The High End Munich 2024 show is almost upon us, starting this week on Thursday 9th May, and we're starting to get more and more news and previews of all the new products and launches happening at Europe's biggest hi-fi show this year. We've already seen product launches announced from Focal, NAD and Luxman, while brands such as Chord Electronics, Quad, Audiolab, Epos and WiiM have teased what they will be showing.
Last year's High End Munich 2023 was the biggest yet, celebrating its 40th year and showcasing more brands than ever before. The High End Society is set to smash those records once more, with 1000 brands set to exhibit and even more visitors estimated to stroll through the halls and atriums, looking in awe at the latest designs and technological marvels from the world's finest hi-fi brands.
When: Thursday 9th & Friday 10th May (10am-6pm) – trade visitors only; Saturday 11th (10am-6pm) & Sunday 12th (10am-4pm) – open to the public
Where: MOC München, Lilienthalallee 40, 80939, Munich, Germany
Tickets: €10 Saturday, €10 Sunday. Buy tickets here
There are global names we have become accustomed to seeing at the show – Naim, Focal, Sonus Faber, Burmester, D'Agostino, PMC, Audio Research – as well as more boutique brands showcasing their latest innovations. We won't list all 1000 brands below (check out the full list of exhibitors here) and many brands are keeping their new launches close to the chest. But many brands have already revealed what they will be launching or teased what we can expect to see – you can read all about it below.
The What Hi-Fi? team will be on the ground from 9th May at the MOC exhibition hall to bring all the latest news, launches and first-hand impressions of new products, so stay tuned as we'll be populating this page with previews, news and highlights as and when we get them.
High End Munich 2024 preview: what to expect
Astell & Kern
A brand new high-end flagship hi-res player, the A&ultima SP3000T, and its second collaboration with Empire Ears – the Novus in-ear wired monitors – are on the agenda for Munich this year. Also being unveiled is a new Activo P1 digital audio player, which looks like a more slimline music player and it features 32-bit hi-res audio support, 20-hour battery life, 64GB built-in storage with 1.5TB microSD card slot, two ESS Sabre DACs, and a sleek white finish with rounded edges rather than A&K's typically sharp-edged designs. Pricing and availability are TBC.
Hall 1, B10a/B10/C05/B10b
Audiolab
Audiolab will be taking the wraps off a new flagship pre/power amplifier – the 9000Q and 9000P – and the speaker pairing for the demo will be the Leak 250 Sandwich speakers, which made their debut earlier in the year.
Atrium 4.2, E223/E224
Audiovector
The Danish brand has unveiled the Trapeze Reimagined floorstanding speakers just recently and we expect these new, nifty-looking high-end models to have their first public showing at Munich.
Atrium 4.2, F203
Burmester
It wouldn't be the High End Show without a press conference showcasing new products from the established German brand, and this is taking place at 2.30pm CET on Thursday 9th.
Atrium 3.1, C119
Cambridge Audio
Cambridge Audio turned heads last year when they set up camp right outside the MOC exhibition doors in a bright red London double decker bus. Will the bus (full of the British brand's latest audio products) return this year? Cambridge has already started the year with two hi-fi launches – the five-star CXN100 music streamer and the just-launched CXA81 MkII stereo amplifier, the latter of which we're hoping to see in the flesh for the first time at High End. We're also hoping to have a peek at the special Evo 150 Delorean Edition...
Hall 4 entrance
Chord Electronics
The British brand always has a shiny new product or two to reveal (last year's Ultima Integrated amp certainly caught our eye) and we're told there will be three new products unveiled this year. Two new analogue products – the Suzi pre/power amplifiers – are confirmed, while a "groundbreaking" new digital product will be shown in its pre-production prototype form, with five FPGAs (field programmable gate array DAC architecture) at its core, we're teased. Founder John Franks and digital design consultant Rob Watts will both be at hand throughout the show to give insight into the products, too.
Atrium 3.1, C122 & Atrium 4.1, F107
Dali
Dali has treated us to high-end product launches such as the towering Kore and Epikore speakers, along with premium wireless IO-12 headphones, in the last few years – could we see more of the same or something completely new? We don't know yet, but we're excited to find out.
