Goodnight, Munich – Hello, Vienna!

If you’ve ever wandered the halls of the High End show in Munich as we’ve done for the last few days, you’ll know what a pilgrimage it’s been for the audiophile crowd worldwide. For 21 years, Munich’s MOC was our Mecca, our Glastonbury, our international get-together where the great and the good (and the not so good) of the audiophile world jostled for attention. I recall our first visit: an overnight train from Paris and then straight to the show with barely a wink of sleep. I recall the sheer scale of the MOC, the excitement of something new, and the buzz of all that audio kit in one place.

But the big news for 2026? The High End show is heading to Vienna.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Wait—what? Leave Munich? But the beer! The comfy rhythm of hotel-taxi-show-repeat!” But let’s not confuse change with loss. I reckon it’s a good move for the High End show.

Munich’s been fantastic. There’s no denying it. The MOC has played host to some legendary moments in HiFi. We’ve forged partnerships over late-night pints, stumbled out of demo rooms, minds blown by new products, and got hammered in the beer garden over mid-afternoon pints before the late-night pints. But, to be fair, the MOC was becoming less attractive year on year and personally, because of the heights involved in reaching the top rooms, there’s always been a sense of dread mixed up with the excitement before attending the show.

Crowded aisles, less-than-perfect acoustics, and a growing demand for space and comfort made it clear – what once worked brilliantly was starting to creak at the seams. It’s no knock on the city or the venue; it’s just that I think the High End Show has outgrown its boots. And I understand the MOC is to be redeveloped anyway, so what were the options for the High End Society? 

Enter Vienna. Yes, the city of Mozart, coffeehouses, and imperial elegance. But it’s not just about pretty facades and classical roots. This place knows how to do modern, too, as we found out when we visited for the first time last year.

The Austria Center Vienna (ACV) is no slouch when it comes to putting on a show. Spacious, light-filled, well-connected, great display panels – it’s everything the modern HiFi exhibition needs. I saw it firsthand during the Finest Audio Show in 2024, and it was a breath of fresh air. Literally. The air-con worked. And importantly for me, nothing was too high up.

More importantly, the venue felt “right”. Exhibitors weren’t jammed into awkward spaces. Visitors could actually take a moment to relax between rooms. And for those of us running between interviews, demos, and coffee stops? Bliss. The wide corridors will get busier than when we visited the Finest Audio Show, but we’ve had a look around the venue and it’s great! 

Will We Miss Munich? Of Course.

We’d be heartless not to. Some of us practically grew up at that show…or grew older, anyway. Friendships, business deals, and more than a few hangovers all have roots there. When we first made that overnight train trip, we knew that if we wanted to be taken seriously, we had to make it to Munich. But sentiment shouldn’t keep us stuck in the proverbial mud.

Vienna isn’t a second-best option. It’s a level-up.

Besides, if you’re going to move anywhere, it might as well be to a city with musical history running through its streets. Vienna has soul and style – it’s a cultural hub, a place where art, culture, and music collide. And, anyway, a change is as good as a rest and all that! 

What Changes in 2026?

Expect better demo rooms, more chill-out space, and fewer sweaty dashes between halls. The ACV can handle big crowds without feeling like a packed commuter train. There’s potential here for smarter layouts, and even new kinds of experiences – and I’m sure the good folk at High End Society have plenty planned for visitors in 2026.

The city itself offers plenty to keep your senses occupied, and I loved my first visit to the city. Off-duty HiFi heads can hit the opera (should that be your musical bag), go to a gallery, go out on the lash, or just people-watch from the comfort of a warm coffeehouse. It’s not a compromise; it’s a bit of a cultural upgrade.

And accessibility? Top notch. Vienna’s a major European hub. Whether you’re flying in or catching a train, it’s well-connected and easy to navigate. It’s also very beautiful!

Let’s be honest—physical shows are under more pressure than ever. We’re living in an age of content overload. Streaming, social media, digital previews—it’s all out there, all the time. So, if you’re going to run a big physical show, it has to feel worth it. And the High End Show IS worth it!

This move feels like a show saying, “Yes, we are worth it.” It’s investing in better facilities, a richer experience, and a more inspiring setting, though you can’t please all the people all the time, and I’m sure there will be a lot of folk from Germany who are less than pleased about the move.

HiFi PiG was genuinely impressed by what we saw in 2024. Vienna works. It’s comfortable, modern, and fits the bill. I remember Karl-Heinz Fink saying after he visited ACV that it was a fab venue for the High End show. 

If you’re feeling unsure about all this, that’s fair. Change is unsettling. But give it a shot. Come to Vienna in 2026 with an open mind. There’ll still be the same faces, the same gear and all the new stuff, the same buzz. Just in a different and potentially better package.

I don’t think we are saying goodbye to what made the High End show special. It’s just moving it to somewhere that can handle the next chapter.

So get this final Munich High End out of the way, dust off your passport, grab your comfy shoes, and start planning your Viennese adventure. In short, give Vienna A Whirl, it might well be exceedingly good  – though I’m sure only UK folk will get that last reference! 

Stuart Smith