Munich HIGH END 2023 Show Report
A newbie's hi-fi adventure at HIGH END 2023 in Munich.
HIGH END 2023 Show Report By Ray Chowkwanyun

  Gave Monsieur Saint John of Nagra a hug for calling audiophile recordings "Audiophile Dreck". This accounts for the greatness of Nagra.

They love the music, not the equipment. They make the official recordings for the Montreux Jazz Festival. I asked if I could beg steal or borrow same, but got an absolute nolleprosequi cuz legal.

Nagra HD Phono stage coming real soon now. And they are working hard on a streamer which is a glaring gap in the Nagra product line. It was also a pure pleasure to finally meet Renee the head of Nagra North America. I have all his recordings and the demo tape especially is mind-blowing. The Nagra folks are super chill including Madame Saint John.

Sexiest Tape Salesman is from Zavalynska Records. I scored a reel tape of the bestest pianist of the last century Tovarish S. Richter playing Brahms Second. And Frances Sinatra.And a whole lotta other tapes. They have about 50 titles in their catalog. The dad shamelessly uses his pretty daughter Maria to peddle his wares. And who can blame him? She is pretty as you can see from the above photo.

They are making copies using the Studer A80 which is a mystery why the audiophiles have not embraced this machine. The cylinder that protrudes from the underside of every A80 contains the overkill capstan motor that results in absolute speed stability. That and the electronics make for a ruler flat frequency response from 20 to 20 kHz. There's a reason the A80 was the workhorse of the recording industry. The A80 is a pleasure to use. When you press down on the play button, the A80 engages with an oh-so-satisfying kerthunk. Like the door of a Mercedes closing.

The dad was stranded in Russia because of visa problems. Being the great humanitarian that I am, I took the Zavalynska ladies to dinner in loco parentis.

Coolest audiophiles to hang with ... Der Analogue Audio Association Deutschland . They listened to my reel-to-reel tape of Linda Rondstadt on their Studer with appreciation. They have 1000 members worldwide and make vinyl LPs, reel-to-reel tapes, and cassettes. They also partner with Horch House, which gives members a very nice 20% discount. Join today!

Moving Magnet Cartridges / Nagaoka Trading Co., Ltd.

Makers of replacement styli for the venerable Shure V15 and also their own cartridge designs. These people interest me strangely.

Sennheiser electrostatic headphones....

Motorworld is a car museum disguised as a dealership. The Ameron Hotel is located inside Motorworld and is a convenient five-minute walk to the Munich HIGH END 2023 show. There's not another hotel within a 20-minute radius, thus saving the best part of an hour each day. Also good if you need a refreshing nap.

That's all folks! Two days is all I can handle. Tried, but she didn't come across.

Had to settle for public transportation. And that wraps up my show coverage from here in Munich. As always... enjoy the music.

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