Atrium 3.1, D107/D108
Epos
After launching the Epos ES-7N bookshelf speakers at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, Epos are set to launch a full floorstanding model at Munich, called the ES-28N. No details yet, but the teaser photo shows it could be a three-way design with a tweeter (most likely the same as in the ES-7N and existing ES-14N), a midrange driver, two bass drivers, spiked feet propping up the tall speaker and the same angular design as the excellent ES-14N speakers.
Atrium 4.1, Room E121
Fiio
Visitors will be treated to a whole bunch of new products from Fiio, which includes a turntable! From the teaser press image, the TT13 looks like it has a metal plinth with various shiny buttons and a remote control – so it may well have automatic operation and Bluetooth features. Also being revealed are flagship £999 / $999 FA19 in-ear wired monitors, a new SR11 music streamer with a large display screen, and SP5 desktop active speakers.
Hall 1, B05
Fyne Audio
Get your retro fix as Scottish brand Fyne will likely be bringing its fine line of Classic and Vintage speakers, as well as its latest (and more modern looking) SP (Special Production) models.
Atrium 4.1, E116 & Hall 3, L04/M03
HiFi Rose
Products from emerging brands like HiFi Rose have cut through the established hi-fi separates fare and stood out with their stunningly crafted design and smart streaming tech. Last year we saw the debut of the RS130 streaming transport, but perhaps we'll see the new RA280 – the more streamlined but still stylish sibling to the flagship RA180 amplifier – this year at Munich.
Hall 2, G04/J03
iFi Audio
The Zen DAC 3, Zen Phono 3 and Diablo 2 are just some of the recent DACs/headphone amps/phono stages from iFi that will be on show this year. Visitors will also get to see the iCAN Phantom electrostatic headphone amp from last year and the five-star hip-dac 3 amongst many other models when they head to iFi's multiple stands.
Atrium 4.1, E109 and Hall 1, B12/C09/C11/D01
Lumin
High end streaming brand Lumin will be launching the P1 Mini – a scaled-down version of its $10k P1 streamer/DAC that boasts versatile connectivity including HDMI inputs.
Hall 3, M13
Luxman
High-end Japanese brand Luxman will be showing off its first-ever NT-07 network music streamer, alongside a new matching DA-07X DAC that will launch in the summer. There is also a new reference-level E-07 phono preamp that will launch in the autumn
Atrium 4.2, F229
Meze Audio
Meze has teased that a white version of The Empyrean flagship headphones will be unveiled, alongside previews of future new additions to its line-up, which include a new pair of "Alba" in-ear wired headphones and a pair of "105 ARE" over-ear, open-back headphones.
Hall 1, B04 & Hall 1, B10a/B10/C05/B10b
Mission
We've been teased that products to match the five-star 778X amplifier will be shown, including the 778S network audio streamer and 778CDT CD transport. All products will launch in the autumn.
Atrium 4.2, E223/E224
Moon
Canadian brand Moon will be demoing the flagship pairing of its North Collection, the 891 streaming preamp powered by two 861 mighty power amps, throughout the show. The 861/891 combo (each costing £25,000) will be plugged into a pair of Dynaudio Confidence 60 loudspeakers, and Moon promises a "relaxing environment" so people can sit down and just enjoy the music.
Atrium 3.1, C120
Naim/Focal
A mainstay at any hi-fi show, we expect to see the Naim/Focal partnership out in full force. Naim celebrated its 50th anniversary last year with the Naim Nait 50 limited edition amp and the new 300 series. This year, maybe we'll see the Uniti Nova Power Edition? Focal has already revealed it will be showing two new wired luxury headphones, the open-back Hadenys and closed-back Azurys.
Atrium 4.1, F105
NAD
The Canadian brand has already revealed its Munich launch and it's a new addition to its C/Classis series: the NAD C 379 Class D amplifier, which boasts ample digital and analogue connectivity, including HDMI eARC and a moving magnet phono stage. The amp is designed to be future-proofed and modular, allowing users to add extension modules – such as BluOS network streaming with Dirac room correction or emerging AV tech – if they wish. Not bad for £899 / $1099.
Atrium 3.1, D107/D108
Perlisten/Trinnov
AV fans will be glad to hear it's not all two-channel. Perlisten and Trinnov are joining forces for an 11.1.6-channel AV system that promises an "unprecedented acoustic level of immersive audio" in an 18-seat cinema. The system will feature Trinnov's WaveForming technology with Perlisten's THX Certified Dominus surround system. and there will be eight 15-inch active subwoofers used. Mighty. Demos are by appointment only.
