Budapest Audio Expo 2026 Report

October 21, 2026

JON HEADS TO HUNGARY FOR THE FABULOUS BUDAPEST AUDIO EXPO 2026

Budapest Audio Expo 2026 Report
hungary hifi show 2026
budapest hifi show 2026

October is a very busy month for HiFi Shows, especially in Europe, with HiFi PiG attending several shows and events, including, for the first time, the Budapest Audio Expo 2026.

Nestled between the Dutch Audio Event 2026 and the upcoming Audio Video Show Warsaw 2026, the next stop on the HiFi PiG autumn tour of European shows was Hungary, for the Budapest Audio Expo 2026, held over the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October.

Join Jon Lumb as he explores this very interesting show, which he found had an international reach, whilst still retaining a local flavour.

BUDAPEST AUDIO EXPO 2026 REPORT

The venue for the Budapest Audio Expo 2026 was the D50 Hotel és Rendezvényközpont on Damjanich utca, in the city’s seventh district. It’s a curious building to navigate: a grand old street frontage, a long timber-clad passageway through to a planted courtyard, and then the hotel itself spread across a main block and side wing, with exhibitors on everything from the basement to the sixth floor. Like any hotel hosting over 40 exhibitors, it pays to grab the show guide with its floor plan, but there were also plenty of posters up detailing who was exhibiting where.

It was clear well before opening time that there was plenty of local appetite for the show, with a sizeable queue already snaking along the pavement outside by ten to ten on the Saturday morning. Many thanks to Angéla Zeke and the rest of the organising team, who were unfailingly helpful all weekend. HiFi PiG was one of the show’s media partners this year, alongside a whole host of Hungarian audio and music titles.

One thing that struck me straight away was just how much of the Hungarian hifi industry was on display. Alongside the international big hitters, there were a lot of homegrown manufacturers here (Gauss, Core Audio, Parabox, NCS and Qualiton among them), and a busy programme of talks, record signings and even live music sessions running alongside the demonstrations. Without further ado, let’s get on with the rooms.

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Angéla Zeke, Budapest Audio Expo Organiser

FIFTH FLOOR

504: EXTREME AUDIO

The brand-new eighth generation of Monitor Audio’s Silver series had pride of place here, with both the Silver 300 floorstanders and the Silver 100 standmounts set up for demonstration. The 300s are a three-way design, featuring the gold-coloured C-CAM dome tweeter and a pair of 6″ C-CAM bass drivers, and were being driven by Onkyo’s Icon P-80 network preamp and M-80 power amp. The M-80 is a dual-mono Class AB design, good for 130W per channel into 8 Ohms, and it has a pair of big, backlit power meters on the front. Love that. Everything was connected to an IsoTek V5 Aquarius for power conditioning.

The Silver 100s were paired with Onkyo’s far more compact MUSE Y-50 streaming integrated amplifier, although that system wasn’t playing while I was in the room.

There was a really good sound in this room with minimal acoustic treatment required, which is always a good sign. As a package, it’s also pretty keenly priced by high-end show standards.

503: EXTREME AUDIO

Next door, Extreme Audio had brought the complete current range of Klipsch’s active standmounts: The Fives II, The Sevens II, and The Nines II, all lined up on stands in both walnut and the rather fetching white finish. These all-in-one designs take their styling cues from Klipsch’s Heritage loudspeakers, with the Tractrix horn front and centre, but pack in Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth and HDMI eARC.

505: NATURAL DISTORTION

Natural Distortion’s headline product is an analogue DSD DAC. As the banner by the door proudly declares, there’s no DAC chip and no FPGA involved, which is a genuinely unusual approach. Both the DAC and its partnering digital amplifier come in compact, walnut-clad cases that look rather lovely sitting on a simple white table with a laptop serving up the music.

The loudspeakers were full-range electrostatics in a striking red-and-black frame, designed by Otto Popori, formerly the loudspeaker designer at Prodigio Audio. It’s a very minimal set of boxes for a system of this ambition, and it makes for a refreshingly uncluttered room. All the products here are at the prototype stage and don’t have final pricing yet; it will be interesting to see what they end up retailing at.

