Xclusive High End Show Vienna 2026
XCLUSIVE HIGH END SHOW VIENNA 2026 IN THE ARES TOWER
Billed as an off-site collaborative HiFi Show, hosted by Cypriot HiFi brand, Aries Cerat, the Xclusive High End Show Vienna 2026 took place over a suite of rooms in the Ares Tower, just a few steps from the ACV and the High End Vienna show.
Aries Cerat occupied four rooms across the Ares Tower, each running a distinct system. The brand builds virtually everything in-house, with only sources, cables and room treatment coming from outside partners in the main room.
The other rooms featured partner brands, including loudspeakers from Aequo Audio, Clarisys Audio, and Prodigio Audio and supporting room treatment and cables from RD Acoustic and Shark Wire, respectively.
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.
ARIES CERAT FLAGSHIP ROOM
The flagship room for Aries Cerat. The loudspeakers were the new Sirenes, a world premiere of a four-way design with an external crossover. The crossover offers several passive filter configurations that can be switched between on the fly via Bluetooth, which is a genuinely novel feature for a passive crossover. Bass is handled actively, the treble comes from a ribbon, and there is also a vertically-firing “atmospheric tweeter” that can be toggled on or off. This vertical tweeter adds air to the top end, but at the cost of some stereo image precision. The cabinet construction is broadly dipole in character, at least for the mids and treble, with additional side-firing bass drivers. The external finish is particularly striking: coloured sand is used to create the surface patterning, which is then sealed in polycarbonate resin and polished over several days. A pair of prototype subwoofers were present but kept under covers, their cabinets still unfinished; each uses a pair of 12-inch drivers.
Electronics were nearly all Aries Cerat. The Pandora turntable, strictly speaking their “entry-level” deck, uses an oil-bath hydrodynamic bearing; above 2rpm the ~100kg platter aquaplanes on the oil film, effectively floating. The Homerus digital interface sits at the top of the AC digital line and runs from an external master clock. Streaming was via a Pink Faun 2.16, with the Hermes phono stage handling the turntable output. The Aether handled preamplifier duties, with a pair of Odysseas monoblocks, sharing an external PSU, driving the Sirenes. Cabling was by Shark Wire, and room treatment was provided by RD Acoustic panels.
CLARISYS ROOM
The second room, up in the glass box-like Sky Lobby penthouse room, ran a slightly more accessible system, though still firmly at the upper end. The Clarisys Aria Mk2 loudspeakers were driven by Aries Cerat Vulcan monoblocks, with the Ageto preamplifier and Ithaka DAC upstream. The turntable was a Kronos Perpetual, with all the optional add-ons. Streaming again came from a Pink Faun 2.16. Cabling was by Anonymous Audio, who produce bespoke cables specifically for the Clarisys speakers. Room treatment was again by RD Acoustics.
AEQUO AUDIO ROOM
A clean, focused system: Pink Faun Scion streamer, Kassandra II DAC, Impera II preamplifier, and Vulcan monoblocks. The loudspeakers were the Æquo Audio Ensium floorstanders in a rosewood finish, priced at €50,000. Lin and Stu know Ivo and Paul from Aequo really well, having followed them since the Dutch brand started making loudspeakers, and Lin got them to play tunes from Kneecap…showing just how capable the new speakers are.
PRODIGIO ROOM
The fourth room used a Pink Faun Scion streamer feeding the Aries Cerat Helene DAC, with the Ageto in its two-box configuration handling preamplification and Vulcan monoblocks on power duties. The loudspeakers were Prodigio Vitória powered electrostatics, which are a really quite striking shape, almost looking like a filled sail.
SHARK WIRE STAND
There was also a Shark Wire static stand, manned by Louis, organiser of the Hi End Singapore Show, which HiFi PiG will be visiting in August.
Stay tuned for our video interview with Stavros Danos of Aries Cerat, 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.
Jon Lumb
Linette Smith
