A Visit to the High End 2018 show in Munich - Part II
Visitor: Carlo Iaccarino
The show took place from May, 10th through May, 13th, 2018 at the M.O.C.
facilities, in Munich, Germany
Originally written: May-July, 2018
Website with plenty of resources: High End
Society
Keep on strolling...
CANTON
This year, too, this famous brand showed a system with very good
loudspeakers. Their look and sound show how different German loudspeakers
are now from what they were back in the late 70s.
Canton showed their IQ Vento 9 Active floorstanding loudspeakers that
sport internal amplification and digital connection, both wired and
wireless. So, you can hook both of them to an AC outlet, connect one of them
directly to a source, digitally slave the other loudspeaker to the former,
and you're ready to go and play music, without the hassle of choosing the
right amplifier, the right cables, hiding the cables, etc. The acoustic
result was also good, with all the genres of music played. And, of course,
they would also pair with your bluetooth device of choice: using your cell
phone that you carry with you all the time and with which you have access to
Tidal, you don't need anything else to play music... At the show, I was told
that they plan to make them available for Christmas (I later checked their
website, where they write September...) and plan to sell them for Eur 4.400.
There's also a cheaper model, the IQ Vento 3, a two-way standmounter
with the same characteristics, but less powerful.
Canton showed also the new model in their Reference K line, the Concept
Reference K (the white one in the picture), a traditional passive
three-way floorstander, with a less imposing look than its siblings in the
same line. It will retail for Eur 15.000 per pair, and its projected launch
should take place for Christmas, too... if you behave well, maybe Santa can
be inspired... ;-) This model, too, sounded very well - better, in my
opinion, than the active one, but this was somehow expected, due to the
difference in price and in the customers the Reference line is aimed at.
DALI
Also this famous loudspeaker maker showed a range of wireless active
loudspeakers. It's the Callisto line, consisting of the 6C
floorstanders and the 2C standmounters. They must be connected to the
AC line; they have an analogue input; they give their best when wirelessly
connected to the Sound Hub, a device to which an analogue and a
digital source (up to PCM 24/192) can be connected.
The wireless connection can carry also high resolution signals. The
loudspeakers have their remote control; the Sound Hub can be controlled via
an app, that also allows you to stream hi-res content to the loudspeakers.
Plus, it can accept future expansion modules; at present, already available
is the Blu-OS module, that opens this system to a wireless communication
standard adopted by their famous "cousin" company, NAD. They have
an effective catchy phrase on their ads: "You worry about the volume,
let us worry about everything else", and it really gives the idea of
how simple is becoming to listen to your music, wherever it may be located,
and with no loss in quality. Prices, here, are not intimidating: the system
6C/SoundHub will sell for about Eur 5.000.
ELAC
This year, center stage was given to their Concentro Ms, the big,
white, round-shaped floorstanders in the following picture.
Those loudspeakers are completely designed by Elac's own engineering team;
at the show, the were driven by a complete Burmester amplification system.
They told me both companies have a partnership, and ELAC provides the
drivers (especially their Jet Heil-type tweeters) for the Burmester car
audio system.
Yet, I was much more intrigued by the sound of the other pair of
floorstanders you may see in the above picture. They are the FS 407.2
model, part of the new Vela range that consists of the bigger FS
409.2 FloorStander, the CC 401.2 Center Channel,
and the BS 403.2 BookShelf models. The sound of the 407.2 was
really pleasant, complete, non-fatiguing, with a big and deep bass. Sure,
driven by two Burmester monoblocks they were supposed to play well, but the
result was extremely pleasant; in my opinion, better than with the bigger
Concentros. And, and it is a big and, they have a projected price of
Eur 4.000 per pair: not cheap, but far away from the exaggeration seen in
other rooms. They produced an acoustical result very, very appreciated, not
only by me, but also by other showgoers to whom I talked, and who also said
that the bookshelf model is even better, pricewise... Anyway, you have to
wait until October to find them in the shops.
