THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF LIN AND STU’S HIGH END MUNICH 2024 REPORT

Join Lin and Stu as they continue their tour of the world’s greatest HiFi Show, High End Munich 2024…

High End Munich is a massive show, especially with the satellite shows at both the Marriott (HiFi Deluxe) and Motorworld, which happen at the same time as the High End Society show, but are not organised by them. There are several reports from our team so do check out the others…between us we will have covered most rooms and stands.

Hopefully you have read Lin and Stu’s High End Munich 2024 Report Part 1, now join us for Part 2…

TECHNICS

In the entrance Technics (of whom we are big fans and use their turntables daily both for HiFi and DJ purposes) had an eye-catching display of a bright orange Lambo and their new special edition deck. Something we have said about HiFi Shows for a long time is that you need the bonkers High End gear like you need the mad supercars at Car Shows…so that leads us nicely upstairs to something quite special.

ARIES CERAT

We walked into a packed room and had one of those what the actual feck moments. The new speakers from this brand are absolutely nuts and the new turntable is similarly nuts. LOOK AT THOSE SPEAKERS. Bass scoops and “satellite” front left and right speakers. WOW!!! 

I sat down and spoke with Stavros of Aries Cerat to discuss the system and you can watch that below, but what I got from our brief chat was that there is so much engineering thought that has gone into this system. He mentions in the interview (which I urge you to watch) about the system just playing music and that is what I got from the system. Look, it’s absolutely NUTS but nuts is very often good and I really do applaud Stavros and the Aries Cerat team for going beyond the norm and pushing the boundaries of what high-end audio can be!

If you get the opportunity to experience this system then you really should! 

QUAD AND CASTLE

Two names from British audio that I remember very well from when I was first getting into the whole audiophile thing. Quad need no introduction but Castle may well not be quite so familiar. My memory of Castle loudspeakers is that they were always exquisitely finished. 

Quad are very well known for the ESL 57 electrostatic loudspeaker (launched in 1957) and Munich High End saw them launch their first electrostatic, the ESL 2912X, for 12 years. They were also showing off (display only) the classic 33/303 pre/power combo that were launched in 1967 and are now resurrected. All the new QUAD products will be available in the Autumn.

AUDIOLAB, LEAK, MISSION AND WHARFEDALE

Next door to Quad and Castle were Audiolab, Leak, Mission and Wharfedale, more bastions of the British HiFi scene! I’ve heard the 9000 series amp a few times and always been well impressed given its sound and pricepoint but now they have introduced the 9000Q pre and 9000P power amps. Speakers being used were the Leak Sandwich 250. 

In addition we got to see the Mission 778S Network streamer and 778CDT CD transport that have been designed to match the 778X integrated amplifier that was being shown, though not played. 

There was also the Audiolab D9 DAC which is a half width with the same screen size as the 9000 series. Very cool and very compact. Pricing is going to be around a grand…tbc.

This is inexpensive gear by the standards of many (if not most) of the rooms at High end Munich, but the truth is that I kind of consider this to be “proper HiFi” in the sense that it is affordable but also very well engineered and nice looking. 

ALSYVOX, TAIKO, PILIUM

I’ve really rated the Alsyvox speakers every time I’ve been lucky enough to be sat in front of a pair.  At Munich the Alsyvox Caravaggio XX speakers speakers that use full-range ribbons were being powered by the Pilium Olympus dream pre along with their Zeus stereo amplifier. Taiko provided the server, XDMI interface and DAC. 

Cables were by VYDA Laboratory Audio Solutions (catchy) and Audio Mass were being used as equipment support for all the electronics. 

People raved about the ALSYVOX loudspeakers when they were first introduced and I really do get them. They are full range (playing some “interesting” violin music) clean and accurately live sounding and the gear providing their juice clearly partners very well with them. 

Visually and sonically a very interesting system. 

ESTELON

Estelon used the High End Munich 2024 show for the European Launch of their latest loudspeaker, the X Diamond Signature Edition and only 20 pairs will be available worldwide. The price is 98.000€ or $115,000. They are a  3-way passive speaker, bass reflex design with 11” Accuton ceramic sandwich dome woofer, a 7” ceramic membrane mid also from Accuton all topped off with a 1” Accuton, diamond inverted dome. They have a frequency response of 22 – 60,000 Hz and a made of a marble-based composite. The finish on the cabinet has a subtle sparkle, emphasising their ‘Diamond’ name.

