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High End Munich is a global stage for established audio brands, already heavily covered by the international press. How do smaller manufacturers get noticed in this crowded, high-profile event? I made it a mission to seek out hidden gems and share my discoveries.

In a large Atrium showroom, Sonus Faber introduced their five new Second Generation (G2) Sonetto loudspeakers. Though I didn’t have an opportunity to audition any of the new models which comprise the company’s most affordable and popular series—speakers that are priced far, far lower than Sonus Faber’s Suprema flagship ($750,000/pair—I was privileged to end up face-to-face with Florian Marmisse, the acoustic engineer who designed the line’s drivers and crossovers.

High End Munich continued to unveil new (at least to me) names in the world of hi-fi; amplifier manufacturer hARt Labs was another fascinating discovery.

Ypsilon Electronics’ James Michalopoulos seemingly brought the entire Greek-made line of electronics to Munich, beginning with a product the company’s founders, Demetris Baklavas and Fanis Lagadinos, don’t make, from Japanese turntable manufacturer, TechDAS.

Riviera Audio Labs’s founder Silvio Delfino and designer/engineer Luca Chiomenti introduced two world premiere components at their booth at High End Munich: the APL-1 Tube Line Preamplifier ($26,000) and the AFS-32 Hybrid Stereo Power Amplifier ($28,000).

In the months since I told my Lenco story in Gramophone Dreams #79, two of my friends have bought L75s, and now they're enjoying them more than their shiny movie-star decks. One told me he has put more than $2000 into a Lenco L75 he bought online for $350. When I asked how his hot-rodded Lenco compared to his fancy belt drive, he replied, "You can feel it. The Lenco's motor pulls like a team of Clydesdales. It makes my belt drive feel like a pony pulling a child's cart."

When I asked him what he thought his rebuilt Clydesdale deck, with its new bearing, Jelco tonearm, and Grado Prestige Gold cartridge, was doing that his well-regarded belt drive was not, he replied, in a low, serious voice, "I think it gets more of the first part of a note."

My first encounter with an Audiovector loudspeaker was at the 2019 Toronto Audiofest. Driven by colorful (both sonically and visually) Alluxity electronics, the R 3s sounded pure and very fine. As I sat listening to the R 3 Arretés, the R 8 Arreté, their big brother, sat quietly in the corner, seemingly pleased with the performance of its smaller sibling.

I ended up reviewing the R 8 instead of the R 3, which in retrospect hardly seems fair:It was the R3 I heard that day, the R 3 that attracted my attention and got me interested in the brand.