Q Acoustics, Vivid, Aries Cerat, Burmester and more
Munich’s annual High End Show is a must for the audiophile – a nerve center for hi-fi’s elite leaders to converge, converse, build wildly expensive sound systems and showcase their oeuvre.
The 2024 show kicked off on Thursday May 9 (10am-6pm) for press and trade visitors only – but on Saturday May 11 (10am-6pm) and Sunday May 12 (10am-4pm) it’s open to the public.
I was lucky enough to be at the MOC München, Lilienthalallee 40, 80939, Munich, Germany for the two press-and-trade-only days. And let me tell you, it was gloriously busy. What follows is a teaser of the sonic delights that caught my eye and ear – from the biggest and wildest of horn speakers to the most notable affordable options and everything in between.
I hope this serves as a taster of what is a truly joyous show for the avid music lover. I’m only sad I cannot supply you with a nice cold stein or a pretzel… 1. Feeling that bass through Aries Cerat’s huge horn system
Huge horn loudspeaker fans were exceptionally well served in Munich this year. And the behemoth of the bunch? This entire Aries Cerat system, including amplification, horn speaker units that actually look like giant maracas from side-on, plus bass units bigger than a Parisian apartment I once lived in.
This is one of the largest exhibition rooms at High End Munich – and it needed to be, since speakers of this scale tend to reveal their true worth from a relative distance, in my opinion. That said, when James Blake’s Limit to your Love (often affectionately renamed ‘limit to your sub’ in audio circles, since it really is a true test of what your system’s low end is capable of) came on, it didn’t matter where I stood, this system delivered the feels.
Pricing? We couldn’t possibly say. But if you need to ask the Limassol Cyprus specialist for a price list, just the Ianus Essentia power amps seen in the image above may be a little rich for the blood… 2. Q Acoustics’ 3050c affordable speakers standing up against the competition
In stark contrast to many of the towers of power you’ll see at High End Munich, Q Acoustics’ offering hails from a different price bracket entirely.