This is a beautiful speaker in both looks and sound and the room being packed is an obviously very good sign. Getting a seat was a case of waiting until someone left, staying there for what seemed a fair amount of time and then vacating the seat for someone else. 

GRIMM

I really like the whole philosophy of the guys at Grimm and in 2024 they are celebrating their 20th anniversary. By way of celebration the brand have introduced their PW1 phono stage that is expected to be priced at around £4000. The amplifier used in this room was the Halcro Eclipse. 

The PW1 was a new product but GRIMM were also showing a static display of every product they have made. 

The new speakers were called LS1C which instead of having a beryllium tweeter it has a carbon tweeter. The guys at GRIMM have also been working on the hardware including the latest HYPEX N-Core amplifiers which they tell us gives and audible improvement. Also the firmware used has been designed from the ground up. The concept remains the same but really the only thing that remains from the original is the woofer. Tech from the MU1 and MU2 has been used in the LS1 to deal with the DSP and crossovers in the speakers to ensure perfect phase response. 

STEIN

The STEIN room at Munich is always a bit of a treat and their horn loudspeakers look fantastic, particularly in the bright orange. 

The Topline Bob Ultimate speakers are 168 K euros with the rest of the system being The Highline AMP 1 (15800), Stateline AMP2 (2698). The turntable id the Tone Tool (35K) with the Conductor tonearm (12K) and the Aventurin cartridge at a smidge less than 5K. 

We got to listen to a bit of Lou Reed’s New York album followed by a very cool version of Walk on The Wildside by Natalia Mateo. 

A very nice sounding room. 

HARBETH

The push button in the NLE -1 (New Listening Experience) speaker allows you to change (via DSP) the sound of the speaker to allow mix engineers to hear what it will sound on, say, an iPhone 12. The idea they had overnight was for Harbeth to design speakers specifically for people that may be losing their top frequency hearing. 

My comment was that these tiny speakers made a very big sound for the dimensions of the speaker. 

The room also had Manley Labs, including the new Manley Oasis phonostage which launched at AXPONA 2024, along with Michel turntables and Parasound.

TUNE AUDIO, TRAFOMATIC, AUDIOBYTE, ROCKNA

The Tune Audio horns have always been a very firm favourite with Linette and I and in the past I’ve considered their room to be the very best sound at Munich High End. This year we had a pair of Marvel (15,800 euros) playing with Trafomatic amplifiers providing the juice. This is a very good partnership and a fab sounding system to my ears. 

I asked the price of the Marvels speakers and thought I’d been quoted 50K (not unusual at Munich) but was very surprised when it was clarifies that they were a little less than 16K. 

BAYZ, IBEX AND JMF

The Counterpoint 2.0 Carbon 160K euros are pretty much the most outlandish looking product out there in the audio world at the moment. I’m not going to even pretend tho understand how or why these speakers work and look how they do , but they do work really nicely. Very tight and deep bass. 

Supporting acts wee the JMF HQS 6002m power amplifier, JMF PRS 1.5 Line Preamplifier, a JMF PHS 7.3 phono, PCD 302 mains filter and CM4, PC3 cables. 

First tune of the day was Oh Yeah! by Hello, which was kind of appropriate as I was then going to be interviewing Boris Blank from the band later in the day. 

MSB TECHNOLOGY, IKIGAI, MAGICO AND SUBBASE

The MSB Cascade DAC was making its world premiere and was in 4 different rooms around the show. It’s a three-piece that is a complete redesign from the ground with all the analogue circuits and the clock being kept well away from the digital devices. The digital filtering inputs and user interface is in the Director and then everything else including the DAC modules and clock is in a another box. It has 4 analogue inputs. It has a power base dedicated to the analogue stage and with new power filtering. The digital Director has its own dedicated linear power supply too. The connection between the Director and the DAC is a fibre optic cable. Pricing is 95K Dollars. 

IKIGAI AUDIO were showing off their new equipment feet. They are available in Q4 of this year in three different levels called KINZAN, KANGAI and SUGURE. Each uses spring loaded ceramic balls and a layered dampening mechanism ensures they  can carry up to 10Kg per foot. The will retail from 600 euros to 1250 euros per foot.

