TAIWAN’S HIGH-END AUDIO SHOW 2023 REPORT PART ONE

The Taiwan TAA High-End Audio Show 2023 took place in one of Taipei’s most distinctive architectural marvels, the Taipei Grand Hotel. Exhibitors ranged from well-known international brands to up-and-coming local boutique brands, filling a total of 151 rooms. Gyula Weeber, HiFi PiG reader, brings you his first report for HiFi PiG, from his local HiFi Show.

NO PART OF THIS ARTICLE MAY BE COPIED IN ANY FORM. THIS INCLUDES WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH ARE THE PROPERTY OF HiFi PiG AND BIG PIG MEDIA.

The world of audiophiles gathered in anticipation as the 33^rd TAA High-End Audio Show in Taiwan opened its doors this past weekend. The opening remarks and welcome were delivered by Mr Vincent Chang, President of TAA, and Mr. Jürgen Timm, Chairman of the High-End Society, organisers of the one and only High End Munich Show.

TAA HIGH-END AUDIO SHOW 2023 TAIPEI, TAIWAN

The show was held on the first five floors of the hotel, with the most expensive setup on the first floor in the larger banquet rooms and three regular hotel floors with a variety of smaller and larger rooms, providing a good opportunity to actually listen to the systems rather than just observe them. Most exhibitors took the time to set up some room treatments, and some used room acoustic software to fine-tune the sound even further. Going around the exhibition, it was clear that traditional audio formats are popular. Many boutique brands brought tube amplifiers, and some rooms had master tape recorders ready for listening. What a rare treat! They had seven different rooms set up to sell CDs and LPs. I noticed that while LPs are on the rise globally, CDs seem to be more popular in Taiwan. It was encouraging to see companies recognising the trend of smaller living spaces; several exhibitors introduced speakers that are compact but deliver powerful sound, giving consumers flexibility in placement without sacrificing audio quality. For those who appreciate aesthetics, numerous brands showcased uniquely designed products that blend fashion-forward aesthetics with home entertainment functionality, elevating both the audio experience and interior decor.

Surround-sound and home-cinema systems, complete with high-quality projectors, sophisticated software, and elaborate displays, have become increasingly popular as an alternative to standard two-channel audio. Genelec, Pre Sonus, and Neumann, three of the most well-known names in the recording industry, each had excellent displays for testing out new pieces of equipment. Only the headfi subculture was underrepresented, with only a few choices, but this may be due to the fact that there are serious headfi-specific exhibitions around Taiwan.

This is my fifth time attending the show, which consistently brings the latest and greatest in international audio to the shores of Taiwan. When writing my report, I divided it into four sections, each representing a different floor of the expo.

According to organisers, more than 20,000 people attended this year’s four-day exhibition, representing a significant 30% increase over the previous year. The presence of young audiophiles has increased by 15%, which is particularly intriguing. With an impressive lineup of over 500 brands, the event experienced a revenue boost, exceeding previous records and generating nearly 2.5 million pounds in sales, thanks in part to enticing promotions.

FIRST FLOOR AND LOBBY

LOBBY: ACCUPHASE, FYNE AUDIO (台笙 AUDIO-PHOENIX)

They occupied the largest room on the ground floor, which was situated directly behind the lobby. They were in a difficult situation, right in front of the main elevator and without a closable door. They introduced the Fyne Audio Vintage Fifteen and Vintage Five to strike a balance between the two extremes. Both speakers’ craftsmanship and attention to detail were intriguing. Accuphase supplied a reference-quality rig, including the A-300 Monoblocks, C-3900 Preamplifier, and DP-750 CD Player, all of which were supplied with clean power by the PS-1230.

They were also available on the second floor, with the Accuphase A-48 and C-2300 and the Rose RS130 supporting the Fyne Audio F1-10.

101 – LAWRENCE AUDIO, SOULNOTE

One of the best sounds of the show, in my opinion. Lawrence Liao is the CEO of the Taiwanese company Lawrence Audio. For over 35 years, Master Liao worked as an interior designer for both residential and corporate clients. His daily ritual of drawing inspiration from music and incorporating music into his design process exemplifies his deep connection to sound. His interest in audio design was sparked 20 years ago when a friend asked if the expensive speakers he was listening to were custom-made by his design. They have been producing excellent-sounding speakers with an oriental flair since 1996. The speakers exhibited were from the SkyLux series, the Sun (150k USD) and Star (55k USD). They use Accuton drivers and are completely assembled in Taiwan.

