Show Reports

We’ve officially entered into the homestretch of my three-part Toronto Audiofest 2024 show report. After taking you on a tour of some of my favorite setups in both Part 1 and Part 2, I’d now like to dive into the remaining nine turntables I enjoyed listening to at TAF 2024 here in Part 3.

To do so, I’m first going to return to the second floor of the Westin, where there were a lot of great systems — and great people. Although many of the rooms featured complementing digital gear and fabulous loudspeakers, the plan here on AP is to keep a narrow focus on the turntables, tonearms, cartridges, phono preamps, and audio gear stands that clearly stood out.

Before I get to all that, I should point out that, despite the temptation, I avoided going into the EARVANA Fest headphones and accessories space hosted in the Trillium Ballroom at the Holiday Inn. To be honest, I love headphone listening so much that I knew if I went down that particular rabbit hole, I’d never have time to listen to all the tables that were on my must-hear list. That said, it still was pretty awesome to see so many young folks being so engaged in that space, as that is often where many of them start their own audio journeys. But for now — it’s off to the tables!

SECOND FLOOR: REGA & KUZMA
Saturday morning started off with a lovely time spent with the great folks behind Corby’s Audio from Hamilton, Ontario. In the Bristol A, Carlton room, visitors were treated to a fantastic black carbon-fiber Rega Naiad turntable — of which I was told it was one of only 42 of them in the world, and that it sports an SRP of $17,995 CAD ($12,900 U.S.) — that was fitted with a Rega RB titanium tonearm, Aphelion 2 MC cartridge, and corresponding Aura MC phono preamp.

The beautiful custom rack and turntable platform from Tough Nut Audio from Kingston Road in Toronto also caught my eye. Even though they weren’t based in the Kingston hometown of one of my (and AP editor Mike Mettler’s!) favorite Canadian bands, The Tragically Hip (more with/on them later), I still loved the feel and resonance of that perfectly finished maple. To cap it all off, a 2002 Pure Audiophile/Concord Jazz repress on stunning red vinyl of The Ray Brown Trio Featuring Gene Harris’ 1985 release, Soular Energy (PA-002), seen spinning below, just sounded so good on the Rega combo.

Next door, Corby’s Audio had an equally stunning turntable, the Kuzma Stabi S (with power supply), fitted with a Kuzma Safir 9 tonearm, Kuzma CAR-60 cartridge, and Kuzma Ebony record clamp. That $32,300 CAD ($23,140 U.S.) sapphire tonearm is no joke — and the smooth, consistent sound was crisply separated and lifelike. This stunning turntable, displayed on another beautiful Tough Nut Audio rack and platform in the Carlton room, was paired with a well-matched Allnic H-5500 phono preamp. It was a very busy space, as the 180g 45rpm 2LP 2023 25th Anniversary 2023 One-Step edition of True Analogue: The Best of Groove Note (GRV1300-45-1S) provided an excellent demo with all those fine details upfront and crystal clear.

THIRD FLOOR: TW-ACUSTIC, LENCO BY JEAN NANTAIS,
MOFI ELECTRONICS, PURE FIDELITY, WELL TEMPERED LAB & THORENS
There was indeed a lot to see up on the third floor, as almost the entirety of it was rocking with 19 rooms of music and gear, all told. I was a little surprised that our hotel accommodation was on that third floor, smack dab in the middle of the action, but this actually turned out to be a handy asset as I spent a lot of time circulating those busy halls and got to connect with great industry folks while they were hanging just outside their spaces.

In fact, right nearby in Room 358, Tri-Cell Enterprises, based in Vaughan, Ontario, had an exquisite TW-Acustic Raven GT2 belt-driven turntable ($9,400 CAN/$6,730 U.S.) featuring their Raven 10.5 10.5in tonearm, Dynavector XX-2A low-output MC cartridge, and Moonriver Model 505 Hybrid MM/MC phono preamp, all perfectly showcased on a gorgeous silver Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) EXRD-1942 3V stand. This was a nicely balanced space, one that was well-suited for the well-chosen tracks I heard quite often while passing by their door.

Right around the corner in Room 352, I was treated to some quality time with Matt Thomas and his incredible setup from Kitchener, Ontario’s Hearken Audio. Star of the room was a Lenco Reference MKIII by Jean Nantais turntable ($10,500 CAN/$7,520 U.S.), outfitted with a Supreme Analog Tangenta 12in tonearm and an Aidas Mammoth Gold cartridge, as well as an older-model Reed 2G 9in tonearm with a Miyajima Zero Mono cart and reference bearing. Matt (seen with yours truly below) definitely chose the right phono preamp for the job — namely, the Senna Sound Phoenix.

As paired with a Miyajima KSW step-up transformer (SUT), the preamp brought out all the details with incredible separation and clarity, as seated on a solid black HRS EXR 4 stand. Choosing to play Bat For Lashes’ 2016 2LP set on Parlophone, The Bride (0190295983901), allowed visitors to experience this setup’s fulfilling musical presence — and the wonderful silence between its tracks.

