Toronto Audiofest 2026 Show Report Part 2: Hi-Fi Highlights, Great New Gear, And Must-Hear High-End Audio Systems
From the newest turntables and DACs to reference-quality loudspeakers and remarkable tweaks, Part 2 explores exciting audiophile exhibits and presentations.
Toronto Audiofest 2026 Show Report By Rick Becker

Collingwood

Bliss Acoustics
The Collingwood room next to Audio Sensibility was the largest on this long hallway. I stood in the doorway to take the photo above, and left it uncropped to convey the size of the room and the large Aries Cerat Aurora speakers that filled it with wonderful music. Notice how far apart the speakers were, and how far out into the room they were positioned. The wide-angle lens distorts the depth of the room. The speakers were almost halfway into the room. The black curtain was about six feet in front of the front wall. I paced off the room and came up with 36' wide by 60' or 65' long, with about 15-16' high ceilings.

At around 36k cubic feet, the room was about six times the size of my dedicated listening room. I didn't bother to ask about reviewing the speakers, although I had heard these speakers sound decent in a hotel sleeping room at AXPONA years ago. This was one of the extraordinary experiences I had at the show, and it provided food for thought for a psychoacoustic project I am working on.

The loudspeaker is a work of art, with woofers firing out of each side, and a compression midrange driver firing straight ahead. The rectangular appendage to the cube is a long type of AMT tweeter.

From the open rear of the cube, you can see the bright silver back end of the compression driver. The rectangular appendage has curved surfaces on the front that form a waveguide for the AMT-style tweeter, which you can see inside the bow-tie opening. So the entire speaker is basically an open-baffle design, which gives the music such transparency and soundstage depth. The speakers here were on casters to facilitate setup at the show, but I expect you would want vibration-absorbing aftermarket footers for a permanent installation if none are supplied. These are, after all, "forever speakers."

Looking at the speaker from behind, the box with the yellow cables is the amplifier for the midrange and tweeter. The box closest to the speaker contains the crossover and the power for the woofers.

As you would expect, cabling was complex and extensive.

Aries Cerat is a world-class brand from Cyprus, founded in 2010 by Stavros Danos. Cyprus is in the Mediterranean.

The Ageto preamplifier on the top left ($100k), with a separate power supply further below.

The Thiele IWD-01 Idler Drive turntable with Thiele TA-01 tonearm that adjusts to keep the cartridge tangential to the groove at any part of the LP. ($110k, both) It was fitted with a Tedeska Tielke MC cartridge ($10,375). Unfortunately, they were streaming music on Sunday when I visited.

At this level, you are expected to audition at a show, and then fly to Ottawa for further auditioning and finalize the purchase. An exploration of the Aries Cerat website will reveal the complexity and expertise involved in their components. If the prices are out of reach, they offer less expensive series for you to explore, as well as a Limited Edition Series if you want something more exclusive.

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