Like I wrote in the reportage from the High End 2011 (you can read it in this issue), this year’s show was special. For me most important was the crossing of the psychological barrier of fear for audio files – almost everyone used them. But below it a completely different story pulsated. A History even, with a capital ‘H’ – the 30th anniversary of the show. Starting as a small event, dedicated to absolute madmen, it soon became a well managed event, know worldwide, taking the reign over many other shows, including the Berlin IFA.
There were many reasons for that, but I think, that it mostly due to the abdication of Berlin – there were the most important premieres in the audio world, and ten years ago there were all the people having anything to say in that area. But the IFA converted in to a home appliance show, focused on all products related to home use, and the specialists, including the audio ones, found other communication channels. And frankly speaking, the High End of today looks exactly the same as the audio part of IFA a dozen years ago.
Does this mean, that there is now time for other, smaller shows, where the ‘madmen’ of today will find their place? Who knows, there is high probability that it will end this way, that now there is a successor of the High End growing quietly, even if nothing is indicating this. In the end history likes to repeat itself, and the cycles are its immanent characteristics. Each of the cycles is of course a little different, it learns from the experiences of its predecessors, but the mechanisms stay the same.
And this is why I did appoint a dozen interviews with the exhibitors, just to hold this moment still, to look at it from all sides. At first those interviews were destined to be published in “Audio”, but because the printed magazine has a limited capacity, together with the editor in chief, Mr. Andrzej Kisiel, we decided that in his magazine an abbreviated version of the interviews will appear in parallel to the reportage from the show, and the most interesting ones of them, will be published in full extent in “High Fidelity”

e-mail: info@kurthecker.com
www: www.kurthecker.com

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Kurt W. Hecker: I still think fondly of the beginning in 1982, when twelve manufacturers and distributors from our branch got together for the first time under one roof in a hotel to present high-end equipment, which was at the same time as the large audio exhibition in Düsseldorf. As a consequence, the exhibition was viewed with such success by all the participants that today's HIGH END SOCIETY was founded the following year as an association of manufacturers and distributors of high-quality consumer electronics and the HIGH END was well on the way to becoming an annual trade fair in the industry.

WP: What did you do there?
KH: I was also an exhibitor of the first HIGH END show with my product line of that time. How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc. 1982 saw the launch of our HIGH END exhibition and today in 2011, I look back with great pride and joy on 30 years of HIGH END show, in which I have had the pleasure of accompanying the HIGH END personally since its inception, right up to now. Over the course of 21 years, I have seen the HIGH END as a hotel exhibition at Hotel Kempinski in Gravenbruch near Frankfurt am Main - advance on its way to become the leading trade fair for the high-end industry in the world. Despite the very legitimate concerns at the time, today I am extremely pleased that we found some years ago the ideal conditions for our trade fair with the new location in M,O,C, in Munich, once the exhibition had outgrown itself as one that took place in a hotel. .

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
KH: There is no doubt that the market and the industry have changed over the course of time. At the beginning, the only focus was on analog technology in the form of records and tapes as audio media. Later came digital audio media, such as CDs and DVDs, and today audio and image information is increasingly stored centrally on hard drives and can be played anytime all over the flat or throughout the house via network players. But the HIGH END has stayed young through all these years. It has always been open to changing conditions and has adapted its concept to the benefit of the exhibition. The development of what was originally a domestic event into an international trade fair has been an integral part of its increasing success over the years. Today the HIGH END is unquestionably, the ultimate, leading exhibition in the world for our branch and the most important annual meeting in the industry.

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
KH: On the HIGH END 2011 - beside of the highly reputated RAMSES-II cables - I present for the first time the DMA 03 sound modul from Switzerland to the international markets. The DMA 03 sound modul is the audiophile core component of a computer-based high-end audio system and responsible for the unique sound quality of such a system. It combines the best in cutting-edge D/A converter technology with a specially designed analog preamplifier of the highest quality.

WP: What is the most significant new technology last years?
KH: A remarkable tendency is the synergy of high-end analog audio and digital mainstream power. A multitude of clever solutions are around today which all use computers as a basis, such as streaming clients, multi-room systems or closed all-in-one solutions. As increasingly more internet platforms are emerging for downloading lossless digital music, the physical medium for digital data such as CDs, DVDs, SACDs and blu-ray is being constantly challenged.

