AUDIO VIDEO SHOW WARSAW 2024 REPORT PART 5 – THE STADIUM SECOND HALF

Join Oscar for the final part of HiFi PiG’s Warsaw coverage with our second half of the PGE Stadium section of the Audio Video Show Warsaw 2024.

Here is our final report from the fantastic Warsaw HiFi Show 2024, you can read the first half of our Stadium report here, the Headphone Zone here, Golden Tulip here and of course, the Sobieski here.

ALL IMAGES AND TEXT ARE COPYRIGHT HiFi PiG AND MAY NOT BE USED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE EDITOR

AUDIO VIDEO SHOW WARSAW 2024 REPORT PART 5 – THE STADIUM SECOND HALF

Continuing straight on from the first half of our Stadium coverage, join Oscar for the final part of our Audio Video Show Warsaw 2024 Reprt.

AUDIOFAST

Audiofast had a full Gryphon setup with a pair of Wilson Audio speakers. Rune Skov from Gryphon was here doing a demo of the system, they were using the Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 50th Anniversary speakers, Gryphon Antileon Evo amplifier, Apollo turntable, Ethos CD player/DAC, Siren phono stage and Zena preamp. Mains conditioning was left to the Gryphon Powerzone 3.10 – as you can imagine for a system of this level, the sound was big, controlled, and natural.

AUDIO SYSTEM

Audio System had two rooms, the first had some Blumenhofer Genuin FS 2 MK2 speakers paired with a pair of Cary Audio CAD-805 mono block valve amps, Cary DMS-700 streamer/DAC, SLP-05 pre-amp and a PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 20 mains conditioner. I did pop in to this room the next day and they had the other pair of speakers playing – the Gran Gioia 2×10” and these sounded even better, excellent punch with great dynamics and the dispersion pattern meant they sounded great from most angles.

The next room had Vincent electronics paired with a pair of Apertura Edena Evolution speakers. In the rack you had a Vincent CD-S7DAC CD player/DAC, SA-T7 pre-amp, SV-737 integrated amp, a pair of SP-T700 mono blocks. They also had a Bergman turntable, PS Audio Stellar phono stage, PerfectWave DirectStream DAC MK2 and Ypsilon Pantheon integrated amp – a PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 15 was being use for the mains in this system. As a recent convert to ribbon tweeters, I highly enjoyed the punch and airy sound of this system, the valves were working wonders by giving the notes a slightly softer edge.

DWA KANALY

In this room you could find Epos speakers, owned by the brilliant Karl Heinz-Fink, with both the ES-28N and ES-7N on display. When I visited the room they had the ES-7N paired with a Metronome Le Player CD player, Meitner MA3 streaming DAC, Acoustic Signature Maximums Neo turntable and a Circle Labs A200 integrated amplifier – cabling was Tellurium Q throughout. The little ES-7N sound bigger than their size would suggest and work in awkward spaces, which is brilliant for normal rooms.

INTRADA

On demo here was a full Nagra setup with Intrada speakers, and an Avid turntable. The turntable was an Avid Acutus Reference model with a Nagra MC-6 cartridge, Nagra HD phono stage, Nagra CD, Classic pre-amp, Classic DAC, Classic PSU and Classic Amp. These were running into a pair of Intrada Claude speakers and there was a static display of some cables and isolation products at the side of the room.

AUDIOFAST

Another Audiofast room, this time with the Wilson Sabrina X speakers powered by an Ayre EX-8 2.0 integrated amplifier fed by a Bricast M1 DAC paired to a Synergistic Research Voodoo streamer/server with a host of Synergistic Research power devices in the setup too.

JBL

JBL had multiple rooms dotted about the stadium, in this one they had a display of various speaker models and electronics, from their vintage to their modern ranges.

DSV

DSV were showcasing a range of TEAC and Lenco turntables and electronics on display in the hallway.

In their first room they had a pair of Fyne Vintage Ten speakers with SuperTrax super tweeters, these were being paired with a TEAC setup consisting of the VRDS-701, a pair of AP-701 amps and a UD-701N. The Vintage line of speakers sound superb, body, depth, and clarity with a smooth and natural presentation.

Fyne were also showing their new F500E series of speakers, which now mean that the brand’s IsoFlare tech is available in all their ranges, read more here.

In their next room they had the Fyne F1-12S speakers with a full Esoteric setup including the Grandioso K1X SE SACD player, N-01XD network DAC, Grandioso C1X solo pre-amp, Grandioso G1X external clock and a pair of Grandioso M1X mono block amplifiers. They played Polyphia – Playing God when I was in this room, a favourite of mine, and my god did it sound good. The Fyne speakers have impeccable timing with plenty of punch and low end to back it up, very impressive sounds with this song.

INSTAL AUDIO

Instal Audio had a static display of Rosso Fiorentino speakers alongside Viablue accessories, Eversolo streamers, Ricable, and more.

POLPAK

Polpak had a range of Martin Logan speakers at the edge of the room, the main system was using the Martin Logan Foundation F2 speakers and Anthem STR integrated amplifier.