But, after this all-German exhibition, you may ask yourself what was there
of the Jones' loudspeakers designs and the (former) Audio Alchemy
electronics. Fear no more: I saw both Mr. Jones and Mr. Madnick walking
around Elac's room. There, I was told that the company just couldn't
complete in time its electronic line, and that the concentric drive found in
the Concentros showed the common ideas between Elac's own engineers and Mr.
Jones.
Anyway, in the other Elac Room, the complete range of Debut loudspeakers was
statically displayed, as well as other Jones' designs, some of them also
dissected, like this Argo B S 1, for Eur 1.000 each.
TAD
This year, TAD exhibited in a much smaller room, with, in my opinion, a less
refined and attractive way.
Anyway, there was the usual big rig consisting of a pair of
Reference R1 Mk2, for Eur 88.000, one C600 preamplifier, for
Eur 36.000 and a pair of M600 monoblocks, for Eur 35.000 each; source
was the D600 SACD player and their new DA 1200 DAC.
Perpendicular to the former system, TAD set up a lesser system,
consisting of their Micro Evolution 1 standmounters, for Eur 13.000
per pair (plus Eur 1.500 for their stand), driven by their new M 2500
stereo power amplifier, for Eur 24.990, and the DA1000 DAC/pre, for
Eur 14.990; source was the D 1000 Mk2 SACD player.
The real news was this anonymous floorstander, still shown silent and as a
prototype, just like they did with their praised Compact Evolution 1
standmounters that I so praised in my past show reports.
They said that CE 1 production will cease, because they are going to
substitute them with this new floorstander. I was puzzled by such a plan:
the CE 1 model is being appreciated worldwide, and, after all, it's just a
few years since it hit the shelves. TAD's managers must have had their good
reasons for this move. Yet, you can't read this as a signal of CE 1's poor
quality: I still think that they are a good and defintive choice for a small
(human) quality system.
Anyway, TAD won the respect also of Pioneeer/Onkyo, who set up a listening
room where they premiered a high-definition live stream of a concert from
Tidal and played several streamed MQA pieces with their streamer/network
player. Guess what they used as loudspeakers of such an important demo room?
No, not one of the TAD (Jones)-derived Pioneer loudspeakers, but a couple of
ME 1s...
ESOTERIC
In the same Pioneer/Onkyo exhibition area, also TEAC (both companies are now
under the same umbrella, but this is an intriguing financial story I
won't examine, here) had his spaces. So, there was also a room where a
complete Esoteric system was put in the middle between a big Clearaudio
turntable and a pair of Big B&Ws. There was plenty of Esoteric gear, that
was combined depending on the source used and the demo intended to perform.
While I was there, we listened to the K01Xs SACD player, for about
Euro 22.500, the F-03 A stereo integrated amplifier, for about Eur
15.000, connected - but I couldn't figure out why, since there seemed to be
no other digital gear playing - also to the G-02 X clock generator,
for about Eur 8.000. Skyrocketing prices, here, but I must admit I liked
very much the sound of this room...
BRYSTON
Another very nice exhibition space was the one set up by the Canadian firm
Bryston.
They exhibited a system intended to show their Active loudspeaker
range. Those are not powered loudspeakers, as their name might suggest.
Rather, they are loudspeakers with which you can use the multiple
amplification technique, for which you need an external x-over that drives
different power amplifiers for each way (driver or group of drivers)
of the loudspeaker. All the models of the Active range can be purchased in
the traditional, passive version, with internal x-over, thus needing only a
normal stereo amplifier (or 2 monos, one for each) to work; later, you can
upgrade them to the active version.
The system showed consisted of the BDP 3 network and memory player,
for Eur 4.245 (prices with German 19% VAT included, here); then the B 135
cubed stereo integrated amplifier with internal DAC module, for Eur
5.967; then there was the active section, with two 21 B cubed
three-channel power amplifiers, for Eur 12.000 each, driven by the heart of
the system, the BAX-1 external crossover, for Eur 4.245. The BAX-1
takes an analog input signal (from the pre-out sockets of the integrated
amplifier, in this case), converts it into digital (96 kHz/24 bits) and
processes it with a DSP that produces three different analog output signals
to drive each channel of the 21 B cubed amplifier. Its final response can
also be regulated according to the room's condition (and your tastes...), by
hooking the x-over to your LAN and using the purpose made web-based app.
