Watch The Video On Youtube
https://youtu.be/GYoztNrIvuU
Hello Friends,
Back in March 2018 of this year, We decided to be partnered with Tone Winner company to produce powerful, affordable & audiophile quality sound for your Hi-Fi, home theatre & gaming experience. Tone Winner Electronics was established in 1992, specialized in researching and producing for audio electronic products. Tone Winner has become one of the most advanced companies in audio industry, & it is the hi-tech enterprise.
We were among the first to check out Tone Winners line of products so we sat down in a swanky hotel room an thought about how we can be partner up with Tone Winner and Design the Product for Canadian Market and US Market at Affordable prices.
We Always Love to talk about Power! Power! Power! The more Power The Better for the dynamics, headroom which is true, but at affordable prices thats a challenge.
Since April we have been playing around with the new product of Summit Hi-Fi and Tone Winner and made some changes and now it is ready to be launch on our web site.
We Like to show-off our new 7 & 5 Channel Amp ( 300W Per Channel @ 8 Ohms) with lights, analogue meter and gold plated RCA & XLR terminals.
With our new 7 channel amp, we have watched segments of Transformers for home theatre experience, listened to vocal jazz in two channel and played video games, and all we can say is WOW! We Got This! by the way for Front Left & Right channel The amp will provide you with more Class A Power For your HI-Fi Listening ;-) it gets better and better.
Summit Hi-Fi & Tone Winner continues to push the boundaries of what can be done without breaking the bank for our friends.
Place your order now, and we'll ship. Do Remember we offer 45 days in home trial.
Many Thanks
Summit Hi-Fi
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Robert Harley, Editor-In-Chief of The Absolute Sound, states that “High-End Audio is the quest to re-create in the listener’s home the musical message of the composer or performer with the maximum realism, emotion, and intensity.” Historically, skilled audio professionals have created high-end audio components by carefully crafting circuits and taking great care in parts selection. They achieve great sound through elaborate, time-consuming processes, resulting in expensive and often opulent products.
Thanks to innovations in digital design, NuPrime Audio is producing affordable audio that sounds as good as the best. For example, NuPrime's STA-9 stereo amplifier (120Wx2, 290W bridged mono) retails for $899 -- a fraction of the price of comparable high-end products. This compact, powerful, superb-sounding amplifier employs an advanced hybrid design via Class-D topology and a hand-crafted transistor circuit that rival the sonic characteristics of the world's leading tubed amps.
NuPrime Audio makes it possible for the budget-minded music lover to acquire an impeccable audio system that costs not much more than mass-market goods. Small wonder that in 2015, for the first time in audio history, NuPrime has received four Product-of-the-Year awards from The Absolute Sound and the SoundStage! Network.
How does NuPrime achieve its price-performance advantage?
Typically a brand works with an OEM factory, including supplier factories, to achieve its target products. It isn't often that a brand owns its own factory. Atypically, NuPrime is vertically integrated: we don't subcontract for amplifiers and power supplies. Our in-house engineering team makes it unnecessary to spend elsewhere for what we do so well. Our stocked parts range from raw materials and ICs to semi-assembled boards. Hybrid Class-D switching and linear power supplies, DACs, preamps, and anything else we require are conceived and achieved in-house. Admittedly, we can't do it all. On occasion we partner to develop a product another company does better. In short, NuPrime customers benefit from our R&D, efficiency and fruitful associations.
How does NuPrime price its high-end audio product ?
We don't price a unit based on how good it sounds within our own product line or compared with the competition. We are an engineering company plain and simple. We don’t price our amps based on weight or workmanship. We price our products based on cost. Over time costs come down due to innovations and performance advances. For example, you may know that preamp switch resistors are quite expensive. We have learned how to implement them at a much lower cost by using FPGA, a big logic chip. Designs that were once exclusive to super-expensive preamps now occupy of our modestly priced amps and DACs. We’ve advanced from a bank of expensive resistors to a fruitful chip. In terms of cost difference the journey from one to the other amounts to an order of magnitude. Similarly, our amplifiers employ a naturally occurring self-oscillating design principle to generate the PWM pulses for Class D sampling rather than incorporating a relatively expensive PWM generator. In short, instead of marketing a crazy-expensive amp, we’re in a position to sell an STA-9 at $899.
