Italian brand Lector Audio will be exhibiting at this year’s High End Munich with their full range of products which includes:
- Dot Bit DSD DAC
- ZAX 70 integrated amplifier
- CDP 603 CD player
- Digitube S 192 DAC
They will be in Halle 3 booth L08.
Lumen White will premiere the “white light anniversary” reference monitor loudspeakers at the munich high-end show 2015 celebrating 15 years of benchmark shifting innovation in high end 
audio design.
Introduced in 2000, lumen white`s original “white light” reference monitors featured the world`s first all-ceramic driver array, “radically advanced pressure- and flow-dynamics optimized, air-damped, instrument-grade tone-wood cabinets, purist crossover design and further advancements of the art”.
5 years in the making, a completely new generation of significantly advanced, custom designed drivers and continuous refinements of their loudspeaker technologies have prepared the stage for lumen white to introduce the latest generation of their reference monitor speaker designs. The new technologies will be premiered in a special “anniversary” model of the iconic “white light” monitors format.
The “white light anniversary” reference monitors will be premiered in a white macassar finish at the High End 2015 show in Munich, together with the latest generation of lumen white`s limited edition “mystere” air bearing turntable system (pictured). The products will be demonstrated in hall 1, booth S03, may 14 through may 17.
Aurender will be at this year’s High End Munich event in Halle 4 E17 where they will introduce the new N100H Music Server/Player.
“The N100H Server/Player allows users store up to a 2TB music collection via its internal hard drive. And while its performance is audiophile-quality, you don’t have to be an IT expert to setup and enjoy the N100H,” says Harry Lee, Aurender’s Director. “It has all the qualities that an audio enthusiast seeks, but with streamlined simplicity, design, and tremendous functionality for the average user. The 2TB drive provides enough space to store all but the most extensive music libraries making the N100H the ideal solution for most music lovers.”
The N100H Server/Player accesses and plays music stored on an internal drive and also provides for storage capacity expansion via an external network-attached-storage (NAS) device or USB hard drive.
Because the N100H features Solid-State-Drive (SSD) cached playback of the 2TB internal or NAS or USB attached drives (via its 120GB SSD), both internal and external drives simply store music. When music is selected, it’s quickly loaded into the SSD cache drive for playback.
You can control the N100N Server/Player with the Aurender Conductor App for iPad (or the new Android “Lite” App).
The N100H with 2TB internal storage and 120GB SSD for caching playback is available May, 2015 ($2,699).
Here’s a sneaky peek at the upcoming COPERNICUS by EMMESpeakers, that will be presented at the Munich High End Show 2015 (Halle 3 – Stand L08). 
They have a “rust-like” finish which is quite unusual we thought….
More pictures of these and lots more in our upcoming show report from High End Munich.
Diesis Audio whose Aura loudspeakers Hifi Pig reviewed got in touch to tell us they will be at HiGH END Munich, at Hall 3 stand G 14. A full demonstration room will be set up at 
the HiFi DeLuxe show in Munich May 14th to May
Munich is a truly stunning city with amazing architecture and there is nothing I like more than wandering around a city armed with a camera…it is the perfect way to get to know the place.
The underground system is excellent and aside from getting you to the High End Munich Show it can wiz you around to different parts of the city safely and efficiently when your feet start to get tiered!
The Marienplatz is the main square in the centre of Munich, you are bound to end up here at some point so take a chance to stroll around, look in the shops and admire the buildings.
It was originally where the market was held and is the place where Munich’s two town hall’s. The Alte (old) Rathaus was practically destroyed in WWII and then rebuilt so strangely it looks newer than the Neue (New) Rathaus which also houses the Glockenspiel Clock. The clock puts on a show when it chimes at 11am, 12pm and 5pm and the figures spring into action.
The square is named after the column which is is topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The Viktualienmarkt is where the Munich market moved to and is perhaps the most stunning market I have ever visited, even if you are not shopping it is a feast for the senses featuring lavish displays of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bread and flowers.
There is a beer garden in the centre and a traditional Maypole and numerous small bars and cafes among the stalls selling food and drink.
It is open Monday to Saturday.
A perfect place to shop, browse, eat, drink and people watch.
