Munich 2025

Pro-Ject, the renowned Austrian audio manufacturer, made a striking impact with its static display at High End Munich 2025. Its new products, though silently presented, conveyed a powerful message. Jakob Dirnberger, representing Pro-Ject, showcased a vast array of turntables, a compact portable system, a record flattener, and legacy products—creating a compelling and sometimes humorous presentation.

This photo of the vast Munich venue, taken near closing time on the last day of the 2025 audio show, wraps up Stereophile's coverage.

Despite the impact of the Trump tariffs, Munich attendance figures were again impressive. With 323,000 square feet of exhibition space—that's seven and a half acres!—High End Munich '25 welcomed 10,562 trade visitors from 87 countries; 11,675 consumer attendees from 63 countries; and 581 media representatives from 43 countries. While the Munich event may not be audio's most popular—depending on how you count attendees, the Hong Kong, Warsaw, and AXPONA shows may attract more unique visitors—it is unquestionably the meeting place for consumers and distributors.

The reborn US brand KLH debuted its Model Seven loudspeaker ($5998/pair) at High End Munich, proclaiming it the first of its kind: an acoustic suspension speaker with a 13" woofer.

KLH and acoustic suspension designs go hand in hand. Co-founder Henry Kloss helped introduce the concept in the mid-50s and established KLH in 1957. The key principle is to use the spring effect of air in a sealed cabinet to control the woofer's movement.

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.

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).

Ken says: At High End Munich, IsoAcoustics introduced its new GAIA Neo and GAIA-TITAN Neo series of isolation feet. Designed for both consumer and OEM use, the Neo models improve on the established GAIA line with updated engineering. The first custom versions will be integrated into the new JBL Summit Makalu, Summit Pumori, and Summit Ama speakers, as well as the Marten Coltrane Extreme loudspeakers—all of which debuted at the show.

AXISS Europe and Soulution's Cyrill Hammer presented a formidable system in Munich, featuring the debut of the Soulution 787 turntable.