The loudspeakers used were the Middle T Active, for Eur 7.304 per
pair. It's the... middle model of the line, placed between the bigger
Model T Active, for Eur 9.652 per pair and the little Mini T
Active, for Eur 4.031 per pair.
The listening space was really well setup, resembling a domestic
environment, albeit a cold, Canadian one :-)
Here is the space devoted to the listeners.
Also this year, there was their now legendary coffee machine, where I could
enjoy a very tasty espresso.
This brand's exhibition was one of my first stops, since last year I
completely missed their coffee ;-)
AUDIOSILENTE -
VIVID - JEFF ROWLAND
Let's go back to an Italian brand, Audiosilente, led by Simone
Lucchetti, a guy from Rome that is producing the Eur 40.000
Blackstone.
It's a nice (but aesthetically demanding) idler drive turntable, basically
made with Graphite, a material that Simone now knows very well.
Its motor is controlled by an external computer that continuously provides
speed stability and, above all, controls the torque's intensity.
Simone's turntables always really give a sense of firm and silent
reproduction; I don't know how to say, but they are easy to hear, maybe I
should write natural, if I could be sure of its meaning in reproduced
audio...
His was the source of choice for showing the new KAYA 90 loudspeakers
by Vivid Audio, for Eur 26.000 per pair.
It's the top model in the Kaya line, which is projected to consist of three
other models: two floorstanders, the Kaya 45 (Eur 18.000 per pair) and the
Kaya 25 (Eur 9.000 per pair), and a standmounter model, the Kaya S 15, a
design that is still to be finalized.
Between the Blackstone and the Kaya 90 was the new integrated amplifier by
Jeff Rowland, the Daemon, rated at beefy 1.500 Watts per channel, for
about Eur 60.000. It was somehow aesthetically imposing, yet the sound of
this little and acoustically challenging room was very, very pleasant, and
very, very far from being overly loud or "yelled". Unfortunately,
at least for me, the system that produced that very good sound was very,
very far from the affordable, as well...
A little exhibiting space, but very pleasant to the ears, and run by people
very helpful and eager to tell the visitors about their gear; besides
Simone, there were both the - very tall - Mr. Jeff Rowland, for his namesake
company, and the famous loudspeaker designer Laurence Dickie, for Vivid
Audio.
CAMBRIDGE
This year, this proudly British historic company had a big exhibition space,
much of it devoted to its landmark past products and, above all, their new
Edge line, named after Cambridge's longtime master designer,
Professor Gordon Edge. The Edge line consists of just the Edge A, a
100 W/ch stereo integrated amplifier with digital and analogue inputs, the
Edge W, a 100 W/ch stereo power amplifier with balanced and
unbalanced inputs (as well as the other Edge series gear), and, what I found
more interesting, the Edge NQ, that Cambridge defines
"preamplifier with network player, a good definition, as
synthetic as precise it must be to make you understand what this new
category of products do and that you can guess by just looking at its rear
panel.
I found interesting that a traditional brand gave a lot of emphasis on its
latest products, that are also quite traditional, both per se and
considering the company's core business, the amplification. Yet, other than
the usual combination of integrated amplifier and pre/power amplifier combo,
albeit with top-quality parts and design, they choose to provide something
in between. The power amplifier is, of course, the most traditional device
in the line. The integrated amplifier, too, is quite traditional: it sports
a complete digital input section, that, nowadays, is becoming quite
"normal" to find in integrated amplifiers. Not so the NQ model. It
is the preamplifier intended to be paired with the W model. But it sports
also a complete digital input section; moreover, it contains also a PCB
containing Cambridge's acclaimed circuitry for streaming.
So this machine can really become the hub to which you can connect every
source of music you have available; moreover, you have a device that,
although clearly IT-derived, is (should be) optimized for audio streaming
purposes.