I am yet to make it to the English Garden which was Europe’s first urban park, so I am hoping for some time off coinciding with sunny weather when we visit Munich this year.
The English (Englischer) garden is so named as the landscaping follows the English style of gardening, with winding paths through ponds, meadows and woods.
There is of course a selection of beer gardens for refreshments and also a Chinese Tower.
You may also see surfers on the rapids and apparently it is fine to sunbathe nude here!
The Olympic Park was built for the 1972 Olympic games and is now a popular tourist attraction with lots to do including the possibility to walk over the stadium roof and an incredibly high Olympic Tower to go up….owing to Mr Hifi Pigs aversion to heights we will probably give this a miss!
The Frauenkirche is Munich’s main cathedral and is another building that was badly damaged in WWII and restored since.
It features twin domes and stunning stained glass and also the Devils footprint where the Devil was said to have stamped his foot in rage when he was trying to steal the soul of the builder of the church.
There is plenty to discover so try and get out and about if you have the time…more information here from the Munich Tourist Board.
http://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/home_en/Tourist-Office
Meridian will be actively promoting some of their most innovative products and technologies at this year’s High End event in Munich.
The DSP320 in-wall/in-ceiling loudspeaker is designed for in-ceiling use while also being slim enough for an in-wall set-up. It is designed to deliver similar tone qualities and compatible performance and it can also be easily integrated into systems that combine Meridian’s free-standing DSP loudspeakers with Meridian in-wall loudspeakers. Meridian’s Special Edition series of DSP Digital Active Loudspeakers, which provide “the most revealing, lifelike and powerful performance of any Meridian loudspeaker to date, will also be on display”.
TheMQA technology will also be demonstrated. MQA is a new British technology that “fundamentally changes the way we encode, capture, distribute and consume music. Meridian will be the only manufacturer at Munich with MQA ready hardware on view”.
Definitive Audio who wowed Linette at last years High End Munich show with their glorious Vox Olympian loudspeakers will be there again with Bemax their German distributor in room E220 
Atrium 4.
This time they have a brand spanking new pair of Vox Elysian (the bass end of the Olympian system) made in Ebony to match the show pair of Vox Olympian, with a “funky subwoofer crossover cabinet to match” with Kondo electronics, all fed via the Living Voice Battery power supply system.
If you get the opportunity to hear this system at Munich you really owe it to yourself to make the effort….
Lab12 will attend High End Show of Munich (14-17 may) in Hall 4, Booth B07 where they will have three new models:
integre4 Integrated Amp
Features:
- EL34, 6550, KT88, KT120 compatible (6550 form factory)
• Remote Control
• Output power: 45 watt per channel (6550)
• Frequency response: 15Hz – 60KHz (-1dB)
• Input impedance: 50K ohms
• Tube complement: 4x 6n1p dual triodes, 4x 6550 power pentodes (EL34, KT88, KT120 compatible)
• Inputs: 5x line stereo RCA connectors (Available upgrades)
• Weight: 13Kg
gordian Multifunctional Power Distributor / Conditioner
Suono -A class A single ended power amp (pictured)
Features:
- KT150 matched tubes
• Power: 230/240 Vac 50Hz
• Power consumption: 300 VA max
• Output power: 25 watt per channel (KT 150)
• Frequency response: 20Hz-20KHz (-0.9dB)
• Input impedance: 100K ohms
• Output impedance: 4,8 ohm
• Tube complement: 2x 6n2p dual triode, 2x KT-150 Power Pentode
• Inputs: 1x line stereo (RCA connectors)
• Weight: 14Kg
It would be a shame to visit such a beautiful and culturally rich city as Munich and not actually see anything of it…..I must admit that we have been so busy in previous years that we haven’t 
made it to any of the Museums and Art galleries, but this year I am determined to!
Of course the High End Munich Show is the focus of our visit but there is so much else to see!
The Pinakothek group of galleries features everything from classic masterpieces at the Alte from the 14th to 18th century including works by Albrecht Dürer, Peter Paul Rubens and Leonardo da Vinci, to 19th century works at the Neue by the likes of Caspar David Friedrich, Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh.
