She so knowledgeable. You think she would adopt me? Or marry me? I usually don’t get to charged up about the people on uTube (which she isn’t) that talk play and critique high end stereo gear, but her no uTube channel no bragging and probably knows more her little finger than some. You were so lucky getting to spend time and listen to her and her gear. 👍👍👍
Nowadays with digital music, the pre-amp becomes an extra stage of signal distortion. As much as I want to adore pre-amps, there is no actual benefits from it, when the output of a DAC is volume controlled and with sufficient level to drive a power amp. Exception is when you want a pre-amp to do other than voltage amplification. Obviously a tube pre-amp can enrich the sound with even harmonics that indeed can be very pleasurable. For some music, it's a true enhancement. For a vinyl setup, the high level amplification of the cartridge signal is hugely important with the RIAA filter included and I can only agree with this point.
This is the first time I see a woman passionate about HiFi audio! Just amazing! And she is not just someone with loads of money who asked somebody to build her a million dollars stereo system, she knows everything in detail, highly impressive! Respect lady!
@@matrixplace I soooooo wish she lived up the road from me as I’d be in her house every day making the coffee, cooking lunch, dinner and doing the housework JUST to have a play n listen to some of that equipment!! 🤣👍 What a women!!!! 🙂
Wow, I used to live in Ontario and talked to Angie many times about equipment and music and even though I couldn’t afford her really high end equipment she showed me pieces that I could afford and they always sounded excellent I’ll always remember one I walked in and she told me she was breaking in a Set of Focal Grand Utopia speakers for a customer and said I should just go in and have a listen. What a treat and what a perfect audio perfectionist. Thanks Angie
Wow! I am speechless! First of how very nice of Angie to invite and show, demonstrate and talk about her equipment! Very passionate! Would love to listen to all of it! I’m sometimes amazed by my own system that is less than 00000000,1 of what is shown here! Very inspiring! Thanks to both of you for a very good video!!
What a treat! I love seeing all this gear in a real home, with records strewn everywhere. This woman is clearly a music lover. Every time she thinks to clean up some of the clutter, she gets sucked into the music coming from her system. And the vintage pieces in mint condition are such a treasure.
I love her! Thank you for this. As an older woman who is also an audiophile often there are not many like me out there to set an example inviting for younger women into this hobby. She's just wonderful and I'd very much love to have a conversation with her some day.
Angie is the best. I've had the pleasure of listening to these systems one Sunday afternoon. That experience really recalibrated my perception of what a high end system should be like. This video should be a reference on how to build an ultra high end system. Well done Angie and Thomas.
Regardless of the gear being cost prohibitive for most…the knowledge base is undeniable. The insight stemming from her years of experience is invaluable.
You can go the other route and be a designer. My brother went that way. You can cherry pick components, but speakers... to not get cost prohibitive you have to go old school and build your own and be ready to invest years and years of art of science.
I remember Angie back in the eighties when her store was on Queen Street where I bought my Sound Lab A3s. I once visited her "new" location in Richmond Hill years ago. Congrats to her she has done amazingly well.
Thomas, excellent job. She is a legend and we'll not see the likes of her again. Wonderful that you asked great questions and let her wax rhapsodic on so much incredible equipment and history.
Unbelievable. This is quite a video. This sweet little old lady owns all this equipment in a 47 year journey? I have no words. Incredible story. Being from Toronto, this makes me proud.
The most important component is you. It's your mindset, approach and gratitude. It's not having the best of everything (an unattainable and endless pursuit) it's making the best of everything that creates the best experiences.
I have the privilege of knowing & dealing with Angie for over 20 years. She by far the most passionate & knowledge person in the audio arena. She is widely known as the Queen of Audio & rightly so. Wonderful video & awesome to see & even more amazing to hear!
I bought my first turntable from American sound of Canada. The whole team there is very nice and treat you the same regardless of budget. Even back then Angie said the preamp is the most important part of a system, i have changed preamps using the same gear many times and yes it does make a big difference.
@@ThomasAndStereo Im using your old power amp, the W 5.3, it drives my Maggies quite well. So maybe in this instance a better power amp would make a difference since the speakers are demanding.
I've been passionate about high-fidelity audio since 1973. In around 1980, I began pondering.... my next visit to Toronto I will... and he decades passed and then, it happened: this incredible production found its place in my listening room. I'm truly grateful for the effort you and your team invested in creating this masterpiece. I'll definitely be watching it repeatedly; it's truly exceptional, setting it apart from the rest!
Great video Thomas! I watched and couldn't believe it's true. And I have learned about the importance of the preamplifier. Thank you and please continue with this kind of videos! Greatings from Romania , Europe!
MAJOR respect for Angie! I'm learning so much from this video. I will never have anything on this level but I imagine what my music would sound like through her system.
Taking aside the systems featured in this video, I would entirely agree with the observation that the preamp is the most important component in a system. Having enjoyed music over a 50 year period and now living with an endgame high end system, my preamp takes up 45% of the cost of my entire system. When introduced into the system it simply allowed the music to breathe through a big ‘open window’. Thank you for an interesting video Thomas and all the best, Peter.
How’s that preamp deal with an MP3 file from your phone? ****Source first***** Nothing else matters if the source material is flawed either in quality (i.e. - compressed files) or in delivery to the preamp (i.e. - a good file that’s converted to analog poorly or from a noisy source going to the preamp).
I agree with the OP here. The preamp is regularly one of the most expensive parts of the system because of the complexity and need for precision. But I also feel that it's the place where more can get lost by short changing yourself than the other areas. Yes of course you have to have a good source. With digital I think it's not that hard to get really excellent stuff at a wide gamut of prices. Obviously the more you spend the better it gets. But at all levels there is competent equipment from many different makers. DACs seem about the same to me. Even lower cost DACs do what they do without a lot of effort. But preamps are what take that microphonic level of audio out into a signal that's suitable for pumping into kinetic reality. Obviously power amps do the heavy lifting, but it's the preamp that drives the engine, towing speakers along for the ride. Preamps are the difference between good and great reproduction and control. Speakers can't be their best without good amplification. Power amps can't make the precision moves without the precision signal and they don't hold on as well with the precision guidance of a really good preamp - appropriately matched of course. Ultimately I'm a speaker devotee, but I think the area where a lot of people miss out on missing separate component potential is in their preamp. We all know that it all matters. What we often forget is that the first stage of amplification is where precision is captured or lost.
