With the daring, midcentury modern–influenced designs of their amplifiers, Sweden’s Engstrom paired with Marten’s new Coltrane Quintet loudspeaker for a big, bold, yet surprisingly intimate sound.
Walking around this show, your brain blurs. So much information. So little time. But occasionally, a flash of light reflecting a gold hardware detail catches your eye. Consider, for example, amplification products from HSE Swiss Huber, which are beautiful to behold and beautifully made.
“Hitting the ground running” is a suspicious phrase at High End Munich. The show is humongous, a beast, four large buildings with three floors apiece crammed to the rafters with every imaginable audio brand, many unknown to me and most American hi-fi fans.
Rich Pinto of Treehaus Audiolab, which is based in Southport, Connecticut, has been dedicated to developing SET amplifiers and high-efficiency speakers since 2017. Here at AXPONA, he introduces the A/Machines 300B monoblock amplifiers ($39,000/pair), which showcase his commitment to classic design, in the sound and the aesthetics.
In Jeff Fox's Notable Audio room, a potential snag turned to genius, when a countertop that wouldn't budge required ditching stuffy seating and letting the equipment sprawl across the counter and floor, transforming the space into an inviting lounge.
Steve Jain’s Fidelity Imports turned heads at AXPONA with a kaleidoscope of digital and analog sound, a few of which were home-theater focused. They filled no fewer than six rooms, each showcasing an array of products, new and less new, from all corners of the world.
Audiophile dream team Mike Pranka (Dynavector, Well Tempered Lab, JM Reynaud) and Charlie Schnyder (Stereo Haven) transformed room 624 into a sonic oasis. This well-tuned system made up of meticulously curated equipment delivered precision and nuance.
For sleeping, past convention nights have sometimes been a nightmare, stuck next to the rooms of exhibitors who think "lights out" means "crank it up to 11!" Neighbor TriangleArt was a exception. They silenced their space by 7 pm, and their music was so good, it literally floated through the walls, beckoning me in.