High End Munich 2024 Show Report, Part 1: Turntables From Gryphon, Aries Cerat, Technics, Yuki Precision, Thorens, EMT, Clearaudio, Thales, and More

Above, take within the full majesty of the Aries Cerat Pandora turntable. All images on this story by Julie Mullins.

Held as soon as once more on the MOC — a.okay.a. the Event Center Messe München, a locale that covers greater than 30,000sq ft — 2024’s High End Munich present made one formidable assertion. For one factor, I’m glad to report that spirits appeared excessive among the many exhibitors and the final attending public alike.

Here are a number of stats concerning the occasion that ran from May 9-12, 2024, as reported by the High End Society, the present’s presenters. Munich 2024 hosted 11,237 commerce guests from 92 nations, and 10,373 client guests from 72 nations — or 22,198 guests in complete. There have been 513 exhibitors from 41 nations showcasing 1,000 manufacturers, reportedly making this yr’s present the primary time that model quantity had reached 4 figures.

This yr’s High End Munich had some new additions to its proceedings, together with a Start-Up space and a brand new Gaming Zone — the latter in cooperation with konsolenfan.de, with a give attention to related sound experiences in gaming — to draw extra youthful guests. Last yr’s present noticed the inauguration of a brand new World of Headphones, one thing that was continued this yr.

High End Munich 2024’s theme was “Diversity in Audio,” one thing thar was reasonably seen throughout these new sectors — actually extra so it appeared than in earlier years. Importantly, there have been plenty of extra inexpensive displays — as in, these comprising €5,000 or much less for your complete system — which have been designated by “Sounds Clever” indicators. (More on that gear to come back.)

At the opening press convention and all all through the present, the persevering with significance of analog gear and vinyl was emphasised by appearances of and discussions amongst analog proponents and producers — to not point out simply the sheer variety of turntables and different analog-associated gear seen on the present. Limited editions of particular merchandise and bodily media additionally abounded.

Here in Part 1 of my Munich 2024 report, I’ll start with among the huge weapons on the present, not less than three producers of which had world premieres of utmost, cost-no-object turntables, earlier than delving into among the different thrilling tables and associated analog gear I noticed firsthand on the present.

GRYPHON

Gryphon of Denmark introduced the Apollo, a brand new flagship turntable ($128,800) that Helmut Brinkmann designed after having had it in his thoughts for greater than a decade. For that admittedly steep value, the Apollo desk comes with one tonearm and a diamond cartridge, which have been diamond-coated with help from the Aarhus Technical Institute in Denmark. As Gryphon’s Director of Sales and Marketing Anthony Chiarella defined, “The cartridge begins off as an Ortofon MC Diamond, however they do two issues — diamond-coat the titanium physique, but in addition the compliance of the cartridge is exactly matched to this tonearm.” The Apollo helps as much as two tonearms, and extra arms and/or carts will be bought as effectively.

The Apollo desk was demo’ed in a system comprised totally of Gryphon’s top-tier gear because it’s supposed to be bought as a whole system, in response to Chiarella. Amplifying the phono alerts was a Siren phono stage ($58,800) with 4 inputs (3 XLR, 1 RCA) and an outboard energy provide. A 12in single of Prince’s 1984 Purple Rain smash No. 1 hit “When Does Cry” confirmed off the wonderful abilities of the artist’s longtime favourite engineer, Susan Rogers, with tight driving rhythms and hard-hitting percussive assaults. Prince’s vocals sounded soulful, and his lilting increased notes got here throughout extra life like than ever.

Speaking of Brinkmann, one other room confirmed the identical Brinkmann Taurus turntable setup with the Pi phono cartridge that I coated in Part 1 of my AXPONA 2024 present report final month, this time in a system with a Brinkmann Edison phono preamp and different amplification forward of Rockport Avior II audio system.

I spied a replica of The White Stripes’ glorious April 2003 Elephant LP, and promptly requested “Ball and Biscuit” — all the time a deal with. This all-analog recording sounded improbable — virtually hyper-real, from the air and strain of Meg White’s kick-drum to Jack White’s ragged Rickenbacker riffs that got here by with nice-and-crunchy distortion — suitably tough across the edges. Call it an “I-can’t-believe-it’s-vinyl” second.