@@AndyBHome you sound very rational and are probably correct. I have no doubt that if you were to demo for me a system with a good preamp match vs one with a bad matching preamp or no preamp, that the good preamp would sound much better. But for me, it still doesn’t make sense why something between the source and power amp would make the music sound more real and better overall. Doesn’t that mean that the preamp is compensating for a less than ideal source or power amp?
Some of these people don't listen too good. Obviously she believes everything is important. Look at what she has. She believes the preamp/processor is the most important.
This is totally different level of audiophile engineering :) Angie is master of the HIFI integration geniuses not just million-dollar sales expert . No wonder she stands highest stage in Canadian HIFI industry for such long time. Very impressive video 👋👋👋👍👍👍
I think I'm in love with Ms. Angie😍. Not only is her systems AMAZING.....she is the sweetest lady you would NEVER imagine she knows her stuff with audio.
I consider Angie one of the finest representatives of the audiophile community that I’ve had the pleasure to meet…and deal with professionally as a client along with her crew at American Sound🙂 Thanks for this one …as always take care.
@@ThomasAndStereo I just purchased a Bryston headphone/ preamplifier for my headphones from them. And yes, over the years I’ve always recommended that people (even tho it’s out of their budget) at least take a look and listen at the store …you never know what’s out there …anyway, onto the weekend. Thanks again for the video.
Angie is very,very knowledgeable! I was told about the preamp being the most important component in the audio chain over 30 years ago. I use ARC, now ARC reference. Great video…thank you.
When you have an audio system like Angie has. You do not listen for faults. If you ever heard a fault, it would be gone faster than you could blink an eye. The trick however when having such an audio rig, is to have source material that is of master caliber recordings. Having a system that is very revealing, and not very forgiving means you better have great material for playback. With a system like this you do not listen for faults over listening to music. Once you have all the annoyances removed, you can really enjoy the music. That is exactly what I have noticed in my audio adventure. If you have a killer audio system, and your constantly listening for faults, you either have a subpar system, or you yourself have issues. When I add a piece of hardware to my rig, if I cant tell a difference, or I have a negative experience with the new addition, then I remove it from my system. It goes, because it is useless to me. I believe your system is only as good as it's weakest link. I do not believe in a single piece of audio gear that is more important than another piece of audio gear. If you have a complete and solid system, any change would change the sonic character of the entire system. Examples: Power amp, pre-amp, speakers etc. If you remove any of these items in your system with something of less caliber in material, and/or build quality, the audio quality of your entire system will suffer as well. I never understood the concept of a piece of audio gear more important than another when if removed from the system the entire audio experience suffers. In this concept all the audio equipment in a system as a whole is just as important as another piece of equipment in your audio system. Your audio rig is only as good as it's weakest link!
Wow Thomas, and I thank both her and you for doing this. This lady has Michael Fremmer, OCD Mikey, Jay’s Audio Lab and most of the people on the planet beat! She is extremely knowledgeable. If a sound demo was possible these are the rooms and her system is the one for it.
I go back 50 years with experience and I can tell you it depends on the listener. I've seen people with mediocre equipment upgrade the speakers and that made all the difference and yet other a turntable cartridge change made it for them. That's what makes audio equipment so unique particularly the high end stuff, the sweet spot depends on the listener.
Yes! Absolutely 100% agree. I always laugh at those commenters who talk about measurements. I thought we got into this hobby to ‘listen’ to music not ‘measure’ it.
She is the legend! Business is dominated by man mostly . She is the only one that I ever heard off with so much knowledge. You should do more of this kind of vids Thomas . Move to Toronto and share your opinions with Adrian in Audio Excellence! That would of been awesome!
Thank you and Angie for this virtual tour of ultra high end audio systems. Not something we'll find at any audio show. Angie sold me my first pair of decent speakers (Totem Staaf) back in the '80s. I was too shy to ask for a discount but she gave me a good price anyway. Congrats on 40+ years of service in the Toronto area.
Love it , always need to view state of the art . Amazing knowledge here , how did she research so much ? Not sure I could even converse with her , just listen . One can always learn and she’s generous with her knowledge , no snob here . I have inexpensive equipment but content with the affordability and having my wife remain 😂. Glad she’s able to enjoy such quality. It promotes music !
Wow I most certainly wish I could afford some of these products. But thanks to people’s like Angie we are able to see these products and get a great description as well. Love learning something new each day.
What an amazing person she obviously is! Forget waf haf must be off the charts as well.i hope you have extra footage of this cause i could watch this stuff all day.Thanks Thomas and Angie so much!
Angie is an extraordinary woman that has brought to Canada exceptional products. Owner of a store n Quebec, I have worked in the past with her to bring some of the lines she has hold. To me, she is a very very honest woman, and a very loving music afficionado and a very caring g person. I wish her to be well many many years in the future.
My bryston 3B SST has never sounded so good as when I removed my solid state pre amp and put in a tube pre amp in front of it. If I had kept my solid state pre amp and kept switching my bryston power amp for other power amps no matter what I put in instead it could not add the missing dynamics, liveliness and tone and 3d dimensionality that my tube pre amp has brought to the system. So for me, the pre amp has to be right first! That's where the magic is. 👍
What a great informative video like always Thomas! Thank You! This one was really special. While I know how important the power amplifier is, and I have an amplifier preference... I prefer AB amplifiers with FET output over all others, I do completely agree with Angie about the preamp being the most important part of the HI-FI system. My fiancee calls our preamp "the heart of the system". To me all the presence and everything that's special about a HI-FI system comes from the Preamplifier. Just like Angie said it adds the 3rd dimension and the real life air. I also agree with Angie on using Audio Research preamps because they usually always have that special presence to them that's detectable instantly. I believe it's why we see so many different designs and circuits used in preamplifiers. It's also why people have been putting tube preamplifiers in front of MOSFET power amplifiers for a very long time, or why manufacturers like Pathos combine a tube front end with solid state amplification on their Hybrid integrated amps. They're quite expensive, but I think it's the only Integrated amplifier that sparks my interest. While it may not be ethical, it has been affordable for me to test the waters with many different clone preamplifiers. My favorite preamplifier that's on what I would call our "Main System" is my third variant of a mbl6010d clone, once it's modified with better op amps and toroidal transformers it creates this amazing sound that for lack of better words sounds better than any other Solid State Preamplifier that I have heard. It has become such a favorite that if I ever happen to find myself in a position where I can buy a real MBL6010D, it would be added to my cart faster than any other high end piece of gear. Keep up the excellent work you do. I appreciate your time and the work you put into making your videos. Respectfully, Joe
My philosophy wrt components is, no single component can make the system, but a single component can ruin the system. The biggest improvements I had was from good interconnects and a good preamp. Though there was also a time in an older system the amp upgrade was huge
My current setup is a simple 80's one . A pair of Fried Studio IV with an Onkyo tx-7000 that was looked over by Stephen Monte and team from Quest For Sound in Bensalem PA. People are blown away at how well the simple setup works and have offered thousands over what I paid for it and to get the speakers restored with help from Oskar Wronding of Denmark and Hiquiphon. Sometimes the next tier of audio is simply making what you have sing with joy! I will admit that listening to Stephens 10" home brew speakers in person at QFS was fantastic on single ended goodness. One day...