The great Soulnote from Japan provided the supporting electronics. It was their flagship level 3 series of electronics. The M-3 mono power amplifiers served the P-3 preamp, the D-3 D/A converter, and the Z-3 Network Transport. According to Scott, the distributor and fellow enthusiast, the Z-3 was placed on the Gresim anti-vibration platform because it provided some sonic benefits for the network transport. Although only audible in such a high-end system, the technology behind the Gresim Audio Board is certainly impressive; I am sure it would be even more effective under a turntable. Clarus Concerto power conditioners provided clean power. The lesser-known but exquisitely crafted Spanish fono Acustica provided the cabling.

They also had a Studer A807 tape recorder with master tapes, such as the Living Stereo Reiner’s Scheherazade. The racks were from the very popular local MYSTJ brand; they are a reliable and well-known Taichung brand, and as you can see from the photos, they were used in many rooms throughout the expo.

103  – 瑩聲音響 (AVM, PMC, CYRUS, SPENDOR, INSKUSTIK – 首頁 – JADEX)

One of Taiwan’s largest distributors, specialising in European brands. During the exhibition, they focused on music and accessory sales, but they also introduced the new PMC Prodigy line with the AVM CS2.3 All-in-One. They were playing, but they were right in front of the door, making it difficult to listen. I would not be surprised if this setup became popular because it appeared to be very practical and well-contained. They also had a Spendor D7.2 with Cyrrus electronics set up, but it was in an awkward position, so listening was not an option. They had some great deals, and I ended up buying an Inakustik HDMI cable because my current one died at the perfect time, just before the expo. They also had a great selection of LPs for sale, which was popular with the visitors.

102 – 雅士音響 (GOLD NOTE, MONITOR ACOUSTICS ) ACE AUDIO 雅士音響

One of the rooms that piqued my interest prior to the show was Gold Note, an Italian company showcasing their products in Taiwan for the first time. It was just last year when I contacted the brand, as I was interested in upgrading my amplifier to one of theirs. However, after an email exchange with the brand, I discovered that they did not have a distributor. Thankfully, they are now available. The Valore 425 Turntable, with the IS-1000 MKII all-in-one option, is a great full stereo system. The Gold Note PA-1175MKII power amplifier, the P-1000 MKII preamplifier, the PH-5 phono amplifier, and the PST-5 power supply were used in the listening setup. Unfortunately, the Valore 425 Plus turntable was only for show.

Taiwanese Monitor Acoustics, a serious cable and power accessory supplier with some very high-end and expensive products, was also introduced in this room. Their isolation power block grounding system is a serious solution that has piqued the interest of some other exhibitors who want to try it in their own environment.

105 – 極品音響 (DALI, BURMESTER, AURENDER, MONTAUDIO, NEO HIGHEND, SOTM, CARDAS, SILTECH, PRIMALUMA, EAHIBRID, ORTOFON) 極品音響 TOP AUDIO

Serious sound and serious gear. The room was set up properly for serious listening; it was divided, and two very impressive systems faced each other, with timing set up so that visitors could enjoy both systems. One side displayed the mighty Dali Kore, which was more impressive in the flesh than I expected based on previous reports’ photos. The system included massive mono Burmester 909 MK5 Reference line power amplifiers, an Aurender MC20 Master Clock, and an A30 Reference Network Player. SOtM network accessories, EAHibrid power supplies, and Montaudio grounding were all used.

The other system included Burmester BC150 speakers, 948 power conditioners, 218 mono power amplifiers, a Top Line 100 phono preamplifier, and a 217 turntable. Their Reference 111 music centre presented the rhythm on the digital side.

I particularly liked the sound of the Dali Kore speakers, which were playing TakeDake’s Japanese Roots with impressive control over the drums and presented a wide and exciting soundstage.

They also displayed some Primaluna amplifiers, Ortofon cartridges, and tonearms, and introduced the Rekkord turntables. They were also the SOtM distributor, and some of their gear was on display throughout the room.

