Hello, SECRETS readers! We are excited to inform you that Munich High-End 2024 will take place from May 9th to 12th at Munich’s giant MOC Convention Center. This show has long been recognized as the largest and probably most important on the audio calendar, and with over 600 exhibitors representing over 900 individual brands, it will be a beast to cover.
Secrets Editor-In-Chief, Carlo Lo Raso will be our man on the scene bringing you regular coverage, posted on this page and our social media channels, both during and after the show. Several brands will be using Munich High-End to announce major product launches, and we’ll be doing our very best to bring them to you! One of the fun things about Munich High-end is that, while we will certainly see familiar brands and products on display, we will no doubt be bringing coverage of some more unfamiliar, and unusual brands along with just some downright surprises that we will surely uncover. Oftentimes products that we see at this show, that don’t yet have a presence in the US market, find one after showing here. So, in that sense, Munich High-End serves as kind of a “sneak peek” at gear that might eventually find its way to us on this side of the pond.
Like last year, we want to mention that our Munich High-End 2024 coverage has been made possible through the support of our friends at Fidelity Imports. Fidelity Imports is the US distributor for several superb audio brands including Perlisten, Unison Research, Opera Loudspeakers, Goldnote, Audia Flight, Michell Audio, Soulnote, Acoustic Energy, Diptyque Audio, and more. We are grateful for their sponsorship to help us bring you the high-quality show coverage that SECRETS is known for.
So friends, keep an eye on this page along with our Instagram, and our Facebook feeds as we start filling you in on the awesomeness that is Munich High-End 2024!
Note that all prices, unless otherwise noted, are in USD.
And so it begins! The sheer craziness of Munich High-End starts now!
Technics
One of the earliest events of the show’s first day was an unveiling of a new partnership between none other than Technics and Automobili Lamborghini. You read that right, the Japanese masters of the iconic Direct Drive SL1200 series of turntables, hooked up with the original Italian raging bull and the offspring is the new SL-1200M7B. A version of the SL-1200 MK7 that has been emblazoned with a variety of modern Lamborghini automotive design cues, colors, logos, and carbon fiber accents. While you see the bright orange accented table in the photos there is also a complimentary Lamborghini yellow, and green version to choose from too. A most interesting and unexpected pairing to be sure. Frank Balzuweit from Technics Europe, who did the product reveal, and Bill Voss from Technics USA model the new table for us.
TAD Labs
Stopping in to visit our friends at TAD, they had the brand new C700 preamp, along with a D700 SACD player/ DAC with a pair of M700 monoblock amps, which was expected. What was not expected was the new Limited Edition (25 pairs) of R1TX LTD Reference Loudspeakers. Besides the obvious, and beautiful, blue/olive colored finish, these speakers have a new and thicker multilayered isolation base mated with a refined bottom-firing tuned port. This, along with machined multi-layered isolation feet, works to give these R1TX a more powerful and controlled bass extension. Who knew that was even possible or needed with these bad boys! But my goodness did these speakers sound excellent! Superbly musical and yes, the bass was killer! And by the way, the really cool, organic-looking acoustic treatments in TAD’s demo room are courtesy of Polish company Protone.
TAD’s Kazuto Okura, TAD CEO Shinji Tarutani, and TAD German Rep Ingemar Hagblom were all decidedly pleased with the results.
Sonus faber
Sonus faber had a few big things happening at Munich High-End 2024. One of which was the reveal of the new Sonus faber Sonetto G2 series. Electroacoustic Engineer Florian Marmisse gave me the complete details of what went into the all-new loudspeaker series.
Ares Cerat
This ginormous Ares Cerat Contendo II speaker system with Erevus Basshorn was just plain bonkers! Both a gorgeous and outrageous million-dollar system, although I will say that from some angles, the speaker’s shape is vaguely reminiscent of a balloon animal. Don’t know that the final sound in that room was all it was cracked up to be (the rooms in Munich can be notoriously difficult for good sound) but for sheer eye candy, it was off the charts!
