Best In Show Awards and

A Comprehensive Look At SSI Montreal 2014 (Salon Son/Image Show)

by Tim Smith

There were, however, some gems. In partnership with Brosseau Audio of St. Hubert, Quebec, DALI from Denmark dazzled listeners with a wide range of speakers that punched above their weight and price point too.

Wall of Sound “Room of the Show” Award

 1. Co-Winner: Brosseau Audio / DALI speakers

From the budget end Zensor 7 ($1700) to the $15,000 Epicon 6 loudspeakers, DALI (distributed by Audionation) delivered the goods. But let’s start with the diminutive Menuet. ‘Where’s the subwoofer?’ many of us asked. And there were many people huddled around these speakers, amazed that for 1/10^th the price of some products down the hallway, you could have better sound. These little dynamos imaged like crazy and seemed well balanced from lows to highs. If you have a small or even a medium-sized listening room, consider these $1800-$1900 speakers (depending on the finish). The Menuets were powered by Exposure mono blocks, preamp and cd player. The entire system was $7000 and it was simply wonderful. Agnes Obel’s siren song lured dozens of weak but willing men time and again into this room.

An even better value was the $5000 system consisting of DALI Zensor 7, a $700 Marantz CD5004 as transport (your computer would be free), a brilliant Hegel H-80 integrated amp with DAC at $2000, and sanely-priced BIS Audio cables. The $1700 Zensor 7 has wood fiber cones and a soft dome tweeter. Designed in Denmark but made in DALI’s own factory in China, this 6 Ohm speaker is easy to drive. It is warm and balanced. And the finish is very nice for the money. This is surely one of the finest sub $2000 floor-standing speakers I have heard.

Moving to the high end of DALI’s line, the new $15,000 Epicon 6 was powerful, rhythmic and punchy. The drums on Elvis’ underrated performance of “Fever” were astoundingly real. You could hear the recording studio’s ambience. Lorde’s Pure Heroine was hypnotic, neurotic, narcotic. Bass and synth were punchy and elastic, but not the driest or grippiest I have heard. Jeff Buckley’s guitar shimmered under a lilac tree. The folks from Brosseau Audio run BMC amplification with the DALI Epicon. The stunning BMC CS-2 will cost you $8995. The amp has limitless supplies of energy. It is clean and musical. It also happens to be serious eye candy. Notice the Swiss timepiece motif, similar to the Dan D’Agostino amplifier look. It took German and American companies to marry Swiss wristwatch bling factor with audio amplification. Contrast this with Swiss Soulution’s Shaker Chic Motif  (the Shaker sect prized asceticism over worldly displays of wealth) or Weiss’ very ordinary looking (if not sounding) DACs.

Speaking of style, I counsel you to consider these fine-sounding but finer-looking DALI speakers. They may look like ‘lifestyle’ products but they are pure hi-fi, sounding much bigger than their footprint would suggest.

Wall of Sound “Room of the Show” Award

 2. Co-Winner: Woo Audio (en exclusivité chez Brosseau.ca)

Woo Audio could double its prices on its top-end amps and few people would be scared away. Whether I was listening to the Audeze LCD-3 or the LCD-X, the Beyerdynamic DT990 or the T1, the Sennheiser HD800 or Abyss headphones, the sound was grain-free, big, open, and addictive. The music seemed to flow like a smooth, powerful stream. I listened to each one of the six or so Woo amps on display and was taken aback by every single one, although I did find the big 300b-based amp to be a bit too powerful for my sensitive ears.

Two discs I know very well were streaming from tablets: Lizz Wright’s “The Orchard” and Jimmy Cobb’s “Jazz in the Key of Blue.” The Woo WDS-1 DAC and CD player are also world-class at entry-level prices. And every Woo product looks like a million dollars. My favorite was the WA6 SE hooked up to Sennheiser HD 800s. Although the Audezes were probably superior sounding, I just cannot imagine wearing the heavy Audezes for long periods. With the Senns, I could forget that I had headphones on–they are so light and airy sounding and feeling. Senns have a reputation for searing highs, but not through the Woo clan of amps.

The best overall amp is probably the WA2 since it also doubles as a pre-amp and it goes for just $1199. It was magical with Audeze (although I had the dial at 1 pm, suggesting the limits of the amp with planar headphones). The WA2 was even better with the Beyerdynamic T1s, which I used to own. Perhaps I would still own them if I had purchased the WA2, which I almost did one year ago.

In a world of glittering prizes for audio bling and the endless compromises of MP3, Woo Audiorestores my belief in integrity. I challenge you to find better products at these prices. How refreshing to see that the spirit of audio lives on thanks to Jack Wu and the other members of the Wu family. Based in New York, Woo Audio handcrafts some of the planet’s finest audio equipment at prices the average consumer can afford.