106 – 藝聲音響 (MBL, STROMTANK, ARGENTO, MELCO, WAVERSA, ROON NUCLEUS, FERRUM, AUDIOMICA, ORGANIC, TELEGARTNER)

Another very special room; the equipment set up in this room took up almost as much space as the visitors could occupy. The stereo setup was built around MBL 101X-treme MKII omnidirectional speakers (£225k). Following the speakers, most people noticed the “elephants” in the room, as the two gigantic gray Stromtank S500HP provided clean power for the entire system. They used two MBL 9011 (£42k) for low frequencies and two MBL 9008A (£23k) for high frequencies, with the MBL 6010D (£21k) preamplifier and the MBL 1611F (£22k) Roon-ready DAC as the source. The Melco N1 S38 Music Server and S10 power supply were added to the digital chain, which included a Waversa System router, a Roon Nucleus music server, a Ferrum Hypsos power supply, and a Telegarner M12 network switch. The cables were from Argento and Audiomica.

107 – 博韻音響 (STENHEIM, PILIUM, MOLA MOLA, GIGAWATT, IKIGAI, LUNA CABLES, WATTSON AUDIO, MOONWIRES, MYSTJ, CSPORT) 博韻音響 RESOUND AUDIO

The ReSound Audio Room had a lot of great stuff from all over the world. The Stenheim Ultime Two Towers from Switzerland and Pilium electronics from the renowned Greek company took centre stage. The power supply was a Gigawatt PC 4 Evo from Poland. The Pilium Hercules monoblocks provided more than enough power to the speakers, and they were connected to the Pilium Alexander Preamplifier with its separate power supply. The popular Mola Mola Tambaqui was used to play digital audio, while the analogue source was the Japanese CSPort’s flagship air-floating turntable, the LFT1M2, with the C3EQM2 Phono amplifier and EMT Novel Cartridge. The room was always full and sounded grandiose.

Wattson Audio’s streaming products were new to the market, but there was also great gear from Mola Mola, Luna Cables, Moonwires, and Ikigai Cables.

108 – 鼎上音響 (MONITOR AUDIO, ORPHEUS, MYSTJ, DIVA AUDIO, LIVE CABLE, AQUA)

Monitor Audio debuted the Hyphn, their new flagship speaker, which is based on a concept first introduced last year. It is such a new product that only the pair demoed at the exhibition is currently available in Taiwan. Orpheus Lab Heritage mono amplifiers and preamplifiers were in charge of driving them. The Italian Aqua acoustic LinQ streaming DAC played the music, and the Livecable Signature series took care of the connection.

109 – 普立視 (AQUA, KAISER ACOUSTICS, DIVA AUDIO, ORPHEUS, LIVE CABLE, MYSTJ)

Prior to this exhibition, I had never heard of Kaiser Acoustics. The Kawero! Classic speaker looked great with its impeccable woodworking and traditional design, but the separate RAAL ribbon tweeter made it stand out. They were connected to an Orpheus Lab Absolute integrated amplifier, which had an Aqua Acoustic Formula Optologic DAC and a LinQ network player. A brand-new Taiwanese network switch named Diva EX-7 provided the network. I wish they had spent more time setting up the room because the equipment appeared to have more to show. I did not find out until after the show that the cabinet of the speaker is made of a unique material called tankwood or panzerholz, which, according to research by Lessloss’s Louis Motek, is a great new material for acoustic purposes—it’s better than aluminium!

110, 248, 246 – 環球知音/大道知音 (SONUS FABER, MCINTOSH, LINN BASSOCONTINUO, MARANTZ, DENON)

You could listen to McIntosh and Sonus Faber pairings in two different rooms, and they also had a separate Linn system.

The main hall was built around the Stradiavri G2, a successor to the first-generation wide-panel design. The design was improved further by eliminating visible bass reflection holes on both the front and back sides and concealing them at the base, channelling the low frequencies downward, and creating an omnidirectional spread.  A formidable audio chain powered the limited-edition graphite-colored speakers. The live demonstration featured the acclaimed McIntosh C12000 preamplifier alongside the potent MC 1.25KW quad balanced power amplifiers, getting power from the MPC 500. The digital source was Linn’s latest Selekt DSM Edition with the updated dual mono DAC module. They were placed on a beautiful Bassocontinuo rack.

The Sonus Fibre Amati G5 in Wenge welcomed visitors to sit and listen in room 248. Powered by a dual McIntosh MC451 power amplifier, the C2700 preamp with Linn Selekt DSM, and the Katalyst D/A converter upgrade.

The dedicated Linn room in 246 appeared simple at first glance, but it was built around Linn’s full system concept of Series 530 speakers and the Selekt Classic Hub. They used Keces products for power conditioning, a well-known Taiwanese brand that specialises in power conditioning.