We got to listen to Giorgio by Daft Punk and the sound through the Magico S3 was fab! 

VON SCHWEIKERT AND VAC

VAC (VALVE AMPLIFICATION COMPANY) were showing off 2 Signature 202 iQ Musicbloc amplifiers $24750, a Master Line Stage $33750 with a Master MM/MC phono option costing $16875. Speakers were the $27K VON SCHWEIKERT Endeavour Special Editions. 

The speakers are a much smaller than the usual VON SCHWEIKERT speakers we have experiences but the sound was still tight and clean, which is what we have come to expect from the brand. Turntable was by Acoustic Signature. 

LIVING VOICE, SJS, GPA, KUZMA and CONSOLIDATED AUDIO

Walking into a Living Voice room at any audio show is like walking into an oasis of calm and serenity, except when Kevin is playing Dub reggae, which he often does. 

The full system was the absolutely glorious Living voice R80 loudspeakers in a beautiful Glossy Ebony finish (£52K), SJS Model 10 mono amps Premier Mono x (£88K), SJS Model 4 Line amp Premier Silver £33K and a SJS Model 3 phono Premier Nano (£38K).

The rather impressive turntable was the £55K Kuzma XL Air  with the SAFIR 9 tonearm (and the KP14 tonearm with silver wiring (£12K) with a Kuzma CAR60 (red) cart (£16K) and a CAR 50 (Blue) at £6.5. 

After the serene piano music we were treated to when we walked in Kevin put on some dreamy and tubby drum and bass. These speakers and this system seem tp be able to play anything you care to throw at them without skipping a beat…and surely this is what you want from any HiFi. 

YG ACOUSTICS AND BOULDER

A big room with big bits of kit and a BIG sound. 

Specially, the system was made up of XV 3 Signature loudspeakers from YG, 3050 Monos and 3010 pre (it’s a beast) from Boulder with sour electronics bug WEISS Helios DAC, Technics SL1000RE-S record spinner with an Ortofon Expression MC cart. The phono on the end of the Technics was a Boulder 2108. Siltech cables were used throughout. We were told this was the first time the 40 year old Boulder have played live at this show. 

The YG speakers are the the XV Signatures of which there will only be 8 pairs made. Price on these unique looking speakers is $498K. They have their crossovers perfectly matched (per pair). I love this kind of detail!

ESD

Chinese brand ESD are without a doubt as utterly bonkers as it gets and were showing off their Super Dragon system again. It’s 811,111 euros of horns, amplifiers and crossovers that always seems to divide opinion. 

Personally, I really like it admire their lunacy and always really enjoy their demonstrations. At AXPONA they wee playing AC/DC, at Munich they were playing much more serene music.

What you get, needless to say, is scale and dynamics.

For the less deep of pocket and big of house ESD do a range of speakers that start off at a much more manageable 13 or so grand. 

DARTZEEL AND STENHEIM

I love the outlandish looks of DARTZEEL and I love that their pre (NHB -18NS) has a pleasure control rather than a volume control. Paired with a couple of mono blocs each side we got to listen to the new Stenheim Reference Ultime Two SX.

MYTEK

We covered MYTEK at the AXPONA show but at High End Munich they were using Borressen X3 loudspeakers which were a good match…as were the speakers at AXPONA. I guess a good sign of quality kit is that it works with a range of speakers and MYTEK seems to have pulled this off. 

Very nice sounding room at very real-world prices. The room was also dressed very nicely…which is very important! 

ESOTERIC, TEAC, WILSON

Following on from the MYTEK room this room was also very nicely dressed, though the kit in this room was at a much higher level of price. At the front of the system N-01XD SE network DAC, the Grandiose G1X clock, the amp was the F-01 integrated which has the PS-01F power supply. Alexia V speakers from Wilson moved the air and wiring was all by Shunyata Research.

Lots of other kit was on show and they were playing the big mono blocs later in the day…sadly we couldn’t make it back. 

AUDIONET, VIVID AUDIO AND VOODOO LABS

I’ve experienced and mentioned AUDIONET AND VIVID lots of times, but the new name to me in this room was the VOODOO LABS cabling which their promo material proclaimed to be a “stark mad new speaker cable” with “scary details, and lifelike voices”. 

All in all this was a very good sounding room, though other folk in the room were quite loud in discussing its merits…I think…they were speaking German. 