Having spent a day with a Dissanayake preamp I totally agree with Angie. A great preamp can totally re-shape a system. I never heard my power amps sound like that: imaging, detail, the "texture" of bass were simply of another dimension compared to what they were with the previous, simply good preamp.
@@ThomasAndStereo ...i think my B&W 801 (new xover etc) need a better preamp than my Yamaha aventage AVR (RX-A3070) and a better dac of course ( with 3 ext amps ). I think sell my home cinema for a serious 2 channels setup...
Thomas, can you make a longer version? I (an I believe also all of us) could watch and listen such presentation for hour or a two :)) it is better than any hi-fi show report ;)
Ah, the extra footage I had is 2 other systems but are also avantgarde, well one is Rethm. The problem is after showing the main 2 big system, the rest look like toys. $70k Wadax DAC in the other systems...big deal after seeing the $300k Wadax DAC!
Wow. So many take-aways from this video. Next time I'm in Toronto I have to meet Angie, firstly to hear her fabulous tenor voice, secondly to hear her stereo. Heard the awe in your voice Thomas - much respect from me.
They are very heterogeneous systems, great stuff (phasemation) and not so great. The Avangarde especially suck, unfortunately so the system is ruined. The towers speakers I can't even listen to but that's me.
Years back I would quickly have said the speakers were most important. Now with the benefit of 46 years of audio interest behind me, I am firmly convinced a preamp can make or break a system. So my answer is, and for more than 20 years has been, the preamp is the most important component.
In the past I have heard poor speakers sound really good when using quality source. Does not seem to work the other way around though, high quality speakers do not respond well with poor quality source.
Hello Thomas, I absolutely love your videos and this one is too good. You are one of the very best youtubers out there for HIFI gear. Very informational videos I must say. You being so experienced I request you to guide me. I currently own the Choras 826 powered by a Nad C388 150w per channel Integrated amp, streamer being blusound node with the JL Audio E110 sub. I am planning to buy the Focal Sopra N2s and upgrade my amplifier later. Just wanted to know if the power on my Nad is enough to drive them at moderate volume? do not want to risk damaging them. Also, what amplifiers would you suggest with them when I plan on upgrading later. Thank you so much for your help in advance man. Cheers
If you look at the specs of the speaker, there is a minimum watt recommended, as long as your NAD fits that spec, it should be ok. Usually today's amp have no problem driving it to decent volume. When I say can an amp drive it, I don't mean it in terms of volume. Rather can the amp make the speaker sound alive? You can drive it to loud volume with no dynamic contrast, with loose uncontrolled bass and this that an amp can drive the speaker, for me, that is an amp that cannot drive the speaker properly. Sopra 2 is hard to drive.
I have known Angie for years.Have not seen her before Covid. She is a wonderful lady and a beautiful human being. It is because of her help and inspiration that I have my 6 figure system.Without her it would have never happened.Thank you for your wonderful video,so glad to see Angie. I need to go say hi,glad she made it through Covid.She truly is “the queen of audio” lol God bless.😊
Wow, just wow. Angie is the real deal! Hopefully I can visit her store one of these days. Way out of my league but it would be great fun anyway! Thanks Thomas
Speakers are the only component which can alter the sound radiation pattern. something some of us consider vital whether it be wide dispersion, dipole/biipole, omni, etc.
What is sound radiation pattern? My speakers sound stage was dramatically changed with Rotel separates. Much much wider and much more height. Also much more instrument separation.
@@Drivehead103which way the sound leaves the speaker eg straight out of front of speaker, out of front and back of speaker (in or out of phase), in all directions (omnidirectional), rtc
Amazing systems. A room for dynamic and another room for horns are how dreams are made of. For me, power amp, preamp, cables then speakers because I change the speakers more often. But, I am learning the importance of the preamp.
Yes this one was a tough call by demolishing the myth that hifi is the men's hobby and an advanced hifier looked like like a school boy in front of the teacher. Bear with it Thomas.
No matter how impressive this might look and sound, it's just too much. Give me a vintage Japanese amp and a pair of Kabuki speakers, a decent DAC, a good tape deck and I'm happy.
I could build up a system for about £100, (perhaps £200) that I would be perfectly happy with, I think most people just want to show off how much money they have.
@@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391 Some may indeed buy to impress; she's all about sound quality. Thomas pointed out the most expensive equipment wasn't with the most expensive system, because of sound reproduction "synergy".
I'm sorry, don't shoot me, but if she has the resources to spend a million bucks on the system, perhaps she might have spent a few bucks decorating the room itself and maybe do a little cable management?
I totally agree with her, the Preamp is the key. For all the sound qualities, especially instrument separation, soundstage, you need a good preamp, period.