WP: What are problems behind the show?
KH: Fortunately, actually I can see no problems behind the show. We found the right place with the M,O,C, in Munich, we have still space to expand the show if necessary and we see an ever-increasing international acceptance of our show.

WP: How it will be evolve?
I have no doubt at all that the HIGH END show, will continue in the future to occupy the position of the world’s leading special-interest show for high quality consumer electronics. We as the organizer of the show will always continue to monitor the future market conditions and we will also continuously consider the needs of the exhibitors. And if there will be any reason to modify the conception of the show we will do this carefully in an evolutionary way, but never in the sense of a revolution.

e-mail: info@audionemesis.com
www: www.audionemesis.com | www.audionautes.com

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Fabio Camorani: Yes, I do with joy, and it was in Munich, in 2005. It was my first high level audio show as manufacturer. I remember a great success for me and a good feeling in general.

WP: What product did you show there?
FC: The DC-1 zero-oversampling audio d/a converter in its first version and the PM-1 phono preamplifier for the AudioNemesis brand, just High Density Graphite accessories for turntables for AudioNautes. And for the first time in Europe the two basic driver models from Goto Unit.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
FC: I don't like to change products very often. Generally if this happens it's usually due to mistakes of many kinds. I don't follow trends that much. For these reasons my products stay on the market for a reasonable long time. This is also important for the customer because he can recognize a greater value. So, DC-1 remained the same till 2009 when it has been discontinued. But since 2008 an improved version (named Upgrade Edition) has been available and it's still on the market! PM-1, instead, remained on the market till the beginning of 2011! Now an Upgrade Edition is available, for the same price! And the DC-1 VLE has been produced and sold in a short time, due to its incredible quality. In general, what I see now is a clear demand for many input solutions. This is why I needed (and need) to add more inputs to my products. Despite this stable catalogue, improvement is never ending and I always improve my products in my lab. When many steps are ready, a new version is published.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
FC: I may answer: everything. I'm an analogist and I see an increase in LP demands every year ( I also published my first LP in 2010!). But digital music allowed reasonable quality at low price. LP was dead, now is more than alive. CD was dead and now... still alive (and will remain alive for a long time I think). The very important aspect is that every step lowered the average quality of music reproduction. Many high cost products now available are not better than older ones. We don't have enough memory, maybe... I see that companies (especially big ones) cut product costs simply using cheaper technology, cheaper manning, no development and research but more and more expensive cases. They are loosing wisdom. Maybe they are not open minded, but only margin oriented. These issues bring us in a long discussion we need to face in another chance. But I'm confident that time will always give us the truth.

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
FC: Since 2010 I'm doing a very big effort to introduce many new products in a reasonable time. Now I'm on the way, the journey is not completed (maybe 40%) but I'm able to offer something brand new. I am proud to say that I presented the new level of AudioNemesis products. This level is represented by a brand new aluminum chassis that will be used for some new appliances. This chassis is precision machined from a single block of aluminum: really unusual in this range of products. The first two products using this chassis will be the already announced Echidna RS Class A mono power amplifier (presented in a prototype form in 2010), and the DC-32 32bit d/a converter (using ESS9018) which will surprise you (hopefully soon); but even more products. We wanted to present also the very first AudioNemesis loudspeaker! But we are late because we want to do something really outperforming the competitors. It's a 3way system, with 12" woofer, D'Appolito configuration and a ribbon tweeter, for more than 93db!

W: What is the most significant new technology last years?
FC: I think streaming is now considered the (near) future. I put an USB input in my DC-1 VLE, and the DC-32 will have a 24-192 USB input. Everyone is now asking for a USB connector, no matter if used or not. I have my own Music reproduction standard, but I cannot ignore customers inputs, even if the High End Audio market is not a standard one, and usual models (for market) cannot be easily applied. Despite what I read since early '80, still a lot can be done to improve sound reproduction quality. Every day I discover something, improvement is never ending. And this is the greatest fun for me, the daily challenge.

e-mail: trigon@trigon-audio.de
www: www.trigon-audio.de

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Rainer Reddemann: Not in detail, because I have visited nearly all High Ends except the two first ones and 1996 - and I was there every time as an exhibitor. You know, I was the audio engineer for the company Restek between 1982 and 1996. I have developed several amps and active loudspeakers for them and we have displayed all that devices every year at the high end show, at that time in Frankfurt.
Since summer 1996 we (Ralf Kolmsee and I) have formed our own company and already 1997 we are present at the High End with our new brand TRIGON. Every High End was a big experience for me. In the past (in Frankfurt) the show was a hotel fair and I like it very much, because it was more like at home. The room acoustics are closer to the real world at home, even though the acoustics are never quit well at an exhibition, but that normal and the most visitors know this. The show in Munich is bigger but the feeling is more like an industrial exhibition.

