 The Munich show achieved already the rank of a model event of its kind. And actually in the beginning nothing suggested that it could be that way, as in 1982, during its first edition, it was conceived as a “hotel meeting”. A year later it was held at the Frankfurt Kempinsky hotel, and its formula was set for many years to follow. The M.O.C. space, where the show was brought a few years ago by its organizer, the High End Society, is a typical show space, having nothing in common with a hotel. At first many companies complained, stating they cannot achieve at least reasonable sound in Munich. Many people prophesized the fall of this project, as hi-end IS sound. All of them must stand looking dumb now. That because many expositors learned how to set their rooms up, and secondly, because the new formula turned out to be much better than the old one – it is clearly visible, how business, and audio is business, needs room for conducting it, just like air to breathe. And while all this may seem a step backwards, it is not so cozy, not so nice, but it seems, that it was a necessary step to keep hi-end in good shape. So I support this fully! The most important things I want to show you will be below, in the photo reportage. But first of all a few remarks, I think are necessary to address. The show has a tendency to head in the direction of being a meeting and discussion place. Sound, while still important, is not “holy” anymore, it was in the background a little, we could talk, we could change things, etc. This means that we cannot talk about exceptional presentations, as all of them had a similar level, but those were not bad at all. The most important thing was the fact, that the character of the products could be heard immediately. And this is most important, isn’t it? Do you remember the complaints of journalists about sound in the hotel rooms? I complained myself. This is why I exactly know, that in such environment it is not even possible to show even half of the potential the presented systems have, when placed in a good room, with good power and similar things. During shows it is best to get an overall feeling, and then you need to continue your journey – in an audio shop, or at home. And in Munich you can determine the character, the personality, and all the things you need during a first contact with audio equipment. And in addition there is an opportunity to see all the devices in comfortable environment, talk to their creators, sellers, and people standing behind them. What was the most important trend for me? I think, it was that most of the exhibitions featured some kind of memory players as sources (including iPod) or laptops connected to some fancy DAC. I informed about that last year, but this time this was not even a trend, this was a “state”. Its interesting, but every year in Munich we can see what the companies think, what in their opinion is the most interesting source of the musical signal. During the first year it was the CD, then the SACD, then in the third and fourth year SACD and vinyl, last year it was almost absolutely the vinyl, and this year it is vinyl and… a hard disk. Not all of them think that this is a good development, for example Mr Yasu Ishizuka from Accuphase and Gerhard Hirt from Ayon Audio, gentlemen I conducted interviews with for Audio (interviews with people from Luxman, PSB, Prima Luna and Transrotor will be published as well) think, that such devices cannot be made, at least not now, that could be called hi-end. This is why they still invest lots of money in disc players – Ayon proposes its, most expensive to date, CD player CD-5 and a DAC based on it, called Skylla, and Accu improves its digital drive and SACD processing. Mr Hirt had also prepared an expensive turntable in his second company, Lumen White. A second thing calling attention, besides the sound sources, was the visible preference of loudspeaker manufacturers to one, specific kind of tweeters. It seems, that the quality of the treble is an issue, and one of importance to them. This is probably the reason a ribbon tweeter was implemented in most interesting loudspeakers, and in cases a classic tweeter was used, it was mostly the ring dome from Scan-Speak. There were other drivers, some of them very interesting and nice, but it could not go unnoticed, that a ribbon, or something other than a dome, like A.R.T. by A.D.A.M. or a similar speaker in the Elac or Burmester, a plasma tweeter in the Lansche Audio (very interesting loudspeakers!), are now the “hot” topic. I wonder how this will evolve. Because frankly speaking, I see some stagnation in the loudspeaker branch, as everybody would be just holding their positions. Some of the manufacturers just keep on improving what they are good at, and achieves remarkable results, but this is only polishing, and not a breakthrough. We will see what grew out of this next year. See you there! An interesting presentation based on Blumenhoffer Acoustics loudspeakers, with a tube placed before the tweeter, powered by monoblocks from the same company alternating with electronics from the Japanese Leben. As the source a player from the French Lector was utilized.
 Blumenhoffer Acoustics with a beautiful mechanical construction.
  A novelty from Japan – amplification from the company Musica with a tube input. Beautifully crafted.