Der Moderne features modern works of architecture, design, graphics and art.
www.pinakothek.de/en/alte-pinakothek
www.pinakothek.de/en/neue-pinakothek
www.pinakothek.de/en/pinakothek-der-moderne
The Museum Brandhorst is one of Munich’s newest galleries, featuring 20th and 21st century works from, among others, Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke.
There is also a collection of over 100 works by Andy Warhol and there are many temporary exhibitions currently there is ‘Yes!Yes!Yes! Warholmania in Munich’, a cooperation between Museum Brandhorst and Filmfest München, focuses on Andy Warhol as a painter and filmmaker.
www.museum-brandhorst.de/en.html
More contemporary art can be found at the Haust Der Kunst gallery which features both an archive gallery and regular exhibitions.
The BMW museum is a Mecca for all car lovers and you can visit a host of exhibitions and events at the BMW Welt, the BMW Museum and the BMW Plant …including currently a temporary exhibition ‘The Mini Story’
The Bayerisches Nationalmuseum is dedicated both to visual arts and cultural history of Bavaria from the middle ages through to the Art Nouveau period and features collections from arms and armour to folk art, glass, ceramics and textiles.
It is also next to the English Garden if you fancy a leisurely stroll after all that culture!
www.bayerisches-nationalmuseum.de/index.php?id=1&L=1
The Münchner Stadtmuseum, in the city centre houses more relics of ‘Typical Munich’, an exhibition on the history of National Socialism and the Nazi party in Munich and also a puppet museum and theatre (which is apparently quite creepy).
There is also the SoundLab, which is an interactive history of music exhibition.
www.muenchner-stadtmuseum.de/en.html
Right next door to the Stadtmuseum is the Jüdisches Museum which is one of the city’s most modern buildings, it’s permanent exhibition focuses on Jewish history and the Jewish faith. There is currently a temporary exhibition called ‘Jukebox, Jewkbox!’ A Jewish Century on Shellac and Vinyl.
www.juedisches-museum-muenchen.de/home.html?L=1
If there wasn’t enough new technology for you at the High End Munich Show then you could also visit the Deutsches Museum for more Masterpieces of Science and Technology
www.deutsches-museum.de/index.php?id=1&L=1
There are of course many more places to visit but hopefully this will give you a starting point if you want a little ‘down time’ away from the show…have fun!
Swiss manufacturer Merging Technologies will launch their audiophile D/A converter, NADAC, at the High End Show in Munich on May 14. They will be in Hall 3 on stand J05/K08. 
NADAC stands for Network Attached DAC, and will be delivered in two different versions, stereo and 8-channels. Both variants have ¼” and mini-jack headphone outputs which can be configured to carry a different signal to the main output. Merging Technologies was encouraged to produce NADAC because of the praise their professional D/A converters have received from recording engineers.
Merging is forming a dynamic partnership with a growing number of these content providers, to jointly promote the benefits of the listening to the music “as the artists intended”. Special deals for NADAC purchasers will be announced as they are made available.
NADAC covers PCM formats up to 24-bit/384kHz and DSD up to DSD256. It has AES/EBU and SPDIF digital inputs for use with CD players, CD transports or other devices up to 192kHz. An Ethernet interface is provided for use with computer based digital audio systems for carrying through ASIO on Windows and CoreAudio with DoP on MacOS any resolution up to 384kHz, DXD and DSD256. This uses the RAVENNA protocol that Merging Technologies helped to develop for high sampling rate applications and allows “very robust and accurate transfer of the digital audio data from the computer to NADAC”. The data is stored in a large buffer memory in the NADAC and then clocked out by the unit’s internal clock. This and the RAVENNA protocol’s Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588) “eliminates the cable and jitter related problems associated with conventional digital audio interfaces”.
The NADAC’s line outputs are driven by an ESS9008S SABRE Reference Audio D/A IC. This IC has 8 separate D/A converters and in the stereo version of the NADAC, each channel uses 4 D/A converters with the outputs summed. The 8-channel version of the NADAC may also be switched to work as a stereo unit, with the converters configured in the same way.
The NADAC has balanced and unbalanced line outputs; two headphone outputs; a digital volume control and any smart device with a web browser can serve as a remote control.
