There was a lot of talk about a non-technical topic at the HIGH END 2025, and everyone was a little wistful: It is to be the last trade fair in Munich’s MOC exhibition center. In 2026, the largest and most important trade fair for high-quality sound reproduction will move to Vienna.
And of course there was once again a lot of discussion at the HIGH END 2025 about the sense and nonsense of, well, the high end. Lots of seven-figure price tags and weight specifications that felt like they were in the ton range raised a lot of eyebrows. Combined with the complaint that everything was becoming more and more expensive and more distanced from the normal music listener.
To be honest, we can’t confirm that at all. Our focus on smart hi-fi, headphones and streaming drove us to the smaller demonstration rooms and the halls on the first floor. And away from the hustle and bustle of the XXL systems, we discovered more exciting new products than ever before at a HIGH END. And also never before so many affordable ones in the three-digit price range.
Hall 1, the “World of Headphones”, naturally contributed to this. A trend from last year continued here: Contrary to all prophecies of doom, the audience at the HIGH END seemed to be getting younger on average, and middle-aged groups and really young hi-fi enthusiasts were almost as well represented as the classic hi-fi generation.
What were the trends? Ultra-compact hi-fi and unusual speaker designs could be seen everywhere. Active loudspeakers now seem to have established themselves, at least in the affordable and compact segment. And, of course, streaming.
Speaking of streaming: it was a special honor for the still young magazine STEREO GUIDE to compile the official playlist of reference, test and demonstration tracks for the most important trade fair for high-quality sound reproduction. In cooperation with the streaming service Qobuz, known for its high sound quality, we have compiled 27 titles from various genres ranging from folk to rock. The brand ambassador of the HIGH END 2025, Annette Askvik, is of course also there! Here is the link again after several requests:
Compact and design hi-fi
Magician with Mozart ball
Jens Duvendack from the German distributor ATR conjured up the mobile French sphere called Myuki from Cabasse. The mobile wireless loudspeaker is of course not only suitable for composers from the Grande Nation, but also for Mozart.
Cooper Works
Revox is only releasing 25 copies of the limited edition B77 MK III tape recorder. There is also a matching T77 record player, which also pays homage to the rock legend as an Alice Cooper Limited Edition.
One Pro-Ject to Go!
As always, the Pro-Ject stand was dominated by record players, but this mini system in a sturdy travel case aroused our curiosity.
New speakers
Nordic HiFi presented a more compact version of their Radiant Clarity compact speaker, the Radiant Clarity 4.2 (left). The mountain panorama-shaped surrounds of the Purifi supplier are striking. The sound is really huge with amazing resolution and infinite radiance in the highs, but a somewhat massive low bass.
Great design
The Austrian company Poet Audio from Graz is making Bluetooth socially acceptable – with high-quality metal housings and high design standards. The new ceiling speaker can also be operated as a stereo pair.
Neat for Speed
Neat Acoustic played what was probably the smallest compact high-end speaker at the show, the IOTA II.
Retro hero
Refreshingly, there was also some fun hi-fi in Halls 1 and 2. For example, this mobile Bluetooth speaker from Vestlyd, which with its sturdy steel grille is remotely reminiscent of well-known guitar amplifiers. But only a little!
Put all in one
Complete retro system with record player and streamer plus large display – rather unusual, but well realized by Legato in this case. Seen at HiVi/Swans.
Brand new hits at Chesky Audio
The recently founded company Chesky Audio from New York presented an affordable passive speaker with huge lateral passive cones: The LC1. The man behind it is Lucca Chesky, the son of the well-known label boss David Chesky.
Stones in Concert
Stone as a case material is rarely seen, especially in its natural form. The manufacturer is tellingly called Stones and even showed pictures of the quarry where the raw material comes from.
Progressive Metal
Ultra-rare speakers and design – do they go together? At Estelon they do, with true sculptures of admirable workmanship on display.
Exciting active loudspeakers
Loft sound with low bass that is addictive
Berthold Daubner (left) and Jens Hörmann made their debut at the HIGH END with their latest and most elaborate product(we reported): The active Econik Eleven is the first floorstanding loudspeaker from the loudspeaker manufacturer from Baden-Württemberg. Due to the open hall acoustics, it was not yet possible to make a final assessment, but the ultra-deep, crisp bass was one of the best of the whole show!
News from the north
With the DCB61, the Kiel-based company presented a larger version of its very compact active speakers. With HDMI input and phono!
Affects modern hearing
Is this what the entry-level system of the future will look like? Quite possibly, and certainly more sonorous, prettier and more versatile than entry-level devices of past eras. Seen at tangent.
Bel Kanto
Kanto’s range is rich in colors, shapes and sizes. Fortunately, most of the speakers are active and affordable.
