Imagine two scenarios: A) You are listening to music at home. B) You are listening to music in a foreign room 4,000 miles from home along with 80 sweaty talkative strangers.
Question: Which scenario provides a context for listening?
My favorite rooms at High End Munich were chosen as much for chance and circumstance as anything else, where each of the following rooms were devoid of crowds and offered the kind of quiet I need to actually listen in something resembling a meaningful manner.
Favorite Rooms
Pictured up top is the MBL room which in my experience always, always, promises mind altering sound in a manner all its own. When the show opened for the trade on Thursday morning at 10, I headed straight to MBL for two reasons—to ideally get a good seat and listen, and of greater import to say hi to Juergen Reis, MBL’s Chief Engineer who is among my favorite people (period). This system’s sound is as large as the life captured in any recording and energizes the room in an uncanny and moving way marrying brute physicality with airy holographic music-form like no other.
France’s totaldac was one of a few rooms displaying in-house gear from source to speakers, showcasing the new d120 Speakers (more info). While listening to one of a few tracks selected by Vincent Brient, Mr. totaldac, I was thinking how much I’d love to hear “Ruined” from Adrianne Lenker’s Bright Future, a record I mentioned in my recent review of the totaldac d1-triunity. Lo and behold, the next track up, again selected by Vincent, was that very track. Coincidence? I don’t think so and I really appreciate that kind of consideration. In any event, this system sang out sweetly, filling the large space with high level emotion.
China’s Line Magnetic is a long time favorite and I can still recall their LM-845iA (review), a beautiful bruiser of an integrated amp. For High End Munich they paired the LM-519IA integrated amp that uses a pair of 212s for about 50 Watts of single-ended triode power (woof!) driving a pair of Supravox KL Heritage speakers. This system occupied one of the small ‘pop up’ room in one the large exhibition halls but it still, against those odds, sounded refined, sweet, and super pure with no sense of room overload.
I will note that some other systems in this same kind of tiny ‘pop-up’ space were simply too much system for room, especially when volume levels were pushed too hard making for kinda crappy sound.
My dear friend Alex Halberstadt, a real writer recently nominated for a 2024 James Beard Journalism Award, brought me into the Stein Music room, another manufacturer who makes everything from electronics to speakers to room acoustic products. You’re looking at the Stein Top Line “Bob” L horn speakers that excelled at delicacy, grace, and force with equal balance in harmony with the room, an open invitation into the emotive humanness captured in recorded music.
Berlin’s Voxativ, another company producing electronics, speakers, accessories as well as full-range drivers for the adventurous DIY’er, always seems to eek out great sound no matter the venue. High End Munich 2024 saw the launch of their new AC-XHB full-range hybrid field coil drivers mounted in their Andagio cabinet (far right). According to my ears, Voxativ always delivers some of the purest, most vivid, and fleshy sound around that immediately grabs my full attention— mind, body, and soul.
I ran into my pal Alex Halberstadt again, this time talking to pianist, composer, producer, arranger, and co-founder of the independent audiophile label Chesky Records David Chesky. David asked, “Have you heard the new Quads?” [side note: when David recommends something to listen to, you should listen to it].
The new Quad ESL 2912X speakers, note these are not the same Quads that were shown at CAF as they house a number of improvements, will be headed to the Barn as soon as possible (date TBD). I am a Quad ESL fan from way back and have had the great pleasure of hearing a number of Quad 57s and they do things no other speakers do. Call it magic. These new Quads seem to have some of that magic of their own and more…
The new Q Acoustics 3050c floorstanding speakers cost $1199 a pair. Per pair. And that’s what they look like and they sound like I need to hear to more, in Barn.