The 10th Anniversary Scriptus Toronto show was amazing and I came home with some epic scores!
I have been attending Scriptus for years and it is always busy, this year even more so! As I have stated in the past, this means I cant really do my usual type of review with shots of every table as there are just too many people.
Don’t worry though, I got some great closeups to share, starting with the raffle/swag tables
And the 10th Anniversary ink
I headed straight for stylo.ca’s tables. They are my favourite pen store and I got lucky with them last year with a Sailor 1911L Wicked Witch of the West. This year I took it a step further by requesting stylo.ca bring two pens for me to look at! Thank you so much to stylo.ca for accommodating my request!
The two pens are the Sailor 1911L Ninja In and Esterbrook Astronaut collaboration with Accutron!
Some closeups of the Ninja In
And the Estie Astronaut
Both of these pens are crossovers with some of my other hobbies, namely collecting custom knives and watches and I really liked them. Choosing between the two was a very hard decision but ultimately I went with the Ninja for now and plan to get the Estie down the line.
Another closeup
Compared to the Wicked Witch of the West I picked up last year
And in its more natural habitat lol
Speaking of Esterbrook, there has been a lot of buzz about their just released Peanuts collection so I wanted to check them out before they sold.
Charlie Brown
Snoopy, my personal favourite
Lucy
I didn’t get a closeup of Sally but you can see the pink pen at the bottom right
More great pens from Esterbrook
My favourite on the table (next to the Astronaut)
Thanks to Scriptus’ excellent social media, I knew that Leuchtturm 1917 would be custom embossing at the show!
ceriksson picked up one of their Bullet Journals in black at Phidon Pens
While I got one in Turquoise25 from Toronto Pen Shoppe
Now to get them embossed!
Each letter is laid out or typeset manually
Ready to emboss
And the final result!
I should mention that he does a test stamp first
And here is mine! So great to offer this service on site. It definitely pushed me over the edge into buying a journal lol.
But wait, there’s more! My purchases weren’t done yet. I also pre-ordered with Penablers, a set of Colorverse Schrodinger-Cat.
Thanks to Penablers for doing pre-orders and for the extras in the package
I missed out on Honest Ink’s Poutine ink last year and I wasn’t going to make that mistake again!
I checked back at Straits Pen’s table several times as the rep had to step out to deliver a seminar/workshop. And we are in luck!
They also had a Peameal Bacon special this year.
Apart from my “planned” purchases, I did make a couple of impulse buys. I was really impressed with these cigar boxes converted into pen trays by Hall’s Pens and Things. Many of the boxes are sourced from military personnel who serve in or travel to South America, which adds to the appeal. Also, the maker was really nice and had great prices so it was pretty much a no-brainer to pick one up.
My last impulse buy was a patch from Hot Leaf House
Did you guess correctly which one I got? Lol
Alright, now for some more pens! How about these custom beauties from London Pen
The gold glitter was my personal favourite
3D printed pen stands from stack3D. Love the giant pens
Beautiiful wood pens and desk accessories from Timber Elegance. I especially liked the letter openers.
Finally got to meet Andrew from House of Fine Writing! I have been on their email list for years.
Tons of ink options from Gourmet Pens
Some of the more unique pieces on display
So that covers the main floor. I didn’t take as many pics in the lower level, mainly just of Art Line Pens. Some really impressive, rare, high-end pens here.
Oh and stamps at Circumflux Stationary along with their famous crab pen holders.
And that’s a wrap! Here is a recap of my scores
Thanks again to the organizers and all the exhibitors. I ended by review last year by pointing out that everyone seemed passionate about pens and happy to share their hobby. The same was true this year. Here’s to the next ten years of Scriptus.
I was hoping to see the B&W 801 Abbey Road Edition at Toronto Audiofest 2025 last week. Instead, I found out that there would be an official launch at Bay Bloor Radio this weekend, which is even better!
The setup
First some background information from the B&W rep who opened with an interesting story about how B&W’s relationship with Abbey Road started 45 years ago.
John Bowers demo’d his 801 speakers at the famous recording studio and was initially told they were not good enough but upon closer examination it turned out they were too good and exposed the deficiencies in their recording equipment! Here is the iconic 801 like the one he demonstrated
Since that day, successive generations of 800 Series loudspeakers have been used in Abbey Road’s control rooms and contributed to iconic music and film scores recorded there. Some of those iterations were also on display.
Culminating in the version launched today, a limited edition of 140 for the price of $80,000 per pair.
