Second Floor: Toronto Audiofest 2024 Show Report
Savoring the fantastic sound systems on the second floor.
Toronto Audiofest 2024 Show Report By Rick Becker

Bristol B Motet Distribution
Motet put on a nice show with Accuphase electronics driving the large PS Audio Aspen FR 30 loudspeakers ($30k USD). I've preferred the Accuphase with PSA speakers before so the good sound here was not a surprise. These guys are certainly big though, and deep.

The back side of the speaker shows the jumpers that connect the upper module from the bass unit, and the knobs for Proximity (midrange) and Rear Tweeter Level, which controls the sense of spatiality in the room. I've experienced the rear-firing tweeter concept in Von Schweikert speakers in days of olde and it is a very cool feature which allows you to create a holistic soundstage without resorting to an open baffle speaker.

A Lumin P1 streamer / DAC / preamp ($13,500 – back to CAD, now) was the front end playing ABBA which is not a favorite group of mine. Besides it was the Accuphase C2300 preamp ($8k). On the lower shelf were Accuphase A80 Class A monoblocks ($28k each).

This time they used the entire room as one listening area rather than dividing it with a curtain into two spaces. A PS Audio Aspen FR5 stand-mounted monitor ($3,500 USD, $5k CAD) which is claimed to have great bass was in the room but it wasn't playing either time I stopped in. It features a passive radiator on the back side rather than a rear-firing tweeter. The PSA stands, btw, are an additional $500 USD, if you need them.

Knightsbridge ASONA Ltd
Richard Kohlruss of ASONA Ltd (Audio Sales of North America) put together a very nice headphone presentation at the Montreal 2024 show and hear switched to a demonstration of some of my favorite speakers. The white speakers were the Cabasse Rialto which is an all-in-one speaker with a rear-firing woofer that puts out a very high-quality sound. I was very impressed when it came out at AXPONA in 2023 and I was just as impressed with it a year and a half later. They can be used on a shelf close to a wall, but optimal sound quality will be achieved if they are brought forward in the room in traditional audiophile placement. They are certainly worth putting on stands.

The Baltic 5 is the classic Cabasse design that has evolved for over a decade as best I recall. It is ultra-contemporary and delivers high-quality music, though it requires a subwoofer for full-range sound as it only goes down to 75Hz.

The mini black speakers were part of an active all-in-one system with the electronics in the larger round woofer. The little balls needed a higher location than provided by the extraneous stands in the photo, so Richard placed them on the Rialto speakers. They can also be hung on the wall or ceiling with the included hardware. Very nice for about $2,700 USD.

On the balcony outside his room, Richard had a table with additional speakers from Cabasse. For those who seek unique styling, Cabasse is a brand to be strongly considered.

Mayfair Cardas Audio, Eon Art Canada, Gershman Acoustics, Oracle Audio Technologie, And Solid Muebles
In the Mayfair room, it was déjà vu all over again with outstanding music quality filling the room from the Gershman 30th Anniversary edition of their Black Swan speaker. Eon Art Canada integrated monoblocks send the signal from one unit to the other to drive the speakers. The Oracle front ends include their turntable and CD player. That's an Allnic tube phono stage in silver below the turntable and possibly a DAC in black below what I thought was a CD player. Cardas cable strung everything together.

This room, regardless of which Gershman speaker has been playing (and there have been many over the years), has consistently been among the Best Rooms at both the Toronto and Montreal shows. I threatened to retire it from the competition but Ofra Gershman pleaded with me not to. At AXPONA 2024 and Capital Audiofest 2023 where they have been in smaller sleeping rooms, the systems have not been as successful. But given sufficient space around the speaker in a decent size room, these are among the most competitive brands in the industry and there is outstanding synergy among them.

Ofra pointed out the fine wood grills that cover the drivers on the black swan. Unless you've got wild things in your home, I'd recommend leaving them off to display the drivers affixed with brass screws. The midrange and tweeter are in an A-frame cabinet that straddles the woofer cabinet. Custom footers from IsoAcoustics add a touch of elegance to the piano gloss black finish. They are a wide dispersion speaker so sitting in the sweet spot is not required to get a spacious presentation of the soundstage. Of course, having a large room will make it even better.

Here is a closer look at the Oracle Delphi Mk VII Signature turntable which also reveals the craftsmanship of the Solid Muebles racks in this room. This is Oracle's flagship turntable, but they have two other versions of the Delphi as well as two less expensive models plus several Special Editions. Don't let me forget their two phono stages and their two CD players. Jacques Riendeau put on a Willie Nelson LP to hammer home the sound quality of their turntable.

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