REPORT FROM THE FESTIVAL DU SON ET IMAGE (FESTIVAL OF SOUND AND IMAGE) MONTREAL MARCH 28, 29, 30, 2003. For those of you that love music (I hope all of you), stereo equipment is also probably of passing interest. I was lucky to visit the hi-fi expo in Montreal this past weekend and it was an amazing exhibition encompassing 3 days, 2 hotels and over 60 individual rooms of equipment. I'm not sure if it is the largest of its kind but it is certainly larger than all but the most fanatic enthusiast could dream of. Across the three days it would be near impossible to listen to every system. I managed to seriously demo 10, and quickly appraised perhaps 30 others. By the end of it all, it was very clear that hi-fi manufacturers have a long way to go in terms of recreating a live performance. Only one system managed to capture the dynamics and nuance you might hear from a real band. Of the others, most seemed to share a similar set of characteristics - unengaging, distorted, and unrealistic tonal balances. This might be surprising considering the most inexpensive systems started at $3000 and ranged up to well over $100,000. A small number of systems walked the mid-ground between pleasing sound and cost and I've created a summary here as the RecordStoreReview.com official recommendations. Here is the list in order of value. 1. Beyerdynamic DT431/DT531 headphones (~$100US) Stupidly cheap. These sounded better than any of their closed designs. I liked them better than the AKG 501 and Grado RS1, which are usually highly reviewed and cost at least 3 times as much. Very comfortable. A must for the late night listener. You will be shocked. Listened to them through the Creek OBH21SE - great. A dedicated headphone amp makes so much difference. 2. Epos M12 speakers (~$800US) The most satisfying speakers of the show. They instantly felt right. Very similar to my Energy Veritas 2.1, although with a sweeter treble and a natural "woodiness" that you only hear from real instruments, especially violin. The bass wasn't quite as good as my Veritas in extension or tunefullness, but these are small speakers. They were using Creek CD53 and I think the matching 53 amplifier. Really brilliant for the money. Would have liked to hear the similar floorstanders to see if the bass opened a bit. 3. Quad ESL 57/Braun LE-1 Electrostatic speakers (~$6000US) I guess a $6000 loudspeaker is a surpise at number 3, but these are really worth it. Not the best stereo imaging of the day, but certainly the most musical and "real" sounding. Front end was a Wilson Benesch Circle with Audio Aero Capitole 50 amplification. In addition to the "just right" feeling as soon as you enter the room, all the details were there for a completely engaging yet fatigue-free listen. These were some of the last speakers I listened to, and despite being aurally exhausted I stayed for at least half an hour because they were so satisfying. Quad Musik Germany is reproducing these 1957(!) designs. 4. Rega P25 turntable/Rega Mira amp (~$2000US) Just a gorgeously simple combo. Great design, build and sound. Again, a "just right" feeling and looking at the simplicity of the components just brings a smile to your face. You know you could live with them forever. Louis Armstrong on the demo never hurts... 5. JMLab Grande Utopia Be speakers (~$25,000US) I heard these on the end of two different systems. The one was Musical Fidelity Tri-vista and they were atrocious. My ears were bleeding. Absolutely the worst sounding system I'd ever heard at ANY price. They were playing this hilarious test disc which had an announcer naming each of the solo instruments in the song (acoustic guitar, yamaha piano, male voices with slight phasing, harmonica in a bathroom). Between crying from pain, I laughed. That said, it had to have something to do with the electronics, because the same speakers in another room were magical. Of all the "PA sized" speakers, these were the only ones to combine spectacular imaging, with effortless dynamics. They didn't sound comical as most other large speakers, they had similar dynamics to live instruments. No other speaker in the show for a minute made me think that there was a live band in the room, especially Norah Jones. 6. Linn Klimax pre/power amplifiers (~20,000US) What I would qualify as the best of the "hi-fi systems" The Linn was bright and aggressive as I expect from British systems but it was so smooth and detailed at the high end that it somehow got away with it. It captured a lot of the ultra-high treble "feelings" you get in real life. Overall though, the cost of the system was stupid. The Creek/Epos did more for a tenth the cost. 7. Wilson Benesch Discovery speakers (~8000US) Stupid money, but definitely the best of the expensive "monitor" style systems. Driven by a Wilson Benesch Circle/Audio Aero Capitole CD player, with Orpheus Three monobloc amplifiers. To enjoy this system you really have to have an all audiophile music collection. It was so revealing and analytical only the highest source quality was rewarded. The tracks that were only "well recorded" sounded flat and mechanical and it was impossible to ignore the very apparent flaws. Just goes to show that resolution and detail can be detrimental unless you're prepared to meet the challenge. There were some other interesting hi-fi products like the Cyrus NXT floorstanders, and of course the Blue Circle pumps and purse which I love, but on the whole, I was extremely happy to go home to my lovely Energy Veritas 2.1 speakers, Yamaha receiver, CD player and Rega Planar 2. Not the best components by most reviews, but they're more than the sum of their parts. --Gunnar Van Vliet back to main page