Auer Acoustics: Where Furniture and Fidelity Meet
Robert Auer of Auer Acoustics isn’t just selling loudspeakers—he’s curating a lifestyle. A shrewd furniture designer, Auer showcased his holistic vision at the Munich show, integrating his Mr. Auer Chair ($110, prices approximate when converted from Euros) and Auer Acoustics Panzerholz Rack ($5700) into his sound system. His website [robertauer.com] further blurs the lines, offering everything from recipes to kitchen solutions and even a custom trolley for his signature chair. This approach transcends audio, offering an entire, well-appointed existence.
Auf Wiedersehen Munich, Hello Vienna!
Munich’s annual High End show took place May 15–18 at the MOC Event Center. Considered the biggest and most important audio show in the world, High End Munich is where distributors meet with brand principals and often expand their portfolios. The show also draws throngs of European audio lovers and journalists.
Back in the Groove: Dual’s CS 718Q Builds on ’70s Lineage
Dual sales manager Lothar Mertens presented the company’s full line of manual turntables, along with an intriguing prototype: the CS 718Q, a manual direct-drive 3-speed model.
Brilliant Corners #29: The Final High End Munich
The Ana Mighty Sound system. (All photos in this report by Alex Halberstadt)
During the past decade and a half, the trips I've taken have tended to be for magazine stories. I love to travel, but as a New Yorker living on a writer's income, I figure it makes more sense to do it on someone else's dime and stay in nicer places than I could afford otherwise. The downside is that these trips don't feel like vacations, or even particularly restful: My time tends to be taken up with interviews, overly elaborate meals eaten (or tasted) in the company of chefs and winemakers, weeks when I sometimes stay in four hotels, and (gratefully infrequent) run-ins with publicists.Cary Audio and Fyne Audio: Where Clarity Took Center Stage
Cary Audio’s Billy Wright, with his characteristic Southern charm, introduced a pair of new offerings at High End Munich: the Cary Audio SLP-300 preamplifier and the Cary Audio DMS-300A streaming integrated. Prices are yet to be announced.
Class-A Act: Gryphon’s Antileon Revelation Arrives
Gryphon's long-awaited pure class-A Antileon Revelation amplifier, the successor to the Antileon EVO, will hit dealer shelves late August in both stereo ($39,800) and mono ($45,500/each) versions. We used to say, “It will arrive late August if the creek don’t rise;” these days, we replace creek with tariffs.
Constellation's Big Switch: Smaller, Smarter Power
The big news in the Constellation room was not the Revelation 2 Series, complete with its special Constellation Switch-Mode Power Supply (C-SMPS)—we’ve reported on it previously, including at AXPONA 2025. Rather, it was the chance to glimpse prototypes of the higher-level Performance 2 stereo amplifier and preamplifier, both due later this year.
dCS: Two New Reasons to Listen
The Munich unveiling of dCS’s Lina DAC X network music player ($15,500) drew significant attention from lovers of the Lina DAC ($14,400). The debut occurred alongside a static display of the top-of-the-line Varèse transport, due in June.
Doshi Does It Again (With Help from Avalon, Kuzma, SOtM, and a $3100 Salad Container)
This massive system—anchored by the world premiere Avalon Acoustics SAGA Signature loudspeakers, amplification from Nick Doshi, and Acustica Applicata's Volcano Modular Variable Resonator—produced deeply involving sound.
Exhausted? Fighting a Cold? Try a Dose of Burmester
At High End Munich, Burmester launched an entirely new Reference system—except for the BC150 Reference speakers ($218,000/pair). Debuts included the Reference 249 modular preamp ($55,000) with optional MC phono stage ($5000) and DAC ($10,000); the 257 turntable ($55,000) complete with an arm, cartridge, and a sensor that constantly adjusts speed; and the 259 stereo amplifier ($90,000, bridgeable to mono).