HALL – 大器 YG ACOUSTICS, AESTHETIX, GOLDMUND, GOLDEN EAR, FARAD, REL 首頁 – 大器國際

德錩 – FM ACOUSTICS, SYMPHONIC LINE, TECHDAS, SPL, RAMAR, VIXATIV, TRANSROTOR SHOP, TECH UNION

38度C MUSIC STORE 38度C音響唱片有限公司｜PCHOME商店街

This was the largest hall in the hotel. The space was so large that three companies shared it, including two distributors and Taipei’s largest LP and CD store. The already difficult location was complicated further by the fact that the lobby’s massive atrium is directly in front of the room’s entrance, which was so wide that we were basically in a semi-open space.

The distributors of YG Acoustics, Aestherix, and REL occupied the middle section, and they set up a very impressive system to manage the enormous sizes. The speakers were the highly regarded YG Acoustics Sonia 2.3, and six towering REL 32 active subwoofers supported them. Aesthetix produced the electronics, with the Metis preamplifier controlling both the Atlas Signature Monos and the Atlas Eclipe Monos, which handle the low and high frequencies, respectively. The music was being streamed through the COS D10 and the Aesthetix Romulus DAC. The system was built with Audioquest cables and Niagara power conditioners.

They sounded fantastic, with a well-controlled and expansive soundstage that was rich in detail and clarity. The bass had excellent control. I enjoyed the music selection because it included challenging and interesting music. Steve Huntley, the VP of Global Sales at YG, and Jim White, the founder of Aesthetix, were both present, and we had a great conversation about HiFi, music, and life in general.

On the right side of the room, FM Acoustics, a brand from Switzerland, had a display. Very old-fashioned brand that I had never seen in person before this expo. They used a full set of FM acoustic electronics to set up the XS3-C speakers. The amplifier stage consisted of the FM 411 MKIII mono poweramps, the FM 268C Harmonic linearizer and preamp, and the 223 Phono preamp. The Transrotor Orion Reference FMD with the TRA 9 Tonearm served as the source. This section of the room was mostly occupied by analogue audio enthusiasts.

SECOND FLOOR

201 – 瑋秦 AKUSTIK LABOR, GAUDER

A unique combination of a music store and audio equipment. They focused their room on displaying their cables, but their system looked nice too, with a Gauder Arcona 200 speaker, an Akustik Labour Artemis integrated amplifier, and some esoteric HiFi accessories.

204 – 類比藝術 (ZORIN, MEDIEN, ANALOG.ARTIST LABORATORY)

The room was the result of a collaboration between Taiwanese brands. The Medien D-661 is a small reflex speaker with 93 dB efficiency, powered by the A.a Lab 204 integrated transistor amplifier with 4 W output and a genuine retro look and feel. The Zorin Audio Music Reference air-bearing tonearm was used in conjunction with the TP S5 turntable; this looked very impressive. It was a nice-sounding room, though it felt a little crammed with audio gear. They also had a Teac X1000R tape recorder set up.

205 – 百鳴 (LYNGDORF)

The Lyngdorf team had a suite with two rooms, one of which was set up to show off their in-wall speakers and potential installation options, as well as the MP-40 home cinema amplifier. Although music was playing, the setup was clearly not suitable for critical listening. The second room featured the CUE-100 all-in-one speaker system and had been properly configured with Lyngdorf’s great room acoustic software. The room had a nice, cosy vibe to it and probably the highest interior design appeal of the whole show.

206 – 鈦孚音響 (T+A, Innuos, Siltech, Artesania)

Beautifully designed double room filled with T+A products. Introducing their new flagship speaker, the Solitaire S540, along with a slew of their flagship HV series electronics, all supported by the Innuos Statement. The second room was set up more modestly, with the Criterion S Speakers and Series 200 electronics. They also displayed the currently available models from Innuos and Siltech cables.

203, 207 – 愛爾法音響 (NORDOST, LUMIN, SOULNOTE, FOCAL, FARAD) ALPHA-AUDIO 愛爾法音響

They set up two rooms, one showcasing the Lumin lineup with a B&W 804 with the MBL N51 integrated amplifier and a variety of Lumin streamers, all connected by Nordost cables.

