My favorite room at High End Munich 2024 was not exactly part of High End Munich 2024.
Pictured are the new Aeonor horn speakers (about $70k all in including amplification) from Berlin’s Martion Audiosysteme that took up residence across the street from the MOC in an old industrial building. A 3-way speaker with dual horns for mid and high frequencies sitting atop corner loaded 18” woofers hidden inside wooden cabinets, Martion’s own Class A solid state amps, tri-amped, took care of power while DSP took care of time-alignment.
Heinrich Amand Basilius Martion was playing digital and analog from all corners of the world and the music filled the room with so much lifelike energy and essence, it took me two tracks just to settle into all of its human goodness.
One thing about a hifi show is you hear a lot of people, a lot of people, talking about hifi. Whys, why nots, what ifs, and why the hell that!s, it gets to be a bit much after a few days. At least for me. And I suppose it gets to me because I am less interested in theory and more interested in practice—I prefer to listen than to talk when it comes to most things, but especially things that are meant to play music. And I feel as if I need the reminder, and many people who talk about hifi seem to need it too, that hifi’s only job is to play music, ideally in a manner that entices its owner into listening more. And even more, still.
High End Munich is my favorite hifi show and it’s also among the worst, if not the worst show for listening. With loads of business being done in-room, paper thin walls that would make lover’s neighbors blush, and tiny popup rooms that seem to sing along, you have to be a real pro to suss out system sound over the constant din, rattles, and drones. A real pro. Not to mention the crowds that overfill the MOC making its glass outer walls bulge under the weight of hifi lust.
Martion Audiosysteme had the advantage of a private, quiet playground to share their wares but I’m going to ignore that important fact and tip my hat, I’m sorry I was in a hurry, to Heinrich Amand Basilius Martion for his life affirming hifi.