Perlisten/Trinnov
DALI
SVS
Peak Consult
Gold Note
Vivid Audio/Mola Mola
I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting when I came to listen to and experience the Vivid Audio Moya M1. The press materials had me expecting that these would be some giant, all-conquering edifice that would completely dwarf everything. In reality, the Moya M1 was less imposing than expected, and yet its design and implementation was like nothing I’ve ever seen. I liken it to Sigourney Weaver seeing the Alien Queen for the first time in the movie ALIENS. Mated to an array of equipment from Mola Mola, and taking the technology from the Giya G1 to the next level, the Moya M1 essentially manhandled the pop-up room they were installed in. They were capable of handling everything, musically, that they were tasked with. I hope that someday I can hear these speakers again in a larger room to get a better appreciation of their capabilities because I feel like this go around I only got a tiny glimpse. It’s more than apparent that Lawrence Dickie and his team are proud of these speakers and they most certainly have every right to be. They make one hell of a statement.
Cyrus Audio
Pro-Ject Audio Systems
Q-Acoustics
AVM
Linkwitz Holographic Sound
Kii Audio
Gryphon Audio Designs
Audiovector
Innuos
While showing static displays of their Pulse and Zen-based offerings, they also were running a demo that was switching between their Statement Server and Zenith Server to see if anyone could hear a difference. The system in use had gear from Gryphon Audio Designs and Nagra, along with power treatment and supply by Stromtank. The speakers were a stunning all-black pair of Kroma Atelier Irya from Spain. If you press me, I “thought” I heard a little more meat in the music with the Statement server in play over the Zenith. Whether that would hold up in a double-blind test, I don’t know. Regardless though, I would be quite happy with either solution in my system.
Alare/Audia Flight
ELAC
ELAC had their typical large footprint at Munich High End with a full array of all their products on display. The big news from the company though was the release of the third generation of their affordable Debut line, the Debut 3. The line consists of 2 towers, 2 bookshelves, 2 center channels, and an on-wall/elevation speaker. We will be looking forward to reviewing this very popular series of speakers when they officially hit the market. US pricing is TBD with availability around Q4 of this year. Also snuck a listen to the beautiful white Concentro speakers that were being demonstrated. A lovely sound and some kick-ass bass were coming from those elegantly shaped speakers.
MoFi Electronics
Metaxas & Sins
NAGRA
ZenSati/Brodmann
Marten
Monitor Audio/Vitus Audio
Monitor Audio brought their top-of-the-line clothespins…. I mean Hyphn loudspeakers to Munich and they were mated to top-shelf control and amplification from Vitus Audio. As striking as this pairing looked to the eye, unfortunately, the ear was not as impressed. I’ve heard these speakers a couple of times before and they are capable of much better sound than this room was permitting here. A bit of a letdown.
Wilson Benesch
YG Acoustics
Soulnote/YG Acoustics
ESD Acoustic
IsoAcoustics
ARCAM
FOCAL
Unison Research/Opera Loudspeaker
Next, Opera was showing a new entry-level line of loudspeakers that is premiering with two models. First is the Prima two-way bookshelf loudspeaker and next is the three-way Quinta floor-standing loudspeaker. Both models are still completely handmade in Italy using high-quality, locally sourced components and the only real cost-saving measure I could detect was the use of vinyl wrap instead of real wood or veneer. US pricing and availability are TBD.
STAX
It was an absolute blast catching up with Audrey Felix and Douglas Ip from STAX. They are just downright lovely people and they had some exciting news to share. Launching at the Munich show was the new STAX SRS-X1000, a compact turnkey introduction into the world of electrostatic headphones. A “My First STAX” if you will. But make no mistake, these are not toys. The SRS-X1000 starter set combines the brand-new SR-X1 headset with the SRM-270S amplifier in a streamlined affordable package targeted at $1K in the US. Could this set possibly sound worthy of the name at this price point? Only one way to find out. It was at the end of the show on Saturday so things had quieted down significantly, and we were in a closed-off small meeting room which helped with distractions. The earspeakers were light and comfortable with nice soft sheepskin earpads. They have a standard STAX connector on the end so no proprietary connections to be saddled with. The amp is simple and straightforward with a paralleled signal bypass so it can be easily integrated into a stereo system. And then the sound….O.M.G! When I was a teenager looking at STAX Lambda rigs at the HiFi shop and thinking they were far out of reach, I so wish that this had existed back then! These sound a lot like my Lambda SR-L700, so much fun, and they have bass! Not ridiculous amounts but it’s there and very solid. I just started to giggle uncontrollably. I REALLY like these and only some more time and a more thorough review will tell but, I think STAX has a barn burner of a product on its hands!