WP: What product did you show there?
RR: We have displayed the complete equipment of that time, amplifiers, tuners, active speakers and the first CD-player.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
RR: The audio market has completed changed against the early 80th. At that time there are only a little amount of different devices in the audio section. Apart of amplifiers and speakers or head phones you have had only a little amount of source devices. There exist only turntables, FM-tuners and tape recorders. Today we have so many different devices. Amplifiers in all kind of analog technologies and in different digital technologies, radio receiver in analog, digital via satellite or DAB or digital via internet, multy channel systems and surround equipment up to 10 channels, different CD-players, many different digital equipment like streamer, hard disc recorder (ripper) or MP3-player, and, and - and computer and the internet. It is impossible to offer all kind of equipment for a little company like we are. We only have a chance if we are focused our efforts to a small amount of audio equipment. Step by step we go forward to capture new technologies, but it is not easy today. In the past high end audio was often a well done trade but meanwhile it is high grade technology and it is necessary to have many different engineers. Today you need at least an electronic specialists for the hardware but it is also important to have software engineers. Small companies have to work very hard to survive. The complete market is developing very fast.

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary – what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc.
RR: We are proud to be there and to be a part of the scene. I am sure we are not every body’s darling but we have several customers who like our devices and we hope we can satisfy them in future, too. Nevertheless we try to introduce our devices to some new customers and I hope we can convince many people about the quality of our products. The High End Munich is now one of the famous audio fairs of the world. It is a mirror of all kind of excellent home audio equipment you can buy. A little bit sad is that the price range seems to be open end. I am not a friend of super high end audio for super high end money. It warped the view of the point which is “enough” HiFi. Music and its reproduction at home is the main target and if you only be satisfied with equipment over 250000 Euro, then there must be something wrong. If you spend so much money, please travel to the place where your favourite musicians are playing, buy a ticket and enjoy the life concert.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
RR: Like I have described under #3. Meanwhile the audio world is more digital than it was 5 years ago. We have parallel (audio) worlds. Tube equipment with it special sound, analog semiconductor devices (mainstream) but more and more digital audio (IT generation and everything has a display or TV on board).

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
RR: A ripping hard disc streamer (named CHRONOLOG), a little CD-player (named PRINCE), a derivative 50W power amplifier (named DWARF-II) and some new modules for the pre amplifier DIALOG.

www: www.avantgarde-acoustic.de

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show by High End Society?
Armin Krauss: The first HIGH END shows where I personally attended in association with Avantgarde Acoustic was indeed in Frankfurt, 1996.

WP: What product did you show there?
AK: The demo speakers were DUOs, and this was also the year where we displayed the first prototypes of the UNO.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
AK: The quality of the parts, and our manufacturing process has very much professionalized since then, and with the much better build quality, the sound as well constantly improved over the years.

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc.
AK: In recent years, the HIGH END show became THE most important show around the globe! It is a fantastic "meeting spot" for business people, and a wonderful "shop window" for our industry, giving a very professional and representative picture of our industry to the public. So we feel that the HIGH END and its organizers deserve every respect, and it is good to see that the show gained such a highly reputed status during the past 30 years.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
AK: There certainly happened a lot of technological changes, and not only (but most obviously) on the digital side. But for us the biggest change - doubtlessly triggered by the internet - has been the way how we communicate with our customers today. So for us as a manufacturer it is of increasing importance how our customers perceive us as an engineering, innovating and high-quality-manufacturing company. And we have totally new opportunities to make people understand what we are doing, and what the products will do for them.

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
AK: We'll step into the next generation of specially designed amplifiers for our speakers. The approach we started with MODEL THREE will be taken to the next level with the upcoming amplifier line, and we'll demo the line preamp and stereo-poweramp of this new line. Sorry, but further details will be kept secret until the show!

