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High End Munich in Color

Not every exhibit in Munich is colorful, but many are. Walking through the exhibit halls, I was inspired to try and catch some of the most striking.

The newest thing from Technics is this Lamborghini-inspired SL-1200–variant turntable. Here’s hoping it doesn’t run fast—but I’m not holding my breath.

While we’re on the Lamborghini theme: I’m not sure whether to consider this a table radio or a console audio system, since it’s quite large.

Many products from German high-end manufacturer Burmester have a mirror finish—though the company now offers a…

“Dear Ken,” wrote Thuono Audio’s Eleonora Bonollo, “you are welcome to come to our stand in Halle 2 n. G05, where I can show you our turntables and tonearms. Our TH400-model turntable will be playing with Grandinote on the second floor, whereas our TH350 model turntable will be playing at the Motorshow rooms just in front of the MOC.”

Fueled by caffeine and the relentless search for intoxicating hifi, I rounded a corner in Halle 2 and there they were: a trio of Thuono Audio turntables. These weren't just record players; this was record spinning as art, the combination steel/aluminum/…

Joseph Audio Joins Forces with Flow by Allegro, Pre-Audio, Master Fidelity, Way

Jeff Joseph pops up in all the fashionable places, and when he does—whether it's at Capital Audiofest, AXPONA, or here at High End Munich—his sound is always stellar. Today’s lineup was consistent with the pattern

Jeff mated his Joseph Audio Pearl Graphene loudspeakers (€60,000/pair) with the Allegro FLOW 1 Mk2 Integrated Amplifier (€18,900), Pre-Audio turntable (€50,000), Pre-Audio HoverCraft air bearing tonearm (€25,000) Master Fidelity NADAC D (€21,250), Master Fidelity NADAC C (€25,000), WAY Cables (varies), and SolidSteel racks.

Playing a Joe Morello drum solo from…

Recording of June 2024: Charles Lloyd: <I>The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow</I>

Charles Lloyd: The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
Lloyd, tenor & alto saxophone, bass & alto flute; Jason Moran, piano; Larry Grenadier, bass; Brian Blade, drums, percussion
Blue Note 00602458167962 (reviewed as 24/96 FLAC; available on CD, digital, LP). 2024. Dorothy Darr, Lloyd, Joe Harley, prods.; Dom Camardella, Kevin Gray, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics *****

The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow was released by Blue Note Records on March 15, 2024, which was Charles Lloyd's 86th birthday. It is Lloyd's 47th album as a leader—the first was Discovery!, on…

High Water Sound Earns High Marks with TW-Acustic, Fuuga, Cessaro, Alieno, Dalby, Stein, ADD-Powr and more

When everything arrives intact and Jeffrey Catalano has the time to create a set-up as stunning visually as it was aurally, High Water Sound’s systems invariably earn accolades as a Best of Show. This one certainly won my vote, as well as my applause and heart.

The sound was as arresting and three-dimensional as the physical set-up. Alive, open, layered, perfectly tuned, glowing, flowing, and free, every note beamed life. It was the kind of sound that created silence and respect, as though entering a hallowed space where power and delicacy were honored equally. This was one of the finest…

A Chat with Charles Lloyd

Photo: D. Darr

Sasha Matson: Good morning from Cooperstown, home of baseball. Do you follow baseball?

Charles Lloyd: I played first base. I'm left-handed.

Matson: Does this new album, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, feel special to you?

Lloyd: It does indeed.

Matson: Tell me a little about how you view the sound.

Lloyd: My dear friend and mentor Joe Harley is always around me, and he's been my sound mentor for years. I started out on Heathkits and graduated to Marantz. He's a wonderful sage. He's always there for the music. He's a sound seeker…

The Sound Organisation presents Rega, Chord, and ProAc with HRS

What a nice little system. The LP version of Paul Simon’s “Something So Right” sounded exactly that on TSO’s system, with an exceptionally smooth midrange and lovely bloom to the sound. After I heard Sarah Janosz and friends perform “Book of Right-On,” I declared, “The sweetest small-scaled system I encountered on Day 1!” And that was with no power conditioning to tame the noisy electricity in the huge Schaumburg Hotel.

Heading the lineup was the new flagship Rega Reference NAIA turntable with Aphelion 2 cartridge ($16,995). It’s the first five-figure table from the legendary turntable…

Beyoncé, Tracy Chapman, and Country Music

One of my coolest radio-related experiences happened just a few months ago, when, churning through FM stations in my car, I encountered a country-inflected male voice singing "Fast Car," the Tracy Chapman song. Rolling Stone dubbed "Fast Car" the 168th best song of all time. It has audiophile cred because its simple sonics (predominantly voice and acoustic guitar) and good engineering made it an important test track, used, eg, by Harman for listening tests and by others for assessing compression artifacts in MP3s.

I have written before—and it's inarguable—that nearly every aspect of…

Re-Tales #42: Austin AudioWorks, "a Modestly Deep View of the Field"

Over a long career, thinker and audio designer Barry Thornton has carved his own paths and formed his own opinions, broad views about how the universe works and how one thing connects to another. He applies scientific principles broadly, too: From action comes reaction, though it may not always be predictable. "Do something, and everything else starts to occur," he said of his endeavors. Longtime readers and seasoned audiophiles will recognize Quintessence Audio Group, a maker of hi-fi electronics in the 1970s and '80s. Thornton founded the company and served as its main designer. He has…

Gryphon Audio

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). Also new, the Siren Supreme Reference Phonostage with external PSU (four inputs (3 XLR, 1 RCA), $69,800).

Gryphon Audio’s stately finish and bold lines were repeated throughout the system, which also included the Commander NPS Supreme Reference…