October 1996
....Another whirlwind, hall running, show stomping, too-little time taken, people pushing show report from Doug Schneider that ONLY talks about audio.
The 1996 CCEE was held from September 14 through 16 at the Ramada Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Unlike the annual hi-fi show held in Montreal each spring (which has grown significantly to almost a world-class event) the 96 CCEE was a rather smallish affair. Frankly, it was a bit of a disappointment in terms of the number of exhibitors since it only occupied about two and a half floors of the hotel. Still, consumer attendance was reportedly very respectable, particularly on the 14th, and there were a number of highlights and great show sounds to report. Attendance for a day was very worthwhile, both for trade and consumers. Like most Canadian shows a vast number of exhibitors are either distributors or retailers, although a few manufacturers do 'front' their own rooms.
Except for a
small exception, this report will only focus on the audio portion
of the show, because frankly, that's all I care about. That said,
my first stop was at the Von Schweikert Research/Blue Circle room
(see photo). I'll say that hands down, to my ears this was the
best sound at the show. Their room was huge and the sound
emitted from the highly rated VR-4's, coupled with Blue Circle
electronics was fantastic. The source was a Muse DAC fronted by
the Audio Alchemy DDS-Pro and the DTI-Pro32. It was detailed,
smooth and full range with an enormous, focused soundstage.
Richard Brkich of Syracuse's Signature Sound hooked up the VR-3's
for a private demo for me later on in the day. Although not quite
as room filling as the VR-4 (this was a very large room), they
have bass into the 20hz range and to my ears similar performance
to the VR-4 in the midband and on up. This was the second time I
was able to hear the VR-3 and I think at their asking price of
$1850 USD they are simply a steal. They bring the performance of
the VR-4 down to a very respectable price level and they may even
be a better choice than the VR-4 since some people are have
trouble accommodating the VR-4's tremendous bass response. I hope
people get a chance to hear this speaker because it is definitely
a winner.
Now for the Blue
Circle gear (see photo). This is somewhat of a new company to me
even though they are based in Canada. Blue Circle's unique
designs are spawned from the brain of Gilbert Yeung. In Toronto
they were showing the BC2 Mono Power amps (a single ended
tube/solid state designs producing 75 watts!) as well as the BC3
Preamplifier. The amps, in particular, are an unusual design in
that the chassis is wood! Some love the look, some aren't so
sure, but few I've met dispute the sound. However, they are
somewhat pricey. The amps clock in at something like $7550 CDN
and the preamp at $4150 CDN. Still the sound was just soooooooo
good.. They were also showing a prototype of their new 25 watt
single chassis stereo amp. Please, please, please Gilbert. send
one to Soundstage! for review. I want to let the Internet world
know.
Across the hall was the only home theater room I'll be mentioning in this report (although there were others I'm sticking to an audio only report). This was the first time I believe I saw the potential and worth of home theater truly fulfilled. Using the B&W THX home theater system, Denon and Pioneer laser disk players, and most importantly a Faroujda line quadrupler into an Electrohome projector the result was truly stunning. I spent 3/4 of an hour in that room! For home theater (I'm still a huge consumer of the lay down big coin on popcorn, pop, and parking method of movie viewing) that was a very long time for me.
Down the hall was Bryston
showing the usual assortment of high-quality Bryston electronics
and the PMC loudspeakers they distribute in Canada (see photo
left).The room wasn't really set up for serious listening and
there wasn't much new. Still, Bryston has established itself with
a tremendous reputation for producing very high-quality gear with
an excellent customer support program. As well, they continue to
be one of the finest manufacturers of amplification in Canada and
the world. I've never ran into a dissatisfied Bryston customer.
Now, up to the second floor where I happened upon Israel Blume
of Coincident Speaker Technology (see photo below). As you may or
may not be aware, I reviewed his new sub-$1000 CDN loudspeaker
called the Triumph (full review found elsewhere on Soundstage!
and well worth checking out). The Triumph produces great sound
that belies it's low-low asking price. In this room Israel was
showing the Triumph with a low-priced Jolida integrated tube amp
and an Alchemist cd-player. This system produced a wonderfully
detailed and smooth sound that had many shocked when they checked
out the sticker prices. Israel was also showing a new design in
the $3000 range called the Grand Master that uses their patented
AWE (Asymetrical Wall Enclosure) construction. Previously, I had
only seen Coincident's speakers in their basic black which is,
well.... black. I was shocked to see the quality of their
optional veneer finishes - very, very sharp! Look for great
things from this upstart Canadian company. I hauled home with a
beautifully fini shed pair of their Troubadour loudspeakers for
Soundstage! review. 