I find it hard to engage on audio TH-cam videos, but with Angie I could listen for hours. My new dream is to sit with some red wine and enjoy a convoy with this amazing lady . Then some music
Hello to my pal Angie at Angie's Corner formally American Sound from your friend Scott from Oakville Audio days, Angie is the Audiophile heavyweight of Canada "THE BIG DOG" and I say that with all respect as she knows audio. ...period! She has sold the finest HiFi on planet earth here in Toronto Canada for decades through American Sound and now Angie's Corner , proud as punch to know her as I was manager at Oakville Audio during the 90's and always loved when Christian sent me to America Sound to pick up gear ...ahh the good old days , I hope you are well Angie
Got a marantz head unit from the 80’s that is still impressive and puts out such true watts. This is quit the system here and I totally get every piece Angie has. Hardly ever hear of females being into SPL. Or speaker and sound. I dig it!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Wow, what a crazy, brilliant setup, or setups i should say. Angie is surely an advanced sound engineer, or a sound professor, all that knowlege, wow. Thanks for this video :)
Excellent video! Avantgarde Duo Grosso G2 were the best speakers I’ve heard in someone’s house (with EMM and Audiopax gear). I support that the preamp is most critical component.
I've seen a lot of 'extremes' on TH-cam and a few in real life but this I think is officially thee most extreme thing I've seen. And I watch space, history, cars, etc...this is amazing 😵
I feel like it's the room. When energy gets out, the room takes control of it. Imagine how much better those systems would sound in a properly treated room... And I'm not talking about carpet, curtains, rugs, panels filled with building insulation, etc... Those things were not designed for music and voice. But it's still cool to see, thanks for sharing!
Very informative... The finest reproduction I picked up in the generally at the time affordable to the above average listener. Na above average pocket book is my 50 year old class A J.B. Lansing solid state integrated amplifier. You can play that through a simple Girard Turntable and an old school pair of Infinity Positive One floor cabinets and become motivated and excited biologically out of the penetration of the basic sincerity from bottom to top. Separate left and right treble and base adjustments a built in Phono null balancing control. It's just gut bucket un-fudged and reached in and pulls your strings. I'm miles away from the affordability of this level of dedication. But I have deep ears . I've for years performed audio mastering of difficult to acknowledge nuance source material including my own sub standard of quality source material to qualify/become published offering. This work develops an ear that most others never taste. Thank you for this video. Be fortunate always 🌸
@@ThomasAndStereo what a great story for cbc or a major media outlet to cover the 45 years of history of business and how she’s such an icon in the audio industry. Such a make dominant hobby and industry and she certainly rose to the top with her success.. we need a positive news story.
Many thanks Thomas. You are such a lucky - but well deserved - guest. So good I had to watch it twice. That doesn't happen often. Aventgarde have been making my dream gear for several years. Haven't switched to the noodles yet. Greetings to you and yours.
I am impressed with the ladies interest and depth of knowledge. Women usually stay away from such systems. Great video I wish she creates a showroom. We're a regular person can pay $100 to listen and experience these expensive unit for 10 minutes
My video on Poweramp being most important: th-cam.com/video/02hS6IAFgg4/w-d-xo.html
Time stamp
Avantgarde 00:50
Preamp discussion 13:11
Rockport 18:18
Adrian, Jay's old boss used to work for her. I worked just up the street at another shop (Stereo Factory).
@@sc51153826 Yeah she is the boss of bosses.
She so knowledgeable. You think she would adopt me? Or marry me? I usually don’t get to charged up about the people on uTube (which she isn’t) that talk play and critique high end stereo gear, but her no uTube channel no bragging and probably knows more her little finger than some. You were so lucky getting to spend time and listen to her and her gear. 👍👍👍
Nowadays with digital music, the pre-amp becomes an extra stage of signal distortion. As much as I want to adore pre-amps, there is no actual benefits from it, when the output of a DAC is volume controlled and with sufficient level to drive a power amp. Exception is when you want a pre-amp to do other than voltage amplification. Obviously a tube pre-amp can enrich the sound with even harmonics that indeed can be very pleasurable. For some music, it's a true enhancement. For a vinyl setup, the high level amplification of the cartridge signal is hugely important with the RIAA filter included and I can only agree with this point.
@ThinkingBetter well, depending on your Dac, the impedance difference might not be 10x, so your amp might not perform at its best without a preamp.
This is the first time I see a woman passionate about HiFi audio! Just amazing! And she is not just someone with loads of money who asked somebody to build her a million dollars stereo system, she knows everything in detail, highly impressive! Respect lady!
Bro my audiobrain felt like a worm in comparison to her 🤣
@@EtonieE25 exactly!
Sad but true.
Take my wife, please.
@@matrixplace I soooooo wish she lived up the road from me as I’d be in her house every day making the coffee, cooking lunch, dinner and doing the housework JUST to have a play n listen to some of that equipment!! 🤣👍
What a women!!!! 🙂
She likes to party !
Wow, I used to live in Ontario and talked to Angie many times about equipment and music and even though I couldn’t afford her really high end equipment she showed me pieces that I could afford and they always sounded excellent I’ll always remember one I walked in and she told me she was breaking in a Set of Focal Grand Utopia speakers for a customer and said I should just go in and have a listen. What a treat and what a perfect audio perfectionist. Thanks Angie
Angie is a gem ... Very nice video and glad you were able to capture this for our community.
Thank you!
Absolutely!
Wow! I am speechless!
First of how very nice of Angie to invite and show, demonstrate and talk about her equipment! Very passionate!
Would love to listen to all of it! I’m sometimes amazed by my own system that is less than 00000000,1 of what is shown here!
Very inspiring! Thanks to both of you for a very good video!!
This is a perfect example of "It's never enough". For audiophiles, you will always feel the need to upgrade as far as your budget allows.
Never
they dont listen to music, they listen for faults--- its very sad as they never enjoy music
What a treat! I love seeing all this gear in a real home, with records strewn everywhere. This woman is clearly a music lover. Every time she thinks to clean up some of the clutter, she gets sucked into the music coming from her system. And the vintage pieces in mint condition are such a treasure.
That's not clutter. It's "room treatment".😊
No she's not listening to music ,,,she just loves the thrill of spending millions on gear ,,,I do the same thing
I love her! Thank you for this. As an older woman who is also an audiophile often there are not many like me out there to set an example inviting for younger women into this hobby. She's just wonderful and I'd very much love to have a conversation with her some day.
Angie is the best. I've had the pleasure of listening to these systems one Sunday afternoon. That experience really recalibrated my perception of what a high end system should be like. This video should be a reference on how to build an ultra high end system. Well done Angie and Thomas.