Nice in white
One of the demonstrations that sounded much bigger and more convincing than the compact dimensions of the components would suggest: Active loudspeakers from Genuin Audio.
Argon puts the pedal to the metal
Small active loudspeakers with phono input plus turntable – is this the future? At Argon Audio it certainly is!
French connections
The French speaker manufacturer Triangle relies on the Wisa wireless standard for its high-quality active speakers, as well as a whole host of high-quality lacquer/veneer variants.
Chic with a kink: the slim Lyravox
The Hamburg-based manufacturer Lyravox, otherwise known for its particularly wide active loudspeakers, presented a slim, elegant floor-standing model at the HIGH END 2025. It goes by the name of Karlsson Tower and costs around 42,000 euros per pair.
Interesting facts about streaming and multiroom
Matrix reloaded
If it has a front-filling screen, it is usually from … Wrong! Matrix Audio was the shooting star among the noble streamer manufacturers, here the smallest model TS-1 with built-in D/A converter.
Fiio grande? It can also be compact!
The special prize for the most attractive system against all conventions probably goes to Fiio. Miniaturized active speakers, record player and streamer with a large display. That’s all you need these days.
In the name of the Roses
But you don’t have to hide a streamer as beautiful as the new Hifi-Rose RS451! But you can. As a high-quality desktop streamer with headphones and preamp output, it is quite variable. The display is still large, but haptic controls have been added. Here as a desktop solution with loudspeakers from Piega.
Well roared, Loewe!
In the large conference room, we experienced unusually classic products from Loewe and an unobtrusive wireless speaker for multi-room applications.
Wiim remains Wiim
Probably overlooked by many high-end users, Wiim, the manufacturer known for its affordable streamers, presented a multi-room speaker with a round touchscreen.
Back to the future
Excellently made, compact digital chain from Onix Audio. Not only is the high-end design of the 1980s discreetly quoted here, but a CD transport is also included.
Headphones and mobile hi-fi
Heavy metal made easy
With the new YH-4000, Yamaha not only wants to make the core virtues of the flagship YH-5000 more affordable, but also meet the sound expectations of rock fans, i.e. richer bass.
I look you in the eye
Two eye-catchers at a glance: Headphones from Auribus, and the new headphone amplifier from Violectric, the HPA V324. Both distributed by Lake People.
Pickpocket mix
A glowing sensation to go: Cayin presented the first mobile D/A converter for smartphones and laptops with a tube amplifier stage, the RU9. It will probably cost around 650 euros.
Raal shows its colors
With fine headphones such as the Raal 1995, the Heidelberg Headphone Shop once again made a strong appearance at its XXL trade fair stand. We took a listen for ourselves and had some fun.
Do, felix Austria!
We have already tested the Austrian Audio The Composer and found it to be good.
Fun Torino
The Spirit Torino headphone collection also provided a splash of color at the Headphone Shop stand.
AKG, ZDF and IHK…
The AKG N9 Hybrid combines great workmanship, balanced sound and versatile connectivity. The closed over-ear costs 350 euros and comes with a comprehensive range of accessories. On a quick listen, he went pretty impulsive, not just with 3-short German rap.
XXL systems and the best sound
Think big!
The biggest and most expensive attraction at the fair was the super system from Wilson Audio, Dan D’Agostino and Nordost, which had been put together by German distributor Audio Reference. The queues at the entrance were record-breaking, the room huge. In contrast to other super systems, the sound here was not just spectacular, but truly thrilling. The highlight was of course the workshop show with Mansour Mamaghani and veteran Matthias Böde.
Nordic by Nature
At the HIGH END 2025, Electrocompaniet not only presented the brand new EC 5 preamplifier in the MRV Audio room, but the demonstration with the Norwegian speaker manufacturer Ø Audio also inspired us with its live feeling, nonchalance, drive and natural sound colors.
Esprit takes the cake
With unknown manufacturers in small hall containers with overly creative logos, you can go into a demonstration with skepticism. With Esprit, you came out of the show feeling reformed, it sounded dynamic, transparent and was one of the few demonstrations where you were happy to stay seated for longer.
The Eiferturm
Is it huge, made of metal and looks like it couldn’t work? In the case of the IO Design dipole construction, this is a fallacy that could teach any hobby loudspeaker enthusiast humility. The XXL floorstanding speaker with small design allusions to the Eiffel Tower played homogeneously, fast, balanced and responsive. We preferred not to ask about price and weight.
Trapeze artist
The aisle behind the Atrium 4.1 is often filled with exotic electronics with questionable results. Not so with Kawerol, where even the unusual tubes sounded fine, balanced and dynamic.
The Audience is perlistening
Somewhat hidden, in the anteroom of the finest system at Audio Reference, we discovered the new A-Series from Perlisten. Absolutely convincing!
