Munich High-End 2022: The Highlights Part Two

Lumley

A blast from the past, British turntable maker Lumley returned with the fully revised €35,000 Stratosphere Mk III turntable, with custom arm and vdH cartridge, as well as a pair of active Lyravox loudspeakers. It was a delight to see this model both brought up to date with improved bearing and isolation, and a delight to see it still being made by John Jefferies, after short 20 year hiatus. While the big-ticket item in the room was the outstanding HSE Audio Master Phono Preamp 7 (which at €77,000 was almost as much as the rest of the system combined), the sound was perfectly poised and very well balanced.

Meze Audio

Meze has made a lot of headphone designs recently, but it had never made a dynamic, open-back headphone… until the 109 Pro. Combining the high-quality materials – including a 50mm beryllium/cellulose driver – and top-notch design that has been a common thread through all of Meze’s designs, the 109 Pro is a lot more than simply an open-backed version of its ever-popular 99 Classic. Even in the company’s booth it was hard to listen critically, but the characteristic Meze warmth and extremely musically inviting sound was there in spadeloads. The 109 Pro price is still to be confirmed, but the new product is expected in three to four months.

Monitor Audio

Genuinely new loudspeaker designs don’t come along too often now, but Monitor Audio’s Concept 50, with its DSP-controlled central tweeter/midrange array coupled a force-cancelling arrangement using twin inward firing bass drivers on each tower of the loudspeaker, was as novel as it looked. Originally intended more as the audio equivalent of a concept car to mark the company’s 50^th year, the positive reception to the Concept 50 means it will go into production later this year.

Moon

Simaudio Moon has made its first loudspeaker. Called the Voice 22, the €3,000 two-way stand-mount uses a clever Curved Groove Damping system for the cabinet walls and has a very neat way to match to both bookshelf and matching stand mounting. Designed to work with Moon’s lower to mid-end audio equipment, this was one of the surprises of the show. At Munich, one quickly gets used to seeing big equipment with huge price tags and often a sound that’s a bit ‘Meh!’… but the Voice 22 produced a surprisingly big, easy to love sound in a package that’s small enough for most rooms and a price to match.

Moonriver Audio

We loved the Swedish made Moonriver Audio Model 404 integrated amplifier when we first saw it at the 2019 Warsaw Show, and loved it a lot more when we got a chance to review it. On both occasions, we looked forward to the soon-to-be-released Model 505 phono stage. Supply chain issues meant we are still looking forward to the Model 505 but it should available in Autumn this year at €5,000. The dual-mono design allows for four MM or MC inputs, offers a high degree of adjustment to suit those cartridges and supports other EQ curves alongside its passive RIAA circuit.

Musical Fidelity

Off site, Musical Fidelity showed its upcoming reborn Nu-Vista range, with both revised and reissued models (such as the Nu-Vista CD Player and Phono Stage) and wholly new models. The Nu-Vista Pre and PAS Power Amplifier, each with their own large power supply box. Capable of delivering 300W into four ohms and coupled to a 12 input (six balanced, six single-ended) preamp. Given the new owner of Musical Fidelity is also the owner of Pro-Ject turntables, it might come as no surprise to see this system being fed by the upcoming M8xTT turntable, a follow-up to 2004’s Musical Fidelity M1 turntable. Price and availability on all are to be confirmed.

Nagra

Nagra Audio went BIG at Munich, with a large system in an equally large room. The show was the first outing of the company’s front to back HD electronics, with a Nagra CDC CD player and both VII Anniversary digital recorder and IV-S analogue tape recorder, HD DAC-X, Prototype HD Phono, HD Preamp (all fed by a Classic PSU) and two sets of mono HD Amps driving a pair of Wilson Audio Chronosonic XVX loudspeakers with WATCH Dog subwoofers, all fed by CrystalCables Da Vinci interconnects, a Shunyata Research Everest 8000 power distributor and Omega power cables and Modulum stands. The show was also the public premier of Nagra’s $175,000 Reference Anniversary turntable. This dual direct drive brushless motors but is a belt-drive using a system developed in that classic IV-S open reel tape machine. One of the high-end high points of the show.

Neat Acoustics

The 2021 limited edition Petite 30 to celebrate the 30^th Anniversary of the little loudspeaker legend sold out fast, and such was its success that Neat Acoustics decided to launch the £1,995 Neat Petite Classic, which uses the same cabinet dimensions as the original Petite with the AMT tweeter and cone driver from the Petite 30 and a wholly new crossover network. On static display only, the textured black and satin white bass reflex stand-mount could just be the next giant-killer if past Petites are anything to go by.

Nordost

Nordost had several new products on show and display. Perhaps the most important product on show – and on demonstration – was the £2,850 QNET, a network audio switch that addresses many of the audiophile concerns still currently unmet by existing switches (such as isolation between ethernet inputs), with Valhalla 2 Ethernet cable (also new) helping to connect the devices together. This was very effectively demonstrated in a dCS/D’Agostino/Wilson Audio system that had the resolution to spare.

Pro-Ject

Alongside a slew of new and revised products across many of its existing lines, Pro-Ject showed off the lightning bolt-shaped Metallica limited edition design. Made in conjunction with the metal band, the €1,299 design comes complete with S-shaped arm and cartridge, and has a number of audiophile features to separate it from just another tie-in design. Elsewhere on the large stand, Pro-Ject showcased several prototype models, including the both belt and direct drive Signature models with a 12.2 arm.