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At recent shows, Switzerland-based CH Precision has most often presented its electronics with Wilson speakers. At High End Munich 2025, the company was planning to demo with a pair of Rockports; that plan was foiled when [edited] the M10s went full power and took out three of four woofers, according to Kevin Wolff, the head of international sales for CH Precision and Wattson Audio. ("I don't know of any other speaker that could have taken as much and had limited damage," Wolff added in an email following the show.)

CH hardly had to settle for second-rate speakers, or anything…

Serbian manufacturer NAT Audio produces a range of eclectic tube amplifiers, including the single-ended, class-A Transmitter EVO monoblock. At the amp’s core is the massive Siemens RS687 QB5/1750 power tetrode tube, which delivers between 40W and 80W of output.

That wasn’t the only overachieving component in this room. A Hungarian-made Rui Borges Ultima turntable ($22,000, all prices approximate and converted from Euros) fitted with a Supreme Analog Tangenta Reference 12.3" tonearm ($18,000) worked alongside Core Audio’s Daido Premium server/streamer ($15,500), Denpo Premium DA…

That changes with the new, career-spanning box set, Rush 50 (Ume/Mercury/Anthem), the first time the band has pulled back the curtain to share previously unreleased and highly sought-…

Soulnote, a Japanese brand established in 2004 by former Marantz Japan director Norinaga Nakazawa, made a strong showing at its third Munich High End. Present in Soulnote’s exhibition space were the handsome P-3 preamplifier ($22,990), M-3 monoblocks ($21,990 each), and a turntable outfitted with a DS Audio DS E3 optical cartridge ($2750). A pair of M-3 monoblocks are headed my way for review, so I’ll soon have a handle on what these babies can deliver in my system.

Each monoblock has a single push-pull output stage with four-stage, industrial-grade Darlington can-type…

Drawn by the lyre emblem on the faceplate and the promise of Swiss engineering, I took note in early April when longtime distributor Jay Rein of Bluebird Music was named exclusive North American distributor for Orpheus Lab. My interest deepened when I learned about Orpheus Lab’s five Absolute components ($12,900–$22,900/each) and the brand’s newer Heritage Opus II lineup. According to Rein’s press release, "The SACD player with separate power supply is priced at $54,900; the stereo preamplifier with separate power supply is $52,900; and 800W (into 4 ohms) monoblock power amplifiers are…

The setup also featured four eye-catching D’Agostino Relentless monoblocks ($349,500/pair), a three-piece Relentless preamplifier ($165,000), a full dCS Vivaldi front end (roughly $90,000 total), and a VPI Direct Drive turntable that…

Robinson wasn't so much guarding his palate as preserving his contentment. A simple pleasure had settled into place, untroubled by ambition, and he knew to leave it alone.

I think about Robinson's four-cent stogie sometimes, usually when someone asks whether a $10,000…

Nordost engineer Dennis Bonotto demonstrated the forthcoming QNet7 network switch, priced at $5500. Far bigger than the original QNet network switch I reviewed about three years ago, the model 7 is a Layer-2 Ethernet device that is claimed to yield improved…

Moonriver brought a prototype of its forthcoming 606 integrated amplifier to Munich. Due in the fourth quarter, with a projected, tariff-dependent price of approximately $12,000, the unit will offer optional modules for phono, DAC, and streaming.

“The dual-mono design outputs three times the power of the 404 Reference Integrated you reviewed,” said chief engineer and founder George Polychronidis. “It also includes a headphone amplifier and a new MOSFET-based 120V preamp that delivers greater dynamic range. The circuit is extremely minimalistic, with only one MOSFET.”

A year without an MBL fix is a year incomplete. Hence, off to the spacious MBL suite I went, to experience a complete MBL Reference Line system ($750,000; price approximate, converted from Euros). Dominated by two 101 X-Treme Mk.2 Radialstrahler loudspeakers, the setup also featured a pair of 9011 mono power amplifiers, a 6010 D preamplifier, a 1611 F D/A converter, and a 1621 A CD transport. Eagerly awaited: the new Reference Line streamer.

As much as this system was about power, it was also extremely musical. The midrange sounded gorgeous. On Tower of Power’s "Diggin’ on…