ISOACOUSTICS

It’s a cool dem the guys always do and the difference with these isolation products in and out of the system is very obvious. This year they were using Marten speakers.

The Sonus faber Suprema system, that we heard at the McIntosh house in NYC, uses IsoAcoustic Gaia footers built into the platform. There was one on display so you could see how it all works…that’s gotta be a good thing for IsoAcoustics, though they are hidden in the speakers.  In fact many brands, Marten, Java etc are now building the feet into their products, both speakers and electronics.

DCS

DCS were running the LINA DAC and Clock (14950 euro 8750 euros respectively) with a VLT S200 amplifier and Wilson Sabrin X with subs. Cabling was Nordost Valhalla.

This was a lovely sounding system and a very nice chilled environment in which to enjoy a few tunes. However, meetings were calling and we didn’t get to spend nearly as much time in this room as we could have done. 

J SIKORA, EGGLESTONWORKS, SoTM AND SKOGRAND CABLES

SOtM were showing off their new server, the SoTM 2000 that was new to the market and showing for the first time at Munich High End. 

The Sikora turntable brand from Poland needs no introduction and is massively visible at pretty much every show we attend around the world. They have done a fabulous job of getting the brand out there and to market. On show at Munich was the 15th Anniversary Standard Max…in a lovely white finish.

The Egglestonworks speakers sounded great and looked even better in the British Racing Green finish. 

Also very nice to see Knut from Skogrand with his new SilverSpine cables.

A very nice sounding room, indeed! 

ZELLATON, REED, AND PINK FAWN

Playing the Reference Ultra speakers by Zellaton when went in the room. The amps were YS Sound that we are told are hand-crafted in Japan. 

THRAX, XACT, HEMINGWAY CABLE

Full active speaker (The Giada) inches t2 x 115inch woofers and two custom designed horns with current drive amplifiers controlled by an analogue devices DSP processor. The speaker features uniform directivity and time and phase coherence and a monocoque body made from Corian and stainless steel reinforcement. 

Orpheus phono stage, Maximises DAC and the LIBRA pre amp. The sources are XACT server from Poland being launched at the show. On the turntable was a new My Sonic Lab cartridge with a hollow diamond cantilever. 

This was a truly excellent wounding room that I really did enjoy very much. I always do enjoy THRAX kit but this year they seem to have really excelled themselves and played very much to my taste – active horns!!!

ENGSTROM

The Engstrom ERIC Encore amplifiers were supplying the power to this system and I think they are the best looking electronics on the market, (160K euros). The Phono pre amp was the M-Phono at 25K.

Jorma supplied all the cables, Solid Tech the furniture. Turntable was the wonderful TechDAS AirForce V Premium with the Acoustical Systems Aquilar tonearm and TechDAS TDCO1 Ti cartridge. Speakers were the 170K Marten Coltrane Quintets. 

We seem to have hit a seam of wonderful sound in this part of the show and I seem to recall that this is a bit of a theme at High end. 

ATOHM

Absolutely rammed and so pics only. 

TOTEM 

AURENDER

We were getting towards the end of the day on the Saturday now but I did pop in to the AURENDER room for a very quick listen to some Pink Floyd being played on their AP20. The AP20 is an all in one digital server and integrated amplifier, reference DAC…it even has a Headphone socket and slots for additional storage. Lots of ‘top off’ gear on static display too.

JADIS AND DAVIS ACOUSTICS

The French connection od Davis and Jadis were playing the Roger Waters version of Comfortably Numb when we went into their room and It was VERY nice indeed. These speakers (THE WALL) with the JADIS valve electronics really do sound something special. I really do not understand why these speakers are not much bigger in the UK than they are! I loved the matched veneers on them! 

The system featured the Jadis JS5 DAC, Jadis JP80MC preamp, a pair of JA170 monoblocks and cables from Zallenberg of Austria.

Also on show were another new speaker called the Stage which were slightly smaller than The Wall. Not forgetting of course the Jadis novelty for the show of their amp built into a vintage suitcase, very cool!

Another favourite room for me.

METRONOME KALISTA

More from the French contingent bit this time from Toulouse and Metronome Kalista. I’ve said it before but if my numbers ever came up on the lottery then I’d be buying the Kalista DreamPlay CD player and Mantax DAC (looking very cool on their patriotic Bleu, Blanc, Rouge stand at the show)…and a Patek Phillipe I tried on the other day (but that’s a different story).