The next Polpak room was packed, in here you could find a huge range of Paradigm speakers and subs, they had the Persona 5F speakers playing with an Anthem AVM90 processor running into an Anthem STR power amp. This room was another of my highlights of the show, a very well-rounded sound that was highly engaging.

GRAPHITE / LUCAS AUDIO LAB

Back out into the hallway to another static display, this time with Lucas Audio Lab servers/streamers and some isolation from a company called Graphite Audio. These were interesting, instead of using metal which can have the tendency to ring, they are using a graphite/polycarbonate mix to create isolation platforms and feet.

EIC

EIC are quite a big distributor in Poland, in this space you had a static display of Ortofon accessories, Musical Fidelity kit, PMC speakers, Dual turntables, BAT electronics, Synthesis audio, Oracle Audio and lastly Little Fwend (you can find MY REVIEW here) the automatic tonearm lifter that is compatible with most turntables.

In the first EIC room you could find MoFi paired with BAT, they had the Sourcepoint 10 sat on their new stands with an Auralic streamer and Synthesis Roma 510AC signature amplifier. Designed by Andrew Jones, the Sourcepoint 10 speakers easily fill a larger room with a very fun sound – they don’t aim to be clinical, instead they want you to enjoy your music.

In the next room you had the PMC Fact.12 speakers with a full Musical Fidelity setup. They had the M8xTT turntable, Nu-vista Vinyl 2, Nu-Vista DAC, Nu-Vista Pre, Nu-Vista PAS and BPC 16 mains conditioner, along with an Auralic streamer/server. Kimber Kable was used throughout in this setup and these “small” floorstanding speakers sounded a lot bigger than they look, I was really impressed by the sound of these – there was a pair of PMC’s flagship Fenestria speakers on display behind the main system.

JVC REFERENCE SERIES

A home-cinema setup with JVC projector and some surround sound setup – they were playing a clip from The Meg 2, a very silly film I have yet to have the pleasure of watching. I will say that the picture quality was exceptional, great for those who can afford a dedicated cinema room in their home.

TECHNICS

Outside of the main Technics room you had a DJ Academy stand where you had some DJs spinning vinyl and DJ’ing live which was great. Inside the room you had a display with some of their headphones and earphones, along with electronics and turntables. The new SL-1300G is a thing of beauty, and the other new model are the new SC-CX700 wireless active speakers on display. The demo system playing when I was in the room had the Fink Team Borg speakers, SU-R1000 integrated amplifier and SL-1300G turntable.

NAUTILUS

Nautilus are a distributor in Poland for some big brands, they also had a section for music sales at the show.

REKKORD / AUDIO REVEAL / JR TRANSROTOR

Another static display of some electronics from Audio Reveal, a Rekkord turntable and a selection of JR Transrotor turntables.

TOP HI-FI & VIDEO DESIGN

Going in to this room I was surprised to see a good selection of headphones, Audio Technica, Yamaha and Stax – this section seemed very popular. Elsewhere in the room you had some install audio kit like ceiling speakers from a few different companies, two very different markets in the same room.

PRO-JECT

A huge range of turntables, tonearms, electronics, and accessories were on display from Pro-Ject.

PHILIPS

A good range of TVs is on display from Philips, showing off their Ambilight tech to great effect.

SONY / NAUTILUS

This room was super dark as they were using a projector to show off a home cinema system – they were playing a clip from Dune (or Dune II) and the most interesting thing was that they were using horn speakers (Colibri by Avantgarde Acoustic, I believe).

JBL / HARMAN KARDON

Another JBL room, this time filled with their more consumer range of Bluetooth speakers, party boxes and also their Authentics range – you can find my Authentics 500 REVIEW HERE. They also had a few Harmon Kardon speakers on display in this room.

More JBL next door, this time with their Stage 280F floorstanding speakers, a JBL Spinner BT turntable and a MA9100HP streaming amplifier. JBL continue to bring out some very good kit for the money, this room proved that they can still do HiFi well.

TAGA HARMONY

Another packed room, it was really difficult to actually get in here and take some photos of the kit. They had various bits of kit along the sides on static display, the main speakers playing were the Nostalgic TH-12 paired with a TCD-70T CD player, HTP-2200 pre-amp, TPA-2200 power amp and a PC-9000 power supply. This was a really good system, with old school vibes and new technology coming together in perfect harmony.

XIGMI

A display of projectors from Xigmi in the outside hallway area, these short throw projectors really are getting very good.

TOP HIFI & VIDEO DESIGN

In this room Top HiFi & Video Design had a range of Luxmann and Michi on display, the demo system consisted of the Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature paired with a Michi Q5 CD player, Michi X5 S2 integrated amp and a Linn Selekt DSM streamer – cabling was from Audioquest.

DEVIALET

Big news at the show was the launch of the new Devialet Astra integrated amplifier, delivering up to 300w per channel and featuring streaming built in, this little amp looks quite impressive on paper. In the demo system they had an Astra powering a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3 speakers – it certainly didn’t sound lacking in this room. They had their Phantom speakers on static display at the side of the room too.