Swiss brand Soulutions got in touch with Hifi PIg to tell us they are excited to be introducing three new products at this year’s High End Show in Munich.
The new products to be showcased are:
- 760 D/A-converter
- 755 phono preamplifier
- 746 power supply for the 746 SACD player.
Soulutions will be in Atrium 4, E107 at High End Munich.
Harman Luxury Audio will be unveiling No. 536 monaural amplifier from Mark Levinson on Thursday May 14 at MOC Munich, Atrium 4, First Floor, Room F119.
Todd Eichenbaum, Harman’s Head of Luxury Audio Engineering will be introducing the new design and performance of this fully discrete 400W class AB power amplifier which Harman say is a worthy partner for the No. 52 preamplifier.
On the same day Harman’s Luxury Audio Vice President Jeff Poggi will be present for face-to-face meetings and interviews.
Room F119 will also host the full Mark Levinson range of products, the new Revel Concerta2 speakers, Revel Performa3 and Ultima2 speakers, and from JBL some special custom finish Everest DD 67000 and K2 S9900 speakers.
German high-end brand Audionet “restarts with full steam” at High End Munich 2105 says the company’s press release just in. 
They will be in Showroom E101 where they say they will be showcasing:
- new and better products (hard- and software)
- new distribution concept
- new marketing
- new team
- new power
Kit likely to be on dem will include Audionet’s Art G3 CD player along with their MAX monobloc power amplifiers.
Whilst visiting Munich for this year’s High End event you may find that you can drag yourself away from all the great audio, hifi and events that The High-End Society have laid on and so Hifi Pig thought we would put 
together a list of attractions in Munich that you may like to consider visiting.
In previous years we have found that there is just so much to see at the High End show itself that there has been little or no time for extracurricular activities, other than those based around Munich’s nightlife… and what a great nightlife Munich has and so in this first instalment of “Things To Do In Munich Other Than The High End Show” we thought we’d kick off with a short list of some of the city’s better known drinking establishments – there are of course lots more!.
Most of the beerhalls will offer the thirsty audiophile a selection of beers along with a decent selection of food…which we have found surprisingly good and decent value, though mainly pig based which we of course don’t approve of!.
The main two beers that we have come across in Munich are Helles (pale, malty and quite strong) and Dunkle (rich and dark). You can order a small one or go all out and order a stein which should last all but the most fervent of drinkers at least a short while!
Arnulf str. 52 – 80335 München – Tel. 0 89 594393
Orlando str 5 – 80331 München – Tel. 089 2111356
Sendlinger Str 14 – 80331 München – Tel. 089 2605026
Am Platzl 9 -80331 München – Tel 089 2901360
Neuhauser str. 27 – 80331 München – Tel. 089 23183257
Residenz str 9 – 80333 München – Tel 089 2318120
Booze wisely !
Our friends at Blumenhofer Acoustics got in touch to let us know that they will be attending this years High End Munich where they will be in room F224.
for this year’s High End show they will use as a sourse the Air Force One Turntable from TechDas, developed by Mr. Hideaki Nishikawa, the former Technical Department Director of Micro Seiki, responsible for the acoustics imprint of that company and responsible for the creation of the legendary SX-8000II turntable.
Amplification will be from Germany in the form of Einstein Audio who will present its state of the art phono preamplifier.
The electronics chosen will be the top of what Einstein can offer – The Preamp, combined with The Silver Bullet.
Cabling is from a small Italian company called. Cammino who will deliver the cabling and the power harmonization for the whole system..
Loudspeakers will of course be from Blumenhofer themselves and they will have a pair od Genuin FS 1 MK 2 in olive veneer and most probably they will be able to show the new Genuin FS 3 MK 2.
Astell&Kern has launched its most affordable high-resolution portable player yet – the AK Jr.
Despite costing £399, the new AK Jr shares many features with its big brothers.
Its aluminium case, machined controls and performance immediately set it above sub-£500 rivals says the company’s recent press release.
24bit/192hKz high-resolution audio playback
Widest range of music file format support – including DSD
High-quality Wolfson DAC
Premium aluminium casing and textured aluminium volume wheel
Ultra-slim design – 6.9mm at slimmest point; 8.9mm at largest
Weighs just 93g
3.1in touch screen display
64GB of internal memory, expandable to 128GB via 64GB microSD card (multiple cards can be used if you want to carry more music).
