High End: echoes of the Munich trade fair
The High End trade fair in Munich has gradually established itself as the largest and most important HiFi fair in the world. Many Swiss manufacturers, importers and consumers also take advantage of the opportunity to meet up and keep abreast of developments in the field. Digitec Galaxus was present.
It's growing all the time: created 37 years ago for enthusiasts, the High End trade fair has been held every year since 2001 at Munich's MOC exhibition centre, and has become the biggest and most important trade fair for consumer electronics. And it does so on an international scale. Of course, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the Internationale Funkausstellung in Berlin are bigger overall, but not when it comes to sound. Manufacturers and importers have long made this the most important business meeting - and consumers are delighted to attend the spectacular displays and discover real HiFi gems, which usually fetch six-figure prices in Swiss francs.
530 exhibitors from 41 countries were on hand from 10 to 13 May to present their display models over a total area of 29,000 m². Switzerland was the sixth best represented country with 21 exhibitors, behind Germany (180), the USA (45), Great Britain (35), France (27) and Italy (25). The first day, Ascension Thursday, was reserved for professionals, but from Friday onwards individuals were able to visit the four major halls and exhibition sectors.
An ever-expanding show
According to organiser High End Society, 19899 visitors came to the show this year, slightly fewer than the 21412 visitors in 2017, which set a new record. I did get the impression that there were fewer people, especially on Sunday. However, it was impossible not to notice the growing interest of the public on Friday and Saturday. People were stepping on each other's toes in the aisles and it was impossible to attend certain presentations because of the crowds.
The CanJam, a helmet-themed show held at the same time as the High End for the first time certainly also contributed to the influx of visitors, in the High End aisles. CanJam, which used to take place in Essen at a different time, was this time only a few metres from the main High End exhibition halls, though the back-and-forth between the two events seemed to me to be quite rare.
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As always: despite the clement weather and the last home game of the Bundesliga season (during which FC Bayern Munich played with little motivation and lost 4-1 to Stuttgart), the MOC was not deserted.
Ode to mobile streaming and analogue
Super-speakers and systems blithely exceeding 100,000 francs were once again the main attraction of the show, but fashionable themes such as vinyl, headphones and streaming managed to make a place for themselves and presented more affordable products. The show should, in my opinion, give them a more prominent place, as High End is still seen by many as a show for millionaires who are a bit crazy.
The niche has been developing over the last few years in the record player sector, for example. The industry is producing more affordable consumer equipment and is no longer limited to the admittedly cult and very impressive models that nobody can afford. In electronics, "either analogue or digital" has long since given way to "analogue and digital". It has become almost impossible not to use a turntable and iPad (or similar device) during a presentation. Digital media is now well established and has taken over the high-end end of the audio industry.
Testing and better acoustics
It has to be admitted that the organisers and exhibitors have made good progress this year in terms of the acoustics of the presentation hall, often criticised in previous years. The situation is certainly not yet optimal, but the acoustics of many rooms have improved considerably thanks to elaborate acoustic optimisation - a trendy subject if ever there was one.
Of course, it was impossible to see all the new products and presentations over the three, or even four, days of the show. It was impossible to allow as much time for expert presentations, special sections such as 'High End on Wheels' showcasing devices for high-end cars or bespoke demonstrations of surround technologies. The choice of images and reports is therefore subjective.
Some highlights
The gigantic subwoofer from Ascendo is already impressive in photo alone.
What would the High End be without its very elaborate and giant speakers? Here, the Estelon Extreme is made up of two parts, with the upper part being height-adjustable and motorised.
Analogue specialist Clearaudio (distributed by Sacom in Switzerland), meanwhile, had installed a turntable in a legendary VW van.....
.. here, Veronika Suchy Platz, co-director of Clearaudio took a seat in the van. It was one of the main attractions at the show.
Illusonic, the Uster-based Swiss manufacturer of fantastic audio processors, was showing off its processors with invisible speakers. Bluffing.
American manufacturer Martin Logan (distributed by Digital Unterhaltungs AG in Switzerland), meanwhile, specialised in electrostatic loudspeakers. They quoted (and forgot a "t" in my name) from one of my test reports published in the German HiFi magazine "Audio".
The installation by German manufacturer Burmester (distributed by Digital Unterhaltungs AG in Switzerland) was also among the big attractions at the show.
Swiss company Thales was showing off a superb turntable. A jewel of technology lies behind this relatively sober design, not least the very elegant shape of the tone arm.
Let's talk a bit about the hot topic: crowds were flocking to the Beyerdynamic stand and Stereo magazine's "Hörbar" (listening bar), where consumers could test and compare different models.
In the age of streaming, high-end audio media has lost none of its appeal for purists and High Enders alike. Importer Sieveking Sound was offering CDs, SACDs and LPs for sale. German dealer DaCapo (pictured), meanwhile, was offering some excellent vinyl.
Kari Bremnes was this year's High End ambassador. The Norwegian singer-songwriter has been releasing some very good records for a few decades.
This year in Switzerland, next year back in Munich
Whatever the case, a visit to the High End will certainly be worthwhile in 2019 - from 9 to 12 May. The show will once again be held at the Munich exhibition centre, which may have reached its limits in capacity, but which the High End Society is not about to leave.
Nearer and in less time: the Swiss version of the High End (on a much smaller scale than the Munich show) will take place in Regensdorf on 27 and 28 October.
I have been a journalist in the audio industry for over 30 years. I have a reputation as an avid music lover, a die-hard analog fan and an uncompromising critic of speakers. This surely has something to do with my lamentable attempts to play violin and drums beyond amateur status. For a while I lived and worked in Switzerland, my favorite country, where I love to return.