High End Vienna 2026 Report Part Two – Hall X4 World Of Headphones And More
OSCAR CHECKS OUT THE HIGH END VIENNA 2026 WORLD OF HEADPHONES AND MORE IN HALL X4
As our resident HeadFi expert, Oscar was sent to explore Hall X4 at the show, where he found the World Of Headphones and much more.
Oscar and Kelly bring you coverage of Hall X4 with HeadFi brands, and more. If you haven’t read our first High End Vienna 2026 Report, covering the bottom floor of the show, – 2, check it out here.
Please note, all content and photos are the copyright of HiFi PiG Magazine/Big Pig Media LLP and must not be copied or reproduced in any way without the prior, written consent of the editor.
FIIO
Fiio had a few new bits to show off, including a Class-A headphone amplifier, K15 headphones, JT9 headphones, and M25 DAP. The FT15 are impressive, with a clean, yet full sound that’s snappy and engaging. Their new full-size HiFi is excellent, impressive scale and overall fun sound.
IFI
iFi launched their new iDSD GR2 at the show, a lovely looking bit of kit sat alongside their other products including the NEO Stream 3, NEO iDSD 3, ZEN stack, iDSD Phantom, iCAN Phantom and a lot more. It’s great to see iFi still pushing forward in the portable market, whilst also fleshing out their desktop counterparts, there is something for everyone in their range and they all sound fantastic for their price points.
GUSTARD / CELAAUDIO
Gustard are well known in head-fi spaces, with some excellent DACs and streamers, they also had CelAudio products and Audalytic too. The smaller Audalytic DR70 + HP70 stack sounded great with the HiFiMAN HE1000 – smooth, yet powerful (the DAC uses an R2R architecture, whilst the headphone amp is pure Class-A).
AUNE
Lots of source kit, including DACs, Amps, Headphones, IEMs, and even active speakers.
The AR3000 are a new model, easily driven, with a clean and dynamic sound. There is punch where needed, and plenty of detail when called for. An easy, fatigue-free listen with enough all-round to make them easy to listen to for long listening sessions.
KINERA / YONGSE
Kinera is a brand I know well, they had a range of their IEMs on demo including the Martini which is a new-ish model. These use 1 DD / 4 BA and 1 BC driver and are limited to 499 pieces. The sound is rather lush, smooth, and full when called for. The BC driver gives a nice sense of bass tactility, with plenty of clarity and detail on top of this.
SOUNDAWARE
Soundaware make a range of both desktop and portable audio kit, including DACs, amps, streamers and more – with plenty on demo at the show.
SIVGA / SENDY
Sivga had their new SV021 Pro closed back headphones on demo, a rather full and organic sounding headphone, with a nicely presented midrange that comes across rather natural sounding. I also had a quick listen to their new Apollo Pro, an open-back planar model that are a little more neutral and detailed, with nice sub-bass presence and clarity across the board. They also had a huge range of their other models on demo, plenty to see and listen to here.
VIOLECTRIC
V281 is back baby! Original sound, now with pre-gain – this is a legendary amp and one that I reviewed in my “pre-PiG” days and fell in love with. It’s an epic bit of kit, and I am so glad to see it back in the European market.
AUDEZE
New LCD-5s, a warmer version of their LCD-5, this headphone has a little more substance now, and hits a bit harder with slightly softer treble. Whilst it may not appeal to people who loved the original, either way they’re a very technically proficient headphone.
MEGAAUDIO
Fostex TH-900 / TH-910, alongside lots of other models on demo, I listened to the TH-900, a slightly bass heavy, yet incredibly fun listen with an energetic sound.
RME
RME make studio kit, which also works very well for headphone users, with tons of settings and full PEQ. These are popular with headphone users who want a reference device, with the ability to then add some colouration via EQ should they wish.