]]>Summit Hi-Fi Family,
We have introduced the Hercules of the Amps! ;-)
The Nuprime MCH-K38
The NuPrime MCH-K38 is a Reference LE class multi-channel amplifier designed for uncompromising home theater and music listening. With its quality parts throughout and an advanced 550kHz switching amplifier operation, the MCH-K38 delivers a full 210 watts into 4 and 8 Ohms per channel. Each pair of output channels can be bridged to double the power to 400W at 4 and 8 Ohms. The NuPrime MCH-K38 comes with 8 sets of RCA and true balanced XLR inputs. A self-resonant design, the amp’s 550 kHz PWM switching frequency constantly adjusts to the input signal, output current demands, and loudspeaker impedance variations. Exemplary speed, accuracy and exquisite dynamics nicely describes NuPrime’s signature sound.
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Let’s go crazy and start with the conclusion for once, as the following text on the NuPrime product page pretty much sums up how I feel about this amp:
“NuPrime’s sonic character stands well apart from – and indeed above – the soft, cushy sound we often associate with most tubed amplification and the dry, clinically edgy sound we often associate with solid-state and switching technology. Rarely does an amp achieve an ideal balance of richly textured timbres and harmonics, bottom-end authority, startling dynamics, exquisite low-level detail, and a fully revealed, fully dimensional sound stage against a backdrop of mile-deep silence.”
But do read on to learn more, and to find out exactly how the ST-10 performs with various speakers and how it compares to various other amps.
Unique Sonic Characteristics
NuPrime have unravelled those parameters with which they can tailor each product to have unique sonic characteristics. Opinions and personal taste will forever differ, and so there will always be those who want a smoother, creamier, warmer delivery, for example to add some extra romance to vocals. While the ST-10 is a clean sounding amp, NuPrime also offer creamier sounding amps, should that be desired. The choice is with the customer, and this is quite unique.
By cleverly combining the various parameters precisely as required, NuPrime can pretty much offer custom solutions. For example, to quote from the amp-comparison white paper:
“We advise customers to make their selection based on sonic preference and usage scenario. If you watch a lot of movies and enjoy to a wide variety of musical styles, you might prefer MCH-K38. If your thing is classical music in its entire vast and dramatic splendor, you will likely go for Ref 20 or ST-10. Conversely, if vocals are your passion, you will likely prefer the MCH-K38 or STA-9.”
This all lines up perfectly with the adagium that I keep using in these pages which is that audio equipment selection is relative, and very much dependent on system synergy and personal preference.
Technical Aspects
There are various manufacturers that issue amps based on Class D amplification. Usually they employ modules such as ICEpower, Hypex, Pascal and then they may apply some tweaks. NuPrime is one of the very few companies left that still do original R&D on class D designs. They designed their own circuits and implement them as cost effectively as they can, while maintaining very high performance.
According to the manufacturer, NuPrime amps have no phase shift. Many amps use output filters that create phase shift. When phase shifts, spatial information becomes inaccurate. Most amps present phase shifts of better than 45 degrees at 20 kHz, heading toward 90 degrees as frequency increases. NuPrime amps cancel these distortions owing to a unique closed-loop design producing ZERO phase shift across all frequencies. Another interesting aspect of the NuPrime implementation is that instead of the conventional saw-tooth configuration, the NuPrime circuit design uses a naturally occurring analog-modulating signal that adds neither noise nor jitter.
There is a lot more to write about Class D in general and the NuPrime implementation in specific but that’s already done in many places as well as on the NuPrime website, for example in their Learning section.
One important matter that I want to (again) stress is that class D is not necessarily Digital. Rather, class D describes a switched output stage working according to the PWM principle, which is very much analog in itself. Extra steps can be taken to enable a digital input but the amplification part is still analog.