Based on the 801 D4 Signature with its Diamond Dome, the Abbey Road has unique design cues such as the red Leather by Connolly trim that references Studio Two’s control room and the red leather chairs used by performers.
And a Vintage Walnut cabinet to match the organ
Powering the speakers today, a Marantz LINK 10n Reference Network Audio Player / Preamplifier ($16,000) and a pair of Marantz Model 10 Reference Integrated Amplifiers ($22,000 each).
Now on to the sound demos! We start with the Indiana Jones theme song, one of the first (if not the first) to be played through the original 801 at that first Abbey Road demo! Just t be formal the full title is the Washington Ending/Raiders March performed by John Williams and London Symphony Orchestra.
Unfortunately, the video for the next song, “We Came Along This Road by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2011 remaster)” got copyright blocked.
Next, Sam Smith performing Diamonds Live at Abbey Road Studios
Now for some more bass, Imaginary Friends by deadmau5
Can’t audition Abbey Road speakers without playing The Beatles! Indeed, Paul McCartney is one of the few people who has unlimited access to Abbey Road. Here he is performing Come Together
As an encore, at my request for more bass heavy music, Ghost Rider with Make Us Stronger!
One last look for size comparison
Thanks again James for today’s demonstration!
All done with the demo, I took some time to look around Bay Bloor’s awesome store starting with the Technics turntables.
SL-1500C/W like the one used for the Turntable Show, a recent seminar at Bay Bloor Radio comparing turntables with streaming.
SL-15000C/K
SL-1200MK7, one of my favourite turntables of all time. It deserves multiple pictures lol.
SL-1200G
SL-1200GR2
SL-1300G
SL-1210G
I didn’t take pics of the whole store although I did get a few of their home theatre demo with JBL speakers, including two in-wall subwoofers!
Thanks again to Bay Bloor Radio and B&W for hosting this event and allowing us to experience ultra rare limited edition speakers!
Seems like yesterday that I covered my first audio show and now Toronto Audiofest 2025 is my fifth! I bring that up because I wanted to open with not just my favourite room of this year’s show but probably my favourite experience of all the audio shows I have attended, and that was to see Vincent Belanger play live to Audio Note! The mix of live music with great audio gear was quite the emotional experience!
Quick shot of the system
Now Vincent tunes his cello and makes adjustments to play alongside Audio Note’s new AN-E Ltd Field Coil speaker that goes down to 18hz!
First he plays without the music accompaniment
And then the incredible dual performance!
Thank you once again Vincent!
I mentioned the speakers go down to 18hz. and wow that field coil design sure throws some bass! Thanks for accommodating my musical preferences!
Audio Note doesn’t just sound great, it looks amazing too!
The TT-Three is a real stunner
After the demo we ran into my favourite audio Youtuber, Audiophile Junkie!
Thanks to Audiophile Junkie’s show reviews, I learned about MACO and their open-baffle speakers. Good thing too as they turned out to be another one of my favourite rooms of the show!
Aesthetically they were for sure my favourite.
The Macaria speakers looked much better in person than I anticipated
Especially in red! My camera did not do justice to how great these look in person.
Side view of the open-baffle design
MACO paired their Macaria speakers (in thermal treated ash) with equally stunning Whammerdyne Heavy Industries electronics, Damn Awesome Monoblocks (DAM2s)! I live in a factory converted loft and love the industrial look of Whammerdyne. Of all the audio gear I have ever seen, these would be the best match for my home!
The Whammerdyne Circuit Salad 60w/channel hybrid amplifier also had the right industrial look
as did the Viablue cables
Even the signage in the room was great
And really nice touch on the live decibel meter!!
the room really came across as cohesive and “professional”. Sorry I couldn’t make it to your afterparty.
Another room with something “unique”, the world’s first free floating cone loudspeaker the Ilumnia Magister Novus!
The driver actually “floats” by means of electromagnets to nullify any mechanical resistance of the cone so there is no absorption of music signal.
Power to supply the floating
The Sound Kaos RiPole Subwoofer is also different as the woofers are in an isobaric configuration but they also throw sound out the front and back.
Paired with Reed turntable
and Trafomatic EOS Integrated Amp
This is what it all sounds like
Ok now for the best sounding rooms! As I have said in past reviews, the Monitor Audio Hyphn is one of my all time favourite speakers and today was no different.
