The Munich High End show, promoted by the High End Society, continues to build on the tradition of the best consumer audio and hi-fi show in the world. The 2016 edition made that very clear with the largest number of exhibitors ever - 518 exhibitors from 42 countries (+2%) - and an impressive number of quality visitors from all over the world - 19,489 attendees in total (-6%), including 7,053 trade visitors from 69 countries (+7%).
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This is what the best consumer audio and hi-fi show in the world looks like. Click for some show highlights.
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As the figures reveal, the show was more international than ever and the decrease in the domestic visitors numbers was mainly due to the show taking place during an extended holiday weekend (Thursday was a public holiday), the fact that the weather was simply beautiful and that FC Bayern Munich was playing... This was particularly noticeable at certain hours and the visitors also seemed to be older than in previous years. Still the show floor always seemed well-attended and exhibitors in general were pleased with the business results.
Some of the highlights of the year included the "H�rbar," or "headphone bar," which provided visitors with the opportunity to just enjoy the latest headphone models and compare different concepts side by side with identical tracks from different genres - a really great idea. We also appreciated the fact that the show floor was better distributed, filling all four halls with different exhibits, and had an excellent layout. As usual, it provided a prime example of what a quality trade show should be.
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A delighted Peter Janis shows the brand-new Dynaco ST-70x (and the new integrated ST-1) at High End Munich. More details soon from the new Hafler-Dynaco...
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audioXpress will continue to update its show coverage on our website and offer separate news items for some of the major product announcements - many of which are already online, including a detailed report on the MQA announcements. This was certainly a strong moment for Bob Stuart's initiative that is promising to revolutionize music distribution in the streaming age. Read more about MQA in the printed June issue of audioXpress.
It's not surprising that the number and quality of announcements was also impressive. In all the particular domains of a show such as this there were plenty of new things to see and hear. With one significant exception: Even though headphones and earphone brands were present, we didn't see a significant number of new product launches or premieres at this year's show. There were many products being displayed in public for the first time in Europe and many of the specialized brands had fine demonstrations in place to surprise visitors. But with the significant success of headphone-specific shows such as CanJam, now happening around the world, it seems clear that many of the companies in this product segment are choosing to introduce their products first at those dedicated shows. Still there was a significant number of new electronics to support headphones, in particular for home listening. Headphone amplifiers are a product segment clearly on the rise and there is almost a race to demonstrate the best quality audio combined with practical features such as integrated DAC and integrated processing and streaming.
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The stunning Stenheim full aluminum floor-standing Alumine FIVE, introduced at the Munich High End 2016 show.
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DACs and streamers continue to be a major focus for all the main brands attending this show, while the number of great quality products in the most traditional segments was indeed impressive, from very high-end speakers to tube amps and many new turntables. This year there were also a number of new technology companies from all over the world appearing for the first time at the show. We've seen several interesting displays at the start-up exhibits, some of which we will explore in our show coverage.
There were many young companies with interesting proposals clearly showing that the audio industry even in its most traditional segments is benefiting from a new generation of engineering talent. I was particularly impressed by many manufacturers with fresh attitudes toward quality audio.
On the other hand, the Munich show was also a tale of two worlds, with the extreme high-end brands and the esoteric builders interested in getting all the seats filled for their closed-door auditions, while the major brands and most of the show floor focused on the business side, with press events, and distributor meetings. That's the price of success and no doubt the High End show will have to handle both worlds better as it evolves.
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Enjoying the HIFIMAN headphones on the show floor, including the fantastic Shangri-La electrostatic headphones... and no crowds around you.
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Our High End report in the magazine will certainly pay attention to both sides, since we're always interested in talking to the builders. But the task of ignoring the simply outrageous 3% sound improvements for 3,000% of the price, while spotting the mention-deserving efforts that will actually contribute to the enthusiasts' happiness while not forcing anyone to get a second mortgage, is not an easy one. And in the European market, that's even harder with companies from Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and many other countries showing designs that might be considered affordable in their home markets but are completely out of reach for any middle-class aficionados from other countries (the majority). Also, it is easy to be dazzled by some esoteric tube amps, exquisite turntables, and hand-painted speakers from Eastern-European countries, which effectively don't add much. And that might well be a significant number of the exhibits, but you have to visit them just to find out.
That doesn't mean the High End show doesn't provide for amazing sessions and highly intense emotional experiences while listening to carefully selected recordings on a half-a-million-dollar setup (and that's not taking into account the cables...). It certainly does. Sometimes actually forcing the High End visitor to take a break before jumping into the next room... And the worst actually happens when we get back home and we listen to what we have... it just sounds dull... so dull. What happened?
