Munich 2023

This sign may not look auspicious, situated as it is over a trash basket. But this poster next to the exit stairs of the Kieferngarten stop of the U-Bahn, Munich's equivalent of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system's network of underground and overground trains, was essential for people walking from the train to Munich High End's home in the MOC.

Nor was it the only sign I encountered. Many subways stops—even the airport—displayed large posters announcing the annual well-attended Munich High End audio show.

On Day 1 (Thursday) of the four-day show, the first of two Press and Industry Days, halls and rooms were packed. Talk was mostly soft, but I entered one room toward the end of Press and Industry Day where there were so many conversations taking place that I took a listening raincheck and moved on.

Days 3–4 of Europe's biggest audio show are usually extremely busy. Happily, the 24-hour public transportation strike scheduled from 3AM Friday to 3AM Saturday won’t affect the public at large. The rest of us are going to keep taxis and Uber very busy.

Yours truly and Jim Austin are here visiting rooms for our online coverage. Ken Micallef was supposed to join us until he slipped and broke his ankle. Michael Trei and Alex Halberstadt are here as well, but they're covering the Show for their respective Stereophile columns. Please look for more of our online coverage as it appears over the next week or so, and then in future issues of the magazine and online.