Above and below: very clean packaging with infinitely re-usable magnetic lid
Wilson Sabrina
The NuPrime ST-10 is a tiny amp. If I did not know better then it would be easy to assume that it is underpowered for any Wilson. The truth could not be more different: the ST-10 really brings the Sabrinas to life! Transient crispness and dynamic impact are really startling, better even than with any of the other amps that were used during the Sabrina review. Bass is also incredible, not in a big and fat kind of way but because it is tuneful and articulate with just the right amount of pressure. Meanwhile the NuPrime’s very natural tonality helps the Sabrinas sound timbrally more believable.
Timbrally the ST-10 is a mix between the Ayre VX-5 Twenty and the Bryston 3B cubed but with more accurate bass than the Bryston and more impressive dynamics than the Ayre. From memory it does not have the fluid yet synthetic nature of any ICE power amp that I tried but it does sound a little like the Jeff Rowland 525 which uses as Pascal module, in terms of solidity and sonority. The 525 however never really came to life during my tests, which the ST-10 absolutely does, and with gusto! The NuPrime really presents music with a life-like, as well as live-like character: tonally pure, direct-coupled and very expressive. Treble performance is slightly rough though. Not at all harsh, just seemingly not as fluid and hi-res as I’d like it to be. Or could it be that the ST-10 presents treble just the way that it is on the recording, meaning that many other amps add more fluidity than they should? I’d be tempted to say that this is not very probable, but when listening to the ST-10 on the Apogee Centaurs or the Gustavsons, and playing a selection of old smooth jazz, it’s just great, with treble that is as fluid and airy as it needs to be.
Apogee Centaur
For more than a decade, the Centaurs were used with Jeff Rowland model sixes by their owner and dear audiofriend JW. The sixes are true high end amplifiers that in their day cost around 15.000 euro. This is almost 20 years ago so go imagine what they would cost now. Ok, so the NuPrime ST-10 is not the equal of these Rowland monos, but as the Rowland sound has slowly evolved from very creamy to more neutral these days, the ST-10 actually comes closer than you’d think. Although the ST-10 does not have the Rowland-typical rose-tinted, extra smooth character, it does perform better than the sixes in some aspects.
Connected with current edition Transparent Super XLR interlinks and Transparent Super speaker cables I listened to Joyce Cooling’s Cameo and then Chris Standring’s Blue Bolero, and it really sounded great! Maybe I did not hear the same amount of treble air, but treble was definitely airy and most definitely not edgy or bright. The Centaurs really are not tolerant at all in that respect, so if there was any harshness added by the amp, the Centaurs would have let me hear this. Listening to more music I do hear that not all music is produced equally smoothly, but the NuPrime is always honest. Even when playing dry recordings and when the treble sounds square-ish, still all you do is take note of it and move on, because the sound is otherwise so engaging. As expected the bass was just perfect again, but not expected was the lifelike tonality and the liveliness and involvement in the midrange. This was a real toe-tapping performance. I was actually more involved emotionally using the NuPrime because of this, even if ultimately it is not every bit as refined and hi-res as the Ayre.
The ST-10’s very direct and highly revealing delivery may not be liked by everyone though, but that’s a matter of personal preference. And as mentioned, should a warmer delivery be required then NuPrime also has several richer sounding amps in their portfolio.
Really the only aspect of the ST-10 which makes it less than ideal for me is its treble behaviour. While absolutely never harsh, it comes across as lower in resolution and lacking the air that my Jeff Rowland model 6 amps had, and which the Rowland 625 s2 and Ayre VX-5 Twenty also have. But these are just boxes that I want ticked, being the perfectionist audiphile that I am. For the most part this is academic, as the musical message is certainly not hampered by such aspects.