Bluetooth 4.0 support: wirelessly stream to headphones/speakers.
Powerful, 1.95V RMS headphone output – drives headphones more effectively than smartphones or rival portables; no need for separate headphone amp.
The Astell&Kern AK Jr will make its European debut at the Munich High End show on 14th May. It will be in shops later in May, at a suggested price of £399.
British loudspeaker manufacturer PMC (Professional Monitor Company) has announced that High End 2015 (14th – 17th May) in Munich will see the European debut of the latest addition to its twenty series range – 
the twenty.Sub. This new subwoofer, which has been designed for use with both music and movies alike, is available with the unique ATL™ (Advanced Transmission Line) bass loading principle, Class-D amplification, and DSP control.
Visitors to PMC’s room, which is F123 in Atrium 4, will be treated to a full demonstration of the new twenty.Sub, highlighting the product’s wide-range of placement and connectivity options.
There will also be two 3-way floorstanding models on demonstration. The twenty.26, the pinnacle of the twenty series and the svelte fact.12..
All speakers in PMC’s room will be driven by a Bryston electronics system featuring the BDP-2 Digital Player, BDA-2 External DACand 7BSST2 Mono Power Amplifiers.
There are other chances to hear PMC throughout the show. Cyrus Audio (Atruim 3, booth G10a) will be running systems using twenty.21 and fact.8, whilst Black Pearls Audio (Atrium 4, booth E01) from Greece will also be demonstrating twenty.21 on their stand. There is also a chance to hear PMC’s SE range, as PMC’s German distributor, Audio Concept, will feature the MB2 SE’s in their room (Atrium 4, booth E213). Those also visiting the HiFi Delux show whilst in Munich will have the chance to visit British brand Vertere, who will be running a demonstration using MB2 SE’s in a system designed without compromise.
Portento Audio is a new business based in Turin (Italy) devoted to the production and sale of hand-crafted hi-fi cables and accessories. 
“Portento Audio’s mission aims to preserve the musical message in its entirety, focusing on the listener’s main target: Music. In order to achieve this, top-quality materials have been carefully chosen, like the low-mass RCA connector with a customized aluminium body. All this is meant to hit music at its heart, by delivering solid and exciting playback quality” comments Pier Paolo of Portento.
Portento audio delivers a wide range of products: from analogue interconnect cables to digital ones, USB, speaker and power cables.
Electronics includes a power distributor machined from aluminium and the versatile power distributor/conditioner Powercond. It’s about a mix of electronics and technology, which main feature consists of six switched outlets divided in two groups, a parallel power line filter, a galvanic isolation transformer for digital sources and a digital voltmeter.
Portento Audio is aimed to an audience who cares about quality, sensitive about finishes, but also to the budget-conscious audiophile.
Portento Audio will be present at the Munich High End 2015 Exhibition at Hall 03, Stand L04.
UK manufacturer Talk Electronics will be at the HIGH END 2015 in Munich, Germany from 14th – 17th May. You’ll find them on stand H2, M01. where you will get the opportunity to see their four TALK systems:
Apprentice TT turntable with C100 cartridge
Apprentice LITE TT (Pictured)
Apprentice IA Manual amplifier with Phono input
Apprentice SP miniature floor standing speakers
Hifi Pig will certainly be along to say hello!
Avantgarde Acoustic will have a “traditional” showroom E124 in Atrium 4 at HIgh End Munich 2015, with ample space for displaying and demonstrating their unmistakable horn loudspeakers (which Linette was so taken by a couple of years ago) 
and electronics that the brand has also become famous for in the past 24 years.
If the last years dem’s have been anything to go by this is a must see room at this years Munich High End show.
Illusonic will exhibit at the High End Munich show where they will present with both a booth and a room shared with loudspeaker manufacturer Klangwerk.
On the booth at D29 in Hall 4 the Swiss company will explain their products, display their different IAP models and demonstrate their system/room calibration service.