FINAL
Final had a new model at the show, the DX10000, a full-size headphone with a diamond driver – we’ve seen diamond drivers in their A10000 earphones, and of course in a few full-size speakers, but this is likely a first in over-ear headphones. It works too, with a bit more meat on the bone when compared to the A10000, whilst still retaining superb detail retrieval and transient response. These are a rather special sounding headphone, and well worth a demo if you can.
LINSOUL
Linsoul have a huge array of brands under their umbrella, including ZiGaat, Thieaudio, KiwiEars and more. I recently reviewed their Halcyon, and this time at the show I had a listen to their Cypher headphones. These were released not too long ago, and are extremely light and comfortable on your head, they also sound great with a well-balanced sound signature that has enough of everything to sound both natural, as well as engaging. An easy listen, that’s neither bright, nor dark, and they never come across as peaky or fatiguing – a highly enjoyable headphone at a reasonable price.
I did also have to have a cheeky listen to the Thieaudio Valhalla, a 19-driver earphone – yeah these have it. A hugely energetic and complete sound from bottom to top, the midrange cuts through with impressive clarity, the bass does its thing with excellent texture and control, whilst the treble is crisp and well extended yet never bright. They have a sub-bass tilt, that is tastefully done and doesn’t dominate – a fun listening experience.
HIDIZS
Hidizs are another company I have great respect for, they are always innovating and bringing out great kit for affordable prices. This year they had a new single DD earphone called the MP145 PRO, I listened to the Titanium version which has excellent clarity due to the ultra-stiff driver. The treble is superb here, with an extremely crisp presentation, alongside natural mids, and punchy bass. The bass digs deep when called for, and these handle transients very well.
I also tried the MS10, out of their AP80 Ultra DAP, the MS10 have 10 drivers per side, 2 DD, 2 EST and 6 BA. This was a prototype however, the tuning was the final revision, and they are a little more fun compared to the above. Everything comes across a little more alive and vivid, deeper, fuller bass, still a natural sounding midrange, alongside crisp and well-extended treble. These are a fun listen, with bundles of energy.
HiFiMAN
HiFiMAN had their latest models on demo, including the new Svanar Wireless 2 TWS earphones, and the HE-6 Remastered. The HE-6 Remastered come with the new headband, yet retain the sound of the HE-6 V2, I am glad to report that the headband on these is better than the HE600, and has a longer comfort strap. I really enjoy the snappy, punchy, and powerful sound of the HE-6 on the right amp, and I am glad to see they have not changed that tuning.
MEZE
Arta – the new model from Meze, are a high-impedance planar magnetic headphone, and boy, do they sound good. They have all the traits I personally love in a headphone: speed, clarity, depth, punch, body, and glorious separation and detail. Meze have nailed it, I know they come with a steep price tag but, after listening to them they do hold their own against the competition and I hope to spend some more time with a pair in the future.
NOBLE
Noble Fokus Artemis are coming out soon, so I opted to have a listen to them. These are a bit of a move away from the typical Noble sound in some ways, they have a clearer, slightly more analytical sound that has good bass punch, and great clarity overall. I did find the ANC to be very effective in the hall, and they did a great job at supressing background noise. Across the board they are well controlled and very detailed for a Bluetooth model, impressive stuff.
Working my way down, I had a listen to the Fokus Apollo Pro, which is a bit fuller, and a little bassier. These are a warmer headphone, and would be a great daily companion to a noisy commute – they still manage to bring out plenty of detail, though, and don’t sound like your typical Bluetooth headphone.
It’s great to see Noble doing more in the full-size headphone space, and both models sound great, with different signatures for different use cases.
ASTELL & KERN
SP4000t tube DAP with integrated valve output stage using Raytheon JAN6418 vintage vacuum tubes – quite an interesting portable player. They also announced a new IEM called Clarus which features 9 drivers per side, some great looking kit from Astell & Kern as always.
WOD AUDIO
WOD distribute iFi, Dekoni, 64 Audio, Grell, and more! Plenty of kit to look at and demo on this stand.
