It’s not usually I get stopped in my tracks by a turntable. I ought to qualify that assertion a bit . . . I’m an affordable date, and any turntable that isn’t an oblong slab of wooden will give me attractive pains. But that stated, I’m fairly able to strolling previous many of the chrome and acrylic monstrosities with out going ga-ga.
It’s not typically I get stopped in my tracks by a turntable. I ought to qualify that assertion a bit . . . I’m an affordable date, and any turntable that isn’t an oblong slab of wooden will give me attractive pains. But that mentioned, I’m fairly able to strolling previous a lot of the chrome and acrylic monstrosities with out going ga-ga.
The Rockport Technologies and Absolare room was packed. Standing room solely. This was Saturday, the primary of two days throughout which High End was open to the general public, and attendance appeared to have greater than doubled. Thank heavens the COVID-19 emergency has formally ended as a result of this may have been a super-spreader occasion.
For the primary time ever, I acquired to hearken to Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut at an audio present—on vinyl, no much less. It impressed me that Gediminas Gaidelis, proprietor and engineer of AudioSolutions, had this LP buried in amongst the same old audiophile bumfluffery. Why extra exhibitors don’t use this album in demos is past me.
Are you not entertained? Is it a spectacle you need? Well, ESD Acoustic, a new-to-me firm that’s simply thrilled to let you know it’s from China, offered a very over-the-top spectacle at High End 2023. In all my days, I’ve by no means seen something like this outrageous system. I imply, simply look at this setup.
There are sure iconic merchandise which have change into a part of our cultural DNA. The Coca-Cola bottle. The Rolex Submariner watch. The Chanel N°5 bottle. The Ferrari 308.
There are sure iconic merchandise which have grow to be a part of our cultural DNA. The Coca-Cola bottle. The Rolex Submariner watch. The Chanel N°5 bottle. The Ferrari 308.
After sitting down in Verity Audio’s room, it took solely 15 seconds for me to understand simply how a lot I’ve missed listening to their audio system. It’s been nicely over a decade since I reviewed a Verity speaker. It was the Amadis, again in 2010. That sealed my destiny, because the Amadis was most likely probably the most musically satisfying speaker I’d ever heard in my room.
It had been a sluggish begin to Friday morning. After dinner Thursday evening, we’d made a tactical error and ended up at a bar with some trade folks. I proceeded to drink greater than was strictly advisable given the early begins we had scheduled for ourselves. Doug Schneider is rather more mature than I’m in the case of this kind of factor. He had one beer after which cut up, taking pictures a glance of warning at me as he bellowed, “8:30 tomorrow within the resort foyer, proper Jason?”
If you’re ever feeling too comfy in your life, should you ever wanna be overwhelmed for a spell, nip on over to Germany and spend a morning strolling round Munich’s High End present. It’s enormous—approach greater than any present I’ve ever skilled. I’m on audio overload.