HIFIMAN
It is always a pleasure dropping in on HIFIMAN at any show because one never quite knows what they may be up to. And at Munich, they were up to quite a lot. First I presented Dr. Fang Bian with our 2023 Best Closed-Back Headphone award for the HIFIMAN Sundara Closed Back. Next, I got to listen to a production sample of the new Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic headphones and matching amplifier. Taking some design cues from some of the latest company products, the Mini Shangri-La seems like an easy and approachable way to get into the sound of electrostatic headphones. The sound quality is typical of a number of HIFIMAN headphones with an airy, extended sound.
Ferrum Audio/Clarus Cable
I always like checking in on our Polish friends at Ferrum Audio. They had a seriously packed booth every time I passed by. And a stack of their Hypsos power supply, Oor head-amp, and Wandla DAC still makes for one of the best and most flexible headphone listening rigs out there. Ferrum was sharing a booth with Clarus Cable which had examples of their Crimson Mk II cable on display.
ViVA Audio
I was pleased to drop in to see Giampietro and Amedeo Schembri of ViVA Audio and present them with a 2023 Thumbs Up award for the Egoista STX electrostatic headphone amplifier. Also in attendance was US distributor Ozan Turan of High End by Oz.
While at the booth, I snuck a listen to a new dual chassis, dynamic and electrostatic headphone amplifier prototype based on 845 tubes. With it’s sharper lines and massive proportions it easily drove the HIFIMAN Susvara headphones that I had hooked up. Very smooth and liquid sound with excellent bass slam when called for. No info on pricing or availability yet, but keep your eyes peeled for this one!
Matrix Audio
Chinese manufacturer Matrix Audio has developed a reputation over the years for its high-quality yet reasonably priced DACs and streaming components. Here at Munich, the company surprised with a decidedly more upmarket approach with a new series of separates. Beginning with the MS-1 Streamer ($9599.00), then the MP-1 Analog Preamplifier ($6699.00), and finally the MA-1 Stereo power amplifier ($7,999.00). The MS-1, besides being a streamer, can act as a preamp with a couple of analog inputs and an MM and MC phono input too. It converts all incoming analog signals to digital for processing and can digitally output them as well. For its analog outputs, it goes the extra mile with a reed relay-based precision analog volume control.
The MP-1 is a completely analog statement piece with multiple analog outputs that can be independently level-adjusted. A fully balanced design, again with a precision reed relay volume control system for optimal channel matching.
The MA-1 is a Class AB power amp rated at 250 watts per channel into 8 ohms, which will almost double that figure into 4 ohms. When mated here with the Fink Team Borg Episode 2 speakers the sound was dazzling, and about as transparent as one could want.
Silent Pound
Another pleasant surprise at the show was found off-site from Lithuanian speaker manufacturer Silent Pound. This unique design called the Challenger II featured an MTM driver array that disperses sound in a cardioid pattern while the bass section was completely open baffle in execution. Using a fully passive crossover design with no DSP, the Challenger II threw an enormous and enveloping image yet seemingly without sacrificing midrange and treble details. Imaging was, in fact, very specific with instruments and vocalists being precisely placed in space. And being true to the Pound in the company name, the bass did just that, it pounded. Hard. The company is currently seeking US distribution and if they find some, they were estimating a pair of Challenger II to cost in the $25K to $30K ballpark for a pair. I hope they find it. These speakers sounded too crazy good not to share!
Orchestalls
I love seeing unique and unconventional designs in HiFi and Orchestalls loudspeakers certainly qualify here. With their speaker’s individually isolated and adjustable driver enclosures, it makes for a system that can be acoustically tuned, to some degree, for your listening position. Listening to the larger of the two models on demo, I have to say that they rendered the classical music pieces that were played with great detail and scale. I didn’t get a chance to try them with other types of music though, and I would have been curious to have heard how they fared. Very neat concept!