Atrium 3.1, room D112
PMC
PMC will be flexing its pro and hi-fi muscles together with an ambitious large-scale Dolby Atmos speaker system to play prog legend Steve Wilson's latest album, The Harmony Code, in full. Wilson himself will be there on all four show days at Room K1, Foyer 1 to showcase how he uses and mixes reference-level audio, using the PMC set-up to demonstrate the capabilities of Dolby Atmos and spatial mixing. Also on show will be PMC's new Twenty5i Active speaker range that was launched at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show earlier this year.
Atrium 3.1, D106 & Room K1, Foyer 1
Pro-Ject
We've become accustomed to seeing Pro-Ject reveal special edition turntables with artist collaborations – who can forget the snazzy Metallica turntable, or the beautiful Pink Floyd one, or the delightful Yellow Submarine deck? – but we also tend to see innovations like the T2 W wireless turntable. Could we see even more turntables, please?
Hall 3, M04/N03/N04/P05
Q Acoustics
Q Acoustics launched the new 5000 series of speakers last year, one of which (5040) became a What Hi-Fi? Award winner, while another (5050) just made their official global debut – read our full review here.
Atrium 4.1, F110
Quad
On demo throughout the show will be the Quad ESL 2912X, the first update to the iconic ESL electrostatic speakers in 12 years. The new model will feature technical and aesthetic enhancements, we're told. Also on display will be revived and evolved versions of a 1967 classic, the Quad 33 and 303 pre/power amps. We're told they will be "wrapped in an industrial design that echoes the past and embraces the future". All new Quad products are set to be available in the autumn.
Atrium 4.2, E223/E224
Ruark Audio
Ruark's retro-styled products are always a delight to see and experience, and last year the brand revealed the excellent all-in-one R410 music player. Could we see the flagship R810 (the modern-day successor to the radiogram) at the show? The brand has teased they will be showing two new products, and we're very excited to find out what they are.
Hall 3, L05/M03
Sennheiser
The German headphone brand will be launching "a new addition to its audiophile profile" – that could mean anything, but we have our fingers crossed for a new wired headphone in the vein of the HD 800S range, perhaps? It's a wild guess for now.
Hall 1, B14
Sonus Faber/McIntosh
We were treated to the exquisite Suprema speaker system earlier this year at CES 2024 to kick off its 40th birthday celebrations, and we fully expect the Suprema/McIntosh demo to happen again. This ambitious project consists of two main speakers, two subwoofers and an electronic crossover, priced at a whopping £695,000 / $750,000. Also on demo will be the stunning Stradivari speakers, all powered by McIntosh amps.
Atrium 4, F109
SVS
US brand SVS will be demoing its new flagship Ultra Evolution series of speakers, with seven models in the range including three floorstanding speakers, two bookshelf models, a centre channel speaker and a home cinema speaker with multi-angle mounting bracket. All models boast improvements to driver design, cabinet architecture and components, with SVS claiming the Ultra Evolution will usher in a "new era of reference-quality sound". There will be two-channel and home theatre system demos throughout the show.
Hall 3, P02/R03
T+A
T+A will be showcasing its new Criterion S 240 floorstanding speakers with transmission line technology (prices start from $16,490) with the R 2500 R multi-source receiver/amplifier that features a CD player, Bluetooth, streaming (via AirPlay, wi-fi etc) and DAB/FM radio.
Atrium 3.1, D102/D103/D104
TAD Labs
The Japanese brand will be displaying the latest addition to its flagship Reference Series, the TAD-C700 preamplifier, costing a cool $68,000. The hefty unit comes with balanced and unbalanced inputs, has a dedicated separate power supply and aims to deliver "near-perfect stereophonic sound reproduction".
Atrium 3.1, C113
Tannoy
Tannoy's 100th anniversary is looming in 2026, but the Scottish-based brand is celebrating another milestone. It will unveil the Autograph 12 speakers, which pay homage to the 70th anniversary of its Autograph speaker series, along with new technological developments made to its iconic dual concentric driver.
Hall 4, S06-1/S06-