Neven Kos HIGH END 2024 Show Report And PhotoFest
Special mention for sound systems that left a deeper mark for music lovers.
Show Report By Neven Kos

  We are grateful to the Croatian owner of HiFiMedia, who kindly sent us a glorious selection of photos and HIGH END 2024 show coverage by Neven Kos. Since 1996, HiFiMedia magazine has been professionally reviewing, testing, and presenting audio and video products to objectively inform and help Croatian / European readers in their decision to purchase new products. In addition to gear reviews and show reports, they publish expert assessments on music, film, and DVD / Blu-ray releases with a broad overview of urban, jazz, and classical music. In addition, HiFiMedia also reviews the latest film productions plus articles in the field of film art. We'd like to thank Andrija Ćurković for sending us wonderful photos to share with our global audience. As always... enjoy the music!

This year's HIGH END Munich 2024 show occupied a vast 30,000 square meters of space and brought together 550 exhibitors who presented about 1000 high-end and audio brands from around the world. Held from 9 to 12 of May, the Show was visited by 22,000 visitors, and 500 accredited journalists, among them our editor-in-chief Andrija Ćurković and Neven Kos, the writer of this report.

A detailed tour of all the rooms actually takes more than the almost two full days we stayed at HIGH END 2024 in Munich, but we managed to get an impression of industry trends and the direction in which the high-end is heading. It's mostly low-volume production and very exclusive equipment, especially loudspeakers, with prices that exceed the concept of what was previously normal. Unfortunately, this time numerous exhibitors insisted on the choice of music that could perhaps show the possibilities of a particular system, but certainly, except for a few exceptions, did not maintain the attention of listeners. There were a lot of things that were played here: from "music-like" records, through test tones to, imagine that, even pink noise!

Of the many rooms we had the opportunity to visit, in no particular order, Andrija and myself (Neven) singled out a few that left a deeper mark, with systems that reminded us of what we love about this hobby:

1. Odeon Audio, in addition to their flagship speakers, the Carnegie, showed a completely new speaker that has not yet been shown in their catalogue, because the speakers were completed just before the Show. The new Celeste (€12,000), paired with New Audio Frontiers electronics, sounded warm, natural, large, engaging and musical, with excellent bass even in a large room, and excellent recreation of space.

2. BAYZ Audio Counterpoint (approx. €150,000) is a Hungarian made speaker with an unusual appearance and construction, enabling it to fill the room with a huge, natural and dynamic sound, where the layering of space in depth was the most captivating element, while the listener can easily scroll through and discern individual layers of the sound image. The price for this ability is not insubstantial, and the accompanying electronics in the form of JMF Audio output monoblocks is hardly any more modest in price (2x €73,000), but is certainly significantly helping the overall impression.

3. The Stein Music Topline BOB L speakers, a large orange horn with just such a sound, made a great impression on us. The price of €150,000 for a pair made us ask the exhibitors to play a smaller down-to-earth model in the range, the modular Highline Bobby M, which demonstrated a similar character of sound with associated characteristics for a price of €35,000. All in all, a greatly musical and natural experience.

4. As always, the AlsyVox speakers (Caravaggio model, approx. €190,000) made a great impression, captivating us, in addition to their dimensions, with effortless reproduction, natural timber, and huge space behind and around them.

5. Davis Acoustics, along with Jadis electronics, introduced their new model The Stage (€9,000), as a smaller model in the series alongside last year's model, the flagship of the range The Wall (€22,000). The Stage is a two-way speaker with interesting dimensions, impressive appearance, sound image, excellent bass, even better space, and detailed highs. It consists of a newly developed bass / midrange with a diameter of 25cm and a conical tweeter, Davis' specialty.

6. Aries Cerat, as usual, had a huge and striking sound that knocks you out of your shoes. We didn't ask about the price, and we don't think it actually matters, in the context of the possibilities and the target audience of this extraordinary system.

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