WP: What is the most significant technology change last years?
AK: In our products the OMEGA (high impedance voice coils) and CPC (capacitor biassing) are significant steps towards a truly faithful music reproduction. Looking at the whole industry, we think that the appearance of digital high resolution files has the potential to revolutionize the possibilities of high end audio. Fortunately for us, this will make people aware of the importance of excellent loudspeakers, because there will be much more to hear (in terms of resolution, dynamics etc.)!

www: www.furutech.com

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show? What product did you show there?
Graeme Coley: Furutech first took its products to the Frankfurt show in 2003. Over a number years prior to their participation in the Frankfurt show, Furutech had established a loyal following of high-end enthusiasts in Europe and their call for Furutech to develop the world’s first true high-end schuko products was heard. 2002 was spent developing these products for unveiling at the 2003 show, and hard work paid off with an overwhelming response to Furutech’s craftsmanship and product performance. In Europe, Furutech has not look back since, year after year debuting the finest AC connectors for the European high-end market. Products first introduced in 2003 are as follows: FI-E30 schuko socket, FI-E35 high-end performance schuko connector, FI-E11 high performance schuko connector and power distribution units e-TP60E and e-TP80E. Furutech kept up the momentum in 2004, introducing a high-end AC mains connector for the UK, industry benchmark FI-UK1363 series and high-end HDMI cables.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
GC: The Furutech range of high-end performance audio products has increased from around 50 items, at that time, to over 200 items and counting. Furutech has increased the variety of products it now manufactures to include a world class line-up of analog products, analog treatments, OEM parts and now under the ADL (Alpha Design Labs) brand, Furutech is looking to greatly expand its reach with the introduction of this new entry-level line. ADL was created by Furutech to imbue its Pure Transmission Technology into carefully engineered innovative designs that everyone can afford. ADL digital components and cables are made with the same dedication to total resonance control and refinement as all of Furutech's many cables and accessories. The Furutech range now covers the majority of accessories need to take your system to the next level, including the following: high performance 15A and 20A A/V cable and power connectors and parts, as well as distribution/filtering products including the 120Hz standard xv1.3 HDMI cable, GT2 USB 2.0 cables, Ag-12 Silver Phono Cable, The Silver Arrows Phono Cable, La Source Headshell Wires, Monza LP Stabilizer Weight, the Top-of-the-line Flux Cable series and entry level Evolution II series, Pure Power 6, e-TP4+4, e-TP609, e-TP615 and e-TP60 Power Distributors, and e-TP80 Power Filters, deMag Disc and Cable Demagnetizer, PC-2 Disc Pure Cleaner, and their own very special NANO Liquid Contact Enhancer, plus even more fine cable and OEM products.

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc.
GC: It has certainly become a world of two halves. The two international shows of consequence are CES Las Vegas and High End Society Munich. Those in the industry who don’t visit CES are sure to visit the High End Society, and for companies with global distribution networks like Furutech, it has become essential to exhibit at both. As a manufacturer we have a responsibility to our customers to have a presence at these shows, not only to debut new products and the obligatory promotional purposes, but more importantly to meet face-to-face and come together as friends. That is the beauty of a small industry like the high-end industry, while very specialized, it remains personal and friendly, and the Munich show certainly encourages this atmosphere.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
GC: High performance accessories. Once almost non-existent and an afterthought at best, high performance accessories and cables now make up a large portion of the industry having gained acceptance as the obvious system upgrade, and Furutech is proud to be an innovator and leader in this area. It is Furutech’s mission to continually offer the high-end enthusiast the finest quality, best performing system enhancements at an affordable price.

WP: What new products will you show on 2011 High End?
GC: Furutech will be unveiling a number of new OEM parts including new pure copper XLR sockets and RCA jacks, also two new series of pure copper binding posts to accompany our award winning OEM parts line-up. Furutech is looking to make a strong impression with manufacturers in 2011 and expects component and speaker manufacturers to be won over by both the performance and rational price of the new Furutech OEM parts. Under the ADL brand Furutech will be releasing a high-end performance headphone amplifier and portable media player related cables to accompany. We expect a strong year of growth for the ADL brand, as we are confident we are well on the way to offering a range of products that enthusiasts demand, at a quality level that only Furutech can deliver.

www: www.thorens.com

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Heinz Rohrer: Yes, of course, that was at the Kempinski at Neu Isenburg for me personally in the year 1999.

WP: What product did you show there?
HR: I do not remember in details this show was the last one from the "demolished" old Thorens organization at Lahr and my job at that time was "rebuilt the export business again and not so many products available anymore at that time. a catastrophe.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
HR: A lot not comparable as almost full assortment changes. TD 295 was available at that time but presently we sell TD 295 MK IV what means that we made 5 times additional components and changed the products for better. Entry level TD 170 and TD 190 same especially the TD 190 with the newly overworked Tonearm.