Wilson Watt/Puppy 8
Switching from the Sabrina to the Watt/Puppy 8, the ST-10 is still completely in control but without sounding overly controlled. Once again the midbass and lower midrange are the areas that stun me most. Also with the Watt/Puppies the amp seems to have plenty of reserves and is still happy to play as loudly as I ask it to while retaining posture at all times. It simply does not compress nor does it become shouty. Quite an achievement for a 1500 euro amp!
Apogee Duetta Signature
Since we’re in fun mode anyway, let’s see what the ST-10 can do with the recently re-re-furbished Apogee Duettas. After listening to them with the Ayre VX-5 Twenty, the NuPrime ST-10 comes in. Disrespectfully placed right on top of the Ayre and connected with the same interlinks, power cable and speaker cables, the ST-10 was just switched on from cold. Rightaway the most striking feature again is its sonorous sound. It’s not a smooth and “BIG” sound in the Bryston kind of way, nor creamy classic Rowland kind of way, but something I can only describe as a clearly defined and upbeat lively ballsyness.
Coming from the Ayre it is also evident that the NuPrime does sound less finely resolved than the Rowlands and the Ayre, but with the Apogees it definitely does not sound dark, just less fluid. Also with the Duettas, it’s not rough or harsh and certainly not processed or synthetic, and while treble seems to be lower res, the bass is actually very highly textured and precise. This again raises the question whether the NuPrime is actually lower res in the treble or most class A/B amps simply add fluidity that isn’t in the recording? If you ask me this is not a question that must be answered. It’s simply a matter of preference. I guess that if you want very accurate bass, you also get very accurate treble, for better or for worse.
The Apogees are certainly under control, and with power to spare. Also evident is that this class D amp absolutely has no issues passing along the music’s lyrical qualities. The amp gets right to the heart of the performance. It doesn’t distract itself with fine details too much but definitely deliveres the musical message with gusto.
Changing the Belden + IeGO powercable for a Cardas Clear Beyond definitely brings some welcome changes. Although now slightly less controlled in an absolute sense, the overall sound is gentler and more fluid and yet still very sonorous. Changing the Cardas for a Furutech FP-TCS31 adds more “gravy” so to say, to create a creamier sound, which works very well with slower music like soul. With rock music however I start to long for a little more bite, and the more direct-coupled, timbrally more acoustical portrayal with the Cardas and even more so the Belden. The amp certainly does not require high end cables to sound its best, but it is interesting to know that it can be tweaked, should this be desired.
Gustavson LS-One
With the very efficient Gustavson speakers, the NuPrime provides a superbly intimate midrange, and quite unsuspected, smooth, fluid and airy treble. This was unsuspected because the NuPrime’s treble comes across as being a little rough with the Apogees and the Wilsons. The ST-10’s bass is faster and more articulate than that of the Brystons, and acoustically more convincing to my ears. That said I can imagine some listeneres preferring a warmer sound with these speakers. Even though each of my friends agree with me that the ST-10 has remarkably natural timbre and impulse behaviour to challenge the best tube amps we heard, some of them still prefer the warmer, richer sound of tubes, or the Brystons, especially when listening to vocal music. JW even happily admits that even though he sees the benefits, he has been listening to a fair amount of smear for so long that he finds it difficult to get used to such a clean sound. For upbeat music with lots of rhythm and percussion we all agree that the ST-10 is most fascinating and involving.
Vivid Audio Giya G3 s2
Now for the most unlikely combination of all: a 1500 euro NuPrime ST-10 with 35.000 euro Vivid Giya G3’s. Probably nobody would even think of even trying this but I am happy to confirm that the humble ST-10 drives them splendidly! The Vivids were delivered for review along with Mola-Mola Kaluga power amps and those amps really are worthy of their reputation. The main difference between these two very differently priced amps is the same as I have described further above and concerns ultimate resolution, the NuPrime just not reaching the insane levels that the Mola-Molas do. Futher, there is a difference in timbre, bass fulness and ultimate transparency.