If you are heading to the Audio Video Show Warsaw 2026 later this week, the brands are exhibiting there too, make sure to check them out.

507: PR AUDIO / TEP / TMP

The source here was the Kronos Sparta, with its distinctive counter-rotating twin-platter arrangement, which makes for an imposing centrepiece on any rack. The electronics all came from TEP: a prototype of their network streamer, The Streamer, the Iris DAC, the Anubis phono stage, and the Elior Mk2 integrated amplifier. TEP also make an extensive range of cables, from power cords to interconnects, all the way to their own mains isolation transformer, and the room was fully wired with them.

The loudspeakers here were also brand new: prototype floorstanders from Nova, with no model name assigned just yet. They were being offered at a pre-order price of 2,500,000 HUF, and the textured, copper-red cabinet finish is certainly distinctive. The circular-perforated timber acoustic panels dotted around the room made for a nicely coordinated look as well.

508: DREAM AUDIO COMPONENTS

Dream Audio Components had a number of rooms around the show, and this one featured a complete ADMD Audio system, the Syntra, comprising their Line DAC and a pair of active standmounts. The only non-ADMD component was a WiiM Ultra being used as the streamer.

This was a really engaging and punchy sound from the chunky standmounts. The DAC is particularly interesting: around the back, there’s a filter selector that lets you switch between “Flat” and “Vintage” voicings, and on the front, ADMD offer a whole variety of interchangeable fascias, from plain black or silver through to a marbled white-and-gold finish. That’s quite an unusual thing to see on a DAC, and it means you can choose something that suits your room rather than just accepting whatever finish the manufacturer chose.

506: 3345.HU

3345 is a specialist analogue retailer, and their room was a treasure trove for vinyl lovers, with lit display cabinets packed full of cartridges from Sumiko, Ortofon, Goldring, Denon, Audio-Technica and more. The system being demonstrated was a very affordable analogue setup based around an Audio-Technica AT-LP7X turntable with a Nagaoka MP300 cartridge, feeding a Pro-Ject Phono Box RS, and then the Triangle AIO Twin active speakers. All four were being offered at show prices, with the whole lot coming to a little over a million Forints, and I can think of far worse ways for someone to get into vinyl.

Also on static display were turntables from Origin Live and Soulines, along with tonearms and headshells from Korf. Their new HS-A03 ceramic headshell is billed as the world’s only fully ceramic headshell, and is a single seamless ceramic casting, apparently as rigid as steel at less than half the weight. Their tonearm range utilises both ceramic and sapphire for the main “arm” section. Alexey Kornienkov from Korf was also giving a talk in the lobby on Saturday afternoon on why tonearms matter, and the 3345 room itself hosted a programme of talks, record signings and analogue “bring your own record” jam sessions across both days.

SIXTH FLOOR

601: ART OF SOUND HUNGARY

Art of Sound had more of a showroom approach, with a wide range of kit on static display and price cards for everything. Electronics included Anthem’s STR Integrated and MRX 540 8K AV receiver, the Primare I35 Prisma MK2 and SPA25 Prisma, and a selection of Cambridge Audio, including the EXA100 and EXN100. Speakers included KEF’s Reference 1 Meta, R3 Meta, the new LS Luxe, and the KC62 subwoofer, along with a pair of Cambridge Audio’s L/R X standmounts.

When I was in the room, it was the KEF Reference 1 Meta doing the playing (helpfully identified by an “Ez szól jelenleg”, or “now playing”, sign in front of them), with the Anthem STR Integrated doing the driving.

603: 72 AUDIO

72 Audio makes MC step-up transformers, art-design tonearms in 12″ and 14″ lengths, phono stages and power amplifiers, and the room was a real analogue enthusiast’s playground. There were two turntables on the go, including a vintage Micro Seiki RX-1500, with 72 Audio’s step-up transformers and phono electronics tucked in on the lower shelves. A wood-cheeked valve amplifier with a quartet of big output valves provided the amplification, and the speakers were a pair of Dynaudio standmounts.

