Hifi Pig

Harman’s room at Munich High end was really rather special and Lin and I both enjoyed a prolonged listen to the new Mark Levinson № 536 Monaural Power Amplifier feeding a pair of JBL Everest loudspeakers. The sound is distinctly up-market as you would expect from this luxury brand.

The new amp delivers 400 Watts of power (into 8 ohms, 800 Watts into 4 ohms, employs discrete class AB amplifier topology with no integrated circuits in the signal path along with Class A voltage gain and driver stages. More »

High End Munich is a show of extremes, at one end you have manufacturers trying to make everything bigger and at the other those who are trying to compress things down into a more manageable size.

Nowhere is this more in evidence than in the field of loudspeakers so let’s take a look at some of those ‘Big ole Horns’ and more lifestyle friendly speakers.

Someone had to do it, didn’t they? So Realhorns did.

This was probably one of the most photographed exhibits at the show and begs the question ‘How did they get it in here?’ Answer: Carefully!

Avantgarde Acoustic could probably be subtitled ‘Lords of the Horn’ if that didn’t sound really quite rude. More »

Jo Sound

Joe from JoSound must be one of the nicest folks in audio at the moment and that’s saying something as we know LOADS of really nice people who make doing what we do such a pleasure.

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There is just so much to see and hear at Munich High End that in the end it all becomes a bit of a blur and so, rather than trying to cover absolutely every room and make a comment I wanted to pick out a few of the exhibitors at High End that stood out for me (In no particular order!) and some that have perhaps previously really impressed and this year didn’t quite do it for me.  Of course in the show environment nothing is going to be perfect and the rooms are far from perfect, though consistently better than the vast majority of rooms at shows in hotels.

Here’s part 1 of many…

Sound Galleries in Monaco.

This was in one of the little cabin affairs in one of the downstairs halls and you could have easily missed it. However, once you got inside you were presented with a nice pair of Avantgarde Duos paired with Audiopax electronics and Tellurium Q cables along with DACs from Antelope and Lampizator. I went back to this room a good few times, the last time one of the chaps in there extolling the virtues of Windows 10 over previous versions….it was better. Geoffrey from Sound Galleries should be commended on getting such natural and unforced sound in this space.

Also in the room was acoustic paneling from GIK in the UK.  2 X tri traps in each of the corners for the low end control. On the side walls 3 X 242’s to deal with the first reflection points and ensure that stereo imaging was maintained. On the back wall was thick bass trapping to help with the room modes and stop the back wall cancellations.

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This is another staple event that is always interesting to attend and judging by the ‘rammedness’ of the room every other journo in the world is in agreement. There wasn’t a seat in the house, other than right at the front oddly and so this is where we sat. As usual Gérard Chrétien gave us a warm, personal welcome and the event had been nicely organised by Steve Harris.

However, first up were Naim to tell us about what they have been up to. Needless to say everyone remembers last year’s launch of the gargantuan Naim Statement amp and pre of last year (who could forget such a statement of intent) but this year at High End Munich show their announcement was equally interesting, if not as overwhelmingly impressive!
In a nutshell the trickle down tech from the Statement will now go into the NAP 200DR, 250 DR, 300 DR and 500 DR with prices ranging from £1662.50 to £16250 and owners of the older versions will be able to upgrade with prices to be announced. The DR range will be available in June with the exception of the DR500 that will be available in August.

Steve Sells Naim’s Electronic Design Director

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One of the great things about High End Munich is the fact that is a meeting place and hub for the whole Hifi world.

People that you know from facebook suddenly appear in the flesh and before you know it that ‘meet in the beer garden at 12’ has become a gathering worthy of the United Nations!

This year it was particularly nice to meet so many of our American friends …loads of them had made the journey over to Europe for the show (I think they probably heard that we have better beer than they do!) and it was fantastic to catch up with them all…..in fact it was truly awesome! 

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“Why did the Hifi Journalists cross the road?”

After a really long Friday at High End Munich 2015, a weary gaggle of the world’s Hifi press gather across the road from the MOC to be whizzed en masse to Starnberg, a small town to the south of Munich, and the stunning My Sound Hifi showroom.

We are here as the guests of Wilson Audio, who want to introduce us to the latest in their line of instantly recognisable loudspeakers, Sabrina, who is officially having her European debut.

Although Sabrina is smaller than her big sisters such as Alexandria and Sasha, Wilson say that she shares a lot of the same characteristics, being simple, clean and articulate.  Dave Wilson goes as far as to say she is ‘a real sweetheart’. 