Thanks for sharing, yes, love the word recalibration.
Regardless of the gear being cost prohibitive for most…the knowledge base is undeniable. The insight stemming from her years of experience is invaluable.
You have to surrounded by rich people to learn about all this high end gears, off course she has a passion to what she does!
You can go the other route and be a designer. My brother went that way. You can cherry pick components, but speakers... to not get cost prohibitive you have to go old school and build your own and be ready to invest years and years of art of science.
I remember Angie back in the eighties when her store was on Queen Street where I bought my Sound Lab A3s. I once visited her "new" location in Richmond Hill years ago. Congrats to her she has done amazingly well.
Thomas, excellent job. She is a legend and we'll not see the likes of her again. Wonderful that you asked great questions and let her wax rhapsodic on so much incredible equipment and history.
Thanks, I am glad that it was entertaining overall and she is just so good at talking.
Angie and her staff are great. I've been there a few times and was treated so well even though my budget was modest at best.
Good to know!
Unbelievable. This is quite a video. This sweet little old lady owns all this equipment in a 47 year journey? I have no words. Incredible story. Being from Toronto, this makes me proud.
Glad you enjoyed it
Don't say old lady, just mature and very experienced!
Just goes to show the profit (mark up) on Hi-Fi gear she has sold.
@@billybunter3753 Well it is proportional to the risk. You take more risk, you make more.
haha... little old lady from Pasadena?
Ty for introducing us to Angie! What a treasure
The most important component is you. It's your mindset, approach and gratitude. It's not having the best of everything (an unattainable and endless pursuit) it's making the best of everything that creates the best experiences.
Well said!
I agree. The room and room treatments are also very important.
Yes The Preamp is the heart and soul of the system.
100% agree on preamp. Bedsides the speakers upgrading my preamp made the biggest difference on my system (C2700).
I have the privilege of knowing & dealing with Angie for over 20 years. She by far the most passionate & knowledge person in the audio arena. She is widely known as the Queen of Audio & rightly so. Wonderful video & awesome to see & even more amazing to hear!
Yes, she is well known.
Is she an audio dealer? Can I go listen to these two systems? Where is this located?
Astonishing & Wonderful.
A huge thank you to Angie for allowing us into her home 🙏🇮🇹
This conversation is a gem. Thank you!
I bought my first turntable from American sound of Canada. The whole team there is very nice and treat you the same regardless of budget. Even back then Angie said the preamp is the most important part of a system, i have changed preamps using the same gear many times and yes it does make a big difference.
Ah, thanks for sharing. I still think it is the poweramp😅
@@ThomasAndStereo Im using your old power amp, the W 5.3, it drives my Maggies quite well. So maybe in this instance a better power amp would make a difference since the speakers are demanding.
@@dajikbatarang1I miss that poweramp.😊
I've been passionate about high-fidelity audio since 1973. In around 1980, I began pondering.... my next visit to Toronto I will... and he decades passed and then, it happened: this incredible production found its place in my listening room. I'm truly grateful for the effort you and your team invested in creating this masterpiece. I'll definitely be watching it repeatedly; it's truly exceptional, setting it apart from the rest!
Great video Thomas! I watched and couldn't believe it's true. And I have learned about the importance of the preamplifier. Thank you and please continue with this kind of videos! Greatings from Romania , Europe!
Glad you enjoyed it!
MAJOR respect for Angie! I'm learning so much from this video. I will never have anything on this level but I imagine what my music would sound like through her system.
Taking aside the systems featured in this video, I would entirely agree with the observation that the preamp is the most important component in a system. Having enjoyed music over a 50 year period and now living with an endgame high end system, my preamp takes up 45% of the cost of my entire system. When introduced into the system it simply allowed the music to breathe through a big ‘open window’. Thank you for an interesting video Thomas and all the best, Peter.
Thanks Peter for sharing.
How’s that preamp deal with an MP3 file from your phone?
****Source first***** Nothing else matters if the source material is flawed either in quality (i.e. - compressed files) or in delivery to the preamp (i.e. - a good file that’s converted to analog poorly or from a noisy source going to the preamp).
I agree with the OP here. The preamp is regularly one of the most expensive parts of the system because of the complexity and need for precision. But I also feel that it's the place where more can get lost by short changing yourself than the other areas. Yes of course you have to have a good source. With digital I think it's not that hard to get really excellent stuff at a wide gamut of prices. Obviously the more you spend the better it gets. But at all levels there is competent equipment from many different makers. DACs seem about the same to me. Even lower cost DACs do what they do without a lot of effort. But preamps are what take that microphonic level of audio out into a signal that's suitable for pumping into kinetic reality. Obviously power amps do the heavy lifting, but it's the preamp that drives the engine, towing speakers along for the ride. Preamps are the difference between good and great reproduction and control. Speakers can't be their best without good amplification. Power amps can't make the precision moves without the precision signal and they don't hold on as well with the precision guidance of a really good preamp - appropriately matched of course.
Ultimately I'm a speaker devotee, but I think the area where a lot of people miss out on missing separate component potential is in their preamp. We all know that it all matters. What we often forget is that the first stage of amplification is where precision is captured or lost.
@@AndyBHome Well done for summing it up in your great post Andy 👍🏼 This crazy hobby never finishes, till we finish it 😉 Enjoy Peter
@@AndyBHome you sound very rational and are probably correct. I have no doubt that if you were to demo for me a system with a good preamp match vs one with a bad matching preamp or no preamp, that the good preamp would sound much better. But for me, it still doesn’t make sense why something between the source and power amp would make the music sound more real and better overall. Doesn’t that mean that the preamp is compensating for a less than ideal source or power amp?
Amazed by her passion and reach for the absolute sound......The road to that is what matters, there is no finish line.
I certainly agree with Angie concerning the importance of the pre-amp.
I don’t. Bottom line: EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT. Not just the pre-amp.
Most important.
Way more important that one might think…but really EVERYTHING is important - that’s why a system is also called CHAIN!
Some of these people don't listen too good.
Obviously she believes everything is important.
Look at what she has.
She believes the preamp/processor is the most important.
Viva la preamp! Most impactful change in my system. .. a great preamp is a revelation, system changer. Full stop
More More More Please...one of your best videos...she is amazing! Angie thank you for sharing!
