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High End: Our Final Experience and Takeaways
- Andrew Munnik
- Jun 10
- 9 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
High End Munich is well-established as a sort of Mecca for music-lovers, with over two decades at this venue alone. In that time, High End has championed innovation, engineering, acoustic science and, most importantly, networking.
While this year might have marked our final pilgrimage to Munich’s MOC – Event Center Messe München, it certainly will not mark the end of High End. We’ve included some of our greatest takeaways, a few ruminations from Rodney, our fearless leader, and some standout mentions we couldn’t leave out, but this will not be the last. We’ll be seeing all those incredible people and their latest innovations next year in Vienna.
Rodney’s High End Ruminations
It all starts to feel like High End when you gather to cross the street. There’s just something about waiting at that robot that summons up memories and stories we’ve come across. There, you can feel the excitement in the air, as audiophiles accidentally rub shoulders with the engineers whose products fill their shelves. It’s just not something that exists anywhere else in the world- not that energy, not that excitement for sound, and certainly not those people.
And when the MOC comes into view, that excitement bubbles up into raucous conversation, often between strangers as much as it is between friends.
On more than one occasion, we’ve found ourselves locked in a spirited debate over loudspeakers or amplifiers, only to discover our opposition to be the very people who built or refined the technology.
The only time that conversation ever stills is when the main show begins- and we all know what we wait for when we make the pilgrimage to High End. When listening rooms curated by some of the greatest minds in acoustics house systems designed at the pinnacle of innovation, something truly magical happens. That’s when the true heart of High End is put on display, and that heart will never change. Yes, High End is moving, but the people, products, and musicians who form its foundations will move along with it.
High End Munich’s First and Final Standout Awards
In celebration of High End’s legacy and their move to fresher pastures, we wanted to highlight those products that really caught our eye. While they weren’t our absolute favourites from the weekend (we’ll be discussing those later), they’re incredible showcases of the spirit of High End. So while we might not be bringing these powerhouses home, we thought we’d honour them by bestowing upon them Rodney’s first-ever High End Standout Awards.
Most Visually Appealing: Bermeister’s 911 Spirit 70
This was a loudspeaker that immediately caught our eye, and while we, like everyone else in attendance, asked the same question, we found ourselves coming back to it again and again.
“Why green?” With sleek, clean edges and what promises to be sound to follow, that final choice of colour elevates the aesthetic to sit among our absolute favourites.
Most Surprising Performer: Avalon Acoustics’ TESSERACT Signature
Avalon Acoustics is no newcomer to the game. With over 30 years of history and a renowned dedication to acoustic science, it takes a lot for the performance of their products to surprise us.
And yet, the TESSERACT Signature loudspeaker did exactly that.
The goal for this flagship product is for the speakers to fall away, leaving only a three-dimensional soundspace in which the listener is positioned.
Most Interesting Aesthetic: Thöress’ Dual-Function Pre-Amplifier and Phonostage
There’s just something ridiculously interesting about Thöress’ latest line. Their integrated amplifiers are one thing, but the Pre-amplifier and 845 Mono System have elevated them into new heights. Looking like something out of a 1960s spy thriller, it’s a fantastic piece based on looks alone. We can’t really speak to performance, as they only had display models on offer, but we’ll be keeping an ear out.
Most Over-The-Top Design: Audeum’s Silbatone Loudspeaker
What more can we say about the Silbatone other than ‘look at it!’ Seldom do we see a system as outrageously designed as Audeum’s latest release. Behind that over-the-top size and bombastic design, however, is a system that performs at a very high level, capable of rendering Bellini with absolute precision.
Most Impressive Debut: SME’s Model 35 Turntable
By far, this title must go to SME’s Model 35. SME has always been an engineering company, first and foremost. Every product they create is laden with decades’ worth of engineering mastery, worked carefully until each pair of hands is happy.
The result is always a top-tier product, but the Model 35 just took the show for us. With a tri-column design, decoupled feet, and, among a laundry list of other improvements, the Series Vi tonearm.
The ‘i’ in the series Vi represents innovation, and innovate it does. It manages to elevate the already impressive list of upgraded features of the Model 35, marking it as the first of our standout products that we couldn’t help but bring home.
Simply put, the Model 35 takes SME’s substantial legacy and leverages it to create a product like no other, with a build quality like nothing in this world.
But, without any further ado, here are the other incredible performers that we just had to bring home to all of you.
Our Favourites And Latest Additions to Our Catalogue
Michell Audio’s Apollo Amuse Phonostage
From the esteemed British master craftspeople at Michell, we have the latest innovation in noise reduction technology.
Named for its dedicated power supply, the Muse, the dual-box design separates the phonostage from its power supply, reducing unwanted vibration in a new way.
For those of us less clued-up on the concepts of applied physics, a Faraday cage can be thought of as an enclosure (hence ‘cage) which works to block out electromagnetic influences. In essence, it keeps electrical components free of interference from static, radiation and a host of other factors. Also featuring Class A pre-amplifiers and a finely tuned passive RIAA equalisation circuit, it’s an incredible addition to our catalogue that we could not bring ourselves to leave behind.
