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The big news in the Constellation room was not the Revelation 2 Series, complete with its special Constellation Switch-Mode Power Supply (C-SMPS)—we’ve reported on it previously, including at AXPONA 2025. Rather, it was the chance to glimpse prototypes of the higher-level Performance 2 stereo amplifier and preamplifier, both due later this year.

As Irv Gross, Constellation's VP of Sales, spun silver platters, I spoke with co-founder and CEO Murali Murugasu. He discussed how the original Constellation design team has continued its work even after the deaths of celebrated…

"Our new Octave Jubilee class-A mono amplifier has a slightly different sound than the Jubilee Mono SEs you reviewed three years ago," said Andreas Hofmann. Hoffman is the founder and chief engineer of Germany’s Octave Audio, and he was talking about his forthcoming push-pull monoblock, noting that the amp outputs 160W in class-A lower-power mode and 280W in class-AB high-power mode. The Octave Jubilee’s projected price is $85,000/pair without potential tariff hikes.

“I was looking for a smoother yet natural sound,” Hofmann said. “A bit like an old red wine. I wanted it smooth but…

Göbel didn't debut a new speaker at High End Munich. In a totally selfless world, I would have bypassed the room for another with something new. But I'm an audiophile, and audiophiles have needs. Not having heard a Göbel speaker for a long time, I strolled into the room for a listen.

Company founder Oliver Göbel had cued up the same recording of the Calmus Ensemble's "Dindirindin" that I'd heard on the huge, over $2 million Magico / D'Agostino / Wadax / Antipodes / Telos system at AXPONA. From smaller speakers and lower-level front-end equipment, the impact was different, but the…

Three years after finalizing the design of their HQS G 7001 monoblocks, brothers Arnaud and Laurent Fusilier of French company JMF Audio completed the design of the JMF Audio HQS G3 9001 amplifiers ($164,000/pair). Alongside other JMF Audio products, the 9001s debuted at the ancillary HiFi Deluxe show in the Munich Marriott, offering a similar sonic signature as their smaller cousins.

The new monoblocks use the same transformers and capacitors as the 7001s, but with different internal wiring, schematic layout, materials, and power supplies. Like their predecessors, they…

Cary Audio’s Billy Wright, with his characteristic Southern charm, introduced a pair of new offerings at High End Munich: the Cary Audio SLP-300 preamplifier and the Cary Audio DMS-300A streaming integrated. Prices are yet to be announced.

The SLP-300 is a fully balanced tube preamplifier with an onboard phono stage and headphone amp. It runs in class-A via four 12AX7 tubes, and includes two RCA single-ended inputs, two XLR balanced inputs, one XLR balanced output per channel, two RCA single-ended outputs per channel, a stepped volume control, and a remote and trigger control.

Robert Auer of Auer Acoustics isn’t just selling loudspeakers—he’s curating a lifestyle. A shrewd furniture designer, Auer showcased his holistic vision at the Munich show, integrating his Mr. Auer Chair ($110, prices approximate when converted from Euros) and Auer Acoustics Panzerholz Rack ($5700) into his sound system. His website [robertauer.com] further blurs the lines, offering everything from recipes to kitchen solutions and even a custom trolley for his signature chair. This approach transcends audio, offering an entire, well-appointed existence.

At the Munich show, Auer’s…

The TA-CF9 tonearm, mounted on a classic Micro Seiki RX-1500 turntable, is available in 9" and 10" versions. It features a full ceramic headshell, Kornienkov’s "zero friction, zero stiction" flexure-pivot horizontal bearing, low-friction advanced ceramic vertical bearings, Cardas…

Advance debuted its Nova line at this year’s High End Munich, consisting of six new components that should arrive in retail channels by the fall. Presented by CEO Dimitri Peucelle and product manager Cédric Léon, the static display featured the A-…

Lucca Chesky’s LC1 bookshelf speaker was a hit at AXPONA and Capital Audiofest, so it made sense to see Chesky’s stand positioned prominently outside one of High End Munich’s large halls.

The demo setup was straightforward yet effective: music files streamed from a laptop into a Cambridge Audio EXA integrated amplifier ($1299). To optimize sound quality, the computer sat atop four IsoAcoustics Orea Graphite Isolators ($45 each). The speakers rested on IsoAcoustics Aperta stands ($199/pair), and the amplifier sat on an IsoAcoustics ZaZen Isolation Platform ($199). AudioQuest…