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc.
HR: Munich High End has a great and positive development, this show is probably the most important Hi-Fi show now in Europe. For a producer like Thorens it is a Good oportuntiy to show and present new products (this year high gloss TD 309, new Acrylic series TD 2015 and TD 2035 now equipped with the Thorens own develped tonearm TP 92. .

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
HR: I can and want to talk only about Thorens and I can say Thorens is well established again in the market, the assortment changed to the positive and we have a world wide presence again with our products.

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
HR: TD 309 high Gloss, and the new designed Acrylic line with the Thorens TP 92.

WP: What is the most significant new technology last years?
HR: I can and want to talk only about Thorens The TD 309 have a look at the Thorens booth Atrium 4 booth F 116

e-mail: rumen@thrax.bg
www: www.thrax.bg

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Rumen Artarski: If you mean as Thrax the first show was last year. But is you mean since I started in this business we will go back 20 years. The first show I attended was in Denmark. First time on the High-End was in mid nineties in Frankfurt. The show was gaining momentum at the time but for me the leading show was still in London.

WP: What product did you show there?
RA: Last year we showed our products for the first time to the public. Only Dionysos had entered production the rest were prototypes.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
RA: One year latter all our products are in production and we introduced them in Montreal to the North American public. We decided to do all our products "region free" so they can travel the world. After you review (HERE http://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-168&lang=en – ed.) and a few customers requests we are introducing an extended attenuation range for the Dionysos and gain selection for Spartacus making them "universal". A few usability improvements like ground selection on each unbalanced input and more informative display. Those will be implemented latter in the year.

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc.
WP: This is a major milestone. I have seen many magazines and shows come and go. 30 years is a long time and respect goes to the organizers. The show just keeps getting bigger and better. It is the main event of the industry in Europe. Other shows are more like bazars.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
RA: Trough the years many charlatans and speculators have steered the public in the wrong direction. Many try to imitate the Automotive or Watch industry to associate their products with luxury and status, to create desirability and perceived value for their non performing products. Years ago the best staff was real ugly but was not badly made. Maybe we got influenced by the "wife acceptance factor". The term "good enough" was not there. The attitude was "best I can do" and "state of the art". We will try and steer back as many as we can.

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
RA: The revised version of the Dionysos. Same signal path just some improved ergonomics and extended attenuation. If we do a new "better" product every year means we didn't do a good job to begin with. Audio amplification technologies are quite mature so you either do it right or you never get it right.

WP: What is the most significant new technology last years?
RA: iTunes changed the industry. File based playback is the way to go and quality will be dependent solely on the playback device/convertor, no more source issues. It affected us so much that at Thrax we are developing our contribution in the field. Stay tuned.

e-mail: info@lector-audio.com
www: www.docet-lector.com

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show (in Frankfurt I suppose)?
Claudio Romagnoli: Yes, of course, it was 1982 year.

WP: What product did you show there?
CR: Lector show first hi-end MC-1 tonearm designed for MC cartridge and first hybrid integrated amplifier in the world!

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
CR: Many changes from analog to digital, Lector introduced in 1989 the first European tube CD Player model CDP-1!

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc.?
CR: This is a great “finishing-line” for the hi-end market, the hi-end products are the real “core” of hifi for reproducing good sound.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
CR: Hi-end industry now is a important segment of hi-fi world, industry supply hi-technology and research for real better sound quality reproduction in home: now is mature!!

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
CR: Some new exciting products as: U-4DAC the first native Apple USB-DAC, the new 32 bit CDP06 CD player and the new ZXT hybrid integrated amplifier with new power MOSFET technology based on Lexam MOS as 100% electrically complementary for very low distortions.

WP: What is the most significant change in recent years? - USB DAC? Streamers?
CR: The last “fashion” is the computer music, silicon industry now research the best solution chip for hi-resolution USB acceptance. Lector technology is ready for more important steps as: friendly connection with PC/MAC user, USB version 3 ready for reducing interface problem at hi-speed. BTW our lab’s move to analog new solution as to research and develop new semiconductor for power amplifier as to reduce distortions with low feedback factor. We develop a new power amplifier with exclusive technology around the output stage for to have both current and voltage gain in one complementary solution !

e-mail: custser@teac.com
www: www.teac.com

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Stephan Wieland: I attended High End the first time in 2000, held in the Kempinsky in Frankfurt. Compared to the highly business oriented trade show that it is now, in those days you had the feeling of a fan-club meeting of all the HiFi-enthusiasts of Germany with only a few international visitors. I also remember that in those days home cinema just entered into the world of High End, but most of the products demonstrated were HiFi products with a very big focus still on analog.

