
Show Report By Rick Becker
Bad weather didn't take long to find me this year. I was still 40 miles west of Syracuse when the snow started to fall. By the time I reached Interstate 81 to head north to Canada I was already contemplating turning around. But that's not who I am. Besides, it happens every year, either coming or returning. Adventure always brushes with disaster and this year, like most, it was my own fault.
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Salon Audio Montreal / Audio Fest 2019 Show Report
Part 2
Show Report By Rick Becker
I don't often have an opportunity to hear Magnepan speakers and I was surprised to see how large their 1.7i model was. This $3100/pr speaker was in a modestly priced system that included a Hegel H190 integrated amp with built-in DAC ($4500) and an Innuos Zen Mini mk3 server with 2TB capacity for $1850. Unfortunately, I missed the photo op here but my video notes sounded pretty good.
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Salon Audio Montreal / Audio Fest 2019 Show Report
Part 3
Show Report By Rick Becker
In the Montreal 1 room at the back of the hall was DR Acoustics where I found their Antigone 2.0 power filter ($6995) using quartz crystals along with 4 AWG wire to provide clean power without restriction of dynamics. To emphasize the importance of the last 6' of cable, they ran a power cord into a long orange extension cord. Daniel Robidoux (DR) president of the Montreal based company went into great detail about their extensive cable line which he said is most popular in the Far East.
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Salon Audio Montreal / Audio Fest 2019 Show Report
Special Show Awards!
Show Report By Rick Becker
Enjoy the Music.com photojournalist and reviewer Rick Becker bestows his special Salon Audio Montreal Show Awards to five lucky rooms / products. These are standout items that deserve extra special attention.
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On March 22, 2019
$1 USD = 1.34 CAD
$1 CAD = $0.74 USD

Where
Bonaventure Hotel
900 Rue de la Gauchetière O
Montréal QC H5A 1E4
Canada 

When
Friday March 22nd   11am to 8pm
Saturday March 23rd   10am to 6pm
Sunday March 24th   10am to 5pm

Previous Salon Audio Montreal / Audio Fest Reports
2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, and 1999.