Most visitors found the other room strange, as there were some dummies set up behind the HiFi wearing loose clothing and Nordost cables. I am not sure if this is the most effective way to display cables, but a lot of photos were taken. The setup included Focal Scala Utopias and the SoulNote Series 2, as well as a Lumin U2 for streaming. The entire Nordost QRT series product line was displayed and set up. The sound was challenging to judge as the speakers were way too large for the tiny room.

208 – 逸聲音響 (REVIVAL AUDIO, AURALIC, MBL, PS AUDIO, FERRUM, ROON NUCLEUS, CAD, MELCO, ARGENTO, STROMTANK)

The Revival Atalante 5 large bookshelf speakers sounded fantastic, as did the MBL C41 network player and C21 stereo power amplifier, the CAD GC 3.1 ground control, and the Stromtank S2500Q MKII battery power supply. The limited-edition Melco N10 Gold music centre and power supply were included on the digital side. The Ferrum Hypsos, Wandla, and Oor were also on display. Surprisingly, the Auralic streamers were only displayed in this room, but they were present in other rooms as well.

209 – 雷爾斯 (LALS, MYSTJ)

This was one of my favourite rooms, with the new Lals 15SX horn speakers on display. Lals is a Taiwanese speaker manufacturer known for its high-end horn speakers. In recent years, their speakers have consistently been among my favourites. I liked how nice and simple the whole setup looked with the Mahout LQ805 300B tube amplifier, which, according to my research, is from Malaysia and is a great looking and sweet sounding amplifier. Music was being streamed using the Matrix Audio element x2 streamer, and the electronics were stored on the popular MYSTJ rack. The Lals Amp170 was also on display, but I didn’t find any information about it.

211, 215 – 名振 (AUDIO NOTE, LARSEN)

Larsen orthoacoustic speakers were on display in Room 211, and they sounded great in the small space.

Audio Note’s room 215 was frequently crowded with enthusiasts. The system included the AN-J/D speakers, the Cobra integrated tube amplifier, the CDT-Zero/II, the TT-TWO Deluxe turntable, and the TT-TWO Deluxe PSU power supply, paired with the ARM THREE/II tonearm, the IQ3 MM cartridge, and the M3 RIAA phono amplifier. They played some curated music, first a track from a CD, then another from an LP, making it easy to draw comparisons between digital and analogue formats.

212 – 冠球 (ARRIBA)

Arriba is probably a lesser-known brand among Western audiences, but it is owned by KCR, a major transformer supplier. Because their core business is related to audio and the founders are also passionate about audio, they decided to create some audio gear based on their unique know-how. During the show, they debuted their new flagship integrated amplifier, the Juno 30SE, a 30-watt per channel Class A single-ended integrated amplifier using a pair of KT150s per channel in parallel, along with two 6SL7s and two 12AU7 tubes. It is a 45-kg beast of an amplifier with a sexy red transformer cover.

216 – 雅士 (KEF, LEEMA ACOUSTICS)

This was the first time I saw Leema in Taiwan; they had the Tucana II paired with the KEF R7 Meta, with the Gold Note DS-10 serving as the source.

218 – VDP, TIEN AUDIO AND EAHIBRID

Ray van de Putte, a fellow expat living in Taiwan, contributed his open baffle full-range speaker design with an external crossover to this intriguing setup. The Tien Acoustics TT3 turntable was used, along with the Soulnote E2 Phono preamp. The amplification was an XTZ power amplifier and a Mr.K passive preamp.

219 – 美德聲 (LEEDH, ORIGIN LIVE, STEIN)

The unique-looking Leedh E2 speakers received favourable reviews from HiFi PiG in 2014, and it was exciting to see and hear them in Taiwan. They were using an Origin Live Sovereign Mk IV turntable with the Onyx and Enterprise Mk IV tonearms, an Icos Trio power supply, and a power-preamp setup with a matching CD player. Stein accessories and the anaconda-like Pranawire Arhat Power cord were also on display, as was a ZeroUno digital preamp.

220, 251 – 慧康 (HORNS, DAVID LABOGA, KECES)

Keces is one of Taiwan’s most well-known names among international audiophiles, having built a solid reputation over the years, particularly with their power conditioning products. This year, they filled two rooms with audio equipment, showcasing a wide range of electronics and introducing a few new products. They cooperated with the Polish hORNS speaker manufacturer, David Laboga wires, and Luphonic Labs turntables.

