Thread: Some random thoughts about Munich 2019

Now that I’ve had a chance to digest much of what I’ve heard and saw, I had a few comments:

- CH and Soulution gear was by far the most popular used. Give credit where credit is due. It’s not only great gear, but I suspect they have managed some good partners on this side of the pond.
- Same as above, Artesania racks were EVERYWHERE.
- No Dartzeel and no CJ. Those were surprises to me.
- At the High End Show, there were really no “bad” sounding rooms. You found a few at the other show: Hi-Fi Deluxe, but all the rooms at Munich High End had very good sound.
- Speaking of the other show, Hi-Fi Deluxe is held at the Marriott and well worth seeing. There’s a shuttle running every 15 minutes, but during busy times, more like every 1-2 hours. Plan accordingly as the show ends Saturday at like 5pm. It runs for a very short time. Check their website and plan accordingly.
- People in the rooms need to hold their conversations outside the room in the hallway or at worst, at the back of the room. Too many folks would get up and carry on a conversation right in front of the gear!
- I’m still undecided on the whole 30 minute “canned demo” thing. With the Linn one, I felt a bit trapped. It was indeed informative, but I had heard all I needed to after 15 minutes and wanted to keep moving. What’s worse is those companies like Octave who gave demos every hour or so? Want to hear their latest amps? Come back in 30 minutes. Kind of lame. Just keep them playing!
- On the busiest days - Friday and Saturday, traffic was chaotic. It took 2.5 hours to go less than 10km by car when trying to get to Hi-Fi Deluxe. On both of those days, getting on the free shuttle in the morning from the hotel was a challenge as they were usually full and you had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. What’s the answer? Take the early shuttle to the MOC and sit around there for an hour or so before the show answers. When it’s time to leave, well, compare the free shuttle line to the cab line. Pick your poison.
- Hotels: I made the mistake this time of staying at a local German hotel. My room was so small, I had to walk sideways once I got out of bed. They were completely inflexible about early check in (my flight arrived at 6am) and they weren’t going out of their way to make any special accommodations (at the front desk during checkin: a bottle of water you want? We will charge you!). Suggestion: stick with the Marriott Munich. There’s no shuttle, but there’s fabulous breakfast, early check in and the bigger chains tend to have the customer service aspect figured out.
- The show starts Thursday for “industry” folks. If you’re planning on going, perhaps if you’re friendly with one of the manufacturers, they can help get you a badge for Thursday. The crowds are lighter and if you start early, you can really get a lot done. Friday and Saturday are a zoo, but Sunday is light.
- Play good music. If there was an award for Best DJ, it would go to Joe of Critical Mass who was manning the Magico M6/Soulution Room. He always played great music. Ditto for Alon/Dave/Peter in the Magico M2 Room.
- Traveling to Munich from the US, if you manage to get a pass for Thursday, then I suggest leaving Monday (you’ll arrive as zombie on Tuesday.). Tuesday will be a write off and Wednesday is a good day for sight seeing. Even leaving Sunday, arriving Monday gives you another day to adjust and another day for sight seeing. Not a bad idea.
- The City is safe and clean and run with great efficiency.

As I’ve said before, it’s well worth doing at least once. You will get to hear and see the best of the best that every company has to offer. The rooms are setup by the manufacturers themselves (and not a local dealer). A few are put on by the local distributor, but its few and far between.


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Very useful insights and commentary Mike. I'm inspired and hope to visit the show one day!