Bryston

The Bryston display was located in a very large, untreated room with a main demo system and many other products on static display.  The demo system comprised the BDP2 digital player, BDA2 DAC, BP26 preamp and a pair of 7BSST² power amplifiers driving the flagship Model T Signature speakers.  The electronics were powered by the BIT20 power conditioner.

The sound of the system was good but not remarkable, perhaps due to the way it was set up in the room.

Estelon

Soundstage Fine Audio presented a system featuring the Estelon X Diamond speakers.

The speakers were set up along the long wall of an attractively furnished room with muted lighting.  The rest of the system included a Brinkman Balance turntable with a Burmester 100 phono preamp, an Accuphase CD player, and an Ayre preamp and MX-R twenty monoblock power amps.  An Estelon XB speaker was also present on static display.

The sound here was very good with both vinyl and CD sources.  It was very revealing with high resolution, dynamics and well integrated from top to bottom.  The bass had real power and texture and the imaging and soundstaging were very good indeed.  This was one of my favourite rooms.

Gershman/Berkeley/PS Audio/Pass Labs/Entreq

Toronto Home of Audiophile  demoed a system consisting of a pair of Gershman Grand Avant Garde spekaers driven by Pass Labs amplification.  The sources were a PS Audio DirectStream DAC and a Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series, both supplied by a PS Audio PerfectWave Memory Player.  Also of interest was the use of Entreq Tellus ground boxes.

The system sounded quite good, very natural with lots of detail.  There were two interesting demonstrations.  The first compared the sound of the DirectStream DAC with the Berkeley Alpha.  Both were excellent, but the Berkeley provided greater resolution and a fuller, richer sound.

In the second demonstration the audience listened to the system with the Berkeley Alpha disconnected from the Entreq Tellus ground box.  When it was reconnected the improvement in resolution and low level detail was very obvious ... and surprising.

Harbeth/Kuzma/Accuphase

This system had an analog source consisted of a Kuzma Stabi PS turntable with Stogi S tonearm and Ortofon Kontrapunkt A cartridge with Whest phono stages.  The digital source was a Weiss DAC 202 fed from a laptop.  Amplification by Airtight and Accuphase drove a pair of Harbeth Super HL5 plus speakers.

This room provided some of the best sound I heard in the show, with rich tone and great imaging.  Particularly memorable was the title track from the LA4 LP "Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte."

TAVES 2014 Show Report

Page 1:     Intrduction, Arcam, Audio Note, Bowhead

Page 2:     Bryston, Estellon, Gershman/Berkeley/PS Audio/Pass Labs/Entreq, Harbeth/Accuphase/Kuzma

Page 3:     Kudos/Norma, Lawrence Audio, MBL, Meridian Audio

Page 4:     Naim/Focal, Neat, Pure Audio Project, R2R Audio

Page 5:    Raidho, Sony, SVS, Tannoy

Page 6:    Tidal Audio/Reimyo, Wilson Audio/ Dan D'Agostino, Woo Audio

Page 7:    Wrap up, Additional pictures

 © Wayne Butcher