They displayed an analogue setup in room 220 that included S300+ mono power amplifiers, the newly introduced S4 preamplifier, an IQRP-3600 power conditioner, and a P14 linear power supply. The Luphonic Lab H2 was used, along with the DS Audio 003 cartridge. The speakers used were hORNS Mummy MK 4s.

They focused on digital sources in room 251, introducing their new E-Bravo digital streamer. Because it is still in the pre-launch phase, they could not share too much information about what is inside, but at around £400, it could be a very good option to consider. The 4Stream app, which Wiim streamers also use, will be in charge of controlling them. The rest of the system was similar, with the S4 preamp, S3 Dac, P28 linear power supply, S300+ power amplifiers, IQRP-3600 conditioners, and hORNS Symphony 13 speakers. The hORNS Symphony, with its distinctive look and red horn tweeters, turned some heads for sure!

223 – 巴洛克 (FRANCO SERBLIN, ESPRIT, ROCKNA, EC)

The room had a no-photo policy for the main setup, so I could only photograph some of the accompanying equipment. They showcased a quartet of Franco Serblin’s prestigious creations—Ktema, Accordo, Lignea, and Accordo Essence—accompanied by Rockna’s Wavedream line of source and DAC, complemented by Electrocompaniet amplifiers. Notably, the inaugural entry in the new EC AW 800 M reference mono amplifiers.

227 – 惠樺 (ORIOLE, JMR)

Oriole Sound Audio of Taiwan debuted their new 88P Queen vacuum tube power amplifier as well as their 15th anniversary F15-KT77 integrated amplifier. They are expensive, made-to-order amplifiers with point-to-point wiring and high-end components. They used JMR Euterpe Jubilé and Orpheo Jubilé speakers.

229 – 夢幻 (AUDIO DREAM)

Another Taiwanese tube amplifier manufacturer offers a wide range of power, pre, and integrated amplifiers at reasonable prices.

231 – 上瑞 UPSCALE AUDIO (MARTEN, MSB, ASR, NORMA, THIXAR, VERTERE ACOUSTICS, AUDIOPLAN) 上瑞電子企業有限公司 (SOUNDRAY)

The Marten Parker Duo speakers, with the upgraded diamond tweeter, took centre stage in Soundray’s exhibition room, providing an exceptional sonic experience. The musical journey was guided by the MSB Reference DAC and digital transport, as well as the MSB Reference Digital Director. The one-of-a-kind ASR Luna 6 Executive with a connected battery-powered power supply and an extra external power supply provided the amplification. This was a unique setup with really great sound.

234 – 威仕 (ATOLL, DAVIS ACOUSTICS)

Another room that I really enjoyed. It was my first time meeting the Davis Acoustics speakers, and they made a good impression on me. It sounded bigger than the size suggested. It was nice to see the whole Atoll line represented at the show. The Audiable setup was using the ST300 streamer and DAC300 with the IN300 integrated amplifier and the Davis Courbet No5 floorstanders.

235 – 國際艾歐 (TAD, FIDATA)

With the introduction of the new TAD CE1TX bookshelf speaker and the updated M700 power amplifiers, this room made it into my top five. The Fidata HFAS1 served as the network audio server, while the TAD-D1000TX served as the DAC and CD player. The sound was balanced and inviting; it was a great experience.

236 – 可韻音響 (COS, AESTHETIX, YG ACOUSTICS, MYSTJ)

The YG acoustics had already impressed me in the large hall, but in this room, with the medium-sized Vantage model, they provided a more intimate experience. The electronics are once again provided by Aesthetix, this time the Atlas Eclipse in a mono configuration with the Taiwanese COS D10 Streamer DAC and the newly introduced COS S10 network switch. They sounded great with amazing control. I especially enjoyed the way they presented sibilants, holding them firmly just off the edge before they became annoying or tiresome.

238 – 世華 (HS-AUDIO)

There were a couple of rooms for DIY audio enthusiasts; HS Audio was offering speaker kits in different sizes. The Kit Two seems to be a newly released model, and it sounded amazing. I took a note for myself, so next time I feel like building something, I will definitely take a look at them.

239 – 仲敏 (FURUTECH, ADL)

Are there any exhibitions where the leading brand in cables and connectors is not present? They brought a variety of options, and the attendees were pleased with the new NCF Clear Line noise reduction product.

