MEET THE NEW HIFI BRANDS ON THE START-UP AREA STAND AT HIGH END MUNICH 2024

The High End Society has developed the Start-Up Area at High End Munich as a stage for upcoming newcomers to the audio industry. A joint stand is provided, for the young companies to showcase their innovative strength, presenting fresh ideas and examples of new technologies.

HIGH END MUNICH 2024 START-UP AREA

At HiFi PiG we see the Start-Up Area as very important for the HiFi Industry and we support the emerging new brands with coverage and if they want to take us up on the offer, a free advert to put their products in from of our readers.  

We have seen many brands make their debut on the Start-Ups (or Newcomers as it was back in the day) stand at Munich who have gone on to great things, coming back as fully fledged exhibitors in the following years…this is a platform to launch your brand to future success in the HiFi world.

The Start-Up Area was located in Hall 1 at the MOC, here are the new brands that we met there at High End Munich 2024.

LEMMY

“A new home for your Vinyls. New comfort for you. Introducing Lemmy, a revolution in vinyl listening for those who cherish music without interruptions. Born in January 2021 as Ralphly, Lemmy redefines how you enjoy records with Lemmy One, an innovative device that connects to your turntable and app, allowing you to select vinyls from your Long Play library seamlessly. More than a time-saver, Lemmy blends elegance and functionality into your decor. Ideal for any music enthusiast, Lemmy elevates your vinyl experience, making every listen a seamless pleasure”.

We first met this emerging Polish brand at the Audio Video Show in Warsaw last year. Rafal and his team are young, enthusiastic and set on bringing the convenience of streaming and app-based control, to the vinyl experience with their modern ‘jukebox style’ home for your records. It is a cool concept that is being refined into an elegant piece of furniture that houses the record player and your vinyl collection.

They are at the start of their journey, and we are looking forward to this year’s Warsaw show when we are promised a fully functioning model that we can listen to.

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TAZAAR

“TAZAAR’s product traceability technology modernises brand ownership by tracking products from manufacture to ownership and beyond, using embedded digital logbooks to capture life events, making premium items heirloom-worthy with provenance. It simplifies registration, offers detailed digital records (manuals, receipts), and captures updates, repairs, contributing to a unique ownership narrative. TAZAAR fosters brand-owner engagement beyond the 1^st owner, building a community with insights into product/customer data, enhancing after-sales services and sustainable design”.

It was great to see Lisa and Ashley on the High End Munich Start-Ups stand this year, having first met Lisa at Bristol earlier this year. Their idea is one that can hugely benefit the HiFi Industry and hopefully, after having the platform that Munich provides, more brands will come on board with their idea. Much as Roon has become an industry standard, I think Tazaar has that potential too. There are many aspects to Tazaar, depending whether you are a HiFi brand, distributor, dealer or buyer. Personally, I see its real strong point as a reassurance for buyers that they are getting the ‘real thing’ in an age where the vintage and second-hand HiFi market is awash with scams. For brands, increasing the life and longevity of their products has to be a good thing…and of course compliance with the new laws for electronic product traceability is covered too.

One we will watch with interest!

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TITAN ACOUSTICS

“Experience the original master sound effortlessly with the innovative turntable E-1, designed with user-friendly features. the tonearm made from duralumin features easy overhang setup, effective mass adjustment and on-the-fly VTA adjustment. The ceramic-sintered brass hybrid spindle minimizes platter rotation friction loss. The motor controller (OCXO) offers speed stability for the platter. Complemented by a brass platter subframe and strategically placed Sorbothane dampers, unwanted vibrations are minimized to reduce sound distortion. Every component is CNC-machined for precise tolerances, redefining the perception of HiFi turntables for audiophiles”.

There are always new turntables at Munich, this one, the E-1 from Korean start-up Titan Acoustics comes with the promise of not only being very well made and great sounding, but also being easy to use and not as scary and fiddly for new vinyl enthusiasts.

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VOLPE -CDPROV REFERENCE AUDIO CD DRIVE

“The CDProV is designed for compatibility with the popular “CDPro2” for a seamless repair of CD players and making a significant contribution to sustainability by prolonging lifespan of audio devices – a leap towards eco-conscious audio technology. With the CDProV existing CD players can be produced without any firmware or housing changes. Milled from a solid aluminium block, the CDProV ensures the highest quality and precision. Its innovative buffer technology eliminates the need for a spring suspension, enhancing both shock resistance and audio quality. CDProV is engineered and handcrafted in Germany”.

A very well-crafted looking and feeling replacement CD drive for the Philips CDPro2, which was discontinued in 2013 and is now in very short supply, the CDProV allows easy replacement prolonging the life of expensive CD transports. Price wise obviously there are economies of scale, but a single product is estimated in the region of 1000€. Another quality green initiative from the start-ups this year.

VSC PLAYER

“The VSC player (which stands for: Virtual Sound Check) fulfills the wish of many consumers for meaningful online listening comparisons of speakers, soundbars and Bluetooth speakers on the tablet or computer at home. In addition to the usual information, the VSC provides a realistic sound impression of the speaker and allows a quick comparison with direct competitor models: All you need is a good pair of in-ear or headphones. The VSC player is a collaboration between the online specialist magazine LowBeats and the software development company Plus AI and is based on a special recording process that also reproduces the spatiality of the speakers. The specially developed VSC app helps you make the right decision.”

An interesting idea bringing speaker auditioning to the buyer at home. I tried listening to different speakers to compare them and it works well as you switch from speaker to speaker in real time. An innovative idea that should help online buyers who don’t have the luxury of a local dealer to go to and audition loudspeakers.

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Linette Smith

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