What are you talking about? My answer was about Audiovector sound character and nothing else. Enough said about that, at least for me.
That is Jürgen Reis of MBL in your photo
Are you sure? As I understand things they have said they aren’t interested in doing hi-end shows, as they kept on getting approached for discounts, something which they wouldn’t entertain given the quality of their products.
Our favourite of the day, fabulous speakers and actually got to hear some decent tracks late on Saturday before close.
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To my personal taste, the best show again was from EAR Yoshino.
Their sound was incredibly authentic, real, and emotionally engaging—making most high-end systems come across as boring, analytical, or even harsh by comparison.
They didn’t bother with fancy room decoration either, which was refreshing. Many other rooms tried too hard and ended up looking cold and clinical—some almost like a morgue.
EAR also introduced a new product—the first in quite some time: the HP-1 Class-A headphone amplifier, all black with balanced outputs (yes!). It sounded excellent right out of the gate.
I heard that more products are on the way (@frenchrooster, this might interest you), and they’re planning additional models with black front plates, including a black version of the HP-4 with balanced output.
Even though I’m not especially into valves, the VTL Lohengrin Monos sounded quite good paired with the latest Wilson Sabrina speakers and dCS electronics—in fact, it was the only dCS setup I actually liked.
Linn, unfortunately, sounded just as poor as last year. I’ve never heard a good Linn demo at a HiFi show in Germany—perhaps it’s a different story in the UK.
Zach Mehrbach from ZMF was great—he personally helped visitors audition his headphones and answered all questions with patience and enthusiasm.
MSB had sounded excellent last year with their Cascade DAC driving Magico speakers, but this year’s setup with Estelon speakers was a real letdown—visually unappealing and sonically disappointing.
@Farthings-cat, it honestly doesn’t surprise me. That system is still the best overall high-end setup I know. It holds the music together beautifully and, depending on the speakers, reveals tons of detail, spatial cues, etc.
Adding a second PS for the ND555 and going active still leaves room for future upgrades. Aesthetics and materials are top-tier—especially now that so many brands seem focused on flashy colors, trendy materials, or questionable design choices. Some even have laughable full-width displays, like the one on the dCS VARÈSE.
Frankly, I don’t care how old the 500 Series or the ND555 DAC chip is—it still sounds undeniably great. And High End 2025 confirmed for me that I’m not missing anything at all (especially after the latest firmware update 
).
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Is there any new information that is changing what is written here? I see their www is up again with a specific Sales Policy page. He seems a bit bitter. Tough industry.
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Thanks, and by some mysterious synchronicity , before I read your post, I was about, 5 seconds before, to post the Ear Yoshino picture from Munich.
Are these EL 57 , Quad speakers? Did they use them?
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It looks like a stylish laundry in South Beach Miami
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yes, like last year, sounding gorgeous. This year with a little support by two mini subwoofers. Do you know “Quad Musikwiedergabe”? They are giving them a second/new life.
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well these are back from 1957…
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Nice
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No idea – I think he’s still in business, probably only through the higher-end retailers? I walked by KJ’s in Marylebone a couple of weeks ago and I thought I saw one of the gold & crimson boxes on display.
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Why would anyone want that in their living room? High end seems to mean ignore the look, we’re here for the sound (which probably disappoints as well). Some manufacturers are not in the HiFi is there to provide pleasure in the home (not the lab).
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I haven’t heard too much high end but having listened to Linn and Chord high end stuff it reaffirmed the Naim sound is for me and I don’t have the appetite to explore the likes of DCS.
Enjoy
Gary
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Few pictures I took yesterday
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He is not.
I would be happy to have it in my living room. And don’t doubt if sounds very good.
All people in the world are not fans of the vintage look of the lp12. There’s a world outside UK.
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@kuma wrote last year:
“ They were in a smalish Living Voice speakers driven by all EAR amps. I was not at all familiar with Dr. Feichart Analogue Blackbird or his arm.
What an enjoyable last room. We stayed about an hour. This real world system made much better music than 90% of $$$ behemoth systems at the show. Altho I did not get to hear the big Living Voice horn system I have heard so much about at this show, not at all I was disappointed with this little system. It was making music!
Compatibility to Naim gear? I’m sure EAR amps would sound fabulous on an SL2s or SBL.
Also I am curious about EAR phono. ( it’s a part of their 912 preamp ) It was working great with Fuuga cartridge.”
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