240 – 開閎 (USHER)

Usher, a well-known Taiwanese speaker manufacturer, announced their new SD series speaker lineup ahead of the show. I had been using their Dancer Mini 2 speaker for a long time and was excited to hear their new speaker. The new line includes four speakers: the SD-502 (3 way) and SD-501 (2.5 way) floorstanders, the SD-500 (2 way) bookshelf, and the SD-503 (2 way) centre speakers. They all feature Usher’s famed 1.25″ DMD dome tweeter and a 5.5″ Paperfiber Complex Cone bass driver. International pricing is not yet available, but the pair of SD-502 costs less than £1500 in Taiwan, making them a reasonably priced option.

They used their tried-and-true R-1.5 150 W/channel Class A power amplifiers in the room, along with their P-307A MKII preamplifier and the Cocktail Audio N25 Streamer DAC.

242 – 方舟音響 (AUDION, MOFI, TIGLON, ANTIPODES, ESCART ARTE, PLIXIR)

They debuted the MoFI Source 10 large bookshelf speaker in conjunction with the recently announced Master Phono preamplifier, as well as the MoFI Ultradeck Turntable with the UltraGold MC cartridge. The Antipodes lineup, which included the S60 power supply, S20 Reclocker, and S40 Music server, was similarly impressive on the digital side. The amplifier was an Audion Silver Night, and the power conditioners were PliXir. The equipment was neatly organised on TiGLON racks.

243 – 管迷 (TUBE FANS AUDIO, TANNOY, ESOTERIC)

Tubefan Audio is a Taiwanese company specialising in tube electronics. They released their new TFA-AD-2 DAC in three different configurations: classic, luxury, and platinum. They used large Tannoy Arden speakers, a Windsor 150 Gold integrated amplifier with KT150 tubes, an AD-2 Platinum Dac, and an Esoteric CD player. They are the Viablue distributors, and they also displayed some of their cables and accessories.

249 – 寬穎國際 (KII AUDIO, TRINNOV)

Kii Audio had an interesting 5.3.4 setup in their room with a Trinnov Amethyst preamplifier.

250 – 秦漢社 (MAGNAT, HECO, OEHLBACH)

They displayed a variety of affordable speaker options alongside some of their all-in-one electronics and turntables. In the main room, there were two full setups at different price points. The MTT990 turntable and MA900 streaming amplifier were the same for both setups, but the speakers, the Magnat Signature 707 (£6200) and the Signature 1109 (£12000) were different.

252 – 金鈦極 (OBRAVO)

One of the few companies representing Headfi was oBravo, a Taiwanese headphone company. They mostly bring IEMs, but they also have some over-the-ear planar headphones. I spent some time listening to the HAMT 1 MKII and HAMT Signature, and they were really nice-sounding and comfortable.

253 – HITON AUDIO

A great booth dedicated to those who like to tinker at home. They offer DIY audio kit products so that you can build your whole audio chain yourself. The great hits at the show were their LP-1 turntable kit and the MH-1 electrostatic headphone kit.

254 – 星辰, 榮鈦 (KENAZ, COS)

Taiwanese manufacturer of high-end active speakers They debuted their new AD36 bookshelf speaker with DSP and serious 700W power amplification in both speakers. Using a COS D10 as a DAC and preamp, their sound baffled visitors. The sound quality was astonishing for a speaker of this size.

256 – 方舟音響 (AVID HIFI, TIGLON, ANTIPODES, ESCART ARTE, PLIXIR)

Another fantastic room with a personal connection, as I was the lucky winner of HiFi PiG’s Avid Ingenium giveaway last year, which is one of the reasons I can write this report for you. The room was beautifully set up, with mostly Avid equipment. The EVO Three speakers took centre stage, beginning with the Sigsum integrated amplifier and Pulsare II Phono and culminating with the Avid Acutus turntable and Nexus tonearm. The cartridge was the Ultimate Dynamic MC from ZYX. The digital side had a serious setup as well, with the Antipodes Oladra (£29k) and SOtM network gear. They also used TiGLON racks and PliXiR power conditioners.

This room had the smoothest sound of any turntable setup at the show. During the analogue playback, there was no noise or crackling, only a sweet and rich sound. Hearing systems like this continue to push me to fine-tune my analogue chain.

NO PART OF THIS ARTICLE MAY BE COPIED IN ANY FORM. THIS INCLUDES WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH ARE THE PROPERTY OF HiFi PiG AND BIG PIG MEDIA.

 

 

 

 

 

Gyula Weeber

Now read Part 2 here