Also on this floor were a number of systems using Gershman Acoustics Loudspeakers - what I identified from their brochure as the Avant Garde RX-20 and the GAP 520-X models. Gershman is finding quite a following in Canada that rates these speakers as world class. As well, the designs and finishes are truly stunning and will fit beautifully into modern decors.
The room sponsored by Canada's Inner Ear Report magazine was
showing the Gershmans with a new state-of-the-art assault type
amplifier being produced only a few miles from me.The company is
Wyetech Labs and the amp is called the Topaz (see photo below).
The Topaz is a single-ended tube design producing 18 watts and is
being produced in a limited run of 950 units. The price?
Certainly beyond my Visa limit at $13800 CDN. Although I just
managed a quick listen I overheard some that are calling this a
truly great amplifier. If Wytech can carve themself a chunk of
the upper-end market they may be on to something. 
Also showing with Gershman speakers were SimAudio out of Montreal. SimAudio has long been known for producing high-value solid-state electronics. SimAudio has seemed to really pick up steam and is now producing some world-class looking (and sounding) amplification with innovative design and well finished cosmetics. Gershman was also found in another room amidst Melos amplification and a Classe front end. I found this last one to be probably the most pleasing of Gershman combos.
Of interest to the budget-phile are the NEAR speakers that were on display. NEAR employs metal cone technology throughout their lineup and are reportedly producing great sounds from even the lowliest of their designs (in the low hundreds of dollars range). Their speakers were mainly on silent display, but we're anticipating having Greg Smith hooked up with a pair of NEARs for his Soundstage! Entry Level column very soon.
Ruark is an interesting company, with a relatively low profile in Canada. And as I've previously experienced from Ruark displays they were producing some very nice sounds. I can't recall what I had heard them with at previous Canadian shows, but this time they were using high-value Arcam electronics.
Sonab from Sweden was also showing an interesting lineup. This appears to be a relatively new company to Canada with a full-line of lower priced speaker models. On musical display was a small bookshelf speaker with an isobarik woofer arrangement and a $500 CDN price tag. It certainly had guts and could play loud! Although I admired its dynamic abilities I found it rather bright, so it wasn't my cup of tea. But others were more impressed, particularly for the price.
Local Ottawa audiophile Peter
Lee was running the halls showing his new 'Sound Racks' equipment
rack (see photo). This rack uses 3/4 inch threaded rods and 1
inch MDF shelves. Besides being of very high quality and offering
great support for equipment, what sets these racks apart are the
incredibly beautiful finishes on the shelves. Peter took much
time selecting the right finish to beautifully accentuate audio
equipment. The look is truly unique. Any time he showed the
shelves 'ooooohs' and 'aaaaahs' were heard. This is one of the
few audio racks I've come across that wives and husbands can both
agree looks great. Hey, I've got one myself and I can say
my-significant other is much, much, much happier about it
compared to what I had before. Price for the standard 4 shelf
model (threaded with spikes) should be well-under $500 CDN!!!!
Additional options such as a marble topshelf, solid brass cones,
etc. are also available.
Back on the sound front, Meadow Song Labs of Toronto was showing their Electra One loudspeaker. Their speaker is an electrostatic hybrid that at first glance looks like a very wide Martin Logan. Finished in black and sporting a 10 inch woofer box on the bottom, the Electra One, driven by OCM amps, gave a very smooth and natural sound. The bass was somewhat boomy, however, I couldn't tell if this was a characteristic of the speaker or the room. Nevertheless, Meadow Song Labs seems like another promising company.
The beautiful Wilson Benesch speakers (with carbon fiber construction) were being shown. However, as chance would have it I couldn't find anyone near, or within earshot of the room. And finally, the Proac Response Two's were being shown with the Topaz amplifier. The sound, as usual from Proac, was smooth, enticing, and of high-quality. As well, I managed a quick listen to the Tablette Signature (I think that's the name). Tiny but wonderfully smooth and transparent. In a small room I'm sure this speaker would be a hot-ticket.
So if that seems like a short show report - it was. It just simply wasn't that big of a show. Conspicuously absent were the Canadian big-guys like Sonic Frontiers, Mirage, Energy, Classe, etc. As well, a large Dallas show was held a week earlier that reportedly drained many manufacturers could have attributed to the smaller turnout. Regardless, high-end audio in Canada is alive and well, and more importantly, Canadian companies are continuing to produce some of the best equipment in the world!
Until the next show!
...Doug Schneider
das@sstage.com