Eggleston Works’ Andra 5
While there is no mistaking an Andra when one sees it, the Andra 5 truly has taken the next step for the series. As if to celebrate the last High End Munich in their own way, Eggleston Works have reimagined and refined nearly every element of the Andra 4, creating a system that earns the esteem afforded to its name.
You can see this in the materials alone. They’ve made use of 1” Thin-Ply Carbon Fiber for their tweeter, allowing for greater detail and even smoother top end. And, for a greater lower-end response, they’ve gone with 12” Rigid Paper Cones for the bass drivers.
This results in a loudspeaker that blows its predecessors away, which, considering who their predecessors are, is truly saying something.
Nagra’s Compact Range
Renowned for their world-class (and spy-class) technology, Nagra has always been a great jewel to be added to a collection, or the prized possession in your recording booth. It’s a goal for many audiophiles, but unfortunately, not many have been capable of attaining that goal, let alone filling their shelves with Nagra’s exquisite tech.
Perhaps in response to this, Nagra’s Compact Range seeks to bridge this gap, offering their meticulous craftsmanship at a more attainable entry point.
Each of the pieces in this range, from the MEZZO to the ARES-MII and everything in between, is undeniably Nagra, delivering on the promise of the range in a way that far outclasses many who have attempted a similar model.
Harbeth’s XD2
Unlike many of the prolific names in the audio industry, Harbeth avoids the ‘yearly update’ approach. Each product they release is a very deliberate upgrade over the pieces they already have in circulation, resulting in a product line that guarantees improvement in its next iteration.
The only question to ask, then, is how much the latest evolutions of the XD2 have improved on their predecessors?
Well, to quote Alan Shaw, current lead for Harbeth, “[They’re] the clearest Harbeths ever produced.” With specialised consoles to cater to the audiophile seeking a massive system and those seeking smaller, supplementary speakers, Harbeth has once again set the standard. By the time you’re reading this, we’ll have our listening lounge set up at our new location, so why not come hear for yourself?
Cary Audio’s DMS-300A And SLP-300
Both the DMS and the SLP made their debut this year at High End, putting on a show that wowed audiences- and that very much includes us.
While both feature Cary Audio’s design philosophies, they speak to two very different kinds of audiophiles, suggesting a trajectory for the company that might seek to cater to a wider audience. It’s worth noting how often this idea surfaced at this year’s High End.
The DMS-300A Streaming Integrated Amplifier functions as an all-in-one digital hub, combining the capability of a streamer, DAC, and integrated amplifier. With Bluetooth accessibility, analogue processing thanks to a third-order Bessel filter, and an advanced chipset, it’s a definite leap into the world of digital integrated sound.
The SLP-300 Preamplifier forgoes the DMS’s path, instead functioning as a dedicated, fully optimised tube preamplifier. An onboard phono stage designed with a flexible cartridge setup in mind allows for a ridiculously low level of noise during operation. This, alongside its dedicated headphone amplifier section and full colour LCD, showcases a dedication to the old-school, while retaining the effective innovation of contemporary systems.
IsoAcoustics’ GAIA and GAIA-TITAN Neo
What can we say about the IsoAcoustics’ latest series that we haven’t already said about its predecessors? It’s quickly becoming obvious just how important the IsoAcoustics product range is to the audio industry. One could go out, find the right component that works for their system and source it, or they could find the right IsoAcoustics product and improve the quality of their sound for a fraction of the price (and effort).
The GAIA/ TITAN series just takes this ease of use to the next level, offering up to 8.5mm of adjustment on the feet and a simpler installation process.
We had the fortune of being able to see one of the most expensive and renowned pieces on the market at High End- Sonas Faber’s Suprema, created to mark their 40th anniversary. And wouldn’t you know it, standard with each model comes IsoAcoustics.
Analog Relax’s EX700 MC Phono Cartridge
We won’t say too much about the EX700, not until Analog Relax makes their release known to the general public. But, as a treat for our readers, we will include a few tidbits that were shared with us at High End.
The EX700 MC is one of those components that fits smoothly into the audiophile’s crown- a meticulously crafted masterwork created to resemble and finished with the same materials as a violin.
Complete with a custom-made line contact needle and a reinforced anodised aluminium cantilever, it brings the delicate sound of classical instrumentality without its fragility.
In all, High End lived up to its legacy once more, delivering show-stopping demonstrations and a heap of products we couldn’t help but add to our catalogue. We were also floored by Siltech display of cables constructed from actual silver and gold (and to be treated as such), but there will be more of that once Siltech hits South African shores. Until then, we leave you with a simple word of thanks to High End.
We’ll miss the legacy of the MOC, we’ll miss the litre beers and pork knuckle sandwiches of Hofbräuhaus, but we’ll see all our friends in Vienna next year.
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