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

2nd Floor Balcony Around The Atrium
The balcony around the atrium on the 2nd Floor was home to a handful of booths of smaller vendors who only required a table for their silent displays. I'll start my hike as I left the previous room, just before I came to the elevators.

2-6 Audio Sensibility
Steven Huang is a required stop at the Montreal and Toronto shows. I've known him since he first began promoting his quality, affordable cables and watched him as he branched out into other products such as distribution boxes, cable supports, and other niche products that are too insignificant for larger manufacturers to bother with.

It didn't take long for me to remember that I forgot to bring along his flagship Signature SE power cable he loaned me to review. It is a very good cable with a warm, articulate, inviting sound that is smooth and relaxing. I prefer a more forward sound from the silver-based power cords of Synergistic Research, while Steven prefers to work with OCC copper stranding. The build quality, use of ERS paper, and full cryogenic treating in-house make his products a bargain for those who prefer copper cables. His 30-day return policy and frequent sale pricing make it all the more enticing.

I frequently mention his Testament power cord which I hard-wired into my vintage Sony ES tuner where it replaced the OEM garden variety lamp cord. The result, along with some ERS paper, was spectacularly good. Adding some Stack AudioAuva EQ footers, this tuner competes with my CD playback. Hearts of Space on NPR is a Sunday night ritual. Using another Testament power cord on a vintage Yamaha receiver that I had fitted with an IEC inlet yielded a similar result.

All that plus Steven is a wonderful person to talk with and he is very generous with his time with customers – so much so that I usually have to come back a second or third time to have a chance to talk with him.

1_12 ANKits
Directly across from Audio Sensibility was the ANKits table loaded with examples of their kits with the lids removed so you can see the circuitry and component selections. You get to build them yourself so build quality is dependent upon your skills.

These folks have been in business a long time which attests to the health of the DIY market for customers who wish to savor the fun and savings of making your own gear.

2_8 The Speaker Shop And Six Acoustic
The Speaker Shop is another regular at shows, offering all kinds of kits for the DIY speaker builder that hides deep inside all of us. I saw the large Six Acoustic banner, but it didn't dawn on me that it was a separate company sharing the space.

Six Acoustic is an internet seller of a variety of parts and complete components. Their York Phono Stage is an exceptional value that is also sold at numerous dealers throughout Canada. Its sole US dealer is Forefront Audio, right in my hometown of Rochester, NY. I'll have to give Lance a call and go over for a listen.

2_10 The Audio Factory
The guy at The Audio Factory looked pretty lonely and I should have inquired about his service. According to their website, they offer "Factory Re-Certified Audio from Award Winning Brands such as Bluesound, DALI Loudspeakers, NAD Electronics and PSB Speakers."

They have a 60-day return policy and a one-year warranty on most items. The prices posted online were extremely attractive. If you're looking for more entry-level gear on a tight budget, you need to check these guys out. They ship to both Canada and the U.S.A.

2_ 11 & 2_1 Essentia Technology
Essentia Technology was essentially a store lined up against a long wall with all sorts of goods. Among many things, I spotted Goldring cartridges and GR3 turntable, Q Acoustic speakers, and QED cables.

2_2 Anne Bisson
Anne Bisson was manning her table along with her partner, Daniel Jacques. The instant she spotted me she grabbed a CD and flashed a welcoming smile. On Sunday I chanced upon her performing in the Burmester / HiFi Centre room at the Holiday Inn next door to the Westin. That was one of my last stops which I'll get to later.

2_3 FiiO
The FiiO people were having a good time with their portable gear, headphones…and even a turntable.

2_4 QNAP
QNAP makes a streamer and NAS for storing pictures as well as music, which are things I have little knowledge about, but if you do, run a search on them to find out more.

2_5 ASONA Ltd
And finally, coming full circle on the balcony I was back at the ASONA table with their Cabasse speakers on silent display.

There seemed to be fewer booth displays this year, probably because they established a headphone-centric area in a large room in the Holiday Inn next door. I ventured over there near the end of my stay.

That's it for Part 4 – the entire 2nd Floor. I'll get started on the ground floor, or Lobby Level as it was called in the program, in Part 5. Stay tuned as I have to finish soon to clean my plate before Capital Audiofest next week.

---> Onward to Part 5 of Rick Becker's Toronto Audiofest 2024 Show Report.

---> Back to the main Toronto Audiofest 2024 show report homepage.