HEGEL / ELAC

Hegel make some fantastic kit, at this show they had their new H400 streaming amplifier paired with a Viking CD player and a pair of ELAC Vela FS409.2 speakers. This room sounded excellent, the Hegel having absolute control over the ELACs – a very fine sounding system. Cabling was from Audioquest with a Niagara 1200 mains conditioner.

NAD / BLUESOUND / AUDIO PHYSIC

There were a few models on static display around the room, in the demo setup was a pair of M23 power amps with an M66 streaming DAC/pre-amp and a pair of Audio Physic Midex 2 speakers – cabling was also Audioquest throughout.

YAMAHA / INDIANA LINE

In this room you had a Yamaha R-N2000A streaming amplifier paired with a pair of Indiana Line Diva 6 speakers, cabling was from Audioquest. A simple and neat setup, they also had some more models outside on static display.

APPLAUSE / SENNHEISER POLAND

In the first room Sennheiser had their Ambeo soundbars on demo, with a clip from Top Gun Maverick – brilliant for those wanting good sound from a TV without taking up a lot of space.

In the next section you had an array of Sennheiser headphones, from their consumer Bluetooth line to wired audiophile and pro lines. I had a quick listen to their new HD490 Pro which really are great value for money, everything sounds well balanced and in the right place with good impact for an open-back headphone.

FRANKENSTEIN VINYL

A static display of a few ClearAudio turntables.

TOP HI-FI & VIDEO DESIGN

In this section there was a static display of some Bowers & Wilkins 700 series speakers as well as a selection of Bowers & Wilkins headphones to demo.

LOEWE

A few TVs from Loewe in this area.

SONUS FABER / HORN DISTRIBUTION

Another busy room, this time with a huge system consisting of the Sonus Faber SUPREMA speakers which include a pair of towers and a pair of subwoofers (for a mere €800,000), a Classe Delta Pre MKII and 4 Classe Delta Mono power amplifiers. Cabling was from Inakustik and they were using a Naim ND555 streamer with NPX300 power supply.

AUDIOFAST

We’re into the realms of top-end systems now, this room had the Wilson Audio Alexx V speakers, DCS Apex DAC, Upsampler and Master Clock, Synergistic Research Voodoo server, a pair of Audio Research Reference 330M mono blocks and Shunyata Hydra mains distribution block and Shunyata cabling.

FRANKENSTEIN VINYL

Another small vinyl sale area.

SOUNDCLUB

SoundClub had a pair of Egglestonworks Viginti speakers at the edge of the room on display along with a pair of Goebel Divin Comtesse speakers. The main system playing though was a pair of Marten Mingus Septet speakers, Halcro Eclipse Stereo amplifier, Tenor Line1 20ALE pre-amp, Air Tight ATE-3011 phono stage, Wadax Studio player, Antipodes Oladra, Brinkmann Balance turntable with 12.1 tonearm and Air Tight PC-1 CODA cartridge. Cabling was from Jorma and they were using Verictum Cogitari distribution blocks.

TWO CHANNELS

DWA Kanaly had this big room with a pair of Magico M7 speakers, Pilium Cronus mono amplifiers, Pilium Olympus pre-amp, MSB Cascade DAC, EMM Labs MTRS power amp, EMM Labs DV2i DAC, Pink Faun 2.16 Ultra and an Acoustic Signature Montana Neo turntable. Cabling was from Ikigai audio.

HIFI CLUB

HiFi Club had two rooms dedicated to McIntosh kit, the first had a pair of Rockport Technologies Orion speakers paired with a full McIntosh set. This included 4 x MC2.1kW power modules, 2 x MC2.1kW Output modules, MT10 turntable, C12000 pre-amp, MCD12000 SACD player and C12000 controller. Cabling was all from Transparent.

The next room had a lot of static displays of McIntosh around the room, they did have a system playing at low levels. They had the McIntosh XRT1.1K speakers paired with 2 x MC1.25kW amplifiers, C12000 controller and C12000 pre-amp.

NAUTILUS

My last room of the show was the Nautilus room with some Kondo electronics on static display at the side of the room. Demo setup wise, they were using a pair of Avantgarde Trio horn speakers paired with subwoofers, Kondo Kagura 211 mono block amplifiers, Kondo Ginga turntable, G1000 pre-amp, GE-7 phono stage and Accuphase DP-750 SACD player. They also had a Kondo G-72 pre-amp paired with a Kondo Melius EL-34 push-pull stereo amplifier.

Thank you for joining me for part 2 of my PGE Stadium report, Warsaw is a fantastic show and if you have the chance to go, I would highly recommend you do. A huge thank you to the organisers, exhibitors, and our coverage sponsor Tellurium Q for helping bring all this coverage to you – until next year!

ALL IMAGES AND TEXT ARE COPYRIGHT HiFi PiG AND MAY NOT BE USED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE EDITOR

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

Oscar Stewart

Additional photography by Kelly Bowden