Thank you!
This is totally different level of audiophile engineering :) Angie is master of the HIFI integration geniuses not just million-dollar sales expert . No wonder she stands highest stage in Canadian HIFI industry for such long time. Very impressive video 👋👋👋👍👍👍
I think I'm in love with Ms. Angie😍. Not only is her systems AMAZING.....she is the sweetest lady you would NEVER imagine she knows her stuff with audio.
Yes, very charming.
I consider Angie one of the finest representatives of the audiophile community that I’ve had the pleasure to meet…and deal with professionally as a client along with her crew at American Sound🙂
Thanks for this one …as always take care.
Well said!
@@ThomasAndStereo I just purchased a Bryston headphone/ preamplifier for my headphones from them.
And yes, over the years I’ve always recommended that people (even tho it’s out of their budget) at least take a look and listen at the store …you never know what’s out there …anyway, onto the weekend.
Thanks again for the video.
@@carminedesanto6746what hps do you use?
Angie is very,very knowledgeable! I was told about the preamp being the most important component in the audio chain over 30 years ago. I use ARC, now ARC reference. Great video…thank you.
Thanks for sharing!
When you have an audio system like Angie has. You do not listen for faults. If you ever heard a fault, it would be gone faster than you could blink an eye. The trick however when having such an audio rig, is to have source material that is of master caliber recordings. Having a system that is very revealing, and not very forgiving means you better have great material for playback. With a system like this you do not listen for faults over listening to music. Once you have all the annoyances removed, you can really enjoy the music. That is exactly what I have noticed in my audio adventure. If you have a killer audio system, and your constantly listening for faults, you either have a subpar system, or you yourself have issues. When I add a piece of hardware to my rig, if I cant tell a difference, or I have a negative experience with the new addition, then I remove it from my system. It goes, because it is useless to me. I believe your system is only as good as it's weakest link. I do not believe in a single piece of audio gear that is more important than another piece of audio gear. If you have a complete and solid system, any change would change the sonic character of the entire system. Examples: Power amp, pre-amp, speakers etc. If you remove any of these items in your system with something of less caliber in material, and/or build quality, the audio quality of your entire system will suffer as well. I never understood the concept of a piece of audio gear more important than another when if removed from the system the entire audio experience suffers. In this concept all the audio equipment in a system as a whole is just as important as another piece of equipment in your audio system. Your audio rig is only as good as it's weakest link!
What an amazing lady. I could listen to her talk hi-fi for hours. Great video Thomas!
Wow Thomas, and I thank both her and you for doing this. This lady has Michael Fremmer, OCD Mikey, Jay’s Audio Lab and most of the people on the planet beat! She is extremely knowledgeable. If a sound demo was possible these are the rooms and her system is the one for it.
Yup, she is well known in the high end audio circle with the magazines and manufacturer. I also made a video on her store.
Beautiful. I've bought a few things from Angie and have heard the horns. An awesome experience!
Yes they are!
Angie lives that Endgame Goals life and i’m proud of her for doing this
Yeah, happy for her.
I just love her. The joy on her face as she explains sound and the body is priceless.
I go back 50 years with experience and I can tell you it depends on the listener. I've seen people with mediocre equipment upgrade the speakers and that made all the difference and yet other a turntable cartridge change made it for them. That's what makes audio equipment so unique particularly the high end stuff, the sweet spot depends on the listener.
Don't forge the room.
Yes! Absolutely 100% agree. I always laugh at those commenters who talk about measurements. I thought we got into this hobby to ‘listen’ to music not ‘measure’ it.
Wow! This lady is awesome! Thank you for sharing her equipment and audio journey with us!
She is the legend!
Business is dominated by man mostly . She is the only one that I ever heard off with so much knowledge.
You should do more of this kind of vids Thomas . Move to Toronto and share your opinions with Adrian in Audio Excellence!
That would of been awesome!
It is not everyday I get invited to a house like this!
Thank you and Angie for this virtual tour of ultra high end audio systems. Not something we'll find at any audio show. Angie sold me my first pair of decent speakers (Totem Staaf) back in the '80s. I was too shy to ask for a discount but she gave me a good price anyway. Congrats on 40+ years of service in the Toronto area.
Wow, Totem staaf. I think Sean favorite speaker.
Love it , always need to view state of the art . Amazing knowledge here , how did she research so much ? Not sure I could even converse with her , just listen . One can always learn and she’s generous with her knowledge , no snob here . I have inexpensive equipment but content with the affordability and having my wife remain 😂. Glad she’s able to enjoy such quality. It promotes music !
Yeah, over 40 years of experience.
Wow I most certainly wish I could afford some of these products. But thanks to people’s like Angie we are able to see these products and get a great description as well. Love learning something new each day.
You and me both.
@@ThomasAndStereo🤗 ME TOO
What an amazing person she obviously is! Forget waf haf must be off the charts as well.i hope you have extra footage of this cause i could watch this stuff all day.Thanks Thomas and Angie so much!
Angie is my favorite hifi nerd now.
Damm, I got demoted to 2nd place.
@@ThomasAndStereoSorry Tom, 3rd place! 🤣
Angie is an extraordinary woman that has brought to Canada exceptional products. Owner of a store n
Quebec, I have worked in the past with her to bring some of the lines she has hold. To me, she is a very very honest woman, and a very loving music afficionado and a very caring g person. I wish her to be well many many years in the future.
I didn't even think this level of audiophilia was even possible.
man shes hardcore! i found her easy to understand while describing gear above my experience and price range. good stuff.
My bryston 3B SST has never sounded so good as when I removed my solid state pre amp and put in a tube pre amp in front of it. If I had kept my solid state pre amp and kept switching my bryston power amp for other power amps no matter what I put in instead it could not add the missing dynamics, liveliness and tone and 3d dimensionality that my tube pre amp has brought to the system. So for me, the pre amp has to be right first! That's where the magic is. 👍
Nice, thanks for sharing.
I could listen to Angie for days… a thousand thumbs👍🏽
For me, the most important part of the system is the room.
This must be the most epic grandma I have ever seen 🙂
😂 Epic indeed.
What a great informative video like always Thomas! Thank You! This one was really special.
