Munich High-End 2022: The Highlights Part One

Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems

If Dan D’Agostino’s Relentless mono power amps weren’t beefy enough for you, the new Relentless Epic update delivers an input stage with devices that deliver a 300% increase in current and a new bias stability circuit that produces almost 50% increase in operating bias. The Epic costs $349,500 per pair and existing owners can upgrade to Epic status for $49,500 per pair. Meanwhile, those wanting Relentless performance but don’t need its 1.5kW power can opt for the new Relentless Epic 800. Housed in the same chassis and using the same basic circuit (but with fewer output transformers), the 800W per channel Epic 800 is priced at $194,500 per pair.

dCS

Arguably, dCS invented the Schrödinger’s Product Launch… in all the right ways. Technically, there was nothing new at the show in terms of outright product (in fact, the company introduced Lina, a wholly new headphone amplifier system… but did so a day after Munich). However, Munich was one of the first public outings of the company’s new APEX upgrades to the Vivaldi and Rossini product lines, which is the biggest change to dCS technology in years, as it fundamentally reworks the Ring DAC at the core of dCS digital platforms. So significant, in fact, that dCS revived the strictly limited four-into-one box Vivaldi One APEX player for the launch.

DeVore Fidelity

It seems that John DeVore doesn’t know how to make a bad loudspeaker. His high-efficiency, wide-baffle two-way stand-mount Orangutan line of loudspeakers are commonly considered to be some of the nicest sounding models around, but many companies struggle when making a bigger or smaller version of their biggest hit. However, in producing the new O/baby – essentially a smaller version of the popular O/96 with a horn-loaded 1.9cm dome tweeter and 178mm paper cone – DeVore made a loudspeaker that retains that O/96 magic but at $5,750 per pair comes in at less than half the cost.

Dynaudio

OK, so much of the ‘focus’ on Dynaudio was on the pristine Dynaudio-equipped DeLorean parked in the foyer of the show, but in the real world, Dynaudio launched its new high-end wireless Focus trio of products. The €5,000 Focus 10 two-way stand-mount, €7,500 Focus 20 and €10,000 Focus 30 floorstanders all feature extensive wireless audio capabilities alongside their active powered performance.

This was the first press launch of the event and the expectation was that many other companies might follow where Dynaudio (and KEF with its new LS60) are leading. But so far, these two are the trailblazers.

EAT

In German, the name means ‘C Major’ and is pronounced ‘Seder’ (like the Passover ritual). However, EAT’s new C-Dur sits midway between the existing C-Major and C-Sharp turntables, and retains the record clamp and gimballed C-Note arm of the other products in the C range. Priced at $3,595 in satin black and $4,295 in high-gloss plum the integrated player can be supplied with the Jo No5 cartridge. EAT also launched two versions of the 12” F-Note tonearm (now in Mk 2 guise); the Variable Tube and Variable Headshell versions, in both black (for $3,295) or polished aluminium (for $4,395).

Ensemble Audio

Stepping away from the main show for a while, Ensemble Audio of Switzerland holds a one-man-band event at the Pullman Hotel near the off-site Hi-Fi Deluxe Show. While the products ostensibly remain the same, internally they are subject to a series of listening-test derived revisions over the years. So, the Massimo Fuoco, Massimo Fonobrio and Ondiva loudspeakers (now in Gold form) produce an extremely elegant and musical sound, that is especially capable with extremely complex classical music.

Epos Acoustics

Recently, the classic Epos brand changed hands once more, moving from being under the auspices of Creek Audio to being owned by Karl-Heinz Fink of Fink Team. The first model from the reborn brand harks back to the company’s original roots; the ES14N is named after the popular ES14 of the late 1980s. The two-way, rear-ported stand-mount carries little more than the name over from the past, however, and this double-layered asymmetric cabinet stand-mount is every inch a Fink model and is expected to cost around €4,500 when launched later in the year.