Speakers were DAVIS ACOUSTICS Stellar which kept the French theme from star to finish given the JADIS amps in the chain. 

Metronome are also embracing a new compact form factor, something essential for modern HiFi brands and a definite trend at this year’s High End Munich, for the metronome DS (Digital Sharing) range. The DSS 2 network player now has a new partner, the Metronome DSC mini DAC, which will convert all file formats up to DSD256. More small format devices will be added to the range in the near future, with the prices of the first two models coming in nicely under the 5,000€ mark.

Great sounding room!

WiiM, PRO-JECT, HIFI ROSE, MUSICAL FIDELITY, E.A.T.

We got a tour around WiiM, Musical Fidelity, Pro-Ject and HiFi Rose with Simon and Laurence of Henley Audio (the UK distributor for all of these brands). You can also read more in Oscar’s first hall report here.

WiiM used Munich High End to launch their WiiM Ultra device which they are describing as a “central digital hub for your audio ecosystem”. They tell us it has audiophile components and multiple digital and analogue inputs and outputs plus a 3.5” touchscreen. 

Wiim Ultra is a streamer and preamp so that a host of digital inputs can be added plus the likes of turntables, TVs etc….and it even has room correction built in. 

GURU

Plus we also got to see Swedish brand Guru’s loudspeakers on the Pro-Ject stand, who’s products we know from the Dutch Audio Event..they were showing a small selection of their new compact speakers that we will hopefully be hearing soon.

JAVA HiFi, AUDIO SOLUTIONS AND BENNY AUDIO

Martin from Java HiFI was exhibiting his new JAVA CARBON Double Shot integrated amplifier that has a 9mm thick carbon fibre case that we are told offers better vibration damping than previous incarnations of the amplifier as well as reducing the effects of RFI and EMI on the internals of the amplifier. As well as the casework the amp uses ETI Silver RCA connectors and binding posts as well as IsoAcoustic footers to further help isolate the amp from unwanted external vibrations. 

The turntable you see it the Benny Audio Odyssey and the speakers as the AudioSolutions Figaro XL2. Gediminas from AudioSolutions was also introducing his new configuration tool, making the loudspeaker buying process more like that of choosing a sports car…more of that in the video below.

This is a very impressive system. The Carbon amp from JAVA is a beautiful and different looking beast, the Benny Audio turntable is a wonderful looking thing and the new Audio Solutions speakers in the stunning blue colour are wonderful looking and sounding. We were able to hear these brands together in Warsaw last year so it was excellent to see they had teamed up in Munich this year…there is an obvious synergy between them!

We made a video with the team, watch it for more from each brand about their latest products.

ESPRIT HIGH END AUDIO

French Cable brand Esprit are making waves around the world and I don’t think there has been a show we have visited in the last year where we haven’t seen them represented by the excellent Vivien Falize. 

At Munich High End Esprit had a huge 85m2 space for static and live demonstrations of their cables but the big news was that Esprit owner Richard Cesari was launching new loudspeakers. ..and changing the brand name to Esprit High End Audio to reflect this.

Now, this may seem like a bit of a diversion for Esprit but the facts are that Richard had developed several loudspeakers in the past and feels that their addition to the cable range by Esprit is a new dimension and differentiator for them.

There was a floorstander and a bookshelf for us to take in at Munich and we were told that three other models were in the pipeline. We were also told that the new speakers use quality components like Mundorf, Jupiter, Duelund and SEAS. We were also told that the speakers would be made I the Charente region of France. 

We got to listen AMELIA, the floorstanding speakers a two-way design with a Mumford EMT tweeter. The 8” driver is an Alnico model by SEAS. Available in standard white, black and walnut but special finishes are available for a price. Delivery begins in October. They are a lovely looking speaker and have that airiness that a good quality EMT brings to the party. We got to listen to a bit of guitar music and the decay and reverbs were very evident.  The speakers are 18K a pair and I can see these doing very well in both European and Asian markets where Esprit seem to be doing very well with their cable offerings. 

BOULDER 

PYLON AND FEZZ

PYLON’S JADE 30 4900 euros loudspeakers were new for the show and have a vintage look that is very popular at the moment.

