Toronto Audiofest 2019 Show Report
Part 2 By Rick Becker

  Next up was the Zesto room where I was looking forward to seeing the new Leto Ultra preamp ($14k, all prices CAD). On top of the handsome but very expensive HRS stand was a Transrotor Apollon TMD three-motor turntable ($12,395) equipped with a pair of Tri-Planar Mk VII U2 classis 10" tonearms ($7900 each), one with a Benz Micro Gullwing SLR mc cartridge ($3570) and the other with an Ortofon Cadenza Mono mc cartridge ($1280).

Zesto used their Allasso step-up transformer and Andros Deluxe phono stages. A prototype Cardas Clear Beyond phono cable was the stealth item among all the Cardas cables that powered and connected the components.

I asked George Counnas to step out in the hall where I expressed my disappointment about the price of the new Leto Ultra. (When I got around to converting dollars and comparing prices, the Leto Ultra turned out to be only about 40% higher than the Leto 1.5.) George graciously and convincingly ran me down through the upgrades. New upgraded circuitry with new tube configuration, three balanced and three single-ended RCA inputs, new nine button remote that controls everything and new LED indicators that I judged to be visible from about 9' away. But the big changes were a three-position adjustable gain (3, 6, and 9dB) that can be saved on each of the inputs. This allows you to optimize gain for source components with widely differing outputs.

And the second big addition was a six position Presence control that adjusts the balance in the mid to high frequencies, which allows you to compensate for poor recordings or mastering. Could this be the reintroduction of tone controls in High End preamps? Time will tell. All in all, the Leto Ultra is practically a new model, not an upgrade of the Leto. It rests on an entirely higher level and it comes with a 50-hour burn-in of tubes and circuit before it leaves this American factory.

This was an exceptionally fine sounding rig and I need to call out not only the Zesto Eros 300 monoblocks ($27k) but also the Opera Callas Diva speakers ($11,500) in a gorgeous walnut finish. It's been quite a while since I've heard a large Opera speaker and this one deserves a lot more exposure not only for the quality of musical reproduction, but also the high value of Italian craftsmanship. Bravo! And a tip of the hat to Carolyn Counnas who does the industrial design of the Zesto products for her parting smile.

As they've done before, Transrotor, the fine German turntable manufacturer showed a variety of styles with a variety of tonearms, all on silent display. I was particularly captivated by the one shown in close-up and with the new CEO, Dirk Rake, who is the son of the founder. He's got the business in his blood. The table featured here has a very fine-tunable VTA and arm adjustability with the large offset cylinder being the dial for the adjustment. This model is particularly useful for people who frequently swap cartridges and tonearms. (Room 217)

Tri-Cell Enterprises sponsored four rooms in this hall; the Zesto and Transrotor rooms just mentioned and the slightly larger Kent and Ascot rooms. This white tower speaker with the full range driver escapes my memory and notes, but Brinkmann's finest direct drive Taurus turntable equipped with their Pi cartridge of Benz Micro origin did not. Unfortunately, the Brinkmann was gathering dust.

In the Ascot room Tri-Cell presented a pair of Audiovector R 1 stand mounted monitors from Denmark that are available with three different tweeters, two of them AMTs like the one here, and a version with a soft dome. The focus was very crisp as you would expect with such a tweeter, and some might prefer the softer sounding soft dome variation. Every note of Dire Straits' You're So Far Away was clearly heard and plucked a sentimental string in me. The music was coming from the Unico CD player from Italy while the Gold Note turntable, also from Italy and one of my favorite designs, was silent on top of the handsome rack seen here.

Preamp and monoblocks from Alluxity, also from Denmark, were in a gorgeous anodized orange finish. All are balanced modular designs with zero global feedback offering easy upgrades. The monoblocks put out 250 Watts @ 8 Ohms, doubling on down to 1000 Watts @ 2 Ohms. No shortage of clean power was drawn through the Synergistic Research PowerCell 12 UEF conditioner between the monoblocks. (Note that the new Gold Note catalog will be available on their website, hopefully within the month.)

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