Highlights of the 2007 Montreal Festival du Son et de L’Image

              

May 2007

Though audio shows rank high on my list of favorite things, I experienced some trepidation in anticipation of attending my first-ever Montreal audio show the 2007 Le Festival du Son et de L’Image. This is because I tend prefer high efficiency speakers with one or two drivers, driven by low powered SET amps; such systems are often poorly represented at audio shows. The Montreal show proved to be no exception, but fortunately there were a few systems very much to my liking. Rather than providing a detailed show report, I will focus exclusively on the rooms I found to be especially enjoyable. And please forgive the poor photography - - I had a camera SNAFU of which I wasn’t aware until after I returned home.
 

                     
The room I visited most, and featured perhaps my favorite system of the show, was that of Gemme Audio. Gemme partners Jean-Pierre Boudreau and Robert Gaboury demonstrated two different models: the 2-way Tanto and the single-driver Vivace. I preferred the single-driver Vivace which uses a Fostex FE 108 Sigma in a proprietary cabinet configuration Gemme refers to as “VFlex.” The speaker is very solidly built and had bass output which was not only deeper than I anticipated (especially considering that the speakers were not placed in corners) but also wonderfully tuneful. The accompanying amplifier was from VTL but with a claimed sensitivity of 92 dB and flat 8 Ohm impedance, the Vivace should be very easy to drive with low-powered SETs. As expected for a Fostex driver-based system, the Vivace had wonderful coherence, immediacy and tonal balance. There was a bit of upper frequency raggedness but this is likely attributable to the Fostex having comparatively few hours on it. Stay tuned to Stereo Times for a full review in the near future!
 

Music Direct featured a system based around Avantgarde Duo horn speakers. I have always objected to Avantgarde speakers because of what I consider to be serious horn colorations, and poor integration between the horns and the box subwoofer. (This latter complaint does not apply to the Trios, which use a horn woofer.) Those issues aside, the Avantgardes were one of the few systems at the show which conveyed the dynamics and excitement of music, albeit at the expense of some refinement. In fact, I was drawn into the Music Direct room each time I passed by, because of its sheer energy. Amplification was via Valve Audio (photo left), and front end duties were shared by an EMM Labs CD/SACD player and an Avid Acutus Reference turntable.

Another sound I enjoyed was provided by Omega speakers and Red Wine Audio electronics. Of particular note was Louis Chochos’ Max-Hemp speakers, powered by Vinnie Rossi’s battery-powered Signature 70 amplifiers. Like the Gemme Audio room, this system had good coherence and immediacy and a pleasant tonal balance. Vinnie has promised me a pair of the Sig 70s for review. The reasonable price tag for Louis’ and Vinnie’s gear is always a plus!

A room for which I had high hopes was that sponsored by Quinceton Audio (photo left). Speakers were the Lowther Academy cabinets with 2 Lowther drivers; one front firing and rear-horn-loaded, the other set on top at a 45 degree angle, to provide ambiance; electronics were from Air Tight, a company of whose products I am quite fond. For whatever reason - - room acoustics, poor synergy, phase of the moon - - the system never quite gelled for me, lacking the magic I expected. Alas, audio can be a finicky friend.

Ron and Ginny Lapporte run Ultimate Audio Video, a dealership in Deerfield, Illinois. They represent gear from some very high-end manufacturers including MBL, Rockport, Gryphon, Brinkmann, Shindo and EMT. Rather than transporting speakers weighing many hundreds of pounds, and trying to get them to work in a room far to small, they instead brought to Montreal what was one of the more unusual systems on display: a mini horn system from Ferguson Hill. http://www.fergusonhill.co.uk/products.php

      

The FH007 consists of two little acrylic horn speakers, both small enough to sit on one’s dresser or desk top. The FH001 high frequency horn, measuring 43 cm in height, 27 cm in width and 18 cm in depth, uses no cross over and covers frequencies from 330 Hz up to 20,000. The FH002 mid-woofer horn, with a diameter of 20 cm, uses a low pass active cross-over and covers frequencies from 330 down to approximately 75 Hz. Included in the FH007 is a bi-amped integrated amplifier, putting out 4x16 Watts into 8 Ohms in class A/B. The system has only a single input, and retails for $1,195. For extra lower end “oomph” Ferguson sells the FH008, a sealed subwoofer with an 8” driver, a 100 W A/B amplifier, and an adjustable, active cross-over. Price for the FH008 is $595. This makes for one very cool little system.

  

There were of course also some very impressive higher-powered systems. Kharma importer Bill Parrish brought the 2-way Kharma Mini Exquisite speakers, which were powered by the newly-designed Tenor Audio hybrid amplifiers. The preamplification and front end were from MBL, and cabling was from Kubala-Sosna. The sound was as I’ve come to expect from Bill: Highly refined and tonally neutral, and always a pleasure to hear.

 

I will end with two very special rooms which had a similar sonic presentation. In the first were Sonus faber Elipsa speakers powered by Ayre electronics, in the second Verity Sarastro speakers with Nagra electronics. The strong points of these systems were the midrange which, while perhaps a bit embellished, was gorgeous as all get-out. Like honey flowing over a warm sweet desert, these systems envelope one in the music and bring a smile to the face, and a feeling of comfort to the soul. More beauty than truth, but eminently enjoyable.

There were many other systems I enjoyed at the show, and no disrespect is intended for those I omitted. Thanks are due to the sponsors of the show, to all the manufacturers, distributors and dealers who went to considerable expense and trouble to allow us to enjoy their products, and especially to my Qubecois friends, who made my stay in Montreal so special. Merci mes amis.

Laurence A Borden