Walking into the MySound showroom is more like walking into a minimal but comfortable home.

It is beautiful, sleek and modern, just like Wilson’s loudspeakers. More »

So, you’re in a meeting where you are discussing the name of an all singing, all dancing new product that you plan to announce to the world’s press… at the world’s most prestigious audio event (High End Munich) and someone pipes up “Hey, I know what…let’s call it DAVE”.

Now it’s a very brave person that has the courage to do that in my book and an even braver company that goes along with this suggestion, but that’s exactly what British manufacturer Chord have gone and done. Hifi Pig were at this year’s Munich High End to witness the birth of DAVE. It was a crowded event and the liquid refreshments came in the form of a VERY excitable fizz named Hugo, in honour of the company’s HUGO DAC and headphone amp. As soon as they announced the name of this new DAC I couldn’t get the famous “DAVE’s not here” sketch from Cheech and Chong out of my head.

But Why DAVE I hear you ask!

DAVE is a DAC, digital preamp and headphone amplifier. that is being hand-made in Kent, UK. Chord say that DAVE is based around their proprietary FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) offering more than ten times the program capacity of its predecessor.  More »

It’s always an early one the Devialet press conference on the first day of High End Munich, but it’s always worth dragging your weary arse out of your comfy bed and making the effort to attend and this year was no exception. Now, we live in la Belle France and so we know that the “breakfast” the French provide will be a not unwelcome cup of coffee and a croissant or pain au chocolat and so we filled our faces at the hotel buffet and then made our way to the event…but then who can resist another tasty mouthful and a cuppa when it’s there…certainly not family Hifi Pig.

Many of the great and good had managed to make it including Alan Sircom, Jason from Stereophile and Stephen Rochlin and his wife Heather from Enjoy The Music (all whom were excellent company). I think the highlight of this year’s Munich High End for Lin was when the aforementioned Jason declared Lin “The best dressed press person he had ever encountered”…I think you have a friend for life there Jason.

Anyway, breakfast over we made our way to the terraces of the Devialet room and were treated to what this exciting and forward thinking French company had by way of innovation in store for us…and we were not disappointed! More »

There’s always a certain excitement in the run up to Munich High End and this year was no different in that respect. For weeks (months actually) Mrs Hifi Pig (Lin) has had the train and plane tickets booked and has managed to wind herself into a fever of anticipation. We did the journey a little differently this year and instead of getting to Paris and taking the “cattle class” overnight train to Munich we got to Paris and flew the rest of the journey.

The omens were good that this year would be a fabulous extravaganza of music and hifi when on the train to Charles De Gaulle a group of Spanish (or perhaps Italian) buskers got on and treated us to some great tunes.

Now, Terminal 1 at Charles De Gaulle is not the most salubrious of places and so please take note Mr Boss Of The Airport, a skanky sandwich that looks like it’s been sat in the display cabinet for the last millennium does not the weary traveler satisfy… we were forced to sate our hunger (OK thirst) with the regulatory buckets of tepid wine.

Not that this experience was all bad…I witnessed what must qualify as the most proficient and expert chat up of a young woman that I’ve ever seen. I’ll set the scene…body guard and heavily tattooed American rapper (I’m presuming here, but he was wearing “rap clothes” and a gold chain that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the front end of an ocean liner with an anchor on the end) walk into the lounge, body guard walks up to the bar/”refreshment” area and orders drinks and snacks. Whilst all this is happening our rapper friend (OK, he could have been a classical musician on the way to perform in Stuttgart, but I really don’t think so) makes a beeline for a stunning looking lady, mutters something to her and awaits her response which comes quickly as “I can’t speak, I have to fly now”. Undeterred our hero follows her to the seat she’s escaped to uttering “There’s no need to be afraid of me baby doll” ….then within perhaps twenty seconds they are exchanging telephone numbers, the gate opens and they board their flight to Stuttgart…I’d have loved to have known how that ended out. More »

Successor to the BBC’s old LS5/8 monitor loudspeaker, Harbeth’s new incarnation launched at the Munich High End has improvements on all fronts over the 1970s’ two-way and said to be a significant upgrade to the Monitor 40.1 model.

“The three-way Monitor 40 solved the inadequacies of that old BBC model, which attempted to force a 12-inch polypropylene bass unit to behave as a midrange as well.” says Harbeth’s Alan Shaw, “An idea doomed from the start; no wonder BBC engineers struggled with the LS5/8’s  weird sonic balance.”

The Harbeth design has now been upgraded to a new generation with a totally revised crossover and increased sensitivity.

