The Spin Doctor at High End Munich 2024
Last month, I talked a bit about some of the new gear being exhibited at AXPONA, America's big hi-fi show, held near Chicago. Well, every year, as soon as that show is over, it's time to get ready for the Big Kahuna of audio shows, High End Munich.
Admittedly, I have never attended the big shows in Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Warsaw, but it would be hard to imagine either one outdoing Munich. The Warsaw show calls itself the second biggest show in Europe, deferring, presumably, to the Munich show. Munich is so big that it even has a sideshow, HiFi Deluxe, just down the road. HiFi Deluxe caters to exhibitors who got shut out of the big show, which despite its hugeness is oversubscribed. It can all become a bit overwhelming.
The main Stereophile crew covering the Munich showKen Micallef and Jason Victor Serinusdid all the heavy-duty legwork, posting highlights here. I toured the halls to see what was new, collecting the best, most Spin Doctorish things for this report. Here's a smattering.
The Spin Doctor in Vienna
After a decade of holding the annual High End Society show in Munich, Germany, this year the society moved to a new city and country. The show decamped to Vienna, Austria. There was no shortage of new phono-related debuts at the show. Here are some that caught my eye.