Stereo Geit-hein
Well hidden in the hall, poorly lit and not a new model – the fact that the Geithain RL921k made it into the trade fair report is thanks to its amazingly realistic and captivating sound. Probably the best performance for fans of classical and vocal music.
Slimmer fingers!
Perhaps the slimmest high-end speakers at the trade fair sounded unusually fat, perhaps a little too chubby in the fundamental tone, but otherwise very convincing with natural bass and the finest, even sparkling treble: PMC was responsible for the new series.
Blast, but not least
We saw the largest speakers at the trade fair at Acapella. Dynamically and in terms of the ultra-direct sound image, the expectations were met, but it could have sounded finer and more spacious.
Spree arch
Burmester presented the completely redesigned Reference Line – a feast for the eyes and ears!
Heavy metal
At Motorworld, AVM and YG Acoustic teamed up to take on the horsepower cars on display. Even if the AVM power amplifiers couldn’t match the performance of the McLaren in the hallway, with the support of the YG Acoustic Gemini super speakers, the chain easily broke through the million barrier. Remarkably, you don’t get a hi-fi altar for this. You can really party with this dynamic chain. That’s why this room was packed late into the night.
Finally: Dirac demonstrates upmixing for Dolby Atmos
The Swedish software company Dirac demonstrated in a Volvo V90 with Bowers & Wilkins sound system how stereo recordings can be processed for playback via a Dolby Atmos system without compromising on quality. Care was taken to ensure that the additional height channels installed for the demonstration were only fed with spatial components that the DSP filtered out of the music. The result was a dynamic, balanced and very spatial sound without artifacts. There are already licensees in China, and hopefully they will soon find imitators in Europe.
People and stories from the HIGH END 2025
The ambassador: Anette Askvik
With her likeable, unaffected charisma, Norwegian singer-songwriter Anette Askvik gave the last HIGH END trade fair in Munich a face. As she even records her compositions herself, she was the perfect partner as a brand ambassador for the HiFi show. She also adorned our homepage on the banner, whose color scheme perfectly matched the CI of STEREO GUIDE. We already miss her when we visit our own site!
A matter for the boss
Burmester CSO Thorsten Poenig presented the new Reference Line at a press conference.
It’s cult, man!
Workshop guru Matthias Böde in full action with Inès Adler at Voxativ.
To kneel down
Backes&Müller hosted a room acoustics workshop, not at the trade fair but in a hotel. Managing Director Johannes Siegler demonstrated the calibration with the now compatible Carma software on a live object.
A place in the sun
Alistair McDonald from dCS took a spontaneous break in the sun on borrowed seating before the trade fair doors finally opened. In the background is Motorworld, which this year became the outdoor exhibition of the HIGH END.
Sparkling highs, tingling atmosphere
Swiss by choice Martin Bühler from Piega also did an excellent job as sommelier. Note the name on the label.
Elfer-Green brings joy
Mathias Renz, responsible for good sound at Porsche, clearly enjoyed the Burmester stand. The Berlin-based company not only provides sound for the Swabian sports cars. Through their Bespoke department, they have also adopted the colors and fabrics of the latest special model from Zuffenhausen for an extremely appealing special line of their hi-fi cars.
Better Fink twice
Reiner Finck (left) and Karl-Heinz Fink may not be related, but together they are responsible for a particularly high-fidelity series at Sonoro with their expertise in the fields of electronics and loudspeaker acoustics. At the HIGH END in Munich, the German manufacturer provided a first glimpse of the upcoming attractions.
Aluminum block instead of aluminum hat: high-end dreams with material use
Jan Jürgens, CEO of HIFI-VE, explaining the effort YG put into the Gemini super speaker. The external crossovers alone are larger than an ordinary hi-fi system.
A lot of tubes
Thomas Deyerling, owner of Cayin Audio Distribution, brought a cornucopia of new products with tube amplification to the Isar. Here with the versatile and particularly stable integrated tube amplifiers Jazz 90 and Jazz 100 (left).
More hires under this connection
Mareile Heineke, Country Manager of the French streaming service Qobuz for Germany, and her team were finally able to present the long-awaited Qobuz Connect functionality at the HIGH END 2025 in Munich. Compatible streamers and other end devices can be supplied with a music stream directly from the Qobuz app.
No socks, but an idea of gambling
Michael Schulz from konsolenfan.de was once again promoting young talent at this year’s HIGH END trade fair.
The gray eminence of high-end loudspeaker construction
Peter McGrath, Sales Director of Wilson Audio, in a flash of lightning at the Audio Reference press conference.
All’s well that ends well
An emotional farewell to Munich: Trade fair boss Stefan Dreischärf and brand ambassador Anette Askvik at the end of the event on Sunday afternoon.
