Toronto Audiofest 2023 Show Report
Part 1... The Fourth Floor
Show Report By Rick Becker

  Driving up to Toronto on 4.5 hours of sleep on Saturday morning, the 'Check Tire Pressure' warning light came on. I cruised into the Airport Westin at 10 a.m. and affixed my bright orange Enjoy the Music.com lanyard to my Press Pass. True to form, I started at the top on the Fourth Floor. The crowd was, shall we say, thin.

Room 426 Artist Cloner
Stepping out of the elevator and turning left, I stumbled into 426 with Artist Cloner, one of my favorite Canadian manufacturers. He was originally to be in 346 so I was lucky to be greeted by his lovely wife. The signage at the ceiling of each active room was excellent. And stickers on the carpet kept people from wandering down irrelevant hallways.

Sylvio Comtois is always happy to see me at shows, just as I am always happy to experience his fine-sounding rooms. A replica of a "Best Rooms Award" was posted on his wall. Sylvio makes a complete line of electronics with his signature chassis with grab bars on each side as seen on his Luceo tube preamp, offered at a show special price of $6999. (All prices CDN, unless specified otherwise.) Sylvio was one of the very few people who had a hand-out of the equipment in his room, for which I am always grateful.

New for this show was his Ether Mini 2.5 speaker priced considerably lower ($8999, show special [SS]) than the Ether 2.5 model ($21,999) that I heard playing. While these speakers are small in stature, the larger one plays with much more authority than its size suggests. It is also unique in construction, featuring walls comprised of four layers. The outer layer is a slate-like stone followed by layers of acrylic, Russian plywood, and then an elastomer on the inside to absorb internal vibrations. The stone gives it a very natural look that could easily fit all but the most traditional décor.

Room 437  Audio Group Denmark
Around the corner and down the hall the Fourth Floor began in earnest with another great-sounding room featuring the Borresen X2 speaker ($8,800) which has a very recognizable house sound at a much more friendly price than its higher-level brethren. I don't think most audiophiles would recognize the difference if they were not able to compare them directly.

The X2 is the baby brother to the X3 and X6 with drivers comprised of Nomex sandwiched between layers of carbon. The cabinets have a familiar design with six rear ports for unrestricted airflow from the drivers. They have a very high-quality look, but not as elegant as their much more expensive series. As with everything Danish, each detail is intentionally designed. The Acapella men's choir convincingly portrayed the ambiance of the church in which it was recorded.

Also new in the room was the Forte 1 ($5,500) integrated amplifier from the Axxess brand which is the more affordable electronics company under the Audio Group Denmark umbrella. Below it was the X-TC3 ($2,600) Power Switch from sister company Ansuz, and the Mainz8 X-TC3 ($1,800), also from Ansuz, which is the company under the Audio Group Denmark that deals with power quality and distribution.

I love the way the carbon fiber on the chassis and drivers, and the gloss surfaces play with the light on this contemporary design. This room certainly brings the Audio Group Denmark sound to a wider spectrum of audiophiles. Much applause, and cheers to Peter Hansen for bringing this gear to Toronto.

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