High-end audio is one tough business. It's tough in good times and bad. In the good times, livings are made, in bad, they are created. And in between, if not treading water, the purveyor of high end audio is building, networking, saving and even scraping for the next time the bad times hit. They always do. So, why do they bother? Millionaires are few. Christopher Harrison, owner of the new House of Sounds in beautiful Oakville, Ontario describes the job as 'missionary work'. I've heard the description before. Many times. It's a good thing for us these lovers of audio and music spread the Gospel so passionately. As such, they help to enervate the hobby, expand musical horizons, and invest in engineering and research.

Back to Chris Harrison and his lovely House of Sounds. Open but a couple of weeks, Chris and some friends have worked incredibly hard to get the store ready for the July grand opening. Grand, it is. An inviting, well-organized lobby area is flanked by a long passage (stocked with lovely speakers), with a dedicated home theatre room on the right and two large listening rooms at the end of the hallway. These two rooms are large and beautifully appointed. Your time spent at the House of Sounds will be very comfortable. A listening setup is also available in the lobby.

Prides of place in the lobby area are turntables. Yes, analogue is alive and well in Oakville. Chris' 'table of choice: Nottingham Analogue. Both the Space Deck and Horizon are available for audition (with Nottingham arms). Cartridges are still in flux! Chris has auditioned several and will be adding them to his lineup by the time this article is published. I certainly made a few suggestions.

Also in the lobby is a sexy (and very popular) Nakamichi lifestyle setup (hey, bills gotta be paid!). This wall-o-cool can be seen from the sidewalk; important for the window gawkers. Chris has his front window looking just right, with a balance of tube gear, vinyl, accessories, speakers, and a turntable. Looking good!

The best of Ikea cabinetry is on hand to highlight the accessories in the showroom. Van den Hul and Cardas take the bulk of the cable limelight. And while some CDs are on sale (the usual suspects), Chris is bent on increasing his stock. So, lots of CDs will be available - damn, I forgot to ask about vinyl!

Many accessories are for sale, from the amazing Marantz remotes to cones to cleaners. In the tall glass cabinet was a pair of Murata super tweeters. I have these on hand ready for review. They look very interesting and are built to a very high standard. The review should be available at the same time you are reading this article. They fly up to 103kHz! I had better get out the Q-tips.

The store has many wonderful attributes, chief among them are the balance and choice of products. Chris has not overdone the product line. Let's face it - the dealer has the best and worst of audiophilia. He/she may pick and choose from the best equipment (who wouldn't want to be associated with a lovely store). Depending on the manufacturer, the dealer can usually get fair terms, then the world is his oyster. Unless the oyster's bad. Yup, here's where the honeymoon can end.

Getting the gear out the door, dealing with banks, and the 'joy' of customer satisfaction, they're all fraught with peril. Harrison doesn't scare easily. He's been in the business a long time - many of you reading this know him, bought product from him, or unknowingly have met him at numerous hi-fi shows - he's always ready to lend a helping hand. Thus, House of Sounds will not bombard you with hundreds of lines. Discernment and quality are the watchwords, here.

House of Sounds shares Oakville with many fine boutiques. Although small, the town (located about half an hour west of Toronto) has been home to money, both old and nouveau. For many years, Oakville had the highest per capita income in Canada. The location of the town is splendid - on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The store's location is good, and while not on the lake, it's in a cool, trendy area that boasts cafés and good restaurants. A suggestion: drop in on a warm Saturday, listen for a couple of hours, during gear changes, grab a coffee and pastry at the new bakery directly across the street. When finished, dine at the Fish Bones Oyster Bar & Grille, also across the street. During dessert you can commiserate with your significant other as to why you can't buy that gorgeous 10 grand tube amp.

I visited the store several times and got to hear different setups. First up was a beautiful combination of Cary and fab audio. The fab Stonehenge loudspeakers were being driven by Cary's SLI-80 integrated amplifier, in turn played via a Cary 303 CD player. Sound was sweet and detailed with the unmistakable stamp of synergy. The easily driven Stonehenge sounded even better at House of Sounds than in my home setup during a recent review. And that is something! The Cary integrated has long been a favourite of mine and created a winning Sounds here. Long time readers of Audiophilia may know of my admiration for Dennis Had's CD players, too. A selection by the Stockholm Cathedral Chamber Choir on Sweden's fantastic Proprius label demonstrated the air and sense of space of the original acoustic. Flutes glistened and singers glowed. A real treat. Happily, Chris' rooms are incredibly well treated. Nulls and humps wouldn't dare show their teeth around this neighborhood.

Another visit showcased the very fine Meridian 507 CD player. Meridian has been a leader in the digital domain since the late eighties. The lineage continues with the 507. The look is beautiful, the functionality superb. I want one! The sound? Refined digital. Clear and smooth, with transients intact. Again, the system featured the Cary integrated but this time substituted Living Voice Auditorium Avatar loudspeakers. Good though the Living Voices are, I should like to hear the Meridian with other, less 'idiosyncratic' loudspeakers. Cables used in all setups were by Cardas.

For an all-star store, one expects an all-star lineup. House of Sounds does not disappoint. On display were speakers from Martin-Logan, JMLabs and Vandersteen. Chris is a great admirer of these manufacturers. He likes Brit gear, too. Along with the aforementioned Meridian, he stocks Naim and Exposure (oh, how I love Exposure gear!). For the cinema fans, the state-of-the-art home theater room will feature NHT, among others.

Along with tube amps from Cary, Chris is stocking solid state amplification from German company Berendsen. On hand, but not heard (yet) was the STA 150. It looked solid and intriguing. Audio Refinement amps and preamps are available for audition and the super Audible Illusions Modulus 3A (yes, it's still around) was pride of place. To temper all this great equipment was the balanced power treatment of Equi-Tech (a review is forthcoming).

House of Sounds is only a fifteen minute drive from my place. In fact, all the best audio salons in the greater Toronto area are less than thirty minutes drive. As such, I am spoiled for choice. Just about everything is available here. Many stores stock the gear and offer good customer service. With Chris Harrison's store, you get the best -- great equipment, fair prices, a lovely, non-pressure environment, expertise, and best of all a place where like-minded audiophiles can gather to enjoy our amazing avocation. Try to visit soon.