“The M40.2 is more sensitive, more efficient, works with small amplifiers, has greater power handing, creates a more open and transparent sound – its three drive units are perfectly integrated and the whole experience even more engaging and, as always, sweet and clean”, adds Alan Shaw.

Therefore, the new model is as happy in both broadcast studios and home listening rooms, straight out of the carton. All this thanks to a ground-up redesign of the crossover network, using the latest software simulation tools and measuring systems. Production is due to begin shortly at Harbeth’s Sussex factory. The expected UK retail price will be around £12,000 for cherry veneer.

The new model is on display at the Harbeth stand in Munich (Hall 3, F12) where a new, bespoke range of Bavarian-designed and built stands will also be unveiled.

DigiBit is introducing today at Hi-End Munich two new products: wamp a wireless streamer and power amplifier and aria mc, a media centre. 

wamp

wamp is a computer audio device, and the first to market to combine such technologies as a wireless power amplifier and wireless media streamer. wamp seamlessly converts your preferred passive loudspeakers into active and wireless using a non-intrusive and unique solution.

wamp consists of a pair of mono block power amplifiers which use Class-D technology with volume control, each rated at 100W. Each is styled as a plinth, designed to act as a support for floor standing loudspeakers, thereby converting any loudspeaker in to an  active wireless hifi system. Using Airplay™ users can stream music up to 24bits-48KHz and up to 24bits-192KHz via Wi-Fi 802.11ac, for added convenience Bluetooth 4.0 support is also provided. wamp also supports wireless and wired LAN up to 24bits-192KHz and DSD as a DLNA renderer. A stereo 2 x 50W bookshelf wamp model will also be available for customers using shelf mounted loudspeakers.

To complete the feature list of wamp, it also comes with a built in 32bit- 384HKz and DSD64/128/256 compatible DAC.

wamp will be available in Q3 2015. Price to be announced later.

aria mc 

The new aria mc (media center) is the response to customer demand to introduce a low-cost yet powerful media centre with many of the attributes of the aria music server series. It has hi res support for PCM and DSD music, aria mc also incorporates support for High Definition video and pictures.

aria mc streams audio, video and pictures from the internet, PC, Mac, iOS and Android portable devices and smart phones as well as from any attached hard disk, NAS or other networked device.

It also has the ability to connect your preferred device to aria mc via Bluetooth™ 4.0, Airplay™ or DLNA™ to stream content in hi-res.

aria mc connects either to Blu-Ray players like OPPO™ via HDMI and USB (OPPO 105 DAC) to play audio and video in hi-res and HD, or to an A/V receiver via its HDMI input. aria mc comes with 2 LAN ports that facilitate the connection to your network and another device.

aria mc supports the latest audio formats in PCM (up to 32bits-384KHz) and DSD (64/128/256) both in stereo and multichannel.

aria mc includes 16GB SSD for the OS and its software, for your media library different versions are available from a diskless to 2TB, 4TB and 6TB HDDs.

The free apps for iPad™/iPhone™ and Android™ control aria mc with our acclaimed easy-to-use GUI, enabling you to listen to music via your aria mc without having to turn-on your TV. Additionally, the unique content streaming to iPad™/iPhone™ and Android™ devices feature allows you to enjoy your media library from any place at home. Last but not least, aria mc supports multi-room streaming to Airplay and DLNA compatible devices.

aria mc will be available in Q3 2015. Price to be announced later.

During High End 2015, Joseph Audio will show for the first time in Europe the new Joseph Prism loudspeakers. According to Jeff Joseph, the company’s President and Design Engineer, “The Prism is a compact monitor that thinks it’s a big speaker!”

The new Prism borrows several technologies from its famous “big brother” – The Pulsar. It combines a dual section dome tweeter that delivers “smooth and cleanly defined treble, along with a super duty woofer with incredible throw for deep powerful bass”.
“The Prism offers about 80% of the sound quality of the Class A ranked Pulsars at less than half the price. It’s an exciting addition to the Joseph Audio family not only in terms of performance, but in terms of value as well.”

The US Suggested Retail Price is $3699/pair.

Joseph Audio is in Halle 4 , Booth C 17.

Launching at the High End Show in Munich (14th – 17th May), the brand new R-Series 2000 from T+A, sees significant updates and new thinking behind one of the company’s most respected product lines. Designed from the ground up and utilising much of the technology developed for the company’s HV Series, the new R-Series promises exceptional sound quality in a diminutive package.