Michi electronics
Rega turntable
Sound check
Yup, I could use this system
Impossible to talk about best sound without mentioning Acora!
Case in point, the MRC-2
Kora High Fidelity electronics.
Note all gear was sitting on Seismion vibration isolation platforms.
Great to see you again Val
More great Acora speakers powered by Accuphase
Another contender for best sound of the show, Joseph Crowe!
The Speaker System No. 2087 with its 18” bass sound as big as they look. And I loved their openness to playing any type of music. Note to exhibitors, it goes a long way to your brand when you do this!
Bass was so clean!
Beautiful matching wood for the electronics
Perhaps not as extreme but equally clean sound from Audio Solutions Figaro M2 at Bliss Acoustics.
Love the custom Martini Racing livery
Canadian premiere of the J. Sikora Aspire turntable with 12KV Max tonearm
7CSPort TAT1 M2 with air floating string drive and CSPort battery powered Phono Preamp C3EQM2
Bliss now carries Wadax!!! The Studio Player is one of the more “economical” pieces in the Wadax line at $57,500!
Pilium Leonidas MY25 Integrated Amp
Isolation platforms from Graphite Audio and Ictra Design
Static display of the Nagra Compact Line, the PSU, Phono, and Streamer
Great to meet the rep from Audio Solutions and catch up with the crew from Bliss Acoustics.
Another of my favourites sound-wise, the Dali Epikore 9 4way speaker with V-16 F subwoofer
The PMC Prophecy 9 also had great sound with a lot of bass from its “LaminairX aerodynamic airflow technology”. Again, my type of sound!
The Michell Gyro is one of my favourite turntables.
The latest version got a huge overhaul or as Michell says “not a reinvention, but a reimagining of everything beneath the surface. It’s a ground-up engineering overhaul that delivers dramatic improvements in performance, usability, and long-term reliability—while staying true to the Gyro’s unmistakable form.”
One of the big changes was to rework the main chassis that now uses precision-machined 19mm aerospace-grade aluminium tooling plate in place of cast aluminium. It also has integrated brass counterweights. There were also changes to the baseplate, suspension, platter edge, etc. (see their website for a full listing)
The Revolv with shielded motor pod and PSU with electronic speed selection (so you don’t have to change the belt when you want to change the speed)
TechnoDec
Apollo Phono Stage and Muse Power Supply
Some fun facts about Michell
Such as the founder was behind C3-P0’s eyes!
Thank you to the rep for the great walk-through of the lineup! It was also nice to see many rooms using Michell turntables.
Corby’s Audio room with a Gyro, Q Acoustics speakers and Saturn electronics.
Saturn electronics
Q Acoustics 5050 floorstanding and bookshelf speakers
Concept series
Speaking of Saturn Audio…
Hailing from London Ontario, Saturn is known for natural sounding audio products that “are about the power of simplicity.” Here is the owner presenting some of their great products.
Coherent Speakers
Beautiful burl on the tweeter
Kuzma turntable
All on Tough Nut Plateau Isolation Rack System (being assembled here for another display)
Entracte Audio had one of the more interesting rooms of the show. I was not familiar with Fink Team Audio but I like their style. The Borg is two-way floor standing design featuring a 10.25 inch high-power mid/bass driver and an Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter.
The KIM is “a reflex system with a paper coned woofer with a massive magnet, Two-way construction with AMT HF unit, again based on a Mundorf core” (per their website).
A fitting pairing to a speaker named “The Borg”, electronics from Angela-Gilbert Young, who’s slogan is “Designer of outrageously innovative and artistic audio components, built one piece at a time.”
Music Pumps, a functioning 20watts per channel stereo power amp with FCF jack to connect external power capacitor pack.
Entracte also had Epos speakers on static display. As you know from my past reviews, I love the ES-14N.
I discovered Marten loudspeakers by chance at Montreal Audiofest earlier this year. This time I made a dedicated stop to their room. Marten is definitely a top-tier speaker maker.
Solid sound from the Bryston speakers and I like the white finish on the amps
Ok let’s take a break from home systems for some Earvana! My benchmark headphones, Focal Utopia
With the Sennheiser HE1 in close second.
More Sennheiser
This year I wanted to focus on IEM and was really anxious to see the Forte Ears Macbeth…so glad they were at the show! They look even better in person…
and sound even better too! These are not just about a fancy faceplate, they are full of technology like “Dual Bone Conductor Drivers” and can deliver bass down to 10HZ!