WP: What product did you show there?
SW: We were showing the P-30 and the VRDS-25X, which were among the best CD-players on the market in those days. VRDS products from Esoteric were still sold under the TEAC brand, because the brand name Esoteric was owned by Grundig then.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
SW: During the last 10 years we saw several technologies come and go. There are no High End tape decks and Open Real recorders any more. Mini Disc has almost entirely disappeared. So did DAT. 10 years ago TEAC was still offering 3-head tape decks like the V-8030s. All history now. After introducing Esoteric as a brand name in Europe and along with this introducing to the market the VRDS-NEO drive mecha, Esoteric Universal Players like UX-1 and UX-3, offered playback of CD, SACD, DVD-Audio and DVD-Video. None of the formats is on very high demand anymore. Surely CD and maybe even SACD will still be around some time, but features like surround sound for Music never really made it to the masses.

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc.
SW: It is many times bigger now and thus of course the number of companies and brands is much bigger as well. On the one side High End show itself is much more an international business event than in the past. On the other side you still have all the HiFi enthusiasts occupying the seats of all the listening rooms, searching for the Holy Grail.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
SW: 30 years ago the complete industry was still analog (CD was only introduced in 1982). Apart of a small comeback of the LP, the entire industry turned digital. Even amplifiers and speakers are increasingly going digital. Streaming is the catchword nowadays. But what is still the driving force behind all of this from the first day is the following: the pleasure of listening to Music.

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
SW: This year TEAC/Esoteric moved from a room in the Forum to a booth in the floor of hall 3. The second change is that we not only presented Esoteric products, but also introduced two complete new lines of HiFi products under the TEAC brand: a. under the Dynasty Series we introduced the three amplifiers A-2610, A-2620 and A-2630, three CD-players: CD-1610, CD-1620, CD-1630 and a tuner T-3610, b. under the Reference series 01 we introduced a digital amplifier with DAC and USB input A-H01, a DAC with High Res USB input called UD-H01 and a CD-Player with USB interface.

e-mail: sales@kraudio.com
www: www.kraudio.com

It is very kind that you are including KR's observations in your publication about this Munich show's 30th anniversary. Although the company has only participated in audio hi-end fairs since Sept. 1994, you asked what I remember of the last 10 years where at the last Frankfurt show in May 2002 the Kronzilla DM monoblocks at 42 Watts RMS won the BEST SOUND OF THE SHOW.

As trends and am sure your readership would agree, the major development from 2001-2011 would be the introduction of home theatre into the dealers showrooms and subsequently the use of computers for electronic music. Even though KR still maintains its position as industry leader as the standard reference for the reproduction of two channel stereo music in the home as if the listening was natural and live, over this last decade, we have manufactured some new products to meet this demand.

In Holland, when the big Panasonic launched their very large screen, our importer connected the 320 Antares to make the set up have absolutely real sound. Mr. Dekker's words were, "this change raised goose bumps on my skin. The film was not TV with special sound effects. It was not distorted". We also went on to concentrate on making our core technology better. According to Mr. Gencev, the use of a nickel anode with graphite surface, gold plated grids, cooling wings and glass lock top on the KR T-100 and KR T-1610 have improved the reliability of the tubes further. After the Kronzilla SD and DM series using the largest audio tube in the world, our company developed the X Kronzillas series (Kronzilla SX, Kronzilla SXI {both stereo at 50 Watts}, Kronzilla DX single ended monoblocks at 100 Watts and the Kronzilla DXL at 150 Watts {push-pull} monoblocks. All giving more dynamics and output power when compared to the original design. In keeping with market demand for more ecological tubes, the KR T-100 made especially for audio application (in our case the stereo integrated 350) uses less current than the normal 845 transmitting tube; the Kronzilla SDi35 (a new model introduced last year at the Munich Hi-End in 2010) was equipped with a UBS connection for computer listening by day for radio connection etc. with the option to listen to the regular 2 channel mode at night for detailed and serious auditions.

