Munich High End 2018

[Kuoppis]

No these are Mingus 20 I believe. Momento 2 is much taller and much more expensive....approx. €300K I believe. Being used with Vitus amps.

Ok, then I did not see them.

Just saw two Vitus demos, one with these smaller ones and one with Goebels.


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[Kuoppis]

It is so funny. I heard it "sucked" but the Cessaro were awesome. It seems like horns have a huge following. So much of these show impressions have to do with what they are playing, where you are sitting/standing, etc.

I’m pretty sure it did not. The gentleman I talked to has a pretty decent understanding of our hobby.

But horns are special and he has had a couple of Accapellas before, so that might play a role. Personally they’re not my cup of tea, bass and directionality can be difficult.


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[Priaptor]

I’m pretty sure it did not. The gentleman I talked to has a pretty decent understanding of our hobby.

But horns are special and he has had a couple of Accapellas before, so that might play a role. Personally they’re not my cup of tea, bass and directionality can be difficult.


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Of course I’m sure they didn’t “suck”. I was just pointing out the “drive by” opinions people give at these shows and the many variables giving rise to these kind of comments. This guy can’t stand horns YET he thought the Cessaro were great.

I was just pointing out the flippant “reviews” we get from the attendees of these shows; many also the result of personal bias.

[Kuoppis]

Of course I’m sure they didn’t “suck”. I was just pointing out the “drive by” opinions people give at these shows and the many variables giving rise to these kind of comments. This guy can’t stand horns YET he thought the Cessaro were great.

I was just pointing out the flippant “reviews” we get from the attendees of these shows; many also the result of personal bias.

If anyone listens to some gear in an unknown constellation, in unknown acoustics, in a trade show environment, even with the broadest definition those cannot be considered reviews. But no-one has stated anything that sort either, I suppose?

This is just a bunch of Sharks enjoying the show and sharing what they are hearing, as a service to others who are doing the same in other parts of the world. Nothing more, nothing less.

I’m sure anyone of us has their bias, I definitely do. I like well defined, articulate bass, good dynamics and a details w/o harshness. Those preferences are visible in anyone’s profile through the gear selection.

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[Priaptor]

If anyone listens to some gear in an unknown constellation, in unknown acoustics, in a trade show environment, even with the broadest definition those cannot be considered reviews. But no-one has stated anything that sort either, I suppose?

This is just a bunch of Sharks enjoying the show and sharing what they are hearing, as a service to others who are doing the same in other parts of the world. Nothing more, nothing less.

I’m sure anyone of us has their bias, I definitely do. I like well defined, articulate bass, good dynamics and a details w/o harshness. Those preferences are visible in anyone’s profile through the gear selection.

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Totally agree

I love to hear from those at the show and see the pictures. Like a kid in a candy store.

[heihei]

i am really enjoying the coverage and reports from the show! ...it is a good thing i am not there as my audio slush fund has already taken quite a hit this year.

thanks to all for taking the time to post !

btw: if anyone visited the THÖRESS room (H 2 F02/G03) or the Voxative room (A 4.2 E222), i would be interested to hear any impressions or thoughts.

I heard the Thoress room and have some familiarity with their pre. Sounded very good for a small room, and deserve credit for playing some decent music (Nick Cave). Speakers and TT were unfamiliar to me so it's hard to tell what Thoress was contributing, but overall a very enjoyable musical sound. Not overly "tubey" with decent detail, but maintaining a good emotional connection.

[heihei]

I heard them albeit briefly - they were using Masterpiece monos at god-knows what cost.

Sounded very good, but nothing memorable, especially from a cost / performance perspective.

Ok, then I did not see them.

Just saw two Vitus demos, one with these smaller ones and one with Goebels.


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[wizard]

You need a big room and a strong floor for Divin Majestic - 226 cm high and 530kg.
It goes down to 21 Hz.

And the price is - €449,000....

[Priaptor]

If anyone listens to some gear in an unknown constellation, in unknown acoustics, in a trade show environment, even with the broadest definition those cannot be considered reviews. But no-one has stated anything that sort either, I suppose?

This is just a bunch of Sharks enjoying the show and sharing what they are hearing, as a service to others who are doing the same in other parts of the world. Nothing more, nothing less.

I’m sure anyone of us has their bias, I definitely do. I like well defined, articulate bass, good dynamics and a details w/o harshness. Those preferences are visible in anyone’s profile through the gear selection.

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You need a big room and a strong floor for Divin Majestic - 226 cm high and 530kg.
It goes down to 21 Hz.

And the price is - €449,000....

And a crane

[vortrex]

I heard the Thoress room and have some familiarity with their pre. Sounded very good for a small room, and deserve credit for playing some decent music (Nick Cave). Speakers and TT were unfamiliar to me so it's hard to tell what Thoress was contributing, but overall a very enjoyable musical sound. Not overly "tubey" with decent detail, but maintaining a good emotional connection.

Reinhard said he was debuting some smaller speakers of his own. Did you see these by chance?