My usual reference track of course
In doing my show prep, I learned that some IEMs use an isobaric design. I love that design and didn’t even know you could get that in a headphone! The THIEAUDIO Hype 4 IMPACT2 (“Impact Squared”) has exactly that with two 10mm composite diaphragm drivers arranged in an isobaric design.
More great headphone options at EARVANNA
Back to home audio with the world premier of Gershman Acoustics Symphonia
Oracle Delphi Mk VII
Oracle CD 2500 MKIV on Solid Meubles
Allnic H5500
EON Art
More Gershman in Gutwire’s room
I think I have only covered one room of home theatre across all my reviews but this one by Paradigm was certainly worth including.
Not only did they have subwoofers at the front and back of the room, like this Seismic 110
They even had one under the couch! The Millenia Sub has a dual woofer back-to-back bipolar design.
Here is a demo…felt like riding a Harley!
Passion Audio lived up to their name with some high-end components
Such as Wolf Von Langa speakers
Lampizator tube amp and GENYA DAC
Burmester
Audio Eden was showcasing Kharma DB7 speakers in a vibrant orange
MoFi Distribution with their Fender edition turntable with Castle Windsor speakers from the UK
Marantz Horizon
More Marantz
with Bowers & Wilkins
It was great to meet the founder and chief engineer of MonAcoustic and get the details on the PlatiMon Virtual Coaxial Two, in particular, the VC Two’s customizable features. You can toggle the harmonic tweeter on and off and fine-tune its output using a 9-step adjustment switch. The VC Two’s innovative crossover system delivers two distinct sound profiles from a single speaker.
Debut of the KLH Model Seven speakers courtesy of Vinyl Sound.
Davis Acoustics The Wall speakers (I covered these at Montreal Audiofest 2025)
and Final Audio flat panel speaker on display in Atoll Electronique’s room
Once again Hegel had two rooms, one for sound display
And one for static display
Altitudo Audio showcasing a ton of brands including Advance Paris, Audio Physic, Audiovector, CAD, Cardas, Fezz, Gold Note, HRS, Kharma, Lab 12, Merason, OePhi, Takumi, and Trilogy
Canton speakers and once again, Michell turntable in Erikson Consumer’s room
A few rooms featuring Borressen
Tidal Audio speakers at Wynn Audio
PS Audio at Motet
Laiv Audio, Matrix Audio, and Starke Sound at Soulfi
Finally, some components! Chord Cable from the UK. Note how the display was “backwards” with the cables and component backs facing forward. Apart from showcasing their cables, this was also done to speed up the demos they were running all day to show the impact of a cable swap on overall sound.
They also make power conditioners and power line filters
Note that they were using a Michell turntable for the demo.
Iso Acoustics was also running AB demos featuring their GAIA Neo
There were some static displays set up in the hotel lobby as well including a range of Rega turntables. This one was my favourite
As well as a Beatles themed display, shown here with the curator.
Alright so that’s it for my coverage. Now for my usual recap of show favourites! These really shouldn’t be a surprise though!
Overall: Really not a surprise as I opened with this lol. Vincent Belanger and Audio Note
Speakers: Monitor Hyphn, Audio Note AN-E Ltd Field Coil, Joseph Crowe Speaker System No. 2087, Forte Ear Macbeth, Paradigm Millenia Sub, Dali Epikore 9 with V-16 F subwoofer
As I wrote a few short weeks ago, I was thrilled to discover Knifewear, a purveyor of Japanese knives. During my initial visit, I learned that Knifewear would be hosting Master Blacksmith Masashi Yamamoto who was flying in from Japan to do in-store knife engraving and a forging demonstration! While it is common for such dealers to forge (no pun intended) relationships with the knifemakers they represent, it is not common to have one come in for live demos so kudos to Knifewear for the initiative. Of course this leads to exposure for the maker and generates sales, but the benefits extend far beyond that. It educates consumers and builds interest that expands the knife community. As a serious knife collector myself, I am all for bringing new people into the fold. The more interest, the more knifemakers and dealers, win win all around.
The shirt and Masashi enamel pin that I picked up last time were perfect for the occasion.
Once again, the Knifewear storefront.
This time with signage to promote the event.
Clayton Erickson and I arrived early enough to be at the front of the line.