ECOUTE
I saw Ecoute at CanJam London just after they released their first model, and here they had a new model called the TH-2 that will be released very soon. In my opinion, they are an improvement over the TH-1, with a more refined sound signature that has increased clarity and control, without taking away too much punch or energy. They are a full-sounding headphone, yet manage to control the bass and let the midrange shine through with fairly accurate tonality.
LOTOO
Lotoo had their Paw Gold 10th anniversary, Mjolnir, and Paw GT2. The new thing they were showing off is a power base for the Mjolnir, which includes a mains conditioner, alongside powering the device. Lotoo make pretty devices, that are also backed up by fantastic sound, the original Paw Gold was a brilliant DAP, and it’s always good to see Lotoo making new kit – they have a very refined sound that is both detailed, as well as natural.
ZÄHL
I’ve heard the HM1 on a few occasions and it is a fantastic headphone amplifier; they also had their studio equalizer hooked up in the system at this show. I had a play around with the equalizer, and it’s very nice to use, with a proper analogue feel and a lot of flexibility built in.
DAN CLARK AUDIO
Dan Clark unveiled their new Aeon Core headphones, a more affordable closed model in the Aeon lineup. I listened to these on the aforementioned Zähl HM1 amp, they have that signature Dan Clark Harman curve tuning with good transients and punch – from first listen they appear to be great value for money.
WARWICK ACOUSTICS
New wireless electrostatic headphones, this is a world first and they are due to be released sometime next year. Warwick have also just announced a collaboration with JLR, where their electrostatic drivers are used in some of the top Range Rover models – very cool stuff.
HEADPHONES.COM
A ton of brands represented in this area, including ZMF, Noble, Austrian Audio, Ferrum, and more!
FELIKS AUDIO
Feliks Audio had a prototype of their new EOS – an all-in-one speaker and headphone amp combo, outputting 8w into headphones. The screen can also show diagnostics, including temperature and total time on the valves. They also had their complete range of other amps at their booth, including the Euforia Evo, Echo Vibe, Envy, Envy Susvara Edition, Bliss and more (all on demo with a wide range of headphones).
SPIRIT TORINO
Spirit Torino are an Italian brand who make a wide range of headphones, with quite a few different sound signatures. They also had a prototype of their new Vermiglio earphones, the build of them isn’t quite final however the tuning is completed. I recall listening to their old earphone a while back, and they were quite up-front and bass heavy, these new ones have grown up a lot and come across more balanced sounding. There is still a healthy dose of bass energy and punch, this time, though, you get excellent midrange performance and a well extended, yet never bright treble presentation. This is an engaging earphone, with great tonality and are a joy to listen to.
MOONDROP
Moondrop had an array of new products including an electrostatic model of full-size headphones. I decided to test their Armature Art 24 though, a new 24BA driver earphone, with quite a clean sound. They have a fairly neutral to analytical sound that still has good engagement. The sub-bass digs deep, I do like the slightly forward midrange, and the treble is exceptionally transparent and detailed. This is a tuning I do quite enjoy, and these have great technicalities without lacking in musical enjoyment.
D&A
D&A make a range of electronics, including a DAC/Amp and CD Transport.
XDUOO
XDuoo also make a range of electronics, from DACs, to amps, to DAC/Amps and cute little robot valve DAC/Amps.
TRUTHEAR
Truthear make IEMs, with plenty to see and hear at the show.
DDHiFi
DDHiFi are an accessory company, they have also branched out and done some earphone models in collaboration with other companies. They had a few new cables at the show, alongside a range of their dongle DACs and more.
TANCHJIM
Lots of IEMs here, I decided to listen to Soda – a new model. This is another clearer sounding earphone, with a detailed and controlled sound that has good detail and snappy transients. The DD driver gives them nice punch, whilst the BA drivers allow for plenty of detail to shine through. They are not too clinical, and would make a very enjoyable daily-use earphone.
OBRAVO
Obravo had their usual array of AMT based headphones and earphones, they also had some AMT / Ribbon Bluetooth models which are coming soon.