Another very popular place, Richmond Hill, Ontario’s Vinyl Sound, was ensconced in Room 348. With the affable Rich Zidel of Zidel Marketing of Dollard Des Ormeaux, Quebec, on hand, I got to hear the MoFi Electronics MasterDeck turntable ($9,995 CAN/$7,160 U.S.) fitted with a full MoFi complement including their own 10in tonearm, UltraGold low-output MC cartridge, and MasterPhono phono preamp on a Solid Steel rack.

This space offered euphonious sound to its visitors, and it was not unusual to see the room’s big, comfy couch full of appreciative attendees as Rich kept great tracks flowing with warm, detailed sound! Vocals were the real star in this locale, as the MasterDeck’s cleverly designed tonearm, with its two-step approach utilizing both unipivot and gimbal, ensured ultimate freedom of movement so the UltraGold cart could give listeners a feel for the wonderful musicality.

Moving a bit down the hall, I was mesmerized by the curved, high-gloss quilted maple plinth on Pure Fidelity’s The Horizon Mk2 turntable ($8,995 CAN/$6,444 U.S.) in Room 345. Wowzer — the finish on this unassuming table that was hand-built in Vancouver was beautiful. I was also pleasantly surprised to find this was the only room featuring turntables that had no streaming gear. The room’s host — Audioarcan, a distributor from Barrie, Ontario — instead gave attendees a vinyl-only space, with lots of big, glorious tubes for that true analog experience.

That gorgeous table was outfitted with an Origin Live Enterprise dual-pivot tonearm and a stunning Etsuro Urushi Gold low-output MC cartridge. The system was rounded out perfectly with an Ikeda SUT and Icon Audio LA4 MkIII Signature phono preamp. I’ve got to say, the guys in this space were awesome to talk to, and the sound was phenomenal. I could have listened all day to Jack Johnson’s 2005 LP on Brushfire, In Between Dreams (B0004149-01), that I heard them playing — but it was super-warm in there with all those big tubes doing their thing, so, er, given my current lot in life, I had to bide my time accordingly (if you know what I mean).

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Room 325, where the aforementioned Vinyl Sound had a black-plinthed Thorens TD 1600 table ($5,299 CAN/$3,800 U.S.) with an Audio-Technica AT-OC9XML MC cartridge mounted on the straight Thorens TP 92 9in tonearm, all paired with a Chord Huei phono preamp. When I first visited this room briefly on Friday afternoon, the system didn’t quite have the full, lifelike sound that I hoped it would. However, when I revisited it later on Saturday afternoon, the sound was much livelier, and more full-bodied. I have an inkling my initial visit was early in the cartridge’s life, but as it was played more and given a chance to warm-up, the sound had improved greatly. This transition reminded me about the importance of break-in, especially with new gear. I did also like the NorStone audio stand, with sharp black legs and light wood platform, which looked fantastic with the plinth’s shiny black finish.

The final room I spent time in on the third floor, Room 363, was one that had one of the very few reel-to-reel setups. It was hosted by an absolute gem of a gentleman, Bernard Li, of Charisma Audio, from Unionville, Ontario, and the system featured a Well Tempered Lab Amadeus 254 GT turntable and their own LTD tonearm, along with a Charisma Audio YYZ low-output MC cartridge, and complimented by a Well Tempered Lab Bills phono preamp seated on a black Tiglon Grand Magnesia four-tier audio rack. This dual-plinth multilayer aluminum-encased turntable provided warm, engaging sound with clean, stratified separation. Incidentally, that total gear package, in case you’re wondering, is $26,015 CAN ($18,640 U.S.).

Bernard also graciously gave me an excellent tour of the space, and he even pointed out the Wonder Audio Labs CD/LP dual-coil demagnetizer ($1,095 CAN/$785 U.S.). Finally, I was thrilled to see a curious young man, attending with his dad, checking out and asking questions about the Studer A810 and Revox PR99 reel-to-reel recorders.

FOURTH FLOOR: THORENS (PART 2)
On the first day at TAF, I did notice that there was one turntable setup on the fourth floor. Even so, I had a great time in front of the second Thorens turntable I got to experience at the show, which was featured in Room 439 and hosted by Executive Stereo, who hail from Toronto. Ed Stone was wonderful to talk to, and he gave me a chance to play a couple of albums on that glossy walnut Thorens TD 1600 turntable, which was completed by a Thorens TAS 1550 MC cartridge, classic J-shaped Thorens TP 160 9in tonearm, and, naturally, a Chord Huei phono preamp.