ARIES CERAT
Another “excessive” turntable got here from Cyprus — the brand new Aries Cerat Pandora. Aries Cerat’s Directing Manager Stavros Danos shared some particulars about this elaborate turntable’s design — the corporate’s first. “In growing loads of [its] facets, we tried to re-engineer the entire analog chain from scratch,” he stated. “The entire turntable relies on a motor we designed and constructed in-house.”

The motor sits on a cradle that holds a high-diameter hydrodynamic bearing. “We wished to develop one thing that has zero noise, zero floor noise, [and] zero rumbling noise however on the similar time has damping,” Danos continued. Their motor makes use of air bearings for each its radial and thrust bearings. In this motor with out an iron core, bushings, or rollers, Danos stated that, with “intelligent calculations of the thrill of the three phases of the motor,” they’ll obtain fixed torque with out fluctuations or vibration. It’s coupled to the platter utilizing magnetic coupling — the repelling drive, not the attracting or pulling drive — in a push-pull mechanism. Users can alter these forces by way of two screws. “You can go from a really excessive compliance drive to full-lock to be totally direct-drive,” he famous.

The Pandora is a heavy-duty design, weighing round 200kg in all. The entire desk sits on a giant pendulum and a magnetic suspension. The almost black base is machined aluminum, and the platter is chrome steel surrounding a graphite middle. It’s solid, then sanded to render the graphite, an inert materials, flush with the steel.

The platter rests metal-to-metal on the bottom when the turntable is static. After rotation begins, upon reaching a sure rotational pace (about 10rpm), the entire platter (with skids) lifts from hydraulic strain within the oil bearing, defined Danos. Two very robust magnets inside repel and unload a lot of the platter’s weight. Users can alter the quantity, or “really feel” of the damping between the platter and base.

The tonearms, three designs of which can be found, are linear trackers. The predominant one within the system (the desk comes with two arms, one among which has azimuth adjustment) is manufactured from titanium and is 3D-printed in a single piece from the tip to the bearing. Its open geometry is designed to keep away from particular resonant frequencies by spreading out resonant habits to cut back coloration, Danos stated. Besides being purposeful, it additionally appears cool. The tonearm — every of the 2, I believe — had a Top Wing Suzaku Red Wing cartridge connected.

The Pandora’s air bearing could be very stiff. “The linear bearing — the air bearing we use — could be very high-load, of very tight tolerance,” Danos confirmed. “You must do one thing very strong to carry your tonearm if in case you have a high-compliance air bearing.” At the identical time, it’s extraordinarily low friction. “You can push it along with your breath,” he added. Its operation appeared extraordinarily easy. There’s additionally a user-adjustable magnetic damping choice involving a copper sleeve for the tonearm.

Indeed, robust magnets are an integral a part of this turntable design, they usually warranted additional discover simply in entrance of the turntable — particularly, by the use of an indication studying, “Magnetic Field, no entry for folks with pacemakers or implanted defibrillators.” It’s high quality to benefit from the system, however these explicit listeners simply shouldn’t get too near the turntable itself. (Now you realize.)

TECHNICS

Technics rolled out a particular Lamborghini version of their basic SL-1200 turntable, the “Collector’s Model” SL-1200M7B, in three colours — yellow, inexperienced, and orange — reflecting three iconic shade choices from the Italian automotive maker. (This particular version desk additionally has reverse-play performance for the DJs amongst us.) The new Lambo desk was introduced on passive show in a predominant hallway beside an orange Lamborghini in addition to within the Technics room alongside different merchandise.

Also included with this direct-drive turntable is an identical Lambo slipmat and an LP of Lamborghini motor sounds (seen above), amongst others, from numerous automotive fashions of theirs as recorded in motion on their Italian racetrack. The Technics Lamborghini version desk is slotted with an SRP of $1,599, and it ought to start transport to the U.S./North American market in July, in response to a Technics rep on-hand.

