Part 2 — 2300 And 2400 Hallways: Montreal Audiofest 2026 Show Report
High-end audio gear reviews, in-depth hi-fi technical details, and exhibit room listening notes.
Montreal Audiofest Show Report By Rick Becker

2414  Filtronique Son-or
The 2414 suite is the largest sleeping room in the upper levels and typically has a very fine system presented. Filtronique is one of the original high-end luxury home audio dealers in Montreal, dating back to 1980, and they carry some of the finest brands in the industry. In the entryway was an inactive rig featuring Wilson Audio Sabrina X speakers, but winding around the curtains, the current version of the Wilson Audio Watt Puppy came into view, driven by an impressive rack full of McIntosh electronics. This is a common combination of two of the finest brands in the industry. An Audioquest Niagara 7000 power conditioner was in service on the floor next to the rack, and a loom of Audioquest cables was used in the rig.

This model of the Bassocontinuo rack features leather with contrast stitching on the horizontal shelves. With many other series, Bassocontinuo in Italy is the manufacturer of some of the most elegant equipment racks in the industry. The McIntosh MC611 monoblock amplifiers put out 600 watts each.

On silent display was this relatively small headphone amplifier from McIntosh with many of the design elements of its big brothers.

2420  Filtronique Son-or
For those with smaller rooms or less discretionary funds, Filtronique had a small room with a rig that I found equally satisfying. And so did many others who were glued to their seats. The brands here were all very highly respected. I should take note of the Reliable Frame lamp that has taken over the industry at shows, replacing the much more affordable Reliable Uberlight Flex with a gooseneck stem. Both models are available as a clamp-on style or a flat base. I may have to upgrade to the Frame and rotate my Uberlight Flex to the home office to keep up with the times.

The components are listed on the price list. That's the dCS Linea on the lower right shelf. The Moonriver Audio gear from Sweden often flies below the radar of big spenders in this hobby, or perhaps it is overlooked because of its traditional styling, but it is very fine-sounding gear.

The phonostage is particularly notable for ease of adjustment for cartridges directly on the faceplate. LPs were being played when I passed through, and the music was very inviting.

2427  Audio Note UK And Montreal Audio Autobahn
My visit here was a disappointment because of the many people in conversation in the room, and the unusual music being streamed. It was a lovely, small system of Audio Note UK gear, except for the Lumin streamer on the bottom shelf. It was set up on the long wall, which was unusual for Audio Note, as this left the speakers out from their customary position nestled into the front corners to reinforce the bass.

Vincent Belanger's La' was on the modest turntable, but some rather esoteric music was being streamed. Below the turntable was the DAC 0.1x with a tube output stage, a CD Zero in white, also with a tube output, a Soro Phono PP Class A phono integrated amp, and the speakers were the AN-J-D. Normally, a visit to the Audio Note room is a very inviting experience with their consistent house sound, much of it based on tube amplification, which I value highly. But the cookie crumbled for me this time. I expect others had a much better experience earlier in the day.

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