Jason Victor Serinus

T.H.E. Show Newport 2015

The Newport Beach Show: Set-Up Day

Jason Victor Serinus May 29, 2015

Six weeks before the start of THE Show Newport Beach, word got out that the show organizers were poised to add a last-minute "Trade and Press Day" for Thursday May 28. As it turned out, the actual announcement came later, less than a month before the show. The idea, if instituted correctly, could have been a good one. But done so last minute, it seemed, at best, half-cocked...Be that as it may, I was able to register with the lovely Lucette Nicoll (above center) and take in just a few rooms before dinnertime.

News T.H.E. Show Newport 2015

THE Show of Shows Starts Friday

Jason Victor Serinus May 26, 2015

The countdown to the start of THE Show Newport in Orange Country, California has begun. The largest three-day consumer audio show in America kicks off for the public on Friday, May 29 in the newly remodeled Hotel Irvine, with an optional trade day for press and invited guests the afternoon/eve before. With every exhibit space sold out, THE Show Newport promises to keep audiophiles busy with 406 exhibitors holding forth in 150 hotel rooms (including 10 larger suites), up to 25 larger rooms, 80 booths in a 6000 sq. ft. Headphonium Pavilion, and a packed Marketplace.

Munich 2015

High End 2015: That's A Wrap!

Jason Victor Serinus May 23, 2015

In addition to jazz chanteuse Lyn Stanley, who was sponsored by Purist Audio Design, the High End Society presented three quasi pop-up ensembles that, unless you followed the schedule, appeared without notice in hallways and at the top of stairways. Thus, while moving between Aurender and AudioQuest, did I encounter the Karinettensextett Karlischnättra. The six or eight bars of blessedly unamplified music I heard at the very end of their presentation sounded lovely...

Munich 2015

Into the Home Stretch at High End Munich

Jason Victor Serinus May 23, 2015

Just two weeks before PS Audio premieres the BHK Signature 300 mono amps at Newport Beach, the company showcased its BHK Signature 250 stereo amplifier ($7499) in Munich. This was my first opportunity to hear this Bascom H. King specialty in the context of an all-PS Audio system, and despite the sub-optimal room acoustics, it did not disappoint...

Munich 2015

Munich Day 4 Brings More to Explore

Jason Victor Serinus May 22, 2015

Okay. I'm not a poet, and I know it. So let's quickly move on to the towering presence of Duelund's Frederik Carøe. Every time I look above the crowd and see Frederik's countenance, I know that Duelund has a new capacitor on the market...

Munich 2015

Day 3: High End 2015 Hits Its Stride

Jason Victor Serinus May 22, 2015

While Saturday was packed by American show standards, getting an early start enabled me to spend a lot of time in one of the best sounding rooms at High End 2015. Tucked into a low ceilinged inner sanctum in Hall 2 of the MOC stood the world premiere of Stenheim of Switzerland's imposing four-tower Reference Statement loudspeaker system (approx. $400,000, above).

Munich 2015 News

MQA in Munich

Jason Victor Serinus May 21, 2015

An entire page of the High End magazin was devoted to an introduction to Meridian's MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) technology. Bob Stuart, who with Peter Craven, invented MQA, spent a generous amount of time with me discussing both the latest developments with the process, and some of the scientific research behind it. Already, Arcam, Onkyo, Roon, and Tidal have signed on as MQA supporters, and over 100 potential business partners have been identified...

Munich 2015

Friday + Holiday = Packed

Jason Victor Serinus May 21, 2015

An hour after High End 2015 opened in Munich on Friday May 15, the stairways to the second floor were packed. Multiply this mob scene by 7, and you have an idea of how many consumers and dealers were eager to fill the corridors, halls, and rooms at the show.

Munich 2015

Trade Day—Let's Go on with the Show!

Jason Victor Serinus May 21, 2015

One of the major entertainment attractions at High End 2015 was US jazz vocalist (jazz-sängerin) Lyn Stanley. Performing twice daily in the room of her sponsors, Purist Audio Design, Stanley sang live into a microphone to recorded accompaniment, and then invited people to compare the amplified results to the playback of the same track on her LP (using Purist cabling, of course).

Munich 2015

Trade Day at High End 2015

Jason Victor Serinus May 21, 2015

Ready, set go. It may not look crowded at 9am on the first morning of High End 2015 in Munich, but we who were dashing in an hour early for the Devialet press conference soon found Atrium 4.1 (shown) filled with people. Attendees included, in addition to consumers, dealers from multiple continents, some of whom are now skipping January's CES in Las Vegas because they find the trip to Munich more productive and far more enjoyable. Also present were manufacturers and reps who prefer to make the rounds rather than display. All in all, it's fair to say that, for many in the industry, High 2015 is as much a trade show as it is a consumer showcase.