When I saw that Ed had the 2014 MCA/UMC 180g gatefold reissue of The Tragically Hip’s 1992 Fully Completely LP (0254704109) on hand — well, you just know I had to play “Lionized” (Side A, Track 5) followed by “Locked in the Trunk of a Car” (Side A, Track 6). I really liked the full, rocking sound in this space — and the fellow attendees who took a seat to finally hear some Hip music enjoyed it too! [Well, you just know I fully and completely approve of that LP and track selection!—MM]

Brief sidenote: Last, but not least, I do wish I could have spent more time checking out the tres-expensive Nagra Reference Anniversary turntable that was presented by our capital city Ottawa’s own Bliss Acoustics in their Plaza B locale. On Friday, I did get a moment to pop into that space while doing my early show recon, and joined some attendees who were admiring some horn-laden jazz being played on this Swiss-made $324,370 CAN/$232,500 U.S turntable-and-tonearm setup, one that was also fitted with a Reference cartridge ($34,180 CAN/$24,500 U.S.) and supported by a Nagra HD PHONO preamp at ($160,600 CAN/$115,000 U.S.). Alas, that was all the time I could spend in that champagne-level room.

VINYL ACQUISITIONS
You may ask if this vinyl enthusiast picked up anything while at the show. The answer is a resounding Y-E-S! (as seen above). My dear friends from Stayner, Ontario — Steve Buccilli and Gord Crawford, a.k.a. All That Jazz — were setup at the Holiday Inn with their records, gear, and accessories pop-up shop. They had an incredible selection of albums, both new and used, for sale. Gord is almost as nitpicky as I am when it comes down to grading used vinyl. These guys always look everyone who stops by their tables laden with crates and crates of records in the eye. They talk gear, music, and give great advice with a friendly smile, and they have a down-to-earth approach.

From super-clean hard-to-find rarities to sealed, new releases and sought-after vintage MoFi pressings, these guys are a bad influence for a collector like me (albeit in a good way). I walked out with a stack of LPs (as seen at the top of this subsection), including yet another gatefold copy of one my favorite Rush albums, March 1976’s 2112 (Mercury SRM 1-1079), and a happy heart. I mean, what self-respecting Rush fan doesn’t have multiple copies of this iconic concept album of theirs? Thank you, Steve and Gord, for being such stand-up guys — and for making it so tough for me to stop digging through your crates.

THE SOUNDS OF TRADE SHOWS:
A HUMBLE PLAYBACK REQUEST
I’d like to add one important, final observation here before this TAF 2024 report comes to a close — although it may not be a popular opinion with some — about the increasing frustration I feel sometimes at audio shows when the music diversity isn’t necessarily keeping up with the crowd diversity. This isn’t a negative observation, mind you, as I do appreciate jazz-centric demos as much as the next audiophile-oriented attendee does — but I’d just like to hear more music that encourages younger people and/or those attending an audio show for the first time to want to go into a wider variety of rooms and experience top-shelf gear while they concurrently enjoy hearing music to which they better relate.

As I traversed the halls at TAF 2024, my eternally patient non-audiophile partner made an astute observation. I’ve dragged this poor guy around to quite a few audio shows over the years, and it’s always amusing when he gets approached by exhibitors because he fits the “stereotypical” male audiophile profile. He usually quietly stands in the back, and he’s very adept at people watching. He noticed that attendees at this year’s TAF were mostly, as he affectionately called them, “typical audiophile types,” but added that they were very serious about the gear — as they should be. Me, I noticed the younger people — i.e., dudes with heavy metal concert tees, as well as a smattering of women in the crowd — and that led me to wonder, “How do we get more of them to attend shows like these?”

The future of audio is in the hands of the younger generation, and I was happy to see those above-noted attendees I had observed sit down in rooms that were willing to play more contemporary music — but I also saw them walk right on past rooms favoring more “traditional” trade-show demo music. Hey, I get the attraction to stay in that playback lane, especially knowing the difficulty of reproducing such finely detailed music and making it all sound so full and balanced in rooms that have their own set of challenges. That said, almost every time I went into a room and was asked if I wanted to hear some jazz, I politely declined, instead choosing something else that might better show off a wider range of sounds, including vocals, mids, and bass.

My overarching combo Q, then, is this — could there a) be a somewhat wider margin in diversity for the demo tracks made available for playback so that our younger attendees are better engaged, and b) could those potential selections more accurately reflect just how good their favorite music can sound on such amazing, high-end gear? Just food for thought, everyone.

TAF 2024: JE CONCLUS!
So, there you have it — the final installment of this multi-part story of my turntable-focused TAF adventure. Safe to say, I had a great time at Toronto Audiofest 2024. I’m so grateful to the many, many people who took time out of their busy days showcasing some fantastic gear for me, and for AP. It is truly amazing to see so many wonderful Canadian audio companies and manufacturers coming together to play and share the music we all love on such great gear.

A very heartfelt merci to Sarah Tremblay, Michel Plante, and their fabulous TAF team for pulling off yet another successful show. If any of you reading this far happen to be willing to make the autumn-hued road trip to Toronto next October for TAF 2025, I hope to see you there!

Author Bio: Shanon McKellar began collecting records when she was just a little kid. Music matters in every part of her life. A Canadian-born-and-bred vinyl enthusiast through and through, Shanon has been reviewing analog gear, albums, and reporting on trade shows since 2018.

You can read Part 1 of Shanon’s TAF show report here.

And then you can read Part 2 of Shanon’s TAF show report here.