YUKI PRECISION

Another Japanese maker of a special sort confirmed a prototype of a brand new and revised turntable design — the Yuki Precision AP-01EM, the subsequent iteration after their AP-01, with a straight tonearm. (Jun Nagamatsu of Yuki Precision is seen above with the brand new desk.) This new model permits clients to put in their selection of tonearm on the common base, and a second arm can also be now an choice. The AP-01EM’s belt-driven design is constructed round a floating magnetic platter that has solely a single level of contact on the backside. The drive of repellant magnetic rigidity helps the remaining.

The AP-01EM desk makes use of an outboard DC motor with suggestions management. The tiny belt is manufactured from Kevlar fiber, and is positioned round two pulleys — one energetic, one passive. The turntable’s platter is aluminum, and the plinth is manufactured from chrome steel coated with a “conductive floor therapy” that’s stated to be anti-static.

Yuki Precision tables are assembled in Japan from parts made by steel components suppliers who focus on tight-tolerance rotating components for high-precision functions, together with watchmaking, house, and medical fields.

CLEARAUDIO

Clearaudio additionally introduced a brand new limited-edition turntable of their very own, in two variations. On passive show, the corporate debuted a pair of particular “Celebrity” Al Di Meola Edition turntables primarily based on the German producer’s Reference jubilee desk with some modifications, corresponding to built-in auto-calibration and different settings.

Not solely does the plinth’s type issue resemble a guitar physique, however the principle management knob is akin to an electrical guitar knob and allows begin/cease, standby, and pace change, amongst different features. The belt-drive design makes use of the identical electronics because the Concept Signature turntable, affirmed Clearaudio’s Stefan Kmuch, but it surely’s supposed to be a “pack-and-play” system and it comes with the customer’s selection of both a brand new Celebrity MM cartridge or a Concept MC cartridge. The desk’s Celebrity tonearm relies on Clearaudio’s Profiler tonearm, albeit with some completely different components.

This bundle is proscribed to 1,000 items, and it comes with a limited-edition Impex Records version of guitar legend Al Di Meola’s April 1977 Elegant Gypsy LP in purple vinyl, with a serial quantity matching the corresponding one given to the turntable.

This Celebrity version is available in two end choices — black lacquer, or wooden veneer (the latter of which is seen above), each over an MDF plinth — and the platter is acrylic. Both include a detachable curved acrylic “defend” accent that may maintain some mud off the platter, however is principally made to assist shield the arm and the cart.

This mission represents a collaboration between Clearaudio, Al Di Meola, and Impex Records, and it’s prone to be the primary in a sequence that can function different recording artists sooner or later. The SRP for Germany is €3,950, and it’s anticipated to be near that very same determine in USD.

THORENS

Thorens confirmed a number of turntables on passive show, together with — behind purple velvet ropes, thoughts you — the huge and aptly named New Reference turntable, priced at roughly €200,000. This desk was launched at Munich final yr as a prototype, however this yr, it’s in manufacturing — and it’s additionally out there in a brand new burnt-orange end.

Designed along with the German firm Seismion, the New Reference includes a totally energetic vibration isolation system. The desk’s drive system additionally works to attain and preserve correct and fixed platter rotational pace together with energetic damping. Four very delicate piezoelectric acceleration sensors are paired with 4 motors, one in every nook of the system. A small display screen on the entrance exhibits waveforms from the 2 precision quartz oscillators. According to Jürgen Wolters from Thorens, the system can also be able to noise-canceling features, whereby the sign will get multiplied by –1 to cancel the opposite half of the waveform.

The desk’s isolation system is user-defeatable. A extra technical deep-dive that’s on the official Thorens web site states, “Seismion totally exploited its experience in energetic isolation methods used for semiconductor business, nanotechnology and scientific laboratories, to create a vibration isolation by no means seen and skilled in turntables earlier than.” The New Reference desk has a modular building, affords speeds of 33⅓ and 45rpm plus pitch management, and it helps two tonearms.

EMT

Some EMT turntables and kit in a basic aluminum chassis passively displayed close by additionally caught my eye, together with a 928 II battery-operated belt-driven turntable (€9,370) that may be run both with or with out AC energy, and an EMT 128 II Micro-Tube Precision phono preamp (€11,870). Although the latter was made to amplify EMT pickups specifically, it will probably, in fact, be used with the cartridge/setup of your selection.

