Toronto Audiofest - October 18 - 20, 2019

Out of the ashes of the Toronto Audio Video Show (TAVES), thankfully Toronto Audiofest has risen to take its spot as the premier audio show in southern Ontario. This was the second (of hopefully many more) year of the show and I could easily tell that it was substantially bigger and better than last year. So I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning and afternoon than listening to some of the very best there is today in two-channel and personal audio! I finally got to hear the Questyle CMA600I amplifier and I was very impressed with what I had heard. The Auris Euterpe was incredible as well. More on Auris gear later. Woo Audio Room: The ETHER 2s still amaze me on just how light they are! They almost disappear on my head. Thankfully the good folks at Woo Audio brought a plethora of amplifiers and headphones to this show. Their new WA11 Topaz was just brilliant with this setup! This was likely my favourite setup that I got to experience at the show. Both the Abyss Phi TC and Diana Phi powered by the venerable WA33 balanced tube amplifier by Woo Audio. Simply magical and the most transparent sound available at the show to my ears!. The MYSHPERE 3 headphones were truly an experience! I would classify them more as ear-speakers and they sound big and brilliant and the Woo WA11 Topaz played them superbly! The newly released 3ES Electrostatic amplifier by Woo was quite special with both the Stax flagship headphones: SR-009 and SR-009S. Simply amazing clarity and speed from what we had to come to expect from Stax. This was my first experience with the new SR-009S and I loved them! In fact, having to choose, I'd take the "S" version over the originals. Here is a similar setup, but with the SR009S and SR-007 Mk2 headphones with Stax's flagship the SRM-T8000. This was a fantastic amplifier too, but in the end, I preferred the Woo Audio 3ES with a bigger sound and blacker background. Auris Audio / EarMen The Headonia flagship headphone amplifier by Auris really, really impressed me! This 2A3 based tube amplifier drove the Hifiman HE1000SE with complete ease and sounded incredibly transparent and open. Just a lovely experience! The Auris Nirvana was not only a work of art to look at, but the sound was equally impressive. Driving the Hifiman Susvara is no small feat, but the Nirvana did so brilliantly! If not for it's bigger brother the Headphonia, the Nirvana would have completely stolen my heart! EarMen: A newly announced venture by the owners of Auris are going to bring some very cool (and portable) options to the world of personal audio. The Sparrow particularly looked like something that could fit in your pocket for travel and still offer a true audiophile experience. I'm looking forward to hearing more from EarMen. Audeze: The two best gaming headsets I've ever heard! The Audeze LCD-GX and Mobius. I can think of no better way to raise your gaming experience with either of these headphones! The LCD-2 Classic was brilliant! I've owned the LCD-2 (when they first came out) and I'm glad to see these planars that revolutionized personal audio continue to be refreshed and supported by Audeze. Grado Headphones: I finally got to experience the newly released and limited run of the Grado White Album inspired White Headphones. They sounded big and energetic and if you love the Grado sound, you will love these headphones - they ROCK! Some other brilliant GH and Prestige Series headphones from Grado...and through the years I think I might have owned most of them! Sony Electronics: The Sony MDR-Z7M2 headphones and their flagship amplifier/DAC...simply amazing personal audio from Sony! FiiO: With lots of new products coming to market, I was absolutely floored with the new M11 Pro. I'm hoping to get a review sample in to cover because with FiiO you get incredible performance without having to break the bank! The FA7 was equally as impressive as the M11 Pro and together they offered incredibly transparent portable sound. Again amazing value AND performance from FiiO! iFi Audio The iFi Audio stack (Pro iDSD + Pro iCAN) was not only very good looking but also sounded clean, fast, and transparent. The HE1000s never had it so good! Focal: The Focal Stellia closed-back headphones and the newly released ARCHE were a brilliant pairing! I certainly love my Focal Utopia headphones, but the Stellia might be one of the very best closed-back flagship headphones that I've experienced! The Focal Clear and SPL Phonitor II were a brilliant match! The Focal Clear are one of the very best sub $2000 pairs of dynamic headphones out there and when paired with this amplifier, they sounded absolutely stunning! I had a fantastic day at the Toronto Audiofest and if you live the GTA (greater Toronto region), I strongly recommend that you come out next year and support this show! Everything from amazing two-channel setups from Paradigm, to Totem and more, were there (toronto audiofest) and there was plenty to see and hear!