As soon as one arrives in the Munich airport, days before the start of High End 2015, posters announcing the event are visible. This is no marginal show, with expectations of appealing only to a fringe group of dying, gray-haired audiophile fanatics. Rather, it is a major event, with an appeal that extends far beyond a set age group, as well as national and geographic boundaries.
Extending for four days—the first day of the show, on Thursday, May 14, is open only to the trade, which means dealers and press from all seven continents of the world are here—the Munich High End Show takes place this year on a holiday weekend. It's Ascension Day or something like that in the Catholic religion, which, in very Catholic Bavaria, is a big deal. Hence, if Trade Day this year was mobbed—and believe me, it was—it is hard to imagine what the next three days will be like. Even Renate Paxa, one of the High End Society's key contact people for press at the show, has said that the show has grown "too big."
Exhibits are situated in four Halls and three Atrium levels. There are hundreds of them. Some exhibits are in open spaces, à la the Convention Center in Las Vegas, while those in the Atrium are in glass-enclosed rooms. Close the door of any of those rooms during a demo, and the temperature rises well into the 80s. Hydration is a necessity, and prayers for the personal hygiene of others are not ill-placed.
This intrepid audio critic is but 5'5.25" in height. What that means, I have discovered, is that when immersed in a sea of humanity trudging through hallways or packing into a room, I can barely get my camera above the highest head to snap a picture. Occasionally I can navigate through crowds by slipping between people, as Wonder Woman flew between the raindrops. But, as I've gotten older, and the average girth of attendees expands, I do find that my cloak gets caught under people's feet, and the grounding essential to system performance affects my own in a deleterious manner. Covering the Munich show is going to be fun.
Stereophile's coverage of High End 2015 in Munich will continue next week, as blog after blog is posted. In the end, one can only trust that Wonder Woman would be pleased. We hope you are as well.