While I know how important the power amplifier is, and I have an amplifier preference... I prefer AB amplifiers with FET output over all others, I do completely agree with Angie about the preamp being the most important part of the HI-FI system. My fiancee calls our preamp "the heart of the system".
To me all the presence and everything that's special about a HI-FI system comes from the Preamplifier. Just like Angie said it adds the 3rd dimension and the real life air.
I also agree with Angie on using Audio Research preamps because they usually always have that special presence to them that's detectable instantly.
I believe it's why we see so many different designs and circuits used in preamplifiers. It's also why people have been putting tube preamplifiers in front of MOSFET power amplifiers for a very long time, or why manufacturers like Pathos combine a tube front end with solid state amplification on their Hybrid integrated amps. They're quite expensive, but I think it's the only Integrated amplifier that sparks my interest.
While it may not be ethical, it has been affordable for me to test the waters with many different clone preamplifiers. My favorite preamplifier that's on what I would call our "Main System" is my third variant of a mbl6010d clone, once it's modified with better op amps and toroidal transformers it creates this amazing sound that for lack of better words sounds better than any other Solid State Preamplifier that I have heard. It has become such a favorite that if I ever happen to find myself in a position where I can buy a real MBL6010D, it would be added to my cart faster than any other high end piece of gear.
Keep up the excellent work you do. I appreciate your time and the work you put into making your videos.
Respectfully,
Joe
My philosophy wrt components is, no single component can make the system, but a single component can ruin the system. The biggest improvements I had was from good interconnects and a good preamp. Though there was also a time in an older system the amp upgrade was huge
Good philosophy.
My current setup is a simple 80's one . A pair of Fried Studio IV with an Onkyo tx-7000 that was looked over by Stephen Monte and team from Quest For Sound in Bensalem PA. People are blown away at how well the simple setup works and have offered thousands over what I paid for it and to get the speakers restored with help from Oskar Wronding of Denmark and Hiquiphon.
Sometimes the next tier of audio is simply making what you have sing with joy!
I will admit that listening to Stephens 10" home brew speakers in person at QFS was fantastic on single ended goodness. One day...
Having spent a day with a Dissanayake preamp I totally agree with Angie. A great preamp can totally re-shape a system. I never heard my power amps sound like that: imaging, detail, the "texture" of bass were simply of another dimension compared to what they were with the previous, simply good preamp.
Yup!
@@ThomasAndStereo ...i think my B&W 801 (new xover etc) need a better preamp than my Yamaha aventage AVR (RX-A3070) and a better dac of course ( with 3 ext amps ). I think sell my home cinema for a serious 2 channels setup...
@@KillerKojakwhat about the amp?
You're living the dream and thanks for sharing Thomas. What an amazing down to earth lady.
Thanks for watching.
Thomas, can you make a longer version? I (an I believe also all of us) could watch and listen such presentation for hour or a two :)) it is better than any hi-fi show report ;)
Ah, the extra footage I had is 2 other systems but are also avantgarde, well one is Rethm. The problem is after showing the main 2 big system, the rest look like toys. $70k Wadax DAC in the other systems...big deal after seeing the $300k Wadax DAC!
😒@@ThomasAndStereo
Wow. So many take-aways from this video. Next time I'm in Toronto I have to meet Angie, firstly to hear her fabulous tenor voice, secondly to hear her stereo. Heard the awe in your voice Thomas - much respect from me.
$1 Mil insane. Has to be a must hear system. Would love to hear something like this one day
She's so knowledgeable
They are very heterogeneous systems, great stuff (phasemation) and not so great. The Avangarde especially suck, unfortunately so the system is ruined. The towers speakers I can't even listen to but that's me.
You wouldn't hear a difference compared to a $10.000 system, I guarantee the snake-oil factor is huge in the $1 mill+ setups.
@@rabarebra thats where the name "Esoteric" comes in haha
Hi Thomas, that ranks as one of the best house, equipment tours that I have ever seen. What a fascinating lady to listen to.
Glad you enjoyed it
Years back I would quickly have said the speakers were most important. Now with the benefit of 46 years of audio interest behind me, I am firmly convinced a preamp can make or break a system. So my answer is, and for more than 20 years has been, the preamp is the most important component.
Ah, thanks for sharing.
@@ThomasAndStereo absolutely!
In the past I have heard poor speakers sound really good when using quality source. Does not seem to work the other way around though, high quality speakers do not respond well with poor quality source.
Man i can listen to her for 4 hrs and learn something new each minute
Yeah, she is very charming.
Hello Thomas,
I absolutely love your videos and this one is too good.
You are one of the very best youtubers out there for HIFI gear. Very informational videos I must say.
You being so experienced I request you to guide me.
I currently own the Choras 826 powered by a Nad C388 150w per channel Integrated amp, streamer being blusound node with the JL Audio E110 sub. I am planning to buy the Focal Sopra N2s and upgrade my amplifier later.
Just wanted to know if the power on my Nad is enough to drive them at moderate volume? do not want to risk damaging them.
Also, what amplifiers would you suggest with them when I plan on upgrading later.
Thank you so much for your help in advance man.
Cheers
If you look at the specs of the speaker, there is a minimum watt recommended, as long as your NAD fits that spec, it should be ok. Usually today's amp have no problem driving it to decent volume. When I say can an amp drive it, I don't mean it in terms of volume. Rather can the amp make the speaker sound alive? You can drive it to loud volume with no dynamic contrast, with loose uncontrolled bass and this that an amp can drive the speaker, for me, that is an amp that cannot drive the speaker properly. Sopra 2 is hard to drive.
@@ThomasAndStereo Understood, Thank you so much for your help mate. Have a great day ahead and keep posting for us. :)
I have known Angie for years.Have not seen her before Covid. She is a wonderful lady and a beautiful human being. It is because of her help and inspiration that I have my 6 figure system.Without her it would have never happened.Thank you for your wonderful video,so glad to see Angie. I need to go say hi,glad she made it through Covid.She truly is “the queen of audio” lol God bless.😊
Well said!
Wow, just wow. Angie is the real deal! Hopefully I can visit her store one of these days. Way out of my league but it would be great fun anyway! Thanks Thomas
You should!
Speakers are the only component which can alter the sound radiation pattern. something some of us consider vital whether it be wide dispersion, dipole/biipole, omni, etc.
