AUDIO VIDEO SHOW WARSAW 2024 REPORT PART 1 – THE GOLDEN TULIP

In the first part of our Audio Video Show Warsaw 2024 Report, Stu and Lin check out the show at The Golden Tulip Hotel.

AUDIO VIDEO SHOW WARSAW 2024

We’ve been coming to the Warsaw show for years now and it’s a real treat to visit such a well organised international show in a city that remains one of my favourites anywhere. The layout of the show is a bit of an odd one but it does work very well and this year we’re lucky enough to be able to share the workload by having Oscar and Kelly covering one of the venues. The two hotels (Golden Tulip and Sobieski) are a short walk apart (though it always takes an age to cross the very busy road here) but the stadium is a shuttle bus or taxi ride away. One of the things I have noticed over the years at this show is that whilst outside can be bitterly cold, indoors are always toasty warm – so dress appropriately.

Getting to Warsaw is a relative breeze but is a 5am start to catch a flight to Paris to get the connecting flight to Warsaw, but once you land the city centre is a twenty minute or so taxi ride. The city vibrant and with bars and restaurants aplenty and all at relatively affordable prices. 

The Warsaw event is truly International in its flavour and people fly in from all corners of the globe to cover the show. Most of the press stay in the Sobieski and it feels like a bit of a chance to regroup and share stories of recent events and happening…yeah, gossip.

The show is always very well attended from the get-go, and whilst still being a predominantly male sport, audiophilia in Poland does seem to have more of a family element that in some other countries we have visited. Sunday is the main day for families to come out.

The stats of the show are impressive from the off – three locations offering 2000 square metres of exhibition space, 170 exhibitors and more than 600 brands. In addition you get seminars and presentations, live music, a record fair, a Headphone Zone and home cinema experiences.

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THE GOLDEN TULIP

The Golden Tulip Hotel hosts a small, but very well-formed selection of larger rooms with some seriously high-end HiFi in them.

AVATAR AUDIO

In their usual room at the Golden Tulip, Avatar Audio were showing off the Holophony speakers and using Ayon electronics. The speakers are the Holophony Number 2 at 17,200 euros a pair. Cables were Holophony Dreamlink. The is always a nice sounding room but I’m not sure I’ve seen the speakers at any other event around the world.

TEKNE & GIP

Crikey, this was a very impressive looking system. GIP speakers with field-coil system based on Western Electric speakers but brought bang up to date with wooden horns and a brass 2” throat compression driver. This was a beautiful sounding system with the speakers costing 75K Euros. I dread to think what the whole system cost but whatever it was it was a fabulous experience to sit in front of for a few moments. Playing an orchestral piece, I reckon this is about as close to “live” as you are likely to get with ANY system. Fabulous!

RCM

Distributor RCM were showing off a very impressive system comprising of the Elargo from Gauder Akustik which were were making their world premiere, amps were the Vitus Audio Signature series SL103 pre, and SS103 power amps. Turntables were the Tech DAS Airforce 3 with the brand new Airforce 10 arm and MYSonic Lab Diamond cartridge which was also making its debut. Kuzma Stabia with the DS Audio optical cartridge were also being shown. The last turntable was the TRAX Audio Yatrus with the Shredder tonearm. Preamps were also the RCM High Phonos which weighs 52 kg. Cables and accessories by Furutech and soon treatment by Acoustic Manufacture.

DYNAUDIO

Dynaudio had a very big room and showing off their Contour Legacy speakers, a relatively modestly proportioned floor stander than managed to fill the room with sound. They are built in Denmark and made of American Walnut and limited to 1000 pairs worldwide.

NAUTILUS

We walked into a presentation by Alfred of Estelon who was explaining the tech behind their range leading speakers, the Extreme MKII in a stunning dark metallic purple finish. The room was packed with standing room only. Accuphase electronics and a Transrotor turntable were also on show. Cables were by Crystal Cables and Siltech. Sadly, we didn’t get an opportunity to listen to any tunes until after the presentation but what we did hear (a percussion track) was fantastically dynamic.

GROBEL AUDIO

Jadis electronics and a pair of Franco Serblin Accordo Goldberg loudspeakers were being fed by a very nice reel 2 reel machine to another packed room of obviously very appreciative folk.

GALERIA AUDIO

Zellaton speakers were being fed by Goldmund electronics and a Aries Cerat Kasandra DAC…although we caught this room as a talk was going on so didn’t get a listen.

LAMPIZATOR, CLARISYS, CAT, AND J.SIKORA

The world premiere of Clarisys Audio’s latest flagship loudspeaker, the $785k Atrium was held over at the Golden Tulip. Ordinarily, at this show the Lampizator gear is partnered with active loudspeakers but I know that Lukasz at Lampizator has recently taken a delivery of Clarisys speakers for his personal listening room.

Clarisys, known for rebuilding Apogee speakers, now offers its own designs, improving on Apogee’s technology with better materials. The Atrium boasts high efficiency (101 dB) and impedance, making it ideal for tube amplifiers, something that couldn’t have been said for the original Apogee offerings.

The system featured the Horizon360 DAC from Lampizator, J.Sikora Reference turntable with KV12 Max tonearm, paired with the Lampizator VP-4 Silver phono. Amplification was provided by CAT, with cabling from KBL Sound.

These speakers are HUGE in stature but also in the way they presented the music. If you are looking for true musical scale then you need look no further. I spotted Lin speaking with the chap running the room and knew exactly what track was going next….Giorgio by Daft Punk…she always asks for that! And, yes, you heard the champagne cork!

Amazing! Proper goosebump time!

Also, outside the room we caught up with Destination Audio’s Sam Wisniewski and his collaboration with Lukasz Fikus of LampizatOr, the Destination Audio DAC.

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Go to Part 2 of the report, from the Sobieski here. Stay tuned for more reports from the show coming very soon….

Linette and Stuart Smith

Follow all the HiFi PiG coverage of the Audio Video Show Warsaw 2024 here