 This comes also from Japan, s brilliant power amp from Leben
 Hi-end according to Marantz, with a new SA-11S2 player and Mordaunt-Short speakers.
 Tidal electronics – splendid construction and sound. Loudspeakers also made by this company using ceramic drivers.
 A very interesting presentation of Trigon electronics, including the Dialog preamplifier and Monolog power monoblocks, the turntable Amazon and Audio Physic Avanti IV loudspeakers. The latter were white…
 The insides of the Mark Levinson No 535 amplifier, dual-mono setup.
 Tube loudspeakers Cessaro Gamma I powered by the Greek, ultra-expensive amplifiers Life Audio Reference – 140W without a negative feedback loop coming from 833 tubes, at 150000USD.
 Life Audio Reference in full beauty. The 833 tube is also used by the expensive brand Wavac.
 And again the Cessaro loudspeakers, here supported by Basshorn subwoofers (this name sounds like Avantgarde Acoustic, doesn’t it?)
 A fantastic turntable, TW-Acustics Raven Black Night, with a copper platter and two motors.
 Brilliant – Blade Project KEF-a: those loudspeakers are not for sale, but with a cabinet made from carbon fiber and balsa.
 Blade Project cross-over, placed in a separate enclosure, also made from carbon fiber, utilizing very expensive polypropylene capacitors coming from brand companies. Cabling – Chord Signature Plus
 Loudspeakers with aluminum cabinet, being among the best I know – YG Acoustics z USA, designed by Mr Gonczarowski. The system is based on ASR amplifiers and top dCS source.
 Golden version of ASR Emmiter II named Exclusive. This means a power of 2 x 50 W at 4 Ω.
 Gryphon elegant and with class, as always.
 An unusual player from Progressive Audio, the CD2.
 Something from the Japanese Furutech – a power conditioner Quiescence 303E. With current and voltage indicators.
 Avantgarde Acoustic prepared some cosmetic changes, which, being small, incredibly increase the comfort of listening and improve the sound – small inserts in the subwoofers, new bases with large spikes and some more improvements hidden inside.
 The improved Avantgarde Acoustic Trio series, in a beautiful, burgundy color. In the middle six basshorns.
 Sonics by Gerhard Allegria in white veneer. Electronics: Aestetix amplifiers, CD player Pathos Endorphin and the turntable Spiral Groove. Wiring – Wireworld. Nice!
 Sonics by Gerhard Allegria has a splendid treble due to this ribbon tweeter. In the new version the vertical dispersion was limited.
 Vivid Audio V1 loudspeakers – front and back – accompanied by Luxman electronics
 This is absolute hi-end, G1 Giya from the South African Vivid Audio. The drivers were designed by the same person, who was responsible for those made for the original Bowers and Wilkins Nautilus.
 Extreme, composed of two modules MBL X-Treme (200 000 USD) powered by the company’s top electronics in white color.
 Absolute novelty, an integrated, hybrid, amplifier from Pathos. The name and price were yet unknown.
 Pathos system with Frontieres loudspeakers, hybrid monoblocks Adrenalin, preamplifier Synapse and CD player Endorphin.
 Hybrid loudspeakers from the company Purist, with an electrostatic panel operating in the mid-treble range and classic woofers, driven in bi-wiring by new monoblocks from the Czech company Kr Audio, named Kronzilla DX. The source was, among others, a hard disc player from Purist.
 One of most interesting presentations – incredibly expensive electronics Solution and new loudspeakers Maxx3 Wilson Audio.
 Elegant and perfectly crafted – the turntable Brinkman Oasis with direct-drive and a modified EMT cartridge
 An unusual meeting – the unit below is a hard disk player, and on top of it a complicated phono preamplifier JPA-66, where a different correction curve is programmed for every record label, both coming from EMT
 Something beautiful – an original EMT turntable for the 60-ties, used in studios and radio stations of that time, with expansion cards mounted below.
 The expansion cards.
 WLM system with the cheapest loudspeakers Stella utilizing LaScala technology
 The German specialist Lansche Audio, coming from Konstanz. The plasma tweeter Corona is a unique solution used in those speakers. On the photo the model no. 5. Electronics in a unique, triangular shape. Tables: Italian company Basso Continuo Audio Systems
 France and French magazines can brag about one of most renowned designers of tube loudspeakers, Jean Hiraga. His company, Hiraga Concept, proposes a complete audio system, with amplifiers and tube loudspeakers, equipped with coaxial drivers Altec-Leasing, among others. Photographed is the JH-MS15 Reference, with Fostex super-tweeters.
