With its yellow, 70s Berlin-style telephone booth, it was hard to miss the Qobuz area at the High End! Part of our team was on hand in Munich for a quiet test of the best Audeze, Focal and Sennheiser headphones, plugged into a benchmark dCS headphone amplifier. What’s more, we gave a public demonstration of the future Qobuz Connect functionality for the first time. In collaboration with ACT Music and Yamaha Music, Qobuz also held two listening sessions with Wolfgang Haffner for the tracks from his new album Silent World, released by the German label and written during the pandemic. The songwriter and producer generously took the time to comment on each track, as well as the importance of sound quality, before moving on to a discussion with the audience.
Updating Iconic Products
This trend has been going strong for some years now; manufacturers are cashing in on audiophiles’ interest in vintage products. Rather than having shoppers buy old products secondhand they are reissuing those that made them successful several decades ago, kept fresh with a handful of upgrades here and there. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Naim is re-releasing its flagship Nait 1 integrated amplifier under the reference Nait 50, with improved technical features and functions, in a limited edition of 1,973 units.
Musical Fidelity did the same with its A1 integrated amplifier, originally released in 1985. Here it is again, almost forty years later, clad in the typical design immediately associated with the brand at the time. It operates in class A and delivers 28 watts per channel.
The McIntosh ML1 loudspeaker came out in 1970. Its updated Mk II version has a new number of drivers but does very little to change the aesthetics. What we end up with are resolutely vintage speakers, in monitor format, to be installed on their tuned wooden stands.
Over in NAD’s camp, their C 3050 LE amp, released last year as a limited edition, is now joined by the C 3050. Still housed in a wooden case, typical of old-fashioned electronics, this integrated amplifier loses its connectivity while preserving the same front panel with the VU meters. Its MDC2 card slot enables it to communicate with the BluOS network for music streaming.
Yamaha is complementing its R-N2000A connected integrated amplifier with two devolved models: the R-N1000A and R-N800A. They lose the needle gauges but keep the retro look with the big buttons for the tone controls and for selecting sources. They are compatible with MusicCast for access to Qobuz in Hi-Res.
Network Players and Amplifiers
Bluesound has launched a new version of its flagship network player, Node X, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its BluOS-connected range. This version, available in silver grey, features an improved converter and a THX AAA headphone amplifier.
Denon is now offering a top-of-the-range network player under the reference DNP-2000NE. Available in three colours and operating under the HEOS protocol, it even has an HDMI ARC input.
In its recent 300 range, Naim has added the NSS 333, a competitive streamer with integrated DAC. With a single coaxial digital output, it is designed to be connected directly to an analogue preamplifier.
Luxman is preparing a network player, dubbed NT-07, which will be a natural match for the D-07X CD player + DAC that we recently tested.
HiFi Rose went a level higher with the RS130; an end-all network player equipped with separate digital outputs and a fibre-optic network connection. It is still controlled via a panoramic touchscreen that occupies the entirety of the front panel.
Dan D’Agostino’s Momentum MxV Integrated Amplifier brings the best of its brand together through an all-in-one integrated, despite the presence of a power supply in a separate support unit.
Chord’s Ultima Integrated is purely analog and remains moderately compact. It can be combined with the Dave DAC to create an aesthetically coherent package.
The muscular Burmester 232 integrated offers analog and digital inputs, including an HDMI ARC, as well as a network player that can be upgraded by swapping cards.
Gold Note has cut the classic format in half to fit streaming and amplification into a new compact all-in-one IS-10 box. B.audio is following in the same path, but with a more classic format. The Alpha One is a 2x200 watt 4 ohm integrated amplifier with a DAC and a Roon-compatible streamer.
With its new Platina range, Quad is also offering its own conception of a stripped-down integrated amplifier with a screen on the front panel. It’s got a DAC but no Streamer - which should be offered at a later date as a complementary device. In the meantime, we can make do with the 9000N model from sister brand Audiolab, which is top shelf tech.
Alongside a wide range of streamers and servers, Aurender presented the AP20; an integrated amplifier with a DAC as well as the aforementioned functions. There are still slots for self-installation of hard disks, as well as a precision clock for all digital functions.