The Vivids really are very revealing speakers, perhaps even more so than the Wilsons, and it is with these speakers that I can most clearly hear that the NuPrime has some added character that the Mola-Molas do not. The NuPrime has a fuller tonality throughout the midbass and lower midrange which I actually like and prefer with some speakers. One might call it a colouration, another might call it more natural. In any event whereas many other class D amps sound quite thin, this extra body also adds to the ST-10’s more natural timbre. The Mola-Molas by comparison are ruler-flat and much more anonymous, which makes them ultimately more universally applicable. Now whether or not this is a pre or a con is a personal matter. While I appreciate both approaches, as well as the sound of tubes done well, many of my friends are more biased toward one or the other. I would say this is mostly a matter of taste and much less so of quality. What is a matter of quality however are resolution and transparency. The Mola-Molas are simply more finely resolving and transparent. This is most evident in the treble, which with the Mola-Molas (as well as with Jeff Rowland and Ayre) is more fluid and airy, but without adding any smear.
So, whilst better performance can be obtained, you’d have to spend at least 10k to achieve this. It’s always the last few percent that cost the most to achieve! Nonetheless, the NuPrime just performs admirably even in the context of super high end speakers and that really is quite remarkable.
Above: NuPrime amidst of some of the finest power amps available. In the back row: Analog Domain M75P, Mola-Mola Kaluga, Bryston 3B Cubed and 14B Cubed. In the front row: Mola-Mola Makua (which is a preamp), PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium and Jeff Rowland 625 s2.
I’ve heard many class D amps, but have liked very few. While bass control and neutrality are often a piece of cake for these amps, they are usually let down by thinness, harmonic deficiences and an unnatural timbre. The NuPrime ST-10 is the first class D design that sounds timbrally wholly convincing to me. Piano really sounds like piano, not like synthesizer and vocals are just as direct-coupled as they are in real life. Add in bass heft and thundering dynamics like I have not yet heard from other class D designs. Only the Mola-Mola Kalugas ultimately provide more refinement and transparency but these are placed at the complete opposite price spectrum.
On balance, there is just no denying that at any price the ST-10 is an exceptional amp. Heck, at a mere 1595 euro, it is simply sublime! NuPrime are not exaggerating when they say that they have implemented both solid state and tube elements into the sound. Just don’t expect the ST-10 to sound like a generic romantic and mushy tube amp but rather more like a lightning fast SET with ultra clean, clear midrange. Like a good SET, the ST-10 does not add warmth or romantic colourations but produces pure, honest and lively music, complete with the highly lyrical qualities that come along with this type of amp.
Finally, NuPrime believe that the customer should be able to choose from a palette of amps with different characteristics, to match personal taste. So, should all this talk about purity and powerful dynamics put you off and you’d prefer a more creamy-rich sounding amp, then NuPrime has alternative solutions for that such as the the MCH-K38 or STA-9. In any event the ST-10 is my new class D reference in its price category, and way above it.
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All about the awesome NuPrime range of DACs and Digital amplifiers.
We're thrilled to be able to bring you the NuPrime products. As longtime NuForce enthusiasts it was only natural for us to contact Jason Lim and ask if we could represent his new enterprise in Canadian Market - previously we'd had to operate via a distributor company which was both inefficient and costly. Now the NuPrime range comes to us directly and we've been tasked to do the best possible job for you in Canada.
In 2017 NuPrime now have a comprehensive range of models that cover both music, surround sound and multichannel. And there is more to come. You'll see that NuPrime, while being primarily active in Digital do have some excellent new analogue components. Every model from entry level upwards offers you a happy mix of both exceptional value and performance.Browse through our pages to learn more.
Thanks To Jason Lim and NuPrime
]]>The 2017 Salon Audio / Montreal Audio Fest, was a wonderful event; an amazing feat, given that this was technically only its second year. The shows organizers, industry veterans, Michel Plante and Sarah Trembley, assembled this year’s Montreal Audio Fest, with a refreshed look and feel, within the freshly renovated Hotel Bonaventure Montréal. Once again, the Montreal Audio Fest opened its doors with free admission, to the delight of its patrons. I found that spirits of both consumers and exhibitors seemed high; embracing the rejuvenated venue and perhaps now settled into the fact that the Montreal Audio Fest is not going anywhere. The following are just some of the rooms that I visited, over the three days of the show – March 24/25/26, 2017; for more, look to Suave Kajko’s coverage, posted last week on our website.
