5 of the most exciting hi-fi teasers we've seen for the High End Munich 2025 show
The High End Munich 2025 show kicks off soon on May 15
Chord Electronics and iFi Audio have teased mysterious new products
Luxury cartridges, headphones and Qobuz Connect will star too
High End Munich is where the audio world shows off some of the latest and greatest audio equipment for audiophiles, often with price tags of the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" variety.
And while it's true that some of the equipment you'll see at the show costs more than a helicopter made of diamonds, it's a fascinating insight into the world of ultra-high-end hi-fi.
This final event from Munich – it's moving to Vienna next year – is genuinely exciting, and some manufacturers are already teasing what they'll be showing next week. Here are five teasers of hi-fi heaven worth looking out for.
British high-end pro audio brand Chord Electronics describes its Ultima Reference range of pre-amps and power amps as "our absolute pinnacle of audio engineering", and it's teasing a "groundbreaking" new product that will be a "showstopper" at High End Munich.
So what is it? It's definitely analogue, it's going to be a flagship product, and it's apparently state-of-the-art, too. That's all we know so far, but it'll be unveiled by company founder John Franks, and we'll see it on the first day of the event, May 15.
Meze Audio make some beautiful and unusual headphones, and the new 105 SILVA promise "exquisite design" and "the next major step forward for audio innovation".
The new headphones have 50mm dynamic drivers with cellulose composite domes and titanium-covered surrounds, and Meze says the sound signature "is a new take on Meze Audio's iconic characteristics, including the technicalities of 109 PRO combined with the warmth and genre versatility of 105 AER."
They're likely to be somewhat pricier than the more consumer-focused, open-backed and wired 105 AER cans ($399 / £369 / AU$799 a pair) we saw recently, but we're intrigued all the same.
Nagaoka makes the highly regarded MP-200 cartridge as well as the MP-110 that came pre-fitted in the Fluance RT85N turntable.
For the High End Munich 2025 show it'll be unveiling its new flagship, the MP-700, which will apparently deliver "ever more refined and accurate sound reproduction, bringing listeners closer to the original performance."
Naturally, it won't exactly be a bargain, with the price expected to be $1,399 / £1,149 (around AU$2,400) when it becomes available later this month. But it certainly looks a fitting way for the company to celebrate its 85th birthday.
iFi Audio promises to launch "two new travel audio essentials – both for in-flight and in-car sound".
We're excited about that, because we really rate iFi's DACs: our most recent iFi review, of its flagship Valkyrie DAC, raved about its "staggeringly complete sound". It's not exactly portable, though, so we're all ears when it comes to these new products.
Qobuz, which is arguably the best music streaming platform for hi-res audio, is having a press conference on Thursday 15 May. Could this finally be the official launch of the long-awaited Qobuz Connect?
The feature is similar to Spotify Connect in that it lets you control your Qobuz playback remotely on compatible hardware. It's been in beta for a while and started appearing for non-beta app users earlier this week, which would make the High End Munich 2025 show a good place for a bigger reveal.
An official launch would likely coincide with more manufacturers announcing support and releasing the appropriate firmware updates.
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