The first commandment for a Stereophile reporter is to remain neutral about any product under review. But when a company has a history of making things you like, that isn't always easy to do.

Reviewing the VPI Avenger Direct turntable with its 12" FatBoy tonearm, I concluded, "The Avenger Direct recasts records I thought I knew well, revealing secrets and expressing a purer sense of each one's interior life." Covering the VPI Scout 21 for Stereophile's sister website, AnalogPlanet in October 2024, I wrote, "this $3300 table seriously swung and played it all warm and toasty, displaying a big heart. I would even say it displayed an inherent love of music, reflected in its wide rhythmic gait and warmhearted embrace of the LPs I spun on it. The 21 'table is quite the fine fit in the VPI sound family."

Despite my scarcely contained enthusiasm for these previous VPI products, I promise an unvarnished take on the Forever Model One turntable ($5250), which builds on one of the company's long-ago bestsellers, the HW-19, which was first produced in the early 1980s.

High-end speaker and audio electronics maker MBL—best known for its groundbreaking Radialstrahler loudspeakers—has hit a financial rough patch. The Berlin-based company filed for insolvency on May 27, 2025, and is now actively seeking investors.

At High End Munich, Burmester launched an entirely new Reference system—except for the BC150 Reference speakers ($218,000/pair). Debuts included the Reference 249 modular preamp ($55,000) with optional MC phono stage ($5000) and DAC ($10,000); the 257 turntable ($55,000) complete with an arm, cartridge, and a sensor that constantly adjusts speed; and the 259 stereo amplifier ($90,000, bridgeable to mono).

Twelve years after VTL released its Siegfried Reference monoblock, the California‑based company is poised to launch its little brother, the Lohengrin Reference monoblock ($100,000/pair). Smaller though it may be, with fewer tubes and less power, VTL says that Lohengrin amounts to "a new benchmark for musicality and realism."

AXISS Europe and Soulution's Cyrill Hammer presented a formidable system in Munich, featuring the debut of the Soulution 787 turntable.

Designed by Chord Electronics’ founder and owner John Franks, Chord’s new flagship Ultima Phonostage expands the Ultima Reference range, joining the Ultima Pre preamplifier and Ultima Mono power amplifiers. The US price is TBA; the projected UK price is £18,000 (about $24,300).

Because editor Jim Austin praised the Audiovector R 8 loudspeaker so highly, I was eager to hear its new, larger sibling. So when the Danish company debuted its R 10 Arreté flagship ($165,000/pair) at High End Munich, I arranged an audition—and a meeting with CEO and owner Mads Klifoth.

To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Estelon unveiled its new A‑Series Aurelia (17,900 euros/pair with stands), Aurelia Centre (7500 euros/each), and Aurus (13,500 euros/each).

Ken says: At High End Munich, IsoAcoustics introduced its new GAIA Neo and GAIA-TITAN Neo series of isolation feet. Designed for both consumer and OEM use, the Neo models improve on the established GAIA line with updated engineering. The first custom versions will be integrated into the new JBL Summit Makalu, Summit Pumori, and Summit Ama speakers, as well as the Marten Coltrane Extreme loudspeakers—all of which debuted at the show.

While Thorens CEO and owner Gunter Kürten was busy with customers, company representative Michael Gorny walked me through the brand's latest lineup of high-end products.