Auralic has further improved its Aries and Vega network players with the G2.2 and G3 versions, using new internal components and a more soundly constructed chassis.
At Grimm, the MU1 is joined by the new MU2. The fundamental difference is that the MU2 has a DAC, and consequently has analog outputs.
Ferrum Audio presented the Wandla, a compact top-of-the-range 768/32 DAC, which has six digital inputs, including an HDMI ARC. As it is also a preamplifier, it includes an analog input, which could be used for a vinyl turntable, for example.
The Nagra Classic DAC II is much more budget-friendly. With an internal Class A design, it can be further enhanced by adding an external Nagra PSU.
At NAD, the M66 from the Masters series is a preamplifier/DAC/streamer, combining the best of the brand: BluOS network, scalable connectivity, DIRAC audio calibration... It’s also the first stereo preamp equipped with four fully parameterisable subwoofer outputs!
Speakers and Headphones
DALI fills the gap between the Epicon and Kore series with the aptly named Epikore 11. This large, beautifully finished floor standing speaker has four operational channels and seven drivers, including four 20cm bass units.
Still at the very top end of the market, Sonus Faber presented the second generation of its Stradivari three-way speakers, complete with an equally extraordinary finish.
Used extensively in mixing studios, their PMC professional loudspeakers have now been translated into a semi-pro version for the home under the name Prodigy. Two models, a bookshelf model and a small floor standing version, were presented.
At Meridian, the DSP9s inaugurated the new, rounded design of the brand’s future loudspeakers, while retaining their familiar silhouette. Packed with electronics and proprietary technologies, they are obviously amplified.
Linn is playing the same game with its speakers, simply called 360. The shapes are also very flexible around the edges, with different lacquered or matt colours and internal electronics capable of handling the four channels.
JBL has updated its two classic L100 and L82 speakers in MkII versions. Both benefit from improved drivers, new passive crossovers and new terminals. Musical Fidelity is releasing its vision of the LS3/5A, the small speakers originally used by the BBC. British loudspeaker manufacturers have a habit of doing this. Much improved, they now weigh 12 kg, whereas the original speakers weighed no more than 5 kg. On the American side, the Magico S3s have been upgraded with a new enclosure still using only metal, up to 5 cm thick in some places, for even greater inertia against vibrations.
Elipson is one of the few companies to have introduced connected speakers. Still in the shape of a ball, you can choose between the pair of Planet LW XI’s or the W35 XI’s, an all-in-one stereo model. They are complemented by a range of connected electronics using the same network module.
The new Octavio Maestro wireless loudspeaker, made entirely of wood in collaboration with Davis Acoustics, was also on show.
Ruark has announced a major new addition to its range of all-in-one connected mini-systems. But the only details we know for the moment are that it will be the 100 series, and it will feature quality components.
There were plenty of new releases on the headphone front, especially from the smaller, artisanal manufacturers. We noted the release of the DALI IO-12; a Bluetooth and wired headphone with integrated USB DAC. It features distortion-reduction technology that should justify its price tag, which is almost double that of its direct rivals.
HiFiMAN presented the Arya and Ananda Nano, two open and accessible planar models employing a new-generation ultra-thin diaphragm.
Astell&Kern opted for wired in-ear monitors, the Aura. An ultra-top-of-the-range model, in terms of both presentation and price.
Yamaha has developed a headphone amp with a highly original style. The HA-L7A is designed to work perfectly with the YH-5000SE planar headphones, but can also handle any other model thanks to its 1 watt power at 32 ohms. It includes several headphone outputs and a built-in DAC.
The iFi iCan Phantom headphone amplifier is just as original; it’s as if two different devices were stacked on top of each other. The bottom section has multiple outputs for all kinds of headphones, whilst the top one is dedicated to electrostatic models and has a voltage setting.
This virtual tour has been but a glimpse of all there was to see and hear at this year’s High End trade fair in Munich. An excellent display, confirming that this is indeed a major event in the world of high-fidelity!