Cambridge set up also a closed space where the Edge line was up and running,
driving B&W loudspeakers.
Unfortunately, all the times I entered in this room, I listened to very
unusual musical excerpts, and I didn't enjoy it very much; this make me even
more looking forward to listening to this gear under more familiar
conditions :-)
TECHNICS
Always packed demos, for Technics. This company has continuosly gained
importance since its re-introduction on the hi-fi scene, and now we can
really say it's back among the top names in analogue reproduction. This
year, they exhibited the much anticipated SL-1000R, their best
turntable ever, whose price should be around Eur 16.000.
Basically, it consists of their more powerful, stable and silent direct
drive motor, which is controlled (speed selection and fine regulation) by an
external box.
This motor can be had alone (model SP-10R), or in the complete version that
was exhibited, which includes a base that sports also one armboard where the
best Technics gimballed magnesium arm is mounted,
plus the housing for two more armboards engineered to house arms by SME or
Ortofon. The exhibited SL-1000R was equipped with an SME arm mounted, but
not working: it was installed just to show this possibility.
The system used for the demo included also Technics' preamplifier and
monoblocks, and their biggest floorstanding loudspeakers.
They also assembled a second, simpler system, placed on the same racks used
for the former. It consisted of the latest version of the re-born, beloved
SL-1200 turntable, the SL-1200G,
connected to their stereo integrated amplifier that drove their smaller
floorstanders.
This year, the demo was really packed; moreover, they were held literally
one after the other, due to the massive attendance: the brand's
representatives were working very hard to perform the demonstrations at
their best, and looked very tired. Yet, I couldn't enjoy the demo as much as
I anticipated. Maybe it was due to the fact that they missed the occasion to
perform a real comparison between the two turntables, without playing the
same record on both. Or maybe it was because the demos were conducted only
in German, or because they devoted a good part of listening time to a
"modern" version of the classic Tony Renis' tune Quando
Quando, which was a little weird, at least for me... :-)
CLEARAUDIO
Usual big exhibition space in one of the ground level Halles for this German
brand, leading producer of all things related to vinyl playing: turntables,
arms, cartridges, pre-phonos, records, etc..
I think they exhibited their whole line of turntables, from the top
models...
... to the normal ones.
As usual, they also devoted part of their space to motoristic gear: here we
have their unmissable motorbike.
This year this firm celebrated its 40th anniversary, and decided to do
something "extra" to underline this circumstance.
So, they revamped a classic, now discontinued, VW Kombi van, with lots of
dedicated handworking.
They installed into it a complete and working vinyl playback system, that I
hope my horrible photo can show you.
Its main characteristic, albeit being proof of the dedication (and madness)
of Clearaudio's People, was, in my opinion, the gimballed auto-levelling
support used for mounting and isolating the turntable. The man responsible
for the whole work told me that this Kombi setup was a very labour-demanding
work, and that they are showing it, of course, for the pleasure of the
result, but also to suggest to superyacht owners that they can call
Clearaudio to enjoy perfect vinyl reproduction also when swirling through
the waves ;-)
Another extra feature for this year's exhibition was to engage world
acclaimed vinyl expert and mechanical engineer Wally Malewicz for a series
of hands-on seminars about how to properly set up a turntable, to mount an
arm and to align a cartridge. Those seminars were always crowded and
attentively attended, and I regret not to have scheduled one of them in my
visit. My regret is even greater now, since Mr. Malewicz sadly passed by
shortly after the show. Shouldn't you have ever heard of him (shame on
you!), it may be a good read the v
ery well written obituary by analog guru Michael Fremer on his
website.
Another momentary stop
As you may have noticed, I am running out of time for attending my duties of
storyteller. So, I must make another intermediate stop, here.
I'll try to put up a third (and final) part no too late... :-)
Back to [Part I] | Fast forward to [Part III]
© Copyright 2018 Carlo Iaccarino - www.tnt-audio.com
[ Home | Staff &
Contacts | HiFi Playground |
Listening tests | DIY & Tweakings | Music & Books ]