Fezz who we have loved for many years were showing off their electronics in the shape of valve amps and more. They seem to have really upped their game with regards to the finish and styling of their amps to make them throughly modern looking. they were also, as they are in Warsaw, partnered with Muarah’s turntables and phono products.

Very cool looking and a very cool sounding room. I stopped a little while but could have stopped longer, as many people seemed to be doing. 

BIG news here, the brand new flagship Pylon speakers were on display, they are very high end in their finish and really make a statement. The Pylon Amethyst have a stunning cabinet which curves in two directions, pricing is not yet confirmed but we should be hearing these in Warsaw this year.

JOSEPH AUDIO, WAY CABLES, FLOW BY ALLEGRO AND  PRE AUDIO

A lot of brands I have a lot of time for in this booth including the excellent sounding Joseph Audio Pearl Graphene Ultra loudspeakers that we got to have a listen to at AXPONA earlier in the year and which were making their European debut at Munich. Powering the Pearls and making its world debut was the MK2 version of the FLOW power amplifier by Allegro. I reviewed the MK 1 version and thought it was a truly excellent amplifier and so hopefully we will get the chance to hear at home what the MK 2 version adds.  

Pre-Audio is a new name to me but in another world premiere they were showing off their Hover-Craft turntable that was using their Air Bearing Pivoted Classic tonearm into the EMT 128 phono preamplifier. 

Not to be outdone, Miroslav at Way Cables was also world premiering the brand’s X Series analogue and digital Poetry X REDLINE edition interconnects. (Watch the video below with more info from Way Cables about the new products).

Other kit in the system was the Master Fidelity DAC NADAC D and Master Clock NADAC C (try saying that after a couple of steins of ale) both world premieres. All the above was housed on SolidSteel HP series racks and amplifier stands. 

I was expecting this to sound excellent and wasn’t disappointed when they played some BB King for us before the show officially opened on the Sunday. 

As an aside, every member of this team are truly lovely people and this really does go a long way!! They even played Big A Little A by Crass! 

CUBE AND TEKTRON

The new Cube iQ ULTRA speakers (we have the original iQ speakers). These allow you to bi-amp the loudspeakers. 9.9K euros is the asking price and inside you have the top level of Mundorf components. 

The TEKTRON kit was the VENUS preamp and the JUPITER power amplifier.

CUBE AUDIO LOTUS 10 loudspeakers were on show and being played in the afternoon. These have the widebander plus a ten inch woofer the bass and on the back you can mess about with the mids and other outputs. 

We got to listen to the new iQ ULTRAS and I really do love these speakers. You may not be overly aware of them but they really offer a very good value for proposition and are something a little out of the ordinary…which I like a great deal. 

AUDIUM AND ATTOLL

Cool to see German loudspeaker maker Audium with French brand Atoll. 

Audium make speakers that use a wide band driver and then either passive or active bass and they both look and sound fab…I’m very surprised they are not much better known outside of Germany. Atoll were presenting new IN400 Evolution a MOSFET driven integrated amplifier (5K euros).

The booth was very cool and very nice sounding. Like I say, people need to hear these speakers much more.

KROMA ATELIER, ORPHEUS, ARTESANIA AUDIO

Kroma Atelier make absolutely wonderful loudspeakers and  for the last two years at Audio Show Deluxe in the UK they have been on the end of the system that a good number of people suggested may have been the sound of the show. 

Orpheus electronics are from Switzerland and complemented these speakers very well, even in the booth that had the ability to sound a lot worse than it did.

AMG

AUDES

TANNOY

Tannoy launched the 70th Anniversary Autograph 12 Loudspeaker at Munich. Using PrimaLuna valve amps and making a rather nice noise. Cables in the system were by ATLAS. Tannoys second room was using Super Golds with PrimaLUna amps and an AURALiC front end. 

CLOSER AND BORG AUDIO

Closer had the OGY with their open baffle bass units that I have been following on YouTube for a long time and have been really interested in their development. The CLOSER 300B Provocateur Signature we reviewed and absolutely love. Fantastic brand this and can’t wait for the Warsaw Show when we will get to listen to them again.

Borg Audio had a static display with their super cool electronics…and one of the best remote controls we have seen in a while!