JR TRANSROTOR

JR Transrotor launched a brand new model of their belt-driven Bellini turntable on static show in a room full of the German maker’s turntables, typically with clear acrylic and/or chromed parts. The Bellini mannequin has acquired a brand new plinth materials, slate rock, with two end choices — uncooked/pure, or polished easy — along with its unique acrylic plinth. As savvy AP readers most likely understand, aesthetic variations are solely a part of the story right here — slate has extra mass and better resonance damping traits in contrast with acrylic.

The new Bellini desk with slate rock plinth is, uh, slated to be within the market by the top of the yr, and it’ll have an SRP of round €5,800, roughly €1,300 greater than the present commonplace acrylic model, which retails round €4,500.

REVOX

In the Horch House space, vocalist/keyboardist Boris Blank of Swiss electro-pop group Yello — an artist who has additionally launched solo albums along with his different manufacturing, composition, and scoring work — made an look.

The event was to mark the discharge of a really limited-edition — as in, there are solely stated to be 10 items — Revox B77 MK 2 open-reel tape deck in a Yello particular version, together with the Horch House launch of the grasp tape for Yello’s January 1985 launch, Stella. Blank is seen at proper within the photograph above, and he’s flanked by Brian Tucker of Pro Audio Ltd., who represents Revox and Horch House within the U.S. market.

MY SONIC LAB

My Sonic Lab previewed a brand new cartridge, the My Sonic Lab Signature Diamond, that’s anticipated within the market by the second half of this yr. Its SRP continues to be TBD, however will probably be out there by way of MoFi Distribution (and certain different retailers). It was proven on a Thrax Yatrus direct-drive turntable with Thrax amplification and big, limited-production Thrax Gaida audio system manufactured from Corian.

THALES

A room with an AI-generated, printed library backdrop set the stage for playback of a brand new limited-edition double LP from VDM Records, Chopin at Home Vol. 1, which was performed by Italian pianist Marco Arcieri and sound-directed and produced by Igor Fiorini, who additionally designs a line of picket acoustic therapies known as Audys (below the VDM Design Group) that was seen within the demo room. The totally made-in-Switzerland system (other than Canada’s Modulum Arkitek vibration-control gear racks and audio platforms, that’s) included a Thales TTT-Compact II turntable with Nagra Classic Line amplification (as seen above) forward of Stenheim Alumine Five LE, a really limited-edition gilded model of the corporate’s Alumine Five SX audio system.

The analog supply was a Thales TTT-Compact II turntable, which has a battery-drive system and was arrange with two tonearms — a Thales Statement tangential pivoted arm and an X-quisite Voro MC cartridge with patented ceramic transducer; and a Thales Simplicity II Reference tangential pivoted arm with a Goldenberg Maestro MC cart.

The Chopin music felt very close-up and pure on the at Home LP. It got here throughout as a pure, unadulterated replica of Arcieri’s expressive taking part in inside his room at residence in Rome, together with his Steinway’s harmonics and room acoustics additionally taking part in an element. Fittingly, a Dartzeel NHB-108 mannequin two energy amp and Stenheim Alumine 5 audio system have been used within the recording and mastering listening system. (Arcieri is at left within the photograph above, and producer/sound director Fiorini is at proper.)

And thus, we have now reached the top of Munich 2024 Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2, coming quickly to an Analog Planet residence web page close to you.

Author bio: Julie Mullins, a lifelong music lover and audiophile by osmosis who grew up listening to her father’s hi-fi gear, can also be a contributing editor and reviewer on our sister web site, Stereophile, for whom she additionally writes the month-to-month Re-Tales column. A former fulltime staffer at Cincinnati’s long-running alt-weekly CityBeat, she hosts a weekly radio present on WAIF known as On the Pulse.

If you’d prefer to see much more of our Munich 2024 protection, take a look at Julie Mullins and Ken Micallef’s video dialogue of what they noticed on the present right here, and/or learn by plenty of new product bulletins from the present as you scroll down right here.