I thought the show was very well attended and the people enthusiastic, especially Saturday. There were the usual group of great sounding rooms and interesting diplays. The level of enthusiasm among attendees at least rivals that of the Denver show and has always made this a fun show to attend. This year was no different.
Many of the manufacturers and dealers showing also seemed pleased. The Montreal show has never been as much about generating commerce and sales as it is about music and the fun of the shared experience.
There were many good sounding rooms to enjoy of all sizes. The large Focal EM Grande Utopias sounded impressive in their formatted timed demo and next door the Wilson's MAXX 3's were in great form driven by Pathos giant reference amps. Totem put on their usual professional, customized demos. Crystal Cable showed their striking new all glass speaker design which sounded amazingly balanced for a design using all glass construction and a ribbon tweeter--driven by fine quality SIM Audio gear. SIM's own room sounded superb as usual with the Dynaudio speakers. All the rooms using Verity speakers had a musical signature, especially Fidelio Audio's room with the Sarastro's and Filtronique's small room with the ARC Integrated amp driving what looked like the Tamino or Fidelio model. The Thiel room also sounded very impressive given a short listen.
All in all the show was a great way to relax, mingle with music minded folks and listen in on what's new as well as catch up with some of the best Canada has to offer. The general mood of those I spoke to was upbeat if cautious given the economy. The food locally was amazing. Overall everyone seemed to be having a great time. I'd highly recommend the Festival Son Image show to anyone into music and high end that can afford the time and travel. Let's not forget that Montreal itself is a great destination city, even when the weather does not cooperate 100%.
Many of the manufacturers and dealers showing also seemed pleased. The Montreal show has never been as much about generating commerce and sales as it is about music and the fun of the shared experience.
There were many good sounding rooms to enjoy of all sizes. The large Focal EM Grande Utopias sounded impressive in their formatted timed demo and next door the Wilson's MAXX 3's were in great form driven by Pathos giant reference amps. Totem put on their usual professional, customized demos. Crystal Cable showed their striking new all glass speaker design which sounded amazingly balanced for a design using all glass construction and a ribbon tweeter--driven by fine quality SIM Audio gear. SIM's own room sounded superb as usual with the Dynaudio speakers. All the rooms using Verity speakers had a musical signature, especially Fidelio Audio's room with the Sarastro's and Filtronique's small room with the ARC Integrated amp driving what looked like the Tamino or Fidelio model. The Thiel room also sounded very impressive given a short listen.
All in all the show was a great way to relax, mingle with music minded folks and listen in on what's new as well as catch up with some of the best Canada has to offer. The general mood of those I spoke to was upbeat if cautious given the economy. The food locally was amazing. Overall everyone seemed to be having a great time. I'd highly recommend the Festival Son Image show to anyone into music and high end that can afford the time and travel. Let's not forget that Montreal itself is a great destination city, even when the weather does not cooperate 100%.