Montreal Festival du Son 2010 (FSI) - First Impressions

[Algar_emi]

Hi. Me and my friend Jean-Charles we were at the Montreal Son & Image 2010 hifi show today. Well, first impression, it was one of the best, if not the best, Hifi Show in Montreal in years. Congratulation to the show sponsors, exhibitors and all, just a great show. The new venue, the Hilton hotel in downtown Montreal (close to previous location the Delta Hotel) was just gorgeous (it was my first time there). The show layout was just great. Instead of being spread on multiples floors as the previous ones, they use the particular Hilton architecture to their advantages. Most of the rooms were on just two floors, the hotel being located on the top floors of the Place Bonaventure hotel, we were simply walking on just two floors, quick and easy (We used to travel for ever from floors at the other hotel).

I met a few nice guys. I discussed with the owner, main designer of Rogue Audio about one of their top preamp and their excellent KT88 tube amp monoblock. I also met briefly Gerald of the excellent audio magazine UHF Magazine, see their site at www.uhfmag.com for their excellent cover of this show.

Missing in action this year is also most of the ''toxic sound'' rooms (you now what I mean by this). Most of the exhibitors had great sound, great setup (for hotel rooms) and as always great gears to show off. This is a Hifi show after all

As always some of the best music came from Verity Audio speakers (made in Quebec, Canada by the way). At least for me, they always make some of the best music at the Montreal show. I should know, I own one of their smaller model. Too bad I couldn't afford their bigger brothers, but that's ok.

There was some new exciting products such as the Linn new digital streamer, gorgeous sound from master quality pieces, new Naim DAC with such clever new digital work. As always vinyl was everywhere, even if it was not playing so often. Some great vinyl stores, tubes amp by the ton, with some great examples from VTL, Audio Research, Pathos (an hybrid design as always), etc...

All in all it was a great show. Can't wait for next year.

[vinylkid58]

What, no pictures?

Jeff

[JinMTVT]

I also visited Salon son et image on sunday with a friend.
Last time i did was 2 years ago ...

i was frankly not impressed at all
most of the small room setups were very similar ,
and as always, pretty much impossible to benefit at all from a listening session
on systems using all sorts of amps and sources.

Then it looked like all of the big manufacturer opted out of the show,
with only very small displays or 3d TV booths.
Too bad, as i believe that when big manuf. invest in a show, it boosts its image and probably helps with funds and seriousness.

I seriously don't understand what is the point to go from room to room,
listening to loudspeakers with different pre and amps, as there is just no way to make
any comparisons at all. Some of the rooms even had a pretty similar setup in component choices , but sounded years apart .
I am a bit fed up also with all the "hype" one can find there...
tube amps, vynil ... c'mon 2010 ...
2500$ cables ..mouahahha
very funny stuff

and then u get the regular stupid visitors that enters a room
and asks after only 30 sec of listening :
" how many WATTS are those loudspeakers rated? "
i'm like ..wow ...this got to be the stupidest question any enthusiast can ask
so it tells that the visitor must be very knowledgeable ...neway

Then u get the wannabes who enter a room, take a peak at the setup
and then go at the back of the setup to check on i don't know what..
cables? power bars? port at the back of the system?
I mean, WTF is there at the back of a system that deserves more attention and
the sound output?
and that is a regular...something like 10% of people entering the rooms
feel the URGE to peak at the rear end of the system
some sexual divergence perhaps? omg

The only sound setup we were impressed with, was the Cabasse Sphere setup
at 205K$ i felt it needed to impress, and to me it was doing just that
not 205K$ worth of impressements at all..but seriously deserved the top rank
in all manuf. setups of this year
and for the "quantity" of drivers surface area ... wow
but again ..205K$ installed powered and tunned..not really
more like 50K$

That was also a problem with me on that show,
i mean , we go there to be impressed...to listen to top end systems that one will probably never have the chance to afford in a lifetime ..but only 1 system present?
deception ...

all in all
it is always fun to wonder around at that show ..
but i fail to see the instructional component
and i believe that the direction this show as taken
will steer away many enthusiasts

my 2 cents