TAVES Consumer Electronics Show 2017 Show Report 
Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show Part 1
TAVES 2017 Show Report By Rick Becker

The Mirvish Hallway
The large Mirvish Hallway directly behind the registration desk was filled with 30 table spaces occupied by somewhat fewer vendors since many took more than a single space. I felt like a kid in a candy shop as I walked by tables with audio gear and vulture bait when I passed tables offering unfamiliar technology.

The first thing to catch my eye was this Zavfino Copperhead turntable with carbon fiber tonearm and thick metal plinth. The inset copper "buttons" were tuning devices I learned in previous shows. Zavfino also offers models with beautiful plinths painted by an airbrush artist that I've seen in previous years. They also make fine cables, some of which are used as OEM cables in tonearms of other manufacturers.

Also on the AuDIYo Inc. table was a display of the Mundorf speaker kit showing the crossover components (Mundorf, of course) and the cabinet pre-finished in a brilliant metal flake blue.

The lovely Lily Hum of Audiyo, Inc. helps a customer with pricing on the full complement of Furutech parts they offer. The table beyond Lily was Japanese Pressing, a company offering LPs from Japan.

Peter Snelgrove of Gerr Audio Distribution, Inc. had a display of Audio Precision test equipment that is commonly used in audio equipment design for those audiophiles who are obsessive about getting their rooms exactly right.

Glen Wagenknecht, a good chap, indeed, is a fellow photojournalist who takes great photos. We frequently encounter each other on the Canadian beat.

There were lots of headphone displays throughout the show. The FiiO display, teamed up with Grado Headphones in M-23 & 24, rather than M-15 & 16 as shown in the Show Guide. That would be Sarah Tremblay's son manning the Grado kiosk. I ran into Sarah, who runs the Montreal show, at several points during the show.

I should have talked to these guys from Alfa Distribution. My Linksys WRT 3200ACM is dropping my internet access repeatedly at random. Grrrrr!

Nate Allen of Kimber Kable was constantly busy with people auditioning the Axios headphone cables. Late in the day I found a window of opportunity and he treated me to a comparison of stock headphone cables with Kimber's Axios-HB mixed silver/copper variety. Definite improvement, but this is a category you should explore using your own cans. Personally, my own Grado 80e and 325e are used for my journalism work and their fixed cables withstand frequent abuse such as being run over by the wheels of my desk chair. Someday I'll graduate to the joy of using headphones to listen to music like so many other people do.

Turning around, across the aisle I found Ken Hotte of Teo Audio (the people who make the famous liquid cables) chatting with Steven Huang at his Audio Sensibility tables where Steven was not only selling his cables, but had his Mundorf-based Statement MA30 monitor on silent display. The first pair of monitors he sent out for review got tangled up with the hurricane down in Florida recently, and had to be shipped back for repair. It's gorgeous, btw, with natural cherry finish and thick anodized aluminum sculpted baffle. While it may seem pretentious to name your first speaker "Statement" it has been in development for two years now.

Steven finally feels confident that it is ready for the Big Time. From what I heard at the Montreal show driven by ANK Audio Kits tube amplification, it's ready for accolades. It is in stock now for an introductory price of $CDN5300 / $US4100. As usual, his wife Jean was tending to the table with used LPs he usually brings with him. As I said at the beginning of this report, the event seemed a lot more social than at the typical hotel-based shows, and here I became so social that I forgot to take a photo of his speaker. Rest assured it looks to be worth every penny.

Moving across the aisle I found Vinh Vu of Gingko Audio, manufacturer of vibration control platforms, dust covers for turntables and ClaraVu loudspeakers which I've heard sound very good at a show some years ago. Vinh also had on hand an updated and improved version of his Arch footers that I had tried in prototype form. Acoustically, they worked very well, and the final product here looks a lot nicer and more durable. Thin ones are for under light components; thick ones with holes for spikes can be used under speakers or heavier components. Vinh was masquerading with Norm Ginsberg as Dana Cable reps, offering up comparisons of stock cables with the upgraded cables offered by Dana Cable. Their Lazuli Reference model has been highly acclaimed. I liked what I heard, but failed to write down which model it was. They were also showing two models of the HiFiMAN HE-1000 headphones that had a luxurious look and comfortable feel.

On the wall behind me were colorful wooden diffuser/absorbers to be hung at the point of first reflection on your side walls, or elsewhere if needed or aesthetics dictate. These are carefully crafted and hand painted by Olga Oreshyna, who was on hand at the display and willing to take custom orders. The 30" x 30" "Meadow" in blue and green seen here was priced at $1600. I noted the multiple layers of paint and hand wiping technique used to create a very painterly look on the textured wood blocks. Her work would look right at home in the prestigious Philips Collection which I saw in High Point, NC, at the furniture show I attended just days after TAVES. It was both contemporary and rustic at the same time — a combination of dominant decorating themes at this time.

HiFiMan and Auris teamed up their famous headphones and high end tube headphone amps on the Asona tables. I can't honestly say I took time for a listen, here, but it sure looks First Class.

I've raved about the Integrity HiFi Tru-Lift devices before and they've appeared in the Holiday Gift Guide we publish, a great way to save wear and tear (or is that wear and snap?) on your phono cartridge. Available in aluminum and brass, they really outdid themselves with this gigantic model for your Triangle Art turntable. If ever this industry were to give out Oscars, this would be the statue.

Remember that prototype bluewave wireless headphone amplifier I showed you at Montreal earlier this year? About the size of a smart phone? Well, Honey, they shrunk the kid! It's now in final form. Called the "Get", and it even has an integrated high quality MEMS microphone so you can answer phone calls when you listen. It also has a play/pause/shuffle button and can adjust the volume. The specs seem very good, and a just over 1 oz. it won't slow you down a bit. What's not to like? Try their website for more info if you're into headphones while working around the home or being mobile at work.

Lots More To Come!
Let's call this a wrap on Part 1. But keep coming back as there is a lot more to come! I have to apologize for the late start to this report, but I had to drive right down to North Carolina to the furniture show for my business after TAVES 2017, but I should be back up to speed, now.

---> TAVES 2017 show report part 2 by Rick Becker.