[tube-vds]

I heard this DMM record on the Divin's - great sound!

Very dynamic and realistic. Never heard a better piano on a Hifi. And no bass problems.





On the HifiDeluxe show in the Meriot Hotel was Acapella. The show was a bit disappointing. No room had good sound; Audio note, Jadis or Kii Audio (that was terrible). To my ears the Acapella room did not match with the huge speakers. Midrange was to loud.

[Kuoppis]

I heard this DMM record on the Divin's - great sound!

Very dynamic and realistic. Never heard a better piano on a Hifi. And no bass problems.



On the HifiDeluxe show in the Meriot Hotel was Acapella. The show was a bit disappointing. No room had good sound; Audio note, Jadis or Kii Audio (that was terrible).

Thanks for sharing the vinyl recommendation, need to check it out.

I usually skip the ‘special interest‘ part of the show. Reason being is that if you buy some of this ‘special recommendation’ gear, you’ll never get rid of it again. They typically disappear as quickly as they emerged. I once ventured into some French boutique stuff and it stuck with me forever.


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[nonesup]

Someone saw if Wadax finally presented his DAC (non-stratospheric price) Akadia?

[Mike]

https://youtu.be/FAcjeeFRxns

[Mike]

https://youtu.be/W-AinHyRDgk

[Mike]

https://youtu.be/V6m0nQt0WPU

[Kuoppis]

Thanks for sharing Mike, the three videos offer a very nice summary of the event.

Only drag is that everything sounds almost the same on video, which it did not when being live on-site.


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[aKnyght]

I heard the Thoress room and have some familiarity with their pre. Sounded very good for a small room, and deserve credit for playing some decent music (Nick Cave). Speakers and TT were unfamiliar to me so it's hard to tell what Thoress was contributing, but overall a very enjoyable musical sound. Not overly "tubey" with decent detail, but maintaining a good emotional connection.

thank you for the report! thoress is certainly among the best of hand-built, hand-wired equipment and i have heard their pre-amp is quite special.

[vortrex]

Did you happen to hear the Azzolina Mojo speakers? Those sound pretty good in the videos.

Thanks for sharing Mike, the three videos offer a very nice summary of the event.

Only drag is that everything sounds almost the same on video, which it did not when being live on-site.


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[Kuoppis]

Did you happen to hear the Azzolina Mojo speakers? Those sound pretty good in the videos.

Unfortunately no.

I had set myself a program beforehand based on stuff I am in general interested in, which pretty much occupied the entire day. Probably a lots of good stuff I did not see. But I am in a good place with my system now, very few open desires right mow.




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[nonesup]

Do not you find it strange, that a brand from the Gryphon category, had its products only in exhibition and at the best fair in the world?

[puroagave]

I heard this DMM record on the Divin's - great sound!

Very dynamic and realistic. Never heard a better piano on a Hifi. And no bass problems...

this is not a Direct Metal Master but a Japanese direct to disc from the '70s cut at 45 rpm. it's been an audiophile staple for eons.

[Hounddog]

Do not you find it strange, that a brand from the Gryphon category, had its products only in exhibition and at the best fair in the world?

Yes. I walked through that room and couldn’t believe it. I have a bunch of photos to post, but it will be next weekend. They’re on the camera and I’m in Europe this week after the show, so no way to move them till I get home.




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[Hounddog]

You need a big room and a strong floor for Divin Majestic - 226 cm high and 530kg.
It goes down to 21 Hz.

And the price is - €449,000....

I was in this room and too found it stunning, but this like several others, just overwhelmed me with their scale. Technically and sonically amazing, but I couldn’t relate to it (probably cause I’d have to build a new room to accommodate them and would have no $$ left to then buy the system).


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[Hounddog]

No these are Mingus 20 I believe. Momento 2 is much taller and much more expensive....approx. €300K I believe. Being used with Vitus amps.

I have a picture of the martens, but no way to upload it as I’m traveling on biz in Europe this week. Will do so next weekend. Stunning show - highly recommended.


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[walesi]

I heard the Marten Mingus twice. Unfortunately, that was just after M6, so I was spoiled. My impression was that they would require at least twice the room they were in. Bass articulation and control problems, but part of those must relate to the room. Overall, they were one of the nicest systems, MSB Select II DAC and all. God knows what was the grand total price of the system, speakers alone 310000 eur.

Did anyone hear the Exelon Extremes? Vassiliokovs run them also with an all-Vitus front end.

[Kuoppis]

Do not you find it strange, that a brand from the Gryphon category, had its products only in exhibition and at the best fair in the world?

Must admit, same thing crossed my mind.

A bit as if they are worried of a direct comparison.


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[walesi]

I asked them why, and the answer was " it would have been too complicated and expensive" Well, when I asked them how much did it cost to come here and let people SEE their stuff instead of LISTENING to it, and why bother at all, they seemed to switch to Danish and I left. And yes, I own their gear.

[wizard]

[Mike]

T+A M40 HV

WOW! Cool looking amp.


