Toronto Audiofest 2023 Show Report
Part 2... The Third Floor
Show Report By Rick Becker

Room 348  MoFi Distribution And Vinyl Sound
The MoFi Distribution room displayed a variety of gear they distribute including the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker turntable atop the Solidsteel rack and the HiFi Rose streamer below it.

The next shelf down held the new MoFi phono stage with classy meters and lots of controls on the face. The bottom two shelves had one black and one silver component from BAT (Balanced Audio Technology) that looked like their two single chassis preamps or their VK3500 solid-state integrated amp with phono stage ($12k USD).

On the shelf at the back of the photo at the top was the BAT VK80i tube integrated amp (USD 12k) in black. The speaker on the stand looked like a Wharfedale Dovetail 90th Anniversary monitor ($7K USD with stands) which is currently out of stock.

Room 350  The Speaker Shop And Six Acoustic
The Speaker Shop has a new location: ​59 Comstock Rd. Unit #2, Scarborough, Ontario, M1L2G8. They not only repair speakers, but also sell numerous brands of speakers and electronics for home, PA, DJ, Commercial, and Car audio. Seen above were a pair of KLH (with and without grille) and a couple of models of Cerwin Vega (in black and white). The bright silver components in the rack below the turntable were a Musical Fidelity CD player and integrated amp.

The room was co-sponsored by Six Acoustic who were showing their Belmont MC/MM phono stage ($1149) with balanced inputs. Even more affordable was their York Mk 1.1 model ($549) which also handles MM/MC.

Also shown here was the new Mitmat turntable mat, 3mm thick with 300mm diameter and no cut-out for the LP label which they feel gives better performance, all for $129, made in Ontario.

I also admired two turntables marketed by Progressive Sales from Edwards Audio. The more rectangular one was the TT4 Carbon at $1250 shown with a Goldring E3 mm cartridge ($260). It is a multi-layer design with a brass bearing. The smaller Elemental model ($749) was in blue with a multi-layer round design.

A handsome black Accusonic D2180 integrated with a smaller chassis featured 80 Wpc, built-in DAC with optical input, Bluetooth, and subwoofer output with a Show Special price of $450. It looked like a great solution for a 2.1 channel TV system being slender enough to inconspicuously sit beneath a TV sitting on a console table.

Room 352  Emotiva Audio
Emotiva is a well-established entry-level brand based near Nashville, TN. This was the first I've seen them show in the North Country…or pretty much elsewhere as they have primarily been a direct marketing company. It's nice to see them getting out into the world.

Shown here was their BASX TA2 stereo integrated amp / DAC / Tuner ($999 USD) and below it, the BASX TA1 "Stereo Preamp/DAC/Tuner with Integrated Amplifier" ($599 USD). I'm not sure what the difference is other than likely the power available. Their CMX2+ speaker cables ran to their airmotiv T2+ speakers ($639 USD per pair).

For those with more serious home theater aspirations, they were showing their top BASX <R1 13.2Atmos & DTS:X receiver ($2k USD) with 100 Wpc (11 channels driven) and even more power with only 2-channels driven. Their newer receiver, the BASX MR1L ($1599), on the left, was scaled down in the number of channels to 11.2 Atmos & DTS:X, but was said to put out the same power.

Room 353  Emotiva Audio
In their second room, they had a wide variety of components on silent display with several knowledgeable people to explain them all. They were making a serious effort with their presentation in Toronto. It will be interesting to see what they come up with at Capital Audiofest in Rockville, MD, November 10-12.

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