Munich 2025

Impressively full-range sound was the hallmark of a fine system dominated by Aequo Audio's new three-driver Ensium speakers with active, room-corrected bass ($44,900/pair, or approx. $40,000/pair in the passive version). Connected by AudioQuest cabling (approx. $100,000), with Aequo's own Ferroguard power cables ($4100) for the woofers, the Dutch company's speakers absolutely sang. As I discovered from playing musical chairs, the sound was at its best in the front row; there, on Yello's "Till Tomorrow," colors were the most saturated and involving.

Jacky Lee, CEO of French manufacturer Revival Audio, presented a fine system that included an Electrocompaniet ECM 1 MKII high-end DAC and music streamer ($5800, all prices approximate when converted from Euros), an EMC 1 MKV Reference CD player ($7300), an EC 4.8 MKII Reference preamplifier ($5700), and Electrocompaniet's AW 800 M Reference stereo/monoblock amplifiers ($24,000 each).

Lansche Audio just celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking the occasion by unveiling a carefully curated system at the Munich show. The setup integrated new products from two renowned analog companies: Klaudio of Japan and Reed of Lithuania.