HiFiROSE
HiFiROSE is on a roll with its interesting product offerings and unique design language. New at Munich the company was showing off new RD160 DAC with its block diagram style display and the RA280 integrated amplifier with Class D GaN-FET amplification. The display unit’s casework looked and felt gorgeous as did the actions of the controls. No US pricing or timing was given, unfortunately.
Diptyque/Kora High Fidelity
Diptyque and Kora High Fidelity were sharing a room in Munich. Diptyque had much of their product line at the show and during my visit, the DP160 MK II planar speakers were in play. They were sourced, controlled, and powered by a full suite of Kora High Fidelity electronics. The sound was excellent for a show. Spacious yet detailed with no lack of drive in the bass regions. Very much what I expected from Diptyque and I could have sat for a lot longer and just wiled away the hours. It was also excellent to catch up with Eric and Giles from Diptyque.
Meze Audio
Winding my way into some headphones, Meze had a standout display at the show with a couple of notable products on hand. First was a new pair of open-back cans called the 105 AER. This stealthy black set of headphones shares some design cues from the 109 PRO but is essentially a different beast altogether. Tuned with a more neutral-sounding presentation, I found them to be an engaging first listen and would like to spend some more time with them.
The next was a new affordable in-ear monitor called the Alba. Designed as a “gateway drug” to the Meze brand, the Alba is said to also be tuned with a generally neutral sound signature, but with a touch of warmth. The Alba also comes with a USB-C dongle DAC/headphone adapter allowing these little pearl-colored IEMs to be used with any USB-C-enabled smartphone. Prices for both products are TBD.
Feliks Audio
Dropped in to see Feliks Audio at the Munich show and presented them with our 2023 Best Headphone Amplifier award for the Feliks Audio Envy 300B. Congrats!
Erzetich Audio
Slovenian manufacturer Erzetich Audio had some unique-looking and great-sounding headphone gear at the show. Case in point, the Charybdis planar magnetic headphones. For a starkly industrial/brutalist-looking design, the headphones felt surprisingly light, were extremely comfortable, and had an appealing balance to their sound quality. They were driven very well by both the FiiO M23 review sample that has been traveling with me (balanced connection) and Erzetich’s own Scylla and Deimos desktop headphone amplifiers. Both are dual mono Class-A designs (the Scylla is completely balanced) and have killer aesthetics. Currently looking for US distribution.
Dan Clark Audio
Stopped in to say Hi to Andy Reagan and the gang at Dan Clark Audio. Any chance to get a listen to the recently released Dan Clark E3 headphones is an opportunity not to be missed. The mid-line closed-back model slotted between the high-end Stealth and the more affordable Aeon 2 Noire has some of the best qualities of both. MSRP is just shy of $2K for a pair.
AV RoomService Ltd.
Norm Varney Head of AV RoomService had a booth at the show, but he spent much of his time consulting with potential customers and running back and forth to other company’s display rooms delivering and setting up samples of his acoustic and isolation products to use in their displays. Here he is speaking with Canadian vocalist Anne Bisson and her manager (and husband) Daniel Jacques about the importance of acoustics in both recording and performance spaces. And in the video below, Norm walks me through some of the isolation and acoustic treatment products he was featuring at the show.
Nagaoka
When it comes to phono cartridges, Nagaoka is a brand that has existed since 1940, starting in the watch and clock parts business and adapting to phono parts in 1947. They have continued to adapt and grow into other areas over the years but they have never stopped making phono cartridges. The company had a large presence in Munich and they were marking the release of two new Mono phono cartridges, the MP-Mono 0.7 and the MP-Mono 1.0. Recognizing that mono records, especially older ones, can have specific playback needs, Nagaoka designed purpose-made cartridges with elliptical styli to better match the cutting lathes of the day. The version with the 0.7 mil stylus is better suited for mono records from the mid-1950s onward, whereas the 1.0 mil stylus better fits the grooves of mono vinyl cut from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. It was also a distinct pleasure to meet Kae Nagaoka, the current President of the company that carries her family’s name and tradition.