602: DREAM AUDIO COMPONENTS / HANGTÉR GALÉRIA

This was a shared room between Dream Audio Components and Hangtér Galéria, and featured an Electrocompaniet ECI 6DX streaming integrated amplifier with a Rega Planar 10 turntable, driving Dynaudio loudspeakers. The room was bathed in some very atmospheric blue lighting, which I’ll admit made taking photographs something of a challenge! On the Sunday afternoon, it also hosted Tamás Bogyó of Soul Session presenting a selection of soul and funk records from his collection.

605: LIMAR AUDIO

Limar Audio are celebrating 33 years in the high-end business this year, and had three rooms across the show. This one centred around the SME Model 8 turntable, feeding into an Aesthetix Mimas integrated amplifier, with a Lumin network player providing the digital side of things. Loudspeakers were from Paradigm’s Premier Series V2 range, and everything sat on Solid Tech racks.

606: CORE AUDIO / GAUSS AUDIO / SOUNDMANIA

A shared room between three Hungarian companies. Core Audio provided the digital front end in the form of their Keiro Premium Streaming Transport and Denpo Premium DAC. Gauss Audio handled amplification with their Pretorian preamp and Neuron power amplifier, and SoundMania, who distribute Spendor in Hungary, supplied a pair of Spendor Classic 100s on open-frame stands. Tara Labs supplied the cabling, and a number of Entreq grounding boxes dotted the floor, too.

604: EXTREME AUDIO

Extreme Audio’s larger room featured the Vitus Audio Signature SCD-025 MkII CD player and SIA-025 MkII integrated amplifier, driving a pair of Monitor Audio Platinum 300 3G floorstanders. The SIA-025 is an interesting amp in that you can switch it between Class A operation (around 25W into 8 Ohms) and Class AB (around 150W). Streaming came courtesy of a NAD M66, and the room was wired with AudioQuest throughout.

FOURTH FLOOR

401: LIMAR AUDIO

This was a big system, starting with the SME Model 35 turntable, into a massive set of Soulution electronics: the 550 phono stage, 727 preamp, and a pair of 701 monoblocks. These were driving a set of MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A hybrid electrostatics. Digital duties were handled by a Lumin X2 network player and Lumin L2 music server/network switch, cabling was Crystal Cable’s Art and Ultra2 Diamond series, and once again, everything sat on Solid Tech racks.

402: ABSOLUTE SOUND

Absolute Sound labelled this as their “entry-level high-end reference” system, which is a fun way of describing a room featuring the Magico A1 standmounts, sitting on matching Sound Anchors stands. Vinyl came from a J.Sikora Aspire turntable with the KV9 Max VTA tonearm and an AIDAS cartridge, and the electronics were all contained in a single Moon 371, which combines amplifier, DAC, streamer and phono stage in one box. Power and isolation were handled by Synergistic Research, including the PowerCell 8 SX and Tranquillity Base Carbon platforms, on an HRS rack.

403: LIMAR AUDIO

Limar’s third room featured a full Advance Paris front end: the ACD Apex CD player and the A12 Apex 30th Edition, a hybrid valve integrated amplifier with a built-in DAC and a pair of lovely big VU meters on the front (yes, I know, I’m a broken record on this). Streaming came from the Japanese company Sforzato, with the DSP-09EX network player and its partnering PMC-09EX master clock, alongside a Lumin N1 network switch. The loudspeakers were the Paradigm Premier 220B standmounts, and cabling was from Siltech and Crystal Cable.

405: OCTOGON AUDIO

Octogon Audio’s first room had an Eversolo streamer, complete with a virtual VU meter display, feeding a Parasound stereo power amplifier and driving a pair of PSB floorstanders. Power conditioning was courtesy of an AudioQuest PowerQuest.

406: PARABOX / SIRIUS AUDIO

Another shared room with a strong Hungarian flavour. The loudspeakers were the Parabox Pingvin Limited, an extremely striking design with sweeping, curved cabinets finished in a rich herringbone veneer. They’re fully handmade in Hungary, and the pair on demonstration was number 02.

