More from the Munich High End Show 2008
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Europe's biggest, and it has to be said, best hi-fi show proved to be even more overwhelming this year thanks to an increase in size of around 30 per cent. Therefore yours truly was run of his feet trying to find all the scoops amidst the shiniest turntables and maddest loudspeakers that have ever assembled in one German city.
Turntables once again were thick on the ground with some truly bonkers examples in bamboo and leather alongside an all-in-one vinyl system from a well established brand. Headphones are also getting more interesting as are iPod docks now that the US high end has entered the fray. All in all the event is a cornucopia of sumptuous kit from all reaches of the affordability scale.
Click on the pics to enlarge
Cambridge 840E/W pre/power amps
Cambridge Audio has launched its most ambitious products yet in the 840E preamp (£750) and 840W power amp (£1,000). The 840E uses Terrapin output devices, has 8 balanced and SE inputs and a customisable display. The 840W has second gen Class XD technology and delivers 200 watts per channel, it comes in a specially ventilated case with a 7mm thick front panel.
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AMR PH-77 phono stage
UK-based AMR (Abingdon Music Research) specialises in combining valve and transistor technology to produce 'ultra-fi' components of the highest order. AMR launched the PH-77 which at £5,500 is one of the most ambitious on the market and offers “every EQ setting for every record ever pressed”. It has three switchable inputs and one direct one alongside USB and analogue outputs.
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Dynaudio Excite loudspeakers
Dynaudio replaced its Audience entry level models with the Excite range which is priced between €390 and €1290 per speaker and claims to consist of high end speakers that do not require high end amplification to give of their best.
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Martin Logan CLX electrostatic loudspeaker
US electrostatic specialist Martin Logan previewed its new top dog in the form of the CLX ($25,000) which incorporates a chassis made of Eco-Sound, a composite material that resembles slate but is claimed to kill vibration. A strut of this material sticks out from the speaker's back to improve bass performance. The CLX frame can also be custom finished in wood or aluminium.
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Behold Gentle amplifier
Behold is a German company that's pushing the limits of integrated amp technology way beyond the norm. The Gentle is a hybrid analogue/digital amplifier that I saw in pre-production form last year. It's now finished and offers 240 watts per channel and can incorporate DSP that allows it to drive individual parts of a loudspeaker and adjust each for time alignment, balance and phase as well as offering room correction onboard. It can drive up to 16 separate sections per channel and as a result prices range from €10,600 to €26,600.
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