HIGH END 2022 Show Report
High End Society Munich Germany
Show Report By Carlos Martin Schwab

  Is there music that fits better in high-end audio systems? Yes. The more minimalistic in instrumentation and intimate, the better. Rock? Out of the question. Luxury audio is akin to Formula 1, so what about taking the sound systems out of the "comfort zone"? What about playing a music genre that requires high-quality mixing and listening with power? I played a few songs from Tool's "Fear Inoculum" (one of the best produced heavy metal albums by far) in a few high-end systems, and the result was awful: powerless, lack of top-end, muddy middle range, etc.

Just two systems passed the test with flying colors: the Popori Acoustics WR1 electrostatic speakers and all the Totem Acoustic speakers. Vince Bruzzese, Totem Acoustic's owner, made it bigger, playing parts of around 10 heavy metal tracks in two minutes and having fun. If you rely on the musical flexibility of your speakers, why not?

Hifideluxe, running in parallel, was a different profile high-end audio fair with just 20 audio rooms and with fewer visitors, but that makes it more intimate and attractive to visit. There, I found the Popori Acoustics WR1 electrostatic speakers after a few victims of my test. To give this a good closing, the unexpected/original product winner goes to IXOOS, a company from Modena, Italy, the region where the most famous Italian supercars have their headquarters. They manufacture cool Bluetooth speakers created with authentic components of racing cars and supercars and very eye-catcher designs. 

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