Sirius Audio were showing their Origin Story system, which comprises the Digital Origin audio PC and Analog Origin DAC, the latter available in either single-ended RCA or fully balanced versions. As a package, the Origin Story starts at €6,000, and every package also comes with a bundle of Sirius Audio’s PureAir One cables, which use silver-plated OCC copper conductors, cryogenically treated, with air insulation. Amplification was from ECL Engineering.

404: OCTOGON AUDIO

Octogon’s second room featured a complete Eversolo setup, including their streamer and pre/power combination. Speakers were a pair of Klipsch Cornwall IVs, which are seriously large boxes for a hotel room, but the horn-loaded design means they don’t need a great deal of power to get going. There was also a TEAC reel-to-reel on the side rack, which is always a pleasing sight.

THIRD FLOOR

304: AUDIO NOTE (ANALOG VOICE)

As is so often the case with Audio Note, this was a beautifully simple room. Electronics were the Soro Phono PP, a Class A push-pull integrated amplifier with a built-in phono stage, alongside an Audio Note CD player and the DAC 0.1x with its valve output stage, although rather unusually, a laptop served as a digital source. These were driving a pair of Audio Note Js. Audio Note products are represented in Hungary by Analog Voice, and it was a little unusual to go into an AudioNote room without either Daniel or Martin being present!

308: GAUSS AUDIO

Gauss Audio’s own room featured their Stallion monoblocks, the largest power amplifiers in their current range, sitting on the floor either side of the rack. Speakers were a pair of Spendor standmounts on open-frame stands, and vinyl came from a Roksan Xerxes. According to the show listing, the cabling was from Unknown Cables, a new company making its first show appearance.

307: IMPRESSIVIA / X2 AUDIO

This room was primarily a showcase for X2 Audio’s Professional Passive Filter range. These are mains filters designed to remove EMI and RFI interference at their point of entry, and come housed in natural pine boxes, which are quite unlike anything else at the show. The source was a Sonoro CD player/streamer, and the speakers were a pair of glossy red standmounts with a sloped baffle, which certainly stood out.

FIRST FLOOR

VISEGRÁD: AUDIOME

AudioMe had one of the larger rooms at the show, and their reference system centred on the Zellaton Plural EVO loudspeakers. These were being driven by the Audionet Humboldt integrated amplifier, fed directly over balanced XLR from an MSB digital front end, comprising the Reference DAC with the Digital Director and their network renderer module. Music was served from a full Silent Angel stack, and vinyl came from a Clearaudio Jubilee Limited Edition with the TT3 linear-tracking tonearm and Jubilee MC cartridge, through Audionet’s PAM phono stage with its separate EPS power supply.

Power, cabling and interference treatment were all from Schnerzinger, and equipment supports came from Resonance Free and Creaktiv. There was a table full of Silent Angel, Heed and AudioQuest products to browse as well. Zsolt Huszti of Heed was also giving a talk in the lobby on the Saturday afternoon about being an audio engineer in the 21st century.

ÓBUDA: ABSOLUTE SOUND

Absolute Sound’s “Ultra High-End Reference” room was a serious statement. Loudspeakers were the Magico M6, driven by a pair of Moon North 861 monoblocks, with the Moon North 891 handling preamp and DAC duties. The turntable was the J.Sikora Reference, in a gorgeous gold finish, with the KV12 Max VTA tonearm and an AIDAS Mammoth Gold cartridge. Synergistic Research also provided the cabling and power conditioning, including the Galileo SX, and the whole lot sat on HRS racks. This room also hosted Lucina Yue presenting her new album on both days.

103: ZEBRAUDIO

ZebrAudio’s room featured a pair of Contrast Audio Black Moon floorstanders, handmade in Ukraine, driven by the Jadis I-35 valve integrated amplifier, complete with its gold-tinted fascia. The source was 3D Lab’s Nano Player Signature, with the partnering Nano Power supply.

