For many years, visitors to the High End exhibition have been able to experience special music demonstrations in conference room K1B across from Exhibition Hall 1 by means of an extraordinary hifi system.

Those who value top quality also in terms of record critics picks will once again be treated to recommendations from the independent “German Record Critics Award Association“ (PdSK) and from its “Quartet of Critics”, which on 11th May 2018 will be discussing excellent and exciting music productions.

The panel of judges for the “German Record Critics Award Association (PdSK)“ has now selected Till Brönner (pictured) as honorary laureate for the year 2018. The trumpet player, singer, producer, arranger, composer and professor at the “Carl Maria von Weber” College of Music in Dresden will accept the honorary award at the “Quartet of Critics” event at High End Munich 2018.

The “German Record Critics Award“ was established in 1963 as an entity and quality control body independent of the music industry. Since then, the “German Record Critics Award Association“ has regularly provided listening recommendations for the public and participated in public discussions on issues concerning music policy, composition, interpretation and production of music.

Top-quality equipment and excellent music, however, go together. That is why on 11th May 2018, four critics from the “German Record Critics Award Association“ will be presenting exciting productions on high-end devices.

But does the public even need music critics anymore? Can’t social media rankings replace the business of critics? And what role does the hi-fi system play when judging the quality of a music production? What do musicians and music aficionados think of critics? These and many other questions are on the agenda of the Quartet of Critics at the HIGH END 2018 in Munich.

The event takes place on:

Friday, 11th May 2018, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm

Room: K1B on the ground floor of the MOC, across from Hall 1

The “Quartet of Critics“

• Lothar Brandt (music journalist with a focus on classical and rock, for many years editor-in-chief of Audio, publishing editor at Home Electronics magazine, now a freelance author)
• Ralf Dombrowski (music journalist, book author and photographer with a focus on Jazz, e.g. for Süddeutsche Zeitung, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Spiegel Online, Jazzthing, music editor for Stereoplay, Münchner Feuilleton)
• Manfred Gillig-Degrave (music journalist and editor with a wide array of tastes, e.g. for Sounds, Musikexpress, Stereoplay, Audio, HiFiVision, co-founder and longtime editor-in-chief of MusikWoche)
• Max Nyffeler (freelance journalist with a focus on new music and media, e.g. for FAZ, NZZ and radio

Keep up to date with all the High End Munich 2018 News and Coverage here!