Part 2: Hi-Fi Heaven At The Montreal Audiofest 2025 Audiophile Show
Visiting the 1300 Hallway here at Montreal Audiofest high-end audio event.
Montreal Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker

1311   Codell Audio, EAR Yoshino, Innuos, Rotel, IsoAcoustics, Dynaudio, And More!
Codell Audio wasn't on the floor plan, but Issie Nudell recognized me in the hall and steered me into the room. Codell is one of the oldest high end stores in Montreal, dating back to 1972... about the time the Linn LP12 turntable was invented. Here, again, the room was nicely set up with a long shelf holding all the components so you could easily walk up and examine them. Notice the tall diffusers in the front corners and IsoAcoustics footers on the Dynaudio Contour speakers to tame the sound.

On the left side of the rack was a Linn network music player above an Innuos Zenith Mk3 server, and on the bottom shelf, strangely, a Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB interface, now in Series 2, sitting on top of a Rotel CD transport.

On the top shelf center was the classic EAR Yoshino V-12 tube integrated amp by Tim de Paravicini (list, $11,500, show special $9,500) with a Brinkman Bardo turntable to its right.

The Brinkman Bardo ($14,300, show special $11,500) with a magnetic direct drive is to be commended for its fine sound quality, which is accomplished on such a minimal footprint. Note that it is supported by an optional stone base. On the shelf below it was an EAR Yoshino Phonobox ($2500, show special $2000).

The Supatrac Blackbird 9” rectangular tube tonearm in black on the turntable ($6200, show special $5200) was also available in silver.

The gorgeous looking and fine-sounding cartridge was an Audio Technica Art-20 ($3800, show special $3100).

A Wattson Audio Madison LE DAC ($7k, show special $5600) was in the center of the rack and an Audience AV Adept Response power conditioner was in the lower right corner. The cabling throughout was also by Audience. This room was full of bargains with "show special" pricing that could make your visit to Montreal pay for itself.

1315   Audionation, Ruark, Acoustic Energy, Neat Acoustics, Michell, And Soulnote
In the most simple of all rooms at the show, Audionation displayed a minimalist system with a Ruark all-in-one unit driving a Ruark monitor. Whether you're just starting, or looking for something for a summer cottage, this was something to hear. Audionation is a distributor of some surprisingly recognizable high end brands such as Acoustic Energy, Exposure, Michell, Neat Acoustics, Soulnote, and more.

The R610 Streaming amplifier was $2199, the Ruark Sabre R bookshelf speaker was $1299, and the Ruark R-CD100 CD transport was $599 if you were smart enough to hang onto your CDs. Word on the grapevine is they are coming back in popularity.

1318   ABSOLU And Yamaha Canada Music LTD
Yamaha may be such a widely known brand that you might wonder if it could truly be high end. This smaller room might not have definitively answered that question, but this rig had sound quality that wasn't very far behind what I heard in their larger room on the lower level on Sunday. Tweak this gear with some good cables and aftermarket footers and you might surprise yourself — just as I did when I had an IEC inlet installed on a 1970s Yamaha receiver so I could replace the zip cord with a bonafide high end power cord.

The Yamaha style has been classically consistent over the years. Black or silver, take your pick.

---> Next Page.