SVS by Summit HiFi
One of the rooms that generated a lot of excitement was hosted by Summit HiFi, an Eastern Toronto dealer that was demonstrating a complete SVS home theatre setup. Gary Yacoubian, President & Managing Partner – SVS, was there in person to expound about this system. The system was a 5.1.2, using SVS Prime speakers, including the new SVS Prime Elevation height effects L/C/R ($200 – $250/ U.S. each). Though it was exciting to hear the object based height effects of the latest Mad Max film, the star of the show was most definitely the new SVS SB16-Ultra Subwoofer. The new SB16 demonstrated ($2,000 U.S.), along with the PB16-Ultra ($2,500 U.S.) ported sub – not shown, are the largest and most powerful subwoofers in SVS’ history! They incorporate an all-new 16” driver with an 8” edge-wound voicecoil. With 1500 Watts (continuous) and over 5000 Watts (peak) the demonstration was incredible. The sound was full, large and surprisingly tight, given the compact hotel room.
Today, I'm typing up a blog post from inside listening room #1 at our new Markham location. Nothing could have prepared us for how quickly we've grown from a small business, shipping products from home to one with a retail outlet and a staffed warehouse.
We can't thank all of you enough for helping us on our journey to where we are today; those of you who purchased from us, shared our info, or just called to chat, thank you! You've made us what we are, and that we won't forget.
As a gesture of our appreciation, we're inviting everyone to come celebrate our grand opening on Saturday July 23rd from 11am to 6pm at our new location @ 373 Main St. N, Markham, ON. Stop by for a look around the shop, or just for the free BBQ, either way, we'd love to see you there.
If you can't make it, no sweat. Drop by anytime for a coffee (yes, we have a real espresso machine) and some conversation.
Thanks,
Riz
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You get a nice room, good coffee, some enthusiastic audiophiles, and a nice Saturday afternoon. In fact, THIS Saturday afternoon!
We'll be hosting another one of our demo day events to give everyone a chance to see and hear the brand new XPA Gen-3 Amplifiers from Emotiva, along with the ever popular ELAC Debut Series. Our friends at Nexus International will be bringing along products from other great brands, including Fiio and Soundmagic.
There'll be door prizes, coffee, light refreshments, and good music to boot!
We’ll be in both the Buttonville and Unionville rooms at the Sheraton Parkway Richmond Hill on Saturday April 23, 2016 from 11am-4pm.
Sheraton Parkway Hotel:
9005 Leslie St, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1B2
11am-4pm
At this point, anything Andrew designs garners quite a following (for good reason!), and this would be no different. I knew beforehand there was something new in the works; what I didn't know, is just how exciting it would be. So I hobbled into the Venetian and found my way to one of the two ELAC rooms high up in the hotel. As I took a seat, front and center, I asked the ever smiling Andrew Jones to play one of my favourite test tracks, Drum and Bass Intro by Nils Lofgren Band. There was a reason I asked for this track specifically; I had heard it on the ELAC Debut series last year, and was blown away. This experience was not dissimilar!
The venerable Uni-Fi UB5 in action.
The little UB5 bookshelf again changed the expectation of what a $500 (USD) speaker should sound like. Now, I don't describe sound in words as sound is incredibly subjective, but I will say that the quality of bass from these little guys was astounding! The standing banners behind the speakers were "dancing" as Andrew said, by the sheer volume of air coming from the UB5s rear port.