 Jean Hiraga gramophone preamplifier, with volume control and a possibility to choose one of three amplifying tubes: ECC86, ECC99 or WE437A. Battery powered..
 Zu Audio is a company, which started its commercial activity with cables. But soon it started the production of high efficiency loudspeakers with an unique construction. Here the Essence loudspeakers powered by the amplifier SQ-38u and SACD D-06 from Luxman.
 SQ-38 is one of the oldest amplifiers still in production. Its newest version will be introduced this year.
 A new turntable from Dr Feickert with a sandwich chassis – in the middle a high pressure pressed MDF, and on both sides stainless steel. The tonearm is from Jelco.
 TAD Reference loudspeakers with a system, which is a successor of the KEF Uni-Q having beryllium diaphragms.
 Esoteric system – the amplifier A-03 on the bottom and the SACD 03 on top. The turntable – Clearaudio Solution.
 This is a must for every audiophile – for its 20th anniversary Esoteric issues a series of six classical discs, mainly from Decca, on CD/SACD discs. Now this edition is repeated on vinyl. You must have it!
 Some hi-tech – D/A converters from Chord, the QBD76 with WiFi, based on proprietary conversion ICs with 32 bit resolution.
 Very interesting loudspeakers M5 from the American company Magico – an aluminum front and back, proprietary drivers utilizing nanotubes and the ring tweeter from Scan-Speak.
 The newest design of Audio Physic, Cardeas.
 The dream system of Gerhard Hirt, the owner of Ayon Audio and Lumen White: the turntable LW (new!) with a titanium platter and magnetic suspension, the CD-5 CD player (new!), preamplifier Polaris II and loudspeakers with tubes on midrange and treble..
 In the B&W room the yearly (almost) live performance. Allan Taylor from Stockfisch performed this year. A pity, that it was from half-playback.
 A new, inexpensive Transrotor turntable, the model Pinata Studio, made from the same materials as the Black Star, but with a cheaper Jelco tonearm.
 Mr. Raeke, the owner of Transrotor giving an interview.
 On the left the Editor in Chief of Hificritic.com and the journalist from Hi-Fi Choice, Paul Messenger, to the right Roy Hall, owner of Music Hall.
 Audio is created by strong personalities – on the photo Jean Marie Reynaud, known from extraordinary loudspeaker constructions.
 Beautiful – new topline Ultrasone, model Audition 8, headphones.
 Finally! New, top, Sennheiser headphones HD800, being the successors of the Orpheus, and not the HD650!
 Interesting – concept turntable Acoustic Solid, all ‘see through’ construction.
 Beautiful – the integrated amplifier from the Swedish company E&E Ingenjorsbyra composed from two identical modules. Output tubes – 300B. Price – 100000USD.
 Even more beautiful – the turntable Horo from Italy, dedicated to the piano Bill Evans with a bow-shaped tonearm. A piece of art.
 Another creation – the tonearm Reference Grandezza from the Swiss Da Vinci Audio, here in the DeLuxe version.
 A new product from Clearaudio, the turntable Concept. With the tonearm and MM cartridge it should cost below 1000 USD.
 Pavel Acoustic is a company best known in Japan. But it returns slowly to Europe. On the picture the model Electra
 Another brand known mostly in Japan, but this time, because it is Japanese: do MaiN with a display model of their reference amplifier B-1a.
 Gerhard Hirt, owner of Ayon Audio and Lumen White.
 The boss of Transrotora, Mr Heinz Rohrer.
 The new Editor in Chief of Hi-Fi Plus, Allan Sircom.
 This is not a Pro-Ject turntable, although it resembles the X-tension. And this not by coincidence – it was prepared for the company EAT (owned by Pro-Ject owner’s wife) by Pro-Ject. Interesting is the motor module, with two separate motors in one enclosure.
 A beautiful power amplifier from Audio Nautes (the parent company of Audionemesis) with a carbon fiber top cover and capacitors made to special order.
 Powerful, active A.D.A.M. loudspeakers with PS Audio electronics.
 Headphone amplifier from the Japanese TRI company.
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