107: USA AUDIO

USA Audio’s room had a pair of white Totem standmounts, driven by Riviera electronics, including a preamp and a pair of their compact cube-shaped monoblocks, each with a glowing porthole on the front. Sources were ReQuest Audio’s The Beast music server and the CanEVER Audio ZeroUno, and power was handled by Shunyata Research’s Hydra Denali. The rack, aptly named The Rack, is USA Audio’s own design. Riviera’s Levante hybrid integrated amplifier was also on display, offering switchable output of 30W in Class A or 120W in Class AB.

104: NCS AUDIO / PIXELCABLES / QUALITON

A collaboration between three Hungarian companies. The loudspeakers were the NCS Audio Reference One Premium, a slim, two-way floorstander in a white gloss finish, driven by Qualiton valve pre and power amplifiers. The room was cabled throughout with PixelCables, the cable brand from the AudioHarmónia webshop, who were exhibiting at a show for the first time. I also enjoyed the “amplified by: Qualiton” doormat at the front of the room.

GROUND FLOOR

OPEN AREAS

As usual, there were plenty of options for buying records in the open areas, along with stands for a number of record labels. There was also an array of hifi on static display, including Cabasse, Marten, Avantgarde and Ayon, alongside cables from Esprit. The lobby also hosted a full programme of talks over both days.

RÓMA 2: DREAM AUDIO COMPONENTS

Dream Audio had a number of rooms around the show, but this was definitely the largest and had about 2.7 full systems set up.

At the far end of the room, two full stacks of electronics were available to drive a large pair of EgglestonWorks Andra Viginti 20th Anniversary Limited Edition floorstanders (which I’m counting as 1.7 full systems). One system was Electrocompaniet’s reference amplification, the EC 5 preamp and AW 800 monoblocks, and the other was an equivalent-quality setup from EMM Labs, both featuring absolutely massive monoblocks. Sources were a TechDAS Air Force turntable and a Kalista DreamPlay CD transport, and an EMT 128 phono stage was also in the rack.

Firing sideways across the room was a system based around a Metronome streamer, Vinnie Rossi’s BRAMA preamp and power amps, and Dynaudio Contour Legacy floorstanders, as well as a Thales turntable with the Simplicity II tonearm. A pair of Harbeth Monitor 40.3 XDs was also set up along the side wall.

The room also hosted live music sessions over the weekend, including a live opera performance from the Hábetler András Trio and an unplugged set from Tornóczky All Access.

RÓMA 1: HÁZIMOZI STÚDIÓ (CINEMA ROOM)

Házimozi Stúdió’s room was split between a dedicated cinema setup, with a large projection screen, and a stereo system. The stereo side was built around Mark Levinson’s No. 5802 integrated amplifier and No. 536 monoblocks, with Arcam and Eversolo components, and cabling from KÁCSA and Neotech. Loudspeakers came from JBL’s Summit range, with REL subwoofers providing the low-end reinforcement. Other brands from their portfolio on show included Epos, Lyngdorf and SIM2.

BASEMENT

BUDA ROOM: HEADPHONES

Lots of different makes and models on display here, including products from Erzetich, Stax, Campfire, 64 Audio, Luxsin and Final. Muzix, who were running much of this room, had brought a couple of real heavy-hitters, including the Final Audio DX10000 CL, making its first appearance in Hungary, and 64 Audio’s new flagship Ocean IEMs. I was particularly taken with the hexagonal structure on some of the Erzetich models, including the Charybdis.

PEST ROOM: BONSAI AUDIO / QUALITON / ABSOLUTE SOUND

This was a combined room between Bonsai Audio cables, Qualiton amplifiers and Absolute Sound. A J.Sikora Standard Max turntable with the KV12 tonearm was in situ, although an unmarked streamer appeared to be the source in use. Qualiton provided the C200 preamp, P200 power amps and their phono stage. At the time I was there, the Magico A5 floorstanders were being played, but they also had a pair of oak-cased standmounts set up. Bonsai Audio’s cables were also on display, with one of their power cables presented in a glass case alongside its certificate of authenticity, and others in some very lavish presentation boxes.