Ken Micallef

Ofra Gershman premiered Gershman Acoustics’s 30th Anniversary Black Swan speakers ($95,000/pair) at Munich, and a fine sight they were. The two-in-one speaker construction come with a specified frequency range of 18Hz–24kHz, 88dB/W/m sensitivity, and 6 ohms nominal impedance and stand 52" high by 15" wide and weigh 145lb each. Who says good things don’t come in large packages?

German analog powerhouse Acoustic Signature roared into High End Munich with a trio of new products: two feature-packed phono stages and a cutting-edge tonearm. Their booth was a showcase of gleaming AS equipment, from precision tonearms and turntables, including the behemoth Invictus Neo, to meticulously crafted, matte-finish phono stages.

Just out the hotel door and fully caffeinated, I was blown away by the looks, construction, and performance of Zavfino turntables and tonearms. As 1877Phono Zavfino, the company has for years supplied internal wire to major manufacturers; the brand also offers interconnects, speakers, and power cords to the public.

While the upper floors at High End Munich were densely populated with manufacturer’s full-system demo rooms, smaller but no less worthy players filled stand space in the ground-floor Halles, from Halle 1 to Halle 4. Two such manufacturers were Remton Audio and Fonolab, both from Praque. They brought an array of analog-centric devices that had me drooling.

Austrian analog manufacturer Korf Audio introduced their new flagship series of ceramic tonearms, the TA-AF series, at High End Munich, including the TA-AF9 “premium tonearm” (€3200) on static display at their booth but also live on a TechDAS V turntable in the Engstrom room.

Gryphon Audio supercharged HIGH END Munich 2024, Atrium 4.1, Room E120, presenting the world premieres of three products: Gryphon’s Apollo Supreme Reference Turntable with Apollo 12.1" DLC Tonearm, and new Black Diamond DLC Supreme Reference MC Cartridge with DLC ("Diamond-Like Carbon) coating ($149,800 total including cartridge).

The electronics of Borg.Audio’s Christian Gunther look like they're straight off the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. With their retro-futuristic visual style, you’re bound to either love or hate them. Though I didn’t hear them at Gunther’s static display, I’m already in the first camp.