NEAT

NEAT had what can only be described as a nightmare with their shipper who failed to deliver the UK brand’s speakers to High End which is a real shame as they always put so much effort at Munich to present their stand to a very high level. They were very philosophical about the whole situation whereas my reaction would have been a little more shouty….anyway, the good news for UK audiophiles is that the speakers that should have made their debut at Munich, will now do so at the North West Audio Show 2024 at Cranage Hall on the 22nd and 23rd of June instead.

ONCE 

Very interesting horn loudspeakers that certainly break the mould of what is expected in the aesthetic of a loudspeaker. Running A HiFi Rose streamer and Audio Research amplifiers and sounding very nice indeed with a bass that was very surprising and sense of space in the recording that was great…even in this booth! 

B.AUDIO AND ZAVFINO

French brand B.Audio B.dpr EX 19900 euros DAC, streamer and preamp, with a B.amp mono blocs (28K euros). The speakers are INTRADA Josquin loudspeakers (17850) from Poland. The turntable is from Zavfino which is a brand new turntable that was making its debut at Munich. 

The turntable has a 12inch arm on it. The platter is 60mm affair that is coated in damping paint. The bearing is stainless steel decoupled with silicone rings. The feet are adjustable. The motor assembly oil made from a solid billet of aluminium. The retail with the arm 14K euros. It weighs around 30kG and you can add another arm with an arm bar they can supply. 

MOREL AND DELTA SIGMA

Playing make us stronger and sounding very very good with a very well controlled bass. 

Very cool amplifiers. 

HEGEL

A static stand from Hegel this year….and some super secret stuff that will be revealed this summer!

AUDION

Fab to see Graham from Audion, and we got to have a listen in the cabin they were sharing with Graham Slee and their german distributors other brands.

METAXAS & SINS

As always, a pleasure to catch up with Kostas, he never stops creating,…you will spot the new panel speakers he has been working on in the pictures.

And some more of what we saw in Hall 4….

HiFi DELUXE

We picked out some great rooms at the HiFi Deluxe show at the Marriott, there is also a photo report to come from Andreas with more from the Deluxe.

CLARIYSIS, CAT AND CS PORT

The new Clariysis speakers are the Pico which are the new entry level at 25K with amps by Convergent Audio Technology (CAT). Lampizator DAC which was a bit of a special with a PINK FAWN streamer ahead of it. AN AMPEX ATR102 R2R. (with a Solution De-emphasis pre) Turntable was a CS PORT air-bearing TT and tonearm with DS Audio optical cartridge. 

This was the first time we sat in front of the new Clariysis speakers and they are very, very nice indeed. 

AUDIO NOTE (UK)

It’s always a real treat to see the Audio Note (UK) folk wherever in the world we bump into them. The brand is rightly a legend and at HiFi Deluxe they had put together a rather splendid sounding system. Loreena McKennitt The Gates Of Istanbul was playing when we went into this room and I loved how the tune built and built in intensity as it progressed – all really nicely put into the room by the system. 

BLACKWOOD AUDIO

For those that don’t know the story, Blackwood came to natter to us at Munich in the beer garden in 2015 with an idea for a loudspeaker that was going to be a really big deal. Their enthusiasm was infectious, but then a lot of people have big ideas and get nowhere with them. Blackwood, however, worked and worked and have brought something quite special to the market. I know their plans for the future (though I’m sworn to secrecy) and this is a brand that is going to really be something in the coming five years or so! 

Active speakers are the order of the day and at this show we got to hear the Solaris in a kind of “prototype” configuration. 

Mark my words, these are going to be a big name on the scene! 

432 EVO

We’ve reviewed this kit before and it has always really moved me emotionally. I’m gonna link to the review but everything said in that is relevant here. With the Ilumina loudspeakers this was a lovely system and all four of us (we had headed to the HiFi Deluxe show with Oscar and Kelly) were completely caught up in the magical moment that the music created. The emotional connectionthat we all seek from our HiFi.

There is still more to come from Team HiFi PiG at High End Munich 2024…enjoy some more of the coverage here:

High End Munich 2024 Report – Lin and Stu’s Report Part 1

High End Munich 2024 Report – Oscar’s Halls Report Part 1

High End Munich 2024 Report – Headphones And HeadFi

Linette And Stuart Smith

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For all the HiFi PiG High End Munich 2024 coverage, click here