Toronto Audiofest 2026 Show Report Part 1
High-End Audio Highlights, New Gear Debuts, And Must-See Listening Rooms
Top-performing listening rooms, exciting product introductions, prestigious audio gear, and value-packed hi-fi sound systems that captivate music lovers.
Toronto Audiofest 2026 Show Report By Rick Becker

226  Executive Stereo And Essentia Technology
Executive Stereo is a retail store in Toronto, and Essentia Technology is a distributor, primarily of Michell turntables from the UK and Q Acoustics speakers, which I've found to be an accomplished brand of affordable speakers. This was one of three rooms Executive was involved with, and it was one of several rooms that featured more reasonably priced gear at the show. It seemed to draw significant attention.

The top of the rack featured a Michell turntable, and the components with the horizontal blue line were from Saturn Audio, a moderately priced Canadian brand offered in both silver and black. See the price list below.

Essentia has been making a big push with Mitchell turntables that have been invigorated by the younger generation infusing energy to develop new products. They feature a range of attractive models above entry level that manage to avoid going off the deep end.

227  Silverback Sound Solutions
Silverback Sound Solutions is a distributor of numerous well-known brands. They chose to take a more moderate price level approach with their room, featuring Benchmark electronics driving System Audio speakers. They also manufacture the stand shown here. Viablue cables and Coherent speakers, which they distribute, were seen in other rooms, and Diptyque planar speakers from France are often featured at the Montreal show.

While stand-mounted monitors were active in the room, I noted this more substantial floorstander near the entryway.

230  Executive Stereo And Nordost
This second Executive Stereo room was co-sponsored by Nordost, and the gear took a significant step upward, producing excellent music with high resolution, transparency, and significant air.

High on the right was another of several Mitchell turntables at the show. Directly below it was an Accuphase C-57 phono stage, and further down was a Playback Designs CD player. On the bottom shelf was a Lumin streamer.

On the left top shelf was an Accuphase A-80 stereo power amp working in Class A. Below it was an Accuphase C-2300 preamplifier with a headphone input and most controls hidden behind a fold-down door. On the bottom left shelf was a Nordost Base power filter. The handsome Quadraspire rack was seen in various configurations throughout the show.

Note the blurred brass under-hung weights on the platter to improve speed stability and further damp the platter. I believe this was their top model.

The side panels of the TAD monitor were silver anodized aluminum, giving it a tri-color look that made this substantial monitor surprisingly airy. The music in this room was crystal clear and totally enjoyable.

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