Canadian distributor Audio Basics Inc. was showcasing Crystal Cable speakers and cables, Tenro amplifiers, Siltech cables and Oppo disc players among other products.  The company also offered a great selection of music software for sale including Eagle Rock Entertainment music Blu-rays, CDs, SACDs and records.  The Crystal Cable Arabesque amazed many visitors in this room because their enclosures are made completely out of glass.  The sound produced by these 4-way speakers was no less amazing than their looks – I was presented with a rich, detailed, full-frequency sound that was like candy to my ears.  At $80,000 for a pair, these speakers aren’t for everyone but sure made for a very interesting presentation for visitors.  Before leaving the room, I picked up a few new concert Blu-ray discs from Eagle Rock – these guys offer an ever growing and very diverse catalogue of titles.  Blu-ray music fans should definitely check some of these discs out.

   As we’ve come to expect from the previous shows, Totem Acoustics had one of the best decorated rooms at the show.  This year, the company unveiled a number of exciting new products.  First up was a new Tribe V on-wall speaker (approximately $2800 each) which will become the flagship speaker in this series.  This new speaker is housed in the same enclosure as the Tribe III model but adds two additional Torrent woofers (made in-house by Totem), bring the total to four.  It is said to offer great dynamics and an improved midrange resolution than the Tribe III.  Also new this year was the Sub 8 on-wall subwoofer.  This subwoofer utilizes dual 8-inch woofers, plays down to 26 Hz and is said to offer the same performance as the In-wall 8 subwoofer, from which its design was derived.  What’s very appealing about this subwoofer is its placement flexibility – it can sit vertically or horizontally on the provided stand and can even slide in flat under a couch thanks to its thin profile.  The Sub 8 will retail for somewhere between $1800 and $1900.  Totem also showed off four new high gloss cabinet finishes in which all of its speakers will be available for a 30 percent premium over the regular finish price.  The colours include white, red, blue and black, although Totem will have fancier names for these when they become available.  The new finishes contain no less than 12 layers of paint, which will allow you to buff scratches out just like from a car.  But the most visually attractive products shown in Totem’s room were the speaker skin prototypes for the Tribe on-wall speakers.  Those looking for completely unique, designer friendly speakers that look as good as they sound should definitely take note.  The skins are made from a stretchy fabric that simply slips on to the speaker.  This means that you’ll be able to easily replace the skin with a different design in the future or remove it altogether.  Totem displayed five different skin designs which cover the speaker cabinet but leave the drivers exposed.  An updated design may cover the drivers completely.

   Nabil Akhrass, former owner of Justice Audio, introduced his new distribution company Liberty Trading at this year’s show.  The new company distributes a number of brands previously available in the Canadian market but also introduces a number of new ones.  The company’s brand portfolio includes GutWire Audio Cables, LSA Group amplifiers and speakers, Revolver speakers, Roksan electronics and speakers, Audes speakers and Mastersound amplifiers.  I’m sure that we’ll cover some of these products in upcoming issues of CANADA HiFi.  If you’d like to see reviews of any specific products, please let us know on the forum – www.canadahifi.com/forum.