QUESTYLE
Questyle had their usual range of DAC/Amps for headphones, more interesting though, were the new wireless streaming speakers – E5, and standalone streamer. The speakers use SEAS drivers, and sounded rather good in their little demo space, both the streamer and the speakers have the usual connections you would expect and the market seems to be moving towards more active speakers.
TOPPING
Topping had loads on display and demo, including an upcoming phono stage, desktop speakers, small DAC/amp, and their other series including the E, D, and DX products.
ERZETICH
Erzetich are quite an interesting company, they had the Pan on demo – a new dual DD driver closed-back headphone. It’s a very fun sounding headphone with tons of controlled and dynamic bass, with clear details too. This is a headphone tuned for fun, and the EDM track playing whilst listening to them was great fun through these.
VIVA
Lovely big valve amps as usual from Viva, with excellent sound quality too – although I’m not sure I’d be able to find space to fit such a large amp in my current setup.
BQEYZ
Plenty of IEMs here from BQEYZ.
AUDIOBYTE
AudioByte had a range of their electronics on demo, lovely looking bits of kit.
ATB AUDIO
This brand was at Munich last year with a prototype of their ArcTec AB 92 headphones, this year the model is finished and they are certainly worth the wait. This is a planar headphone and they have excellent drive, punch, clarity, and detail. The sub-bass has real power, the mid-bass hits hard, along with great overall tonality and control. A very well-tuned planar headphone that can keep up with complex mixes too.
RAAL 1995
New Magna Evo 1 headphones, these have some similar traits to the Immanis, yet add a little more body to the sound, with an increased sense of punch and energy. The Immanis are the clarity kings, and can be quite revealing, the Magna Evo 1 on the other hand is a bit easier to simply kick back and listen to. I quite like this new model, they are a little more versatile, whilst remaining snappy and detailed.
PALMA
Palma make some intriguing headphones with a rotatable outer faceplate, allowing you to change them between open and closed-back modes.
AUDMA
Here you had the two main models from Audma, their desktop DAC/amp the HPA1 with tuneable cross-feed, stage and more. They also had their newer portable model, the PHPA1 which has many of the same features – allowing you to fine tune the sound of your headphones. This stuff works well, and having tested it a few times, it can make your headphones sound a lot more natural.
GAMING ZONE
The gaming zone had a range of kit for enjoyment at home, be it listening to audio, watching a movie, or gaming as the name of this zone suggests.
Then we had some HiFi rather than HeadFi brands, with some really interesting new gear and launches.
VICOUSTIC
Acoustic panels from Portugal.
GRIMM
New PA1 mono-block amps driving prototype LS-2 passive speakers, paired with MU2 streamer, PH1 phono stage, and Dr Feickert Volare 25 turntable. Punchy sound, well controlled, and snappy transients, the new amps sounding very composed and powerful.
KACSA BUDAPEST
Plenty of cables here.
Oscar-Vienna-Hall-X4- (632) > (635)
YPSILON / TECHDAS
This system had a TechDas Air Force One Premium turntable, Ypsilon Orion power amp, Phaethon pre-amp, and Kaiser Kawero Minal speakers.
CANVAS L
This company are making very lifestyle friendly soundbars, with real audio behind them – good sound from the short demo I had in the room.
AUDIONEC / FEZZ / LAMPIZATOR
In here you could find the AudioNec EVO 2 speakers paired with Fezz Supernova Magnetar power amps, brand-new LampizatOr GulfStream server which features valves on all the digital outputs, Fezz Magnetar pre-amp, LampizatOr Kraftwerk 10 power station, and LampizatOr Horizon DAC.
BRYSTON
Bryston had a static display of their models at a booth.
NOVAUDIO
A static display of some Novaudio speakers at this stand.
Stay tuned for the next report from HiFi PiG at High End Vienna 2026, coming soon!
Please note, all content and photos are the copyright of HiFi PiG Magazine/Big Pig Media LLP and must not be copied or reproduced in any way without the prior, written consent of the editor.
Oscar Stewart
Additional photography by Kelly Bowden
