[HiFi Show] Reportage from the High Fidelity Gran Gala in Padua

High Fidelity Gran Gala

Padua, 22nd and 23rd of November, 2025

Author: Piero Canova - TNT Italia
When: November 22nd and 23rd, 2025
Where: Padua (Italy)
Official website www.grangaladellaltafedelta.com

I admit I'm not a fan of trade shows in general; I've attended too many as an exhibitor in various industrial sectors, and the constant memory is of huge crowds, noise, and little serious business because customers or potential customers would always quickly conclude with a "we'll talk again after the trade show." This situation is particularly unfavorable when listening to a sound system, where listening conditions can significantly impact the evaluation of a system. But last Sunday I had the morning free, so I went to the Gran Galà dell'Alta Fedeltà in Padua.

The "Gran Galà dell'Alta Fedeltà" is a medium-sized trade show held annually in three locations: Rome, Bologna, and Padua. It's an attractive option because it allows enthusiasts to see and hear many exciting products without having to make expensive travel.

My first and foremost thanks goes to organizer Giulio Ricci, who allowed me to enter the listening rooms a half hour before they opened to the public. This year's edition featured 36 listening rooms and stands, so as you can imagine, I could have spent less than a minute in each before opening. Consequently, I was able to visit some rooms only with the public present, so I won't judge where the sound system was good and where it wasn't. However, I did see and hear a few interesting things, and I'd like to share them with you.

The most common sources were digital, and the medium was predominantly streaming; little vinyl was on display. Perhaps vinyl has exhausted its comeback and the usability of digital is becoming more rewarding?
I listened to tube and solid-state amplifiers, class A, AB, and D, transistors, and FETs: the overall impression was very good. Class D is growing and being offered by many manufacturers, and one of the recurring comments was about lower electricity consumption. Yes, even audiophiles have noticed that their electricity bills have become steep.

Speakers are becoming increasingly smaller. Even small 16cm woofers can now deliver excellent performance. Here too, almost all exhibitors emphasized how easy it is to place speakers in a space shared by multiple people, not just the audiophile. Some also noted that the average size of homes is shrinking, making bulky speakers unsuitable.
The number of visitors, especially on Saturday, was enormous. The audiophile community is not small, on the contrary. However, talking to some distributors, one hears that many visit but almost no one buys. I can't verify whether this comment is true or not, but certainly, those who are trying to offer good-sounding products at relatively affordable prices seem to have interesting results.
At a couple of stands, I saw a well-executed blend of audio and video. At the Audio Group Denmark stand, an excellent two-channel audio system accompanied an ultra-wide-throw laser video projector that projected a 100" diagonal image onto a motorized screen. Acoustically, with the screen extended, a slight reduction in scene depth was noticeable, but the emotional impact of the video and audio combined was very compelling, and rolling up the screen restored the optimal configuration. It's certainly a way to make a high-end system compatible with a family's needs, especially since the two towers on the sides have a size that is small in comparison to the screen.

I understand that the listening level is a huge factor when you sit down to listen to a system, but most of the listening rooms were medium-sized hotel rooms, and exhibitors couldn't really treat them properly, so why turn the volume up so high that they became a jumble of echoes and reflections? Systems that sounded great at 9 a.m. without an audience became unlistenable at 11 a.m. with a few people in the room.
If you asked me what I would have gladly brought home, given the limitations of a very partial listening experience, I would say Lumin D3 and Indiana Line Lira: the cost of both is reasonable and the performance is truly excellent.

That's all; I did manage to bring home a nice two-chassis phono preamp, but this will be the subject of another review.

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