High End Vienna 2026 Start-Up Area
HIGH END VIENNA 2026 START-UPS: THE NEW NAMES TO DISCOVER
One of the highlights of every High End show is the Start-Up Area, where emerging companies get the chance to present their ideas alongside more established names.
Lin from HiFi PiG has always made a point of visiting these exhibitors, talking to the people behind the products and finding out what drives them. We have supported start-ups for many years because today’s newcomers often become tomorrow’s respected manufacturers.
At High End Vienna 2026, the Start-Up Area once again showcased a diverse range of approaches to music reproduction, from headphone innovation and streaming solutions to amplifier technology and equipment supports.
HIGH END VIENNA 2026 START-UP AREA
Located in the Start-Up Area, Level minus 2, Foyer D01, the exhibitors demonstrated the breadth of ideas currently entering the world of HiFi.
You can access the website for each exhibitor by clicking on the pink links.
TRUE STEREO LABS – DDTS HEADPHONES
True Stereo Labs presented its DDTS headphone technology, which aims to address one of the longstanding criticisms of headphone listening: the separation of left and right channels. According to the company, conventional headphones isolate each channel completely, making the recreation of a speaker-like soundstage difficult.
Its approach uses two independent drivers within each earcup. Signals are combined through what the company describes as a waveguide combiner, employing calculated delays and phase correction intended to create a more natural spatial presentation. The technology is designed to position instruments across the soundstage in a way more akin to loudspeaker listening.
SONARIS – VIENNA CLASS A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
Making its exhibition debut, Austrian company Sonaris introduced the Sonaris Vienna, a Class A headphone amplifier and preamplifier. A second version incorporating an integrated USB-C DAC was also on display.
Although a new name, Sonaris highlighted its experience within the headphone and high-end audio sectors. The focus here was on traditional analogue amplification combined with modern digital connectivity options.
APOLLUM – CURATED SECOND-HAND HIFI PLATFORM
Apollum took a different approach to the Start-Up Area, presenting an online platform dedicated to the second-hand high-end audio market.
The service connects brands, dealers, service providers and buyers through curated profiles and listings designed to encourage confidence within the pre-owned sector. The platform aims to simplify the process of buying and selling used HiFi equipment internationally.
HOXIT AUDIO – HOXIT V1 PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONES
Slovakian company Hoxit Audio showcased its Hoxit V1 headphones, developed by founder Viliam Mlynek using his own planar magnetic driver designs.
The headphones are hand-built in Slovakia, with an emphasis on modularity and repairability to allow future upgrades and servicing. Mlynek is also developing what he describes as the world’s first planar magnetic glass driver and is seeking crowdfunding support for the project. In addition to manufacturing, he offers repairs for damaged planar magnetic headphones, extending their working life.
The project is dedicated to the memory of his father, Vladislav Mlynek.
64BITAUDIO – DMP NEXUS AND DMP ONE
Berlin-based family business 64bitAudio demonstrated its DMP NEXUS ecosystem and DMP ONE network player. The business is led by CEO Janne Jones, great to see this HiFi/Tech start-up fronted by a young woman.
The system is designed to provide bit-perfect desktop audio streaming from Windows, Linux and macOS computers to USB DACs across a home network. Support extends to resolutions up to DSD512 and PCM384, while maintaining compatibility with existing software and DAC choices. On Linux and Windows, the DMP NEXUS lets any application send your music, completely untouched, bit-for-bit identical to the original, across your home network to the DAC of your choice. On macOS, the same bit-perfect chain runs through a dedicated virtual appliance, native to Apple Silicon.
The compact DMP ONE also functions as an OpenHome renderer and UPnP/DLNA media server, allowing local library playback without requiring a computer to remain switched on.
MW STANDS – CYNTAF EQUIPMENT SUPPORTS
Welsh manufacturer MW Stands brought its Cyntaf equipment support system to Vienna.
Designed and hand-built in Wales, the racks combine close-grained hardwoods, Welsh slate, birch ply and brass fixings. The construction incorporates constrained-layer damping techniques intended to improve mechanical stability and manage vibration within audio systems. The modular approach allows the supports to be configured to suit different equipment requirements.
We have had the pleasure of seeing the MW Stands racks at Audio Show Deluxe 2026 in the UK, so it was fantastic to find them in Vienna, gaining new distributors and dealers around the world, another Welsh HiFi success story in the making!
IXYCORE – GAN REFERENCE CLASS D MONO AMPLIFIER
French company IXYCORE introduced its GaN-based mono power amplifier, developed around gallium nitride transistor technology.
The single-channel amplifier delivers output ratings of 200W into 8 Ohms, 400W into 4 Ohms and 800W into 2 Ohms. Additional specifications include a claimed damping factor of 20,000, switching frequency of 1.2MHz and peak efficiency of 98 per cent.
IXYCORE also incorporates a regulated switch-mode power supply, active power factor correction and a solid-state loudspeaker protection system designed to react more quickly than conventional relay-based approaches.
HEAD(AMAME) – HEAD(AMAME) PRO HEADPHONES
Canadian start-up Head(amame) demonstrated the head(amame) Pro headphones.
The flagship design features a 50mm glass driver diaphragm, described as thinner than a human hair, housed within a Kevlar-reinforced ASA chassis. Acoustic tuning was undertaken by Brian Hayden of Capra Audio.
The headphones are designed, manufactured and shipped from Vancouver, Canada, reflecting the company’s aim of delivering a high-performance headphone without excessive complexity or cost.
From software-driven streaming solutions to innovative headphone designs and fresh approaches to amplification, the High End Vienna 2026 Start-Ups illustrated the variety of ideas emerging within contemporary HiFi. As always, these exhibitors offered visitors the chance to discover companies at the beginning of their journey and perhaps catch an early glimpse of the industry’s future.
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.
Linette Smith