This in mind, it is with great excitement that I get to announce that we're beginning pre-orders for the Uni-Fi series! Pricing for the lineup is as follows:
ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 Bookshelf Speaker (Pair) - $769
ELAC Uni-Fi UF5 Tower Speaker (Each) - $769
ELAC Uni-Fi UC5 Center Channel (Each) - $549
To sweeten the deal, we're now offering free shipping across Canada on ALL orders! That's right, everything! From amps to pre-amps to speakers, buy from the comfort of your own home without any added cost. Of course, whether you purchase locally or online, you're guaranteed our outstanding service.
Pre-orders are anticipated to begin shipping in the first week of May, 2016.
To place your pre-order, simply add your Uni-Fi product to your cart and check out. A $99 deposit will ensure that your order will ship as soon as we receive product, and the balance of payment.
Thanks again for helping make Summit Hi-Fi Canada's fastest growing audio retailer!
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Well, we're two audio nerds with a simple idea; that "good sound doesn't have to be expensive".
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for nice things, and currently I'm drooling over the $24,000 REL Gibraltar stack I heard at CES earlier this year (seriously, who doesn't want six REL subwoofers?), but truth is, I'm a long way from being able to drop a Honda Civic on my audio system. I've got bills to pay, and mouths to feed; and honestly, most of our customers do too.
A Honda Civic worth of subwoofers. Photo Courtesy of Stereophile.
Now, we don't believe in compromises, so while all of our products may be affordable, we take care in ensuring that they perform like those costing much more. Much of what we pay for with any product we buy is brand, perception, and marketing. Not all of our brands are household audio names (though most are quite well known!), but trust us when we say we've put them through their paces.
Finally, we're big on honesty and customer service, they're the pillars on which we've built our business. You'll sometimes find us recommending products that we may not carry, or talking you out of buying something that's not the right product for you. These ideas go against traditional retail principals, but we're believers in the idea that building great relationships with our customers trumps everything else.
There's much more we're excited to share with you in coming days and weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.
As always, feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call with your questions, concerns, or just to have a chat!
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We were lucky enough to be exhibiting at the first ever Montreal Salon Audio this past weekend. While the original organizers of the show pulled out and left the show in jeopardy, former organizers Sarah Tremblay and Michel Plante stepped in to ensure the staple Canadian show would go on.
So we packed our bags and headed off to Montreal! It was never going to be anything short of exciting, as we were showing off both Emotiva, and ELAC products for the first time in Canada. What we didn't know however, is just how overwhelmingly positive the response would be.
It's no secret that Montreal is a city of culture, but perhaps even more so, it's home to more audiophiles per capita than anywhere else in North America (I might have made that statistic up, but it's probably true!).
With a turnout unlike ever before, we often had upwards of 20 people crammed into our 200 sq ft. hotel suite. Despite the lack of space (and possibly air to breath), the general consensus was as we (and Andrew Jones) had expected; "Incredible, especially considering the price!", as stated by Marc from Laval, QC.
It wasn't just the price we were concerned with though, it was the value. We tried to ensure that every piece we showed off punched well above it's weight. From the Emotiva XPA-1, to the ELAC B6, everything had to be a great value. As it turns out, our entire system ended up somewhere under $6,000, which was awesome, considering our neighbours had a power cable listed for slightly more than that.
As if sharing our products with the local crowd wasn't awesome enough, we had lots of press on hand to try and woo; amongst them was Art Dudley of Stereophile who was kind enough to pop by at the end of the day and spend some time with us. Art had the following to say:
"In my last stop of the day, at the very genially staffed Summit Hi-Fi room, I finally had a chance to hear the Elac B6 loudspeakers ($US280/pair) that Herb Reichert reviews in our April 2016 issue. Driven by Emotiva XPA-1 monoblock amplifiers ($CDN3200/pair), an Emotiva XSP-1 preamp ($CDN1499) and the same company's ERC-3 CD player/transport ($CDN749), these two-way stand-mounters sounded big, clear, and fun. If I owned a high-end audio salon, I'd stack a pile of these near the cash register and put up a sign advising customers: Take Your Change In Elac B6s!"
Finally, thanks aplenty to everyone who came out and lent us their time and ears.
Read the full Stereophile show report here.
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