The new R-series is a brand new development, and for this reason, the models bear new type numbers: 2000 R for the low-profile cases and 2500 R for the taller models. At present, the series consists of the PA 2000 R Integrated Amplifier (£4,204.00), the large PA 2500 R Integrated Amplifier (£5,577.00), the MP 2000 R Multi-source player (£4,204.00) and the G 2000 R Turntable (3,432.00 (MM) and £4,719.00 (MC)). Further products are already in development, including the P 2000 R Pre Amplifier and A 2000 R Power Amplifier, which will be launched later in 2015.

PA 2000 R Integrated Amplifier – £4,204.00 inc VAT

The amplifier stands only 8.2 cm tall, the PA 2000 R features linear output stages with very low negative feedback and a new power supply. The result is that the PA 2000 R can deliver a continuous power of more than 180 Watts per channel into 4 Ohm loudspeakers.

Gas-tight gold-contact relays are employed to switch loudspeakers, inputs and internal signal circuits. Separate tone controls are present for each channel and they and the Loudness function can be by-passed completely. When used in a home cinema, the PS 2000 R can be set to Surround Pass Through mode, selected by a trigger signal.

The rear panel offers three balanced (XLR) inputs, three RCA inputs, a pre-amplifier output (RCA) and heavy-duty speaker terminals machined from ultra-pure non-magnetic brass. An optional audiophile phono pre-amplifier module for MM or MC can be fitted internally if required. A high-quality headphone socket is also fitted to the front panel – allowing for personal use when needed.

PA 2500 R Integrated Amplifier – £5,577.00 inc VAT

Twice the height of the PA 2500 R, the PA 2500 R integrated amplifier exceeds the specification of the PA 2000 R in many areas, but in terms of sound quality, it retains the same dynamism and cultured sound quality. Although the circuit board layouts are identical, the heat-sinks are twice the size and the case accommodates two new high-performance power supply units, with the result that it can deliver more than 260 Watts of continuous power per channel into 4 Ohm loudspeakers.

The PA 2500 R is also fitted with three balanced XLR inputs (of which one can be configured as Surround Pass Through), four RCA inputs, balanced XLR and single ended RCA pre-amplifier outputs and two pairs of loudspeaker outputs with heavy-duty terminals machined from ultra-pure non-magnetic brass with rhodium-plated contact surfaces. A high-quality headphone amplifier is also included with the 1/4 “ socket mounted on the front panel.

MP 2000 R DAC / Network Client – £4,204.00 inc. VAT

The MP 2000 R DAC / Network Client may appear to be a classic CD player at first glance but in fact delivers every digital music format available in the highest possible quality.

The onboard DAC converts PCM signals up to 384 kSps with the help of the quadruple converter – another in-house T+A development – and DSD files up to DSD 256. As well as housing a CD mechanism, the multi-source player also includes a digital tuner offering FM, FM-HD and DAB+ reproduction, a Bluetooth streaming module for receiving music from mobile devices, a streaming client with internet radio for connection to the home network via LAN and WLAN, USB Master Mode and HD streaming plus a digital connecting board with inputs for external sources (2 USB device modes and 4 HD-S/P-DIF).

G2000 R Turntable – £3,432.00 (MM) and £4,719.00 (MC)

T&A has introduced the G2000 R turntable into its new range. Developed from its predecessor, the G1260, further enhancements have been made, with the edition of a drive motor that is said to be completely consistent and smooth running along with improved damping to eradicate any mechanical sound. The G 2000 R comes fitted with a modified pressure-cast aluminium tone arm made by Rega and is fitted with the Ortofon 2M Bronze moving magnet system as standard. A High-End version featuring a Clearaudio Carbon-2 tone arm and MC-2 moving coil cartridge is also available. If required, T+A’s PH G10 phono pre-amplifier module can be fitted in to the turntable chassis itself.

All four models will be available in the UK from late June 2015

Danish company TP Tube are participating at this year’s High End fair in Munich.

They will be located in Hall 3, booth # J10 – where their classic series (TP160, TP300 and TP500), will be available. But their big focus will be on their TP200, the new one-point-speaker / Soundbar.

Estelon will have their flagship speaker “Extreme” on dem at this year’s Munich High End event. The speakers will be driven by Soulution amps.

The full system will comprise of:

Loudspeakers: Estelon Extreme

Monoamplifiers: Soulution 701

Preamplifier: Soulution 725

SACD player: Soulution 746

Cabling: Kubala Sosna Elation

Equipment Rack: Crytical Mass Systems

There will be demos and hourly presentations by Estelon designer Alfred and his daughter and business partner Alissa.

Booth: Atrium 4, F216