www: www.rossner-und-sohn.de

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Christoph Rosner: My first high end show was 1998 in Frankfurt, at this time I was only a visitor (2. What product did you show there?), but I was infected from the analogue virus since I was a little kid. In the mid 80`s everybody goes for the new CD, I was hanging around in second hand Record stores, flew markets and was hunting in the news papers for sell-outs of record collections. So I came more and more to the passion to build perfect sounding turntables with real quality.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
CR: I was often disappointed from the quality of the turntables, they were mostly good looking design objects or mechanical cemeteries. I am a German machinebuilder, in the 5th generation, our firm builds always high precision units for every kind of mechanic perfection. We also produce high precision dental medicine devices, so I began to build my own turntables, tonearms, MC/ MM Systems and phono stages. So it was possible to produce that quality I prefer. We make every part of the turntables and tonearms in our own house and production place, for guarantee a highest quality. We can not build all parts by ourselves, we buy from well known German, Italian or Japanese brands like WBT, Mundorf, Dr.Fuss,Jelco, Denon, Goldennote, Binder or Gerth Transformatoren GmbH.

WP: How do you feel about 30th Anniversary - what kind of show it is, what people, brands etc. What new products will you show on 2011 High End?
CR: I`m looking forward for that show, we will present a brand well known in Poland, Penaudio from Finland, together with our new turntable and tonearm models, the Cameleon and the StringThing. But mostly I`m thrilled about 2 world premieres, first our newest pickup system, the Canofer 1, a really great High output MC, we build a housing made from Panzerholz-Delignit, the same material we use for our new turntable series Camelion. And the second world premiere is our ultimate turntable mat, our -Acoustic Space Device-. The ASD-Mat is a multi layer made from carbon, some metal coats and a special polymer absorber sheet which eliminates interfering resonations. I had a fight with everybody who used this mat for testing, to get it back, but it was our prototype!

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
CR: The high end scene has not changed, only the market and the marketing around it. Big brands have found the name “high-end” to polish up there products, that’s why we have now multi-channel, home cinema or flat-tv at the high end shows, but the real high end scene is in the little booths between the big light shows, with girls and free beer. There are “the brains” and “the ears”, the small producers which lay their passion in there products, this is the real high end, there is enthusiasm and love for detail, not a heartless design or production line made in a big factory.

WP: What is the most significant new technology last years?
CR: The truth about the analogue LP and the CD, that’s for me the real revolution! Year after year in the 80`s and the 90`s the magazines and reviewers were glorifying the CD in the seventh heaven. The ultimate thing of sound reproduction, but I never thought that way, never, and now, 25 Years later, the LP is back and everybody who loves music and knows good sound listens to LP and a analoug Setup. Analogue music is not a trend, no it’s the truth, our ears only work analogue and you can trust your ears!

e-mail: moreinfo@dartzeel.com
www: www.dartzeel.com

[We didn’t meet in Munich this year, however I met mr. Deletraz few years ago at the very show, so I had to ask them for a few things… - ed.]

WP: What product did you show there?
HD:At the time I only had my NHB-108 stereo power amplifier, which I paired with some other gear I brought with me there.

WP: How your products changed from that time up?
HD: Actually our products did not change so much. darTZeel philosophy is to produce as musical as possible equipment, and they are built to last "forever". So we rather designed complementary products rather than changing our product line.

WP: What changed in our industry for 30 last years?
HD:Wow, so many things changed… Brands are now renewing their equipment almost every year - if not quicker - because there are so many good hi end brands available now that if you want to be "there" you must appeal potential customers with novelties. We still tend to keep the old fashioned approach, but frankly I wouldn't be able to tell you what the best way is. It mostly depends on the price level I guess.

WP: What new products did you show on 2011 High End?
HD:Our last show was in Las Vegas, this past January 2011. We showed our full line range but the big monoblocks, which were introduced in 2010.

WP: What is the most significant new technology last years?
HD: Most significant technologies. Well, for sure I would say music servers and audio streaming. Not really a new technology, but new anyway in the audio field. Anyway, this is not only a matter of new technologies, but the way we can today bring existing, older technologies, to a new level of sound quality, mainly thanks to the semiconductor industry which produces new basic components, allowing for big improvements at lower costs than in the past.
But be aware that in our present "crazy era", future technologies can both bring the best or the worst, depending how we use it. The term "digital" does not mean a lot if you don't know which kind of format you are playing. Old analog is not always perfect, but it is rarely bad, even in the more affordable hi-end equipment.