In Atrium 4, Room F 231 B they will demonstrate IAP 4 with Klangwerk loudspeakers:
The system will comprise:
IAP 4, Klangwerk Ella for main left and right loudspeakers, Klangwerk Muro on/in-wall surround loudspeakers and BMzC acoustic elements.
Sources connected to IAP 4 will include: HDMI universal player (CD, SACD, DVD, Blu ray), Network Media Rendering and keeping the vinylistas happy a Thorens turntable.
UK Hifi Brand Wilson Benesch will form a partnership with CH Precision, TechDAS and Trinnov at the Munich High-End 2015.
Wilson Benesch
Wilson Benesch will be at MOC Messe to partner its Endeavour loudspeakers with CH Precision, TechDAS and Trinnov Audio in a presentation featuring digital and analogue replay systems, amplification and digital room correction systems.
Wilson Benesch will be exhibiting the Endeavour loudspeaker constructed from carbon fibre composites and aluminium and which stand at an imposing 1.47m in height. The Endeavour’s drive unit compliment is comprised of the latest Wilson Benesch drive technologies; the Tactic II drive unit and the Semisphere Tweeter combined with the new Carbon-Nanotech Enclosure – a bell-shaped carbon-nanotech composite structure which isolates the midrange and bass air volumes entirely.
CH Precision
Swiss company CH Precision will provide amplification, power conditioning, digital-to-analogue conversion and digital replay. The A1 Amplifier, C1 Controller and D1 CD/SACD Transport will form the backbone of the Munich High End 2015 presentation, with further support from the X1 Power Conditioners.
TechDAS
TechDAS is the house brand of Stella Inc., the distributor of a multitude of high-end audio components in Japan, including Wilson Benesch, CH Precision and Trinnov Audio.
In 2012, Stella Inc. launched the TechDAS ‘Air Force One’ turntable. In 2014, TechDAS introduced the Air Force Two. The Air Force Two turntable, a less expensive variant of the original design which retails at £79,000, uses trickle-down technologies from the flagship, including the air bearing and the vacuum disc suction from the Air Force One.
TechDAS will present at the Munich High End 2015, the Air Force Two Turntable.
Trinnov Audio
French room optimisation experts Trinnov Audio will present the Amethyst stereo processor at the Munich High End 2015.
Wilson Benesch, CH Precision, TechDAS and Trinnov audio will be exhibiting in Room F203 of the MOC Messe Exhibition Centre.
German Physiks will be demonstrating their new HRS-130 loudspeakers in room F210 at the Munich High End Show in May. This features their proprietary omnidirectional wide-band DDD driver in an octagonal cross 
section cabinet, with a 10-inch downward firing woofer in the base. The standard finish for the HRS-130 is black or white high-polish black polyester. The HRS-130’s crossover has been developed from the new design in their best selling Borderland Mk IV loudspeakers. HRS‑130 prices start at £11,900.
Also on demonstration will be a luxury version of their Unlimited Mk II loudspeakers called the Unlimited Mk II Ultimate. This is the same basic design as the Unlimited Mk II, but the acoustic vinyl finish has been replaced with a luxurious all-over high-polish polyester finish, which is available in black, white, yellow and red. Unlimited Mk II prices start at £8,900.
Renowned German pianist and composer Martin Vatter will be giving his popular presentations again in the German Physiks room this year. Martin is also well known as an audiophile and he will be talking about how this has influenced his purist style of recording, as well as playing tracks from his extensive repertoire.
The HIGH END SOCIETY has designed the official smartphone app for the HIGH END 2015 specifically to cater for the interests and requirements of visitors and exhibitors. 
The new app for 2015 focusses on the visitors’ schedule for the fair. The HIGH END app means that our guests have at their fingertips all the information they need to plan their own schedule so that they are ideally prepared for their visit. By downloading all the im- portant data just once, the app can be used anywhere, regardless whether or not there is a mobile internet signal.
A comprehensive service is available to app users, including the following information:
- Hall layouts
- Brand list
- List of all product groups and associated
- Shopping list – visitors can simply draw up an individual list of their personal favourites and plan their own tour of the show
- Fair info with all the important information for visitors to the HIGH END – hotels, restaurants, public transport, parking, shuttle service and much more
- The app can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Store and the Apple App Store.
- Available for iOS and Android
- Available in German and English
