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hARt Lab

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.

hARt Labs products are made in Greece, and the company is helmed by the three-man engineering team of Nondas Gaveras, Kostas Trovas, and Nikos Fanakis. hARt Lab’s largely static display caught my attention with the bold diagonal lines and clever cages of their tube/MOSFET amplifiers.

“Even more so,” states hARt Lab’s website, “when this amplification is achieved in only two stages, voltage amplification with vacuum…

Luphonic Labs

Manically energized after watching Dua Lipa’s “Illusion” video on repeat for all nine hours of my flight from Newark to Munich [Editor's note: Why???], I was ready for some calming turntable action. The off-white colors of Luphonic Labs’s turntable line caught my attention, their curvy design aesthetic and retro appeal comforting my jet-lagged brain.

Luphonic Labs’s founder Thomas Luh gave me the info on his four turntables in static display at Munich, though his top model R3 could be heard with Fink Team, atrium A4.1, E121.

The Germany-made offerings from Luphonic Labs…

Marten’s Coltrane Quintet

I cannot recall a single instance where I was less than thoroughly satisfied—thrilled, usually—by the sound Marten loudspeakers made at shows. Given how tricky show set-up often is, Marten’s track record of stellar sound is no mean achievement.

For reasons beyond my control, Marten’s demo transported me to church, accompanied by the sounds of Franck’s “Panis Angelicus.” As gorgeous and open as the sound was— the soprano soloist’s voice was depicted perfectly, with an ideal amount of air and shine—the choice of music made me wince. Why? Because, back in the day, I sat through far too many…

Sonus faber’s many new Sonetto G2 loudspeakers

Sonus Faber’s many new Sonetto G2 loudspeakers By Jason Victor Serinus 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.

G2 models I saw included the Sonetto I ($…

Steinway Lyngdorf’s Model S Soundbar and Model C Loudspeaker

Steinway Lyngdorf, the only speaker company that’s allowed to use the Steinway name, compared the sound of its two “new” speakers. The Model S Soundbar is designed for rooms that cannot contain floorstanders. Sold as a complete, full-range on-wall system and usually chosen for custom installs, the Model S contains three AMT tweeters, three midrange drivers, and two woofers. Total amplification power is 1600W, and the specified frequency response is 40Hz–20kHZ –3dB. With machined, solid-aluminum front and back panels, it has MDF frame that contains five acoustically separate chambers.…

More stuff from Munich: Q Acoustics, Cambridge Audio

I get excited when a room showing “budget" gear knocks me for a loop. As is sometimes the case, a well-curated, carefully set up budget system can make music in spades, hitting the high notes of tone, staging, and dynamics.

To wit, Q Acoustics presented their new floorstanding 3050c Speakers ($1299/pair), the flagship in the new, affordable 3000c series, powered by a Cambridge Audio CXA81 Stereo Integrated Amplifier ($999), using a Cambridge Audio CXN100 Network Player with WiFi, AirPlay 2, and Chromecast ($1099) as its source. Also in the room were Q Acoustics M40 Active…

Tune Audio, Trafomatic, Rockna, WoodYard

In the Tune Audio/Trafomatic room, the Tune Audio Marvel (€15,840/pair), a 97dB, 8 ohm nominal, two-way, horn loaded loudspeaker, stood sci-fi bold and fantastic looking in slate gray with a candy apple red horn. The Marvel’s single 8" full range driver joined to a folded back-horn was paired to a 1" compression driver given expression by an epoxy compound tractrix horn.

Sources? A Rockna Audio Wavedream Signature Mk2 DAC (€22,000) and Rockna Audio Wavelight Server (€5900). Amplification? A Trafomatic Reference Line One Preamplifier (€6000) and Rhapsody PSE 300B Integrated…

Straight2Tape / 2inch Records

I followed the throng towards the Straight2Tape booth. A darkened entryway beckoned, promising access to a hidden music haven. But as I neared, the illusion shattered. The passageway was a masterfully crafted cardboard facade, complete with lifesize musicians frozen in mid-performance, a gleaming microphone outstretched, and a realistic pop filter catching the nonexistent light.

A provider of direct-to-tape vinyl records and master tapes, Straight2Tape prides itself on using classic Neumann, Nagra, and Studer microphones and tape decks. They record and mix in real time ala Rudy…

Genuin Audio

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.

Genuin Audio is an German company operated by former high-end dealer and recording studio owner Thomas Wendt.

“I’m the CEO of a telecommunications network company, which develops its own software. I am very familiar with digital technology,” Wendt explained from his corner room in Halle 2. “That's why I developed my…

Lansche Audio, Thrax Audio, Hachidori, Inc., Dyrholm Audio

This large system employed a reel-to-reel deck and a DAC for sources, abetted by a new product designation, at least for me, a combination tape/phono stage.

The Hachidori Fukami tape/phono stage ($75,000) with Fukami tubed power supply is made in Japan by Jonathan Knight as part of a collaboration with Hachidori (product and circuit design), Age Design (3D mechanical design), and Chubei (Wajimi nuri lacquer). A beautiful product, the stage features a tubed power supply.

The digital front end was a Thrax Maximus Mk2S DSP-controlled 32bit/384kHz DAC ($38,500)…