In addition to the engraving and forging demo, Masashi treated us with the introduction of the first knives he made out of SPG STRIX (as in “STrong matrIX”). This new material is a powdered stainless steel designed specifically to be used for cutting tools. What makes it so unique is that it has high hardness (approx HRC65) achieved by hardening the metal base as opposed to the more conventional approach of hardening by adding elements like vanadium carbides. This provides a sharp, long-lasting edge while the structure still allows for easy sharpening and workability. It’s also highly corrosion resistant.
This Kuroshu Honesuki Maru was my personal favourite. Leave it to me to pick a one of one lol.
The Kiritsuke might be a better match for my hat though (coordination is key!)
Once again, Clayton wasted no time and picked up a Santoku, making him the first person in the world to purchase one of Misashi’s SPG-STRIX knives!
Here he is being interviewed about it.
On to the Masashi knives in more traditional steel…
Where I found my absolute favourite knife of the day, the Sasquatch!
I loved everything about it, including the handle
Logo
And mostly the look and feel.
Here it is next to a KAIJIN Honesuki 150mm boning knife for size comparison.
Or if you prefer more tactical, next to my RJ Martin Kwaiken.
At the opposite end of the size spectrum and another knife that caught my eye, the VS1 KAIJIN Petty. What a beautiful hamon!
Tough to choose between a visible hamon and Damascus steel, as used for this Shiroshu Ko-Bunka
Wading through the big crowd….
The man himself, Masashi Yamamoto!
We swarmed him for pics, me with his Sasquatch
Clayton with his new Santuko
And several attendees (pic posted with permission)
Now for the official opening ceremony to the event. I believe this is called a Waritama, and it was tough! It took a beating from a stick, cutting with a knife, punching, and ripping to unleash the prizes inside!
The prizes were actually loot bags for everyone! I got a very pink pig squeeze ball in mine.
Another lucky attendee got a sasquatch pin!
Next the in-store engraving. First Matashi signs the box for Clayton’s new knife.
Next he prepares the knife for the engraving.
Matashi and Clayton discuss the engraving and its personal significance
which in this case is “nin”
Here comes the first strike!
Each letter or character done by hand.
From another angle
Masashi checks to ensure the blade has not warped or suffered any damage during the engraving process.
All good so he presents the finished product to Clayton, who is of course suitably impressed. What a great experience to buy a knife and have the knifemaker custom engrave it for you on the spot!
Closeup of the hand-tools used for the engraving
And the final product
Protected in its sheath for now
The forging demo was actually set up in the alley behind the store. Forging outdoors is challenging as it is more difficult to see the colour of the flame and hence to estimate its temperature.
The forge
And anvil
Masashi with his trademark cigarette
Nathan from Knifewear gives us an introduction to Masashi and the forging process. By way of background, Masashi trained under his uncle at the historic Yoshikane Hamono in Sanjo City and established his forge in 2013. He carries on the centuries-old Sanjo metalwork tradition that specializes in a forging style focusing on forging blades as close to the final shape as possible, resulting in less waste later in the process.
An example of the steel that Masashi will be forge welding, essentially a “sandwich” of hard steel outer layers with a soft core. The hard steel provides edge retention while the soft core provides flexibility to prevent the blade from snapping on impact.
Masashi answers questions form the crowd while he waits for the forge to heat up to temperate (approx. 1800 degrees).
The crowd eagerly watches him start forging.
He hammers the flats and edge
Then checks the shape before re-heating the metal and repeating the process
Here is a quick video to give you a sense.
Then he applies Borax to act as a flux. The white powder melts on hot metal to create a glassy layer that prevents oxygen from reaching the steel, stopping oxidation and the formation of scale. It also helps to dissolve existing oxides and remove impurities, which is crucial for a clean, strong forge weld.
By now you can clearly see the blade taking shape
And it is time to cut the blade off the barstock
For this he gets a volunteer from the crowd to hold the cutting tool
Next a notch is cut into the handle end of the blade to allow a tang to be drawn out.
And the final product, ready for grinding.
Really great to watch! Thank you Masashi-san for the live demonstrations and sharing your knowledge and passion with us. And thank you once again, to Knifewear for making this happen and being such gracious hosts.
All done with the event we went to Top Gun’s Bloor Street location across the street for our post-event meal.
Great service from this gentleman.
In my opinion, they make the best burger I have ever had. That said, I was in the mood for one of their steak sandwiches.
Clayton went with one of their simpler burgers and agreed that they are among the best.
Later in the evening he used his new knife to prepare a light meal.
Compared the one he bought at our first visit to Knifewear.
I am sure Clayton will treasure these knives forever.
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