Montreal '99
Page 4

  In a very large room that was filled with lots of tables and individual kiosks for dozens of small vendors, the sofas had been clustered in front to two large, floorstanding Sonus Faber Amatis. People were collapsed in the sofas at the end of this long day, seemingly in a trance, oblivious to the fine music that was coming out of them. It was sort of like saving the best for last, only being too tired to really appreciate it.

An Oracle transport fed a Goldmund DAC, and I believe a Goldmund preamp and #27 amp. Goldmund speaker cables--about 25 feet long. In the milieu of the show winding down, it was difficult to get a fix on the quality, but it was evident that something quite right was happening here.

Over to the side were the lineup of Sonus Faber stand mounted speakers. Among them was the Singum (sp?) at about $4600 CN. Bi-wireable, rear facing port, it differs from the Concerto in that the leather is only on the face of the speaker, the rest being the usual gorgeous wood finish. Minus 3 db at 40 Hz. Were those trick new stands, too?

Another speaker that had unique contemporary appeal I mistook for a Cabasse. As it turned out, is was a new floor stander from the Pioneer Elite line. The TZ-700 is oval, with a 12" downward firing woofer powered by a 300 watt on-board amplifier. The midrange/tweeter was in an eyeball affixed to the sloping front edge. With the hood over it, the speaker looked like a simple oval pillar with a large round base. Is this more evidence of the encroachment of mid-fi into the high-end? Since I didn't actually hear the speaker, I can't really say, but as part of an integrated home theater package that included their wide screen rear projection TV, it is very clear where Pioneer thinks the mass market is headed.

Somewhere on the floors above, I had encountered the Enigma Acoustics room I was favorably impressed with their floorstanding EOS model at $1600. I believe I also commented favorably on this last year. This is one of many fine Canadian speaker companies that deserve grater exposure south of the border. May Audio, the people who brought us Totem, import this line.

One of the real treats of the show was to experience a system with the TacT amplifier. My expectations for this amp were high, having read a show report from Europe earlier. And they were also low, having heard a first had report from a pair of ears I trusted. "It sets the sound of CDs back 10 years," he said. Well, I can tell you it sure is different. Crystal clear sound came from the system. The music was unavoidable. It was RIGHT THERE. And there was no door leading out of the room. On a continuum if the classic tube sound was to the left, solid state directly in front, the TacT would be off to the right. Using another analogy, if the classic tube sound was like a dimly lit club or a livingroom lit by candles and a fireplace, solid state would be a well lit room with incandescent or fluorescent lighting. And the TacT sound would be like a brightly lit TV set. It was kind of like I wanted to reach for my acoustic sun glasses. I was hearing more detail than I wanted. Unlike systems that draw draw you into the music by, perhaps, omitting detail, or part of the audio spectrum, or perhaps even by distorting the musical signal, the TacT puts the music in front of you in a way that it cannot be ignored, like it or not.

And the "or not" is the key phrase here, because where the TacT amplifier may have a problem, TacT may also have the solution--in their RCS 2.2 digital room correction system. I have not been impressed with previous attempts at electronic room correction that I have heard, but TacT may be headed toward the ultimate tone control. The cost of technology may well drop quickly, but at this point in time, one has to ask whether it is financially sound to spend well into five figures for such a privilege, or to assemble a system of more conventional design that meets one's need. For most people, this question is academic. But when the cost drops, it may well come down to whether you like to play audiophile by swapping components to get your ideal sound, or simply dial in your favorite sound by pounding on a computer keyboard. Who knows, maybe with voice activated computers we will be able to talk to our systems and command them to "tighten up in the mid-bass" and "roll off those highs, a little". Can you say "Stanley Kubrick"?

One of the indicators of how good equipment is getting is the relative lack of room treatments in the show this year. I have to poke some fun at the folks at Soundstage who made a similar observation, and then illustrated it with a photo of system with a plant conspicuously placed in the corner. Plants and fabric work just fine in my experience.

The Argent Room Lens was the most prominent exception to the generalization above. And people were putting them in a wide variety of locations--in corners, behind speakers, between speakers. I remember musing at Michael Green's Corner Tunes years ago. Finally, I made my own version, and heard angels sing. Perhaps I should try the Room Lens, too.

Another trend that emerged this year was the attempted display of home theater with surround systems in hotel sleeping rooms, rather than the larger banquet rooms. I say "attempted" because in most cases it didn't really work. The rooms were often too dark to see the equipment, and with so many people in the rooms, it was often difficult to experience the surround sound.

But home theater is becoming more acceptable by virtue of smaller, high quality speakers that will fit in real livingrooms without displacing the general utility of the room. The Atlantic Technology 4.5 system and the Totem Arro come to mind.

And speaking of visual impressions, manufacturers seem to be more and more willing to spend money on designing products that LOOK appealing as well as SOUND good. In last year's report (in the archives of rec.audio.high-end) I listed components I would love to own on the basis of their visual appeal as well as their audio capabilities. The Oracle transport and turntable, the Wilson Benesch Circle turntable, the Pathos and Audio Valve amplifiers and the Waveform Mach 17 speakers were among those.

And what would I have smuggled home this year if I had been so inclined? There was an entire hotel full of goodies at Montreal this year. And unfortunately, for me, the show had been scheduled two weeks later than previous years, so my life has been crunch time ever since. Tomorrow I am off to High Point, North Carolina for the International Home Furnishings Show where I get to wander in 7 million square feet of furniture showrooms...and do this all over again. But to get back to the question, since my old amp finally melted down, I suppose I should find another. Let's see.... the Parasound 3500? The Pathos? Or those two new kids on the block...Afiom and Sinoide?

Respectfully submitted,

Rick Becker
Rochester, NY, USA
RickBecker1946@yahoo.com