Philippe Rayes, President and CEO, Sherpa Technology Group joined forces with Rose Guzzo, Senior Director, Masimo Canada to host a Masimo dealer expo in Montreal this week. The three-day event hosted one-on-one meetings with key Quebec dealers, while the evenings were dedicated to an open house with food and drink for the 106-plus CI and specialty dealers, to discover the breath of the Masimo brands that include; Denon, Definitive Technology, Marantz, Bowers & Wilkins and a fully reimagined and reengineered Polk Audio, a brand that used to be heavily discounted but is now receiving “Product of the Year” awards from highly watched social media influencers.
“We wanted an opportunity to spend some meaningful time with our strong Quebec dealer base in a setting that really allows them to witness and experience the breadth of our Masimo brands” stated Rayes. “As a distributor, our fundamental role is to assist our retail and custom install customers in being as successful as they can be, and we just love having an opportunity to spend some extended time with our customers and show them the new offerings that are available from Sherpa.”
Dealers at the expo had a chance to experience the new flagship DM80 Dymension Series bi-polar floor-standing speakers from Definitive Technology with built-in powered 12’ subwoofers with integrated (and optional) DM90 Atmos-certified height modules for DTS-X overhead sound effects.
Also on display, was the all-new Marantz AV 10, a $9,000 15.4 AV pre-amp, a monster of an amp offering every codec imaginable including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Pro Auro 3D, IMAX Enhanced and 8K Ultra HD and of course HEOS built-in streaming.
The Marantz model 40n, a 2-channel 70 watt HDMI and ARC amplifier that has completely redefined cosmetics in both a black and silver-gold matte finish was being seen by many for the first time and shows the new refreshed direction of how Marantz products will look moving forward.
An observation from Rose Guzzo was on how many of the established and well-known family-run retailers (both in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada) are handing the reigns to the next generation. “It’s very rewarding seeing a new generation of young people coming into the industry who bring a whole new set of ideas on how to brand, sell and market audio to the next generation” stated Guzzo who adds “it’s great seeing that new energy that guarantees the success of our products, and industry in general, moving forward.”
Product demos were conducted by the charming Drew Vergil-Bisaillon, Sherpa’s Business Development Manager with his intoxicating passion for everything audio -video, who walked the audience through outdoor offerings featuring Polk’s Atrium subwoofer, analog offerings highlighted with Denon’s all-new belt-drive DP-400 turntable, and of course the highlight of the night; a fully-immersive, home theater with the Marantz AV 10 pre amp, with surround sound featuring Definitive Technology DM80 towers alongside Definitive’s Pro Cinema Series.
As usual, while these dealer events take a tremendous amount of effort to execute, they continue to be a reminder that nothing beats one-on-one face time with intimate demo opportunities, to rekindle that love and emotion that great sound brings to our lives.