VAC, Acora, VPI, Esoteric, Hana, Cardas: All Killer, No Filler
Valerio Cora (Acora Acoustics/Audio Research), Kevin Hayes (VAC), and Mat Weisfeld (VPI) worked the halls in Munich with the confidence of seasoned entrepreneurs, showcasing their US-made gear at the world's biggest high-end audio show.
Vinnie Rossi Audio, Merason, and QLN: No Stylus, No Problem
At the Munich show, I ran into familiar faces: Mark Sossa of Well Pleased AV and Vinnie Rossi of Vinnie Rossi Audio, both far from their usual American stomping grounds. Seeing them overseas gave me a flicker of homesickness, but a journalist's job is to focus on the gear, not the friendships.
Viva's Verticale Rises to the Occasion
This system, largely composed of Viva Audio components—including three world premieres—was supported by a mix of modest and high-end source components.
Vive la Résolution: French Brands Kora and Diptyque Bring the Fire
Two well-known French high-end audio brands, Kora and Diptyque Audio, debuted new products together at High End Munich.
Voxativ's Latest: Another Charge for the Senses
Inés Adler's contagious passion for audio is built right into her components, and it makes every Voxativ visit a blast. At this year's High End Munich, Adler showed two new products: the Voxativ Streamer/DAC with FM-DAC technology ($16,000), and the Hagen2 Monitor Compact full-range loudspeaker with AF-2A AlNiCo driver ($6900/pair), the first iteration of which Herb Reichert recently reviewed for Stereophile.
Wave of the Future? Innuos Nazaré Hits Munich
As I type these words, an Innuos Nazaré music server/streamer ($50,000) with 8TB of internal storage is en route to my home in Port Townsend for review. The Portuguese company's new flagship, named after the deepwater canyon off the coast of Nazaré that generates some of the world's largest waves, made its official debut at this year's High End Munich. The unit is expected to begin shipping in September.
What a Few Million Bucks Buys: Wilson Audio and D’Agostino Team Up, Aided by dCS and Stromtank
Audio Reference of Hamburg, in collaboration with many of its distributed brands, set up a mind-blowing system at Munich High End, valued at well over $3 million.
With New Reference Speakers, JBL Scales a Sonic Summit
"Immerse yourself in extraordinary acoustics and thrilling inspirational insights," trumpeted the JBL "Summit of Sound" press release. Present at the event were Harman Luxury Audio top brass Dave Tovissi, Jim Garrett, and Paul Neville, with Harman's David Glaubke moderating.
Ypsilon, The Wand, and Speakers That Matter
Having previously reviewed Simon Brown's The Wand 9.5"-tonearm for Analog Planet, I was eager to experience the Wand 14-4 Master turntable ($7500), equipped with the world-premiere Wand Dark Light Tonearm ($7550, or $13,675 for the package) and a My Sonic Lab Eminent EX MC cartridge ($3995).