Toronto Audiofest 2023 Show Report
Part 4... The Second Floor Booths And Rooms
Show Report By Rick Becker

ASONA Ltd.
I'm guessing that this is the ASONA headphone table. With Meze and Stax headphones, it was pretty busy each time I passed. That was an expensive Stax headphone driven by a Stax amp that was being auditioned. I had a brief listen to the Stax headphones and their reputation is well deserved.

All That Jazz
While the main traffic at this table was in records, they also sell Neotech cables. They were quite busy during the show, perhaps because they are from Barrie, Ontario, which is not very local to Toronto.

Audiowise Inc.
Daniel Mance was explaining his wares to a vlogger when I first came by so I returned later to get a more complete story. At Montreal, he had a rig set up in a room but was not well prepared to explain what he does. Here in Toronto, set up on a tabletop, he was well prepared to go one-on-one with folks and I was impressed with what he offers.

Daniel manufactures small RF isolation products to galvanically isolate components, and even keep them off the grid. The small boxes are in the hundreds of dollars, not thousands, and the generic fiber optic cables are relatively very affordable and work over long distances without degradation. One of his configurations involving a battery-powered Chord Mojo is diagramed and explained on his website. A second, larger configuration used a car battery with an AC inverter and a Chord Dave DAC. Galvanically isolating a digital source is said to allow significant improvement in sound quality It's beyond the scope of this show report to delve into it, but I expect some media outlet will pick it up for review.

In a different vein, Dan was also giving away samples of Stabilant 22, a product made in Markham, Ontario, that has been around since the 1970s. It is used in computers to prevent electrical discontinuity and in aircraft and automotive maintenance. It is used in any kind of friction or pressure connection such as unbalanced RCA or balanced XLR connections. It is a liquid semiconductor with isopropyl alcohol and a patented magic substance that fills the microscopic pores in these contact points, reducing the impact of micro-vibrations. While footers work by reducing the vibrations within a chassis, the Stabilant performs a similar task directly on the signal path. It works best when you apply it on a system where you set it and forget it for months or years. As a reviewer, I've tried similar products, but with all the unplugging and reconnecting I do, I often wonder how long it lasts. I took a vial and will try it on some interconnects I rarely disturb.

Hotel Sleeping Rooms
In a hallway running behind the Audio Sensibility booth on the side of the Atrium with the elevators was a short hallway with additional sleeping rooms.

Room 227  PSB Speaker
Seen and heard here were PSB Alpha IQ wireless active monitors in white with BluOS, and a 4" driver ($1699). With it was the NAD C389 BluOS integrated amp with 130 Wpc in a hybrid digital design with MDC2 BluOS-D installed. ($2599).

PSB has also gone the color route to appeal to younger folks.

Room 223  Le Studio du Son And Tough Nut
Le Studio du Son is a retailer in Montreal that specializes in more entry-level gear and home theater. The speakers were XTZ, a brand they are importing from Sweden, priced at $6500, but offered at a generous Show Special. Other well-known brands they carry are NAD, PSB, and Aperion.

The black box seen above was from XTZ, but it was the shelf itself that intrigued me. I later learned it was from a new company called Tough Nut when I met the owner and craftsman, Derrick Francis at the Industry dinner.

Seen above was a sound reflector/absorber with two inserts below illustrating the different damping materials used.

The cutaway Derrick showed me on a return visit illustrated not only the various damping materials but also the excellent workmanship — this opinion came from my previous career in the home furnishings industry. The shelf above was a special shelf designed for turntables or other front ends, but the entire rack was also by Tough Nut, selling in the $5000 range. They also make amp stands with the same technology. Other manufacturers came by and admired this work so I would expect to see it in more rooms at the Montreal show in the spring.

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