What is sound radiation pattern? My speakers sound stage was dramatically changed with Rotel separates. Much much wider and much more height. Also much more instrument separation.
@@Drivehead103which way the sound leaves the speaker eg straight out of front of speaker, out of front and back of speaker (in or out of phase), in all directions (omnidirectional), rtc
Amazing systems. A room for dynamic and another room for horns are how dreams are made of. For me, power amp, preamp, cables then speakers because I change the speakers more often. But, I am learning the importance of the preamp.
Yes this one was a tough call by demolishing the myth that hifi is the men's hobby and an advanced hifier looked like like a school boy in front of the teacher. Bear with it Thomas.
I am at a kindergarten level.
Wow! Absolutely jaw dropping sound system, I would totally hang out with this lady listening to records all afternoon.
No matter how impressive this might look and sound, it's just too much. Give me a vintage Japanese amp and a pair of Kabuki speakers, a decent DAC, a good tape deck and I'm happy.
Sure, many great great systems at modest price.
I could build up a system for about £100, (perhaps £200) that I would be perfectly happy with, I think most people just want to show off how much money they have.
LOL
For you to think you're the judge & jury of what's acceptable is hilarious.
Should I tell you what car you should drive?
My goodness. You think she is showing off to you. Lol
@@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391
Some may indeed buy to impress; she's all about sound quality. Thomas pointed out the most expensive equipment wasn't with the most expensive system, because of sound reproduction "synergy".
Sounds like Angie has got the ☯️ going on.
And can I say, it is SO refreshing to see a woman in the industry and one who is so cool to boot
I'm sorry, don't shoot me, but if she has the resources to spend a million bucks on the system, perhaps she might have spent a few bucks decorating the room itself and maybe do a little cable management?
Bang!🤣🔫
I totally agree with her, the Preamp is the key. For all the sound qualities, especially instrument separation, soundstage, you need a good preamp, period.
I disagree, the speakers is.
Sure, after the speaker, what would be the most important?
@@ThomasAndStereo the room
I find it hard to engage on audio TH-cam videos, but with Angie I could listen for hours.
My new dream is to sit with some red wine and enjoy a convoy with this amazing lady .
Then some music
Amazing! This lady has so much knowledge!
An incredible passion for music reproduction. It was lovely to watch
Thanks for watching.
Hello to my pal Angie at Angie's Corner formally American Sound from your friend Scott from Oakville Audio days, Angie is the Audiophile heavyweight of Canada "THE BIG DOG" and I say that with all respect as she knows audio. ...period! She has sold the finest HiFi on planet earth here in Toronto Canada for decades through American Sound and now Angie's Corner , proud as punch to know her as I was manager at Oakville Audio during the 90's and always loved when Christian sent me to America Sound to pick up gear ...ahh the good old days , I hope you are well Angie
No words!!!!! She just took my expectations to another universe! Rock on young lady!!! Blessings love and light always ✨️ 🙏
What a treat to experience this tour. Congratulations!
It was!
Got a marantz head unit from the 80’s that is still impressive and puts out such true watts. This is quit the system here and I totally get every piece Angie has. Hardly ever hear of females being into SPL. Or speaker and sound. I dig it!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Wow, what a crazy, brilliant setup, or setups i should say. Angie is surely an advanced sound engineer, or a sound professor, all that knowlege, wow. Thanks for this video :)
Excellent video! Avantgarde Duo Grosso G2 were the best speakers I’ve heard in someone’s house (with EMM and Audiopax gear). I support that the preamp is most critical component.
My first time in my life to watch this kind of an Audio System 👍 Thanks Thomas 👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
I've seen a lot of 'extremes' on TH-cam and a few in real life but this I think is officially thee most extreme thing I've seen. And I watch space, history, cars, etc...this is amazing 😵
This was awesome, Angie knows her stuff.
Hey Thomas, I subscribed a long time ago.
The response to this appears to make it your best so far!
Excellent!
Thanks for your response on the avm 90.
I certainly respect your opinion.
Thanks for the sub!
I feel like it's the room. When energy gets out, the room takes control of it. Imagine how much better those systems would sound in a properly treated room... And I'm not talking about carpet, curtains, rugs, panels filled with building insulation, etc... Those things were not designed for music and voice. But it's still cool to see, thanks for sharing!
Very informative... The finest reproduction I picked up in the generally at the time affordable to the above average listener. Na above average pocket book is my 50 year old class A J.B. Lansing solid state integrated amplifier. You can play that through a simple Girard Turntable and an old school pair of Infinity Positive One floor cabinets and become motivated and excited biologically out of the penetration of the basic sincerity from bottom to top. Separate left and right treble and base adjustments a built in Phono null balancing control. It's just gut bucket un-fudged and reached in and pulls your strings. I'm miles away from the affordability of this level of dedication. But I have deep ears . I've for years performed audio mastering of difficult to acknowledge nuance source material including my own sub standard of quality source material to qualify/become published offering. This work develops an ear that most others never taste. Thank you for this video. Be fortunate always 🌸
Very nice lady. This interview was a joy to watch!
Great video.. she’s a legend in the business and one of a kind that’s for sure.
Couldn't agree more!
@@ThomasAndStereo what a great story for cbc or a major media outlet to cover the 45 years of history of business and how she’s such an icon in the audio industry.
Such a make dominant hobby and industry and she certainly rose to the top with her success.. we need a positive news story.
Many thanks Thomas. You are such a lucky - but well deserved - guest. So good I had to watch it twice. That doesn't happen often. Aventgarde have been making my dream gear for several years. Haven't switched to the noodles yet. Greetings to you and yours.
Glad you enjoyed it
Just seeing the system here is jaw dropping.
I am impressed with the ladies interest and depth of knowledge.
Women usually stay away from such systems.
Great video
I wish she creates a showroom. We're a regular person can pay $100 to listen and experience these expensive unit for 10 minutes
Sipping coffee and watching two audiophiles talk. Thanks for the upload.
Hope it was entertaining.
Sub is essential!! Totallly agree! Preamp, yes yes the heart and soul of the system. Great post, fantastic system! Thanks Thomas~
Absolutely!
Angie is a dedicated Gem. What a fabulous person. 🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇
She was wonderful. Thank you for this terrific video Thomas. Happy listening 👌🎼✨
Glad you enjoyed it