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[wizard]

[Kuoppis]

WOW! Cool looking amp.

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The regular model has been around for a while.

They do sound great, heard a very nice demo with Tannoy Canterbury GRs a while back.


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[wizard]

Price - €40000 /pr.

[ashandger]

I heard the Marten Mingus twice. Unfortunately, that was just after M6, so I was spoiled. My impression was that they would require at least twice the room they were in. Bass articulation and control problems, but part of those must relate to the room. Overall, they were one of the nicest systems, MSB Select II DAC and all. God knows what was the grand total price of the system, speakers alone 310000 eur.

Did anyone hear the Exelon Extremes? Vassiliokovs run them also with an all-Vitus front end.

Just to clarify, Marten Mingus 20 is the smaller speaker and Momento 2 is the larger speaker and costs approx. €300K. So not sure which one you heard? Both were used with Vitus amps.

[Hounddog]

I heard the Marten Mingus twice. Unfortunately, that was just after M6, so I was spoiled. My impression was that they would require at least twice the room they were in. Bass articulation and control problems, but part of those must relate to the room. Overall, they were one of the nicest systems, MSB Select II DAC and all. God knows what was the grand total price of the system, speakers alone 310000 eur.

Did anyone hear the Exelon Extremes? Vassiliokovs run them also with an all-Vitus front end.

Yes. I heard them and the new lynx. They were great and the best of the “larger than a person” speakers that I sampled.


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[wizard]

Diesis music server and hybrid Integrated amp from Italy.

[Mike]

Did anyone hear these?

[Kuoppis]

Did anyone hear these?

That’s looks like the esotheric department, hence no .


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[heihei]

Paul Messenger (of Hifi Critic) heard these and was very impressed.

[tube-vds]

Did anyone hear these?

Yes and they sounded pretty nice compared to other rooms. The tweeter is that thin rubber part between the 2 speakers!!

Room filling 3D sound (kind of german physiks like) but a bit indirect and unfocussed. For the longtime - i'm not so sure.

And I think for an exotic, but simple 3-way PASSIVE speaker from a new and unknown eastern-europe company the askingprice of € 39.000 is very, very "optimistic".

[Mordante]

Yesterday Raidho had the new TD 4.8s playing. They still have the Michael Børresen sound.

Just curious. What is a "Michael Børresen sound"?

[walesi]

It has a deliberately designed non-linear frequency response, in theory ompensating the non-linear way human ear reacts to different frequencies. Combined with a ported design, the bigger Raidho speakers tend to have way too much bass.

[Mordante]

It has a deliberately designed non-linear frequency response, in theory ompensating the non-linear way human ear reacts to different frequencies. Combined with a ported design, the bigger Raidho speakers tend to have way too much bass.

Interesting. I own the X-3 I don't think they have way too much bass. I've heard the 3.1 and don't think they are that bass heavy. But I could be mistaken. (Could be owners bias ). The Blumenhofer speakers I tried gave me bigger bass problems. But I am thinking about buy some bass traps in the future.

[a.wayne]

Yes and they sounded pretty nice compared to other rooms. The tweeter is that thin rubber part between the 2 speakers!!

Room filling 3D sound (kind of german physiks like) but a bit indirect and unfocussed. For the longtime - i'm not so sure.

And I think for an exotic, but simple 3-way PASSIVE speaker from a new and unknown eastern-europe company the askingprice of € 39.000 is very, very "optimistic".

Its not a simple speaker at all , i really don't see how 39K is outlandish , looks like a carbon fiber shell too ..

[a.wayne]

Exactly. I understand that some people prefer ported, but for me there is no contest.

Although, I have to admit that the new PMC sounded super impressive. I would like to hear that speaker with some serious amplification.

If you like the other properties of the ported speaker, as to looks , mid / treble, et al , you can cram it full of stuffing till it has no bass ..

Sealed

[Jim Smith]

It has a deliberately designed non-linear frequency response, in theory ompensating the non-linear way human ear reacts to different frequencies. Combined with a ported design, the bigger Raidho speakers tend to have way too much bass.

Agreed. At least all of their bigger speakers that I've heard. Don't have any experience with the latest models, though.

[wizard]

[tube-vds]

2 Companies that we not on the high end: Devialet and B & O.

Seems they just don't have the right strategy.

[2FlyingYorkies]

Did anyone see/hear the updated Focal Utopia III Evos at High End?

https://www.focal.com/sites/www.foca...ss-release.pdf

[Mike]

2 Companies that we not on the high end: Devialet and B & O.

Seems they just don't have the right strategy.

Totally agree. Devialet had it going on with a great distributor in Audio Plus Services. But then they decided to go it alone and fell off the face of the planet (or so it seems). For me, when they took over, they got stupid and started saying things like: "you need to bring in every Devialet model into your store and also one extra to sell of every unit." You can imagine my laughter at that one. First of all: no, I won't. Second, they all sound the same (just more power as you go up the line), so that's not even sensible.