Munich High End show 2018

[User211]

Pondering on a change and Duo Mezzo's n SET or perhaps MBL111F and go with the New Triode switchable PP ARC REf160's.

Completely ignored MBL this year. The room was always packed every time I tried to the point of pointlessness in attempting come up with any valid assessment.

Never heard the Mezzo. Loads of Duos, just never the Mezzo but the reports are good, At least the ones I have heard by word of mouth.

[User211]

That's a pleated diaphragm. I wonder if it's an AMT type design?

I thought that, that's why I had a good look at it because it sounds nothing like the AMTs in my Mark and Daniels.

The photo above is compressed and makes it look like a pleated diaphragm, The reality is that it isn't. The vertical aberrations are actually poles of metal in front of a flat panel. Need to find out what it really is...

[User211]

More bad boy... but then it has to be in a room with the ridiculous looking sub.

Bass was copious, and hand on cab asserted that indeed the cab was resonating liberally in all directions. However, this seemed to work somehow - it must have been good sympathetic resonance for the material being played at the time. I'm not sure the bouncy cabs would really resonate well across all sorts of material. But hey, good bass subjectively when I was in there.

The mad looking sub wasn't playing BTW when I was in there.

Appears to be Ascendo home cinema stuff, but no screen in the room! Accustic Arts and Clearaudio h/w in use.

Let's face it, not good lookers.

[User211]

Bass covered.

So what was this year's WE/G.I.P./Silbatone offering like?

Well, that's kind of debatable. A sceptic could say it is all a bit of on con. And he'd have some very real grounds for doing that.

Why do I say that? Well, the rich Korean gent that very kindly brings this fantastic kit along every year is always banding about early dates for these pieces of loudspeaker which are probably very true.

But what he isn't telling you is that these old WE classics are really running thoroughly modern G.I.P. compression and dynamic drivers. There's a strong argument to say "that's cheating", but you have to be realistic as the original drivers didn't have infinite lifespans.

Anyway, the result is very good indeed on the unquestionably sympathetic material played. And it is quite narrowband in the sense that no loud bass driven electronica or reggae ever hits the play list. I preferred the bigger black metallic horns you see in the picture by a margin once I heard what all three speakers in use could do.

[User211]

Monos in use in Silbatone room. 101Ds I hear you say. And you'd be wrong. Actually, they're VT-2. Earlier than 101D, and therefore cooler and rarer. Not VT-1, though, which was even earlier than VT-2.

[User211]

On the subject of WE, here's some static display shots building up to the release of the 300B and pre/power amps. Pretty sure these are prototypes. Original looks at any rate. Whether you like it or not.

[User211]

Allnic H-7000 top of the range phono stage and a new Origin Live TT.

The Allnic seems extraordinarily flexible and it's all on the fly changeable as far as I understand it. I'd like their top of the range line level preamp to play with.

The Allnic looks a lot better in the flesh. The man from Origin Live said he'd very much like one He's also a little peeved a Hi-Fi reviewer who shall remain unnamed swapped from an OL deck to a Rega

[walpurgis]

I like the look of the Allnic. More 'built' than styled.

[User211]

One of my fave pieces of the show. The Air Tight ATM-3211 - good for 120 Watts. Unfortunately, they are also good for £48,500!!!

Sounding really good even with the Chinese 211s, I'd love these in my system for proper evaluation. The designer was there, enjoying the system, and apparently powers his Apogee's with an ATM-2, which I used to own. I think he needs to use these, the extra power on tap would definitely help. He's wheelchair bound and very senior in years these days. I felt somewhat honoured to speak to him and enjoy his creation with him. He was really enjoying the Wolf Von Langa speakers I caught Thomas Meyer using in a show in Bath UK a few years ago. So was I. Tiny things that were sounding way better than the last time I heard them on the end of the 3211s.

This system did an amazing Elvis Costello "I want you" on 12 inch 45 rpm vinyl. Just brilliant. They were playing some fine music in here and consequently it was one of my fave rooms.

The shot that included the Wolf Von Langa speakers didn't come out at all well, unfortunately.







The phono stage. Not seen or heard one before so I surmise it is new(ish).

[Marco]

I like the look of the Allnic. More 'built' than styled.

Very well put, Geoff! I totally agree. Indeed, much like the earlier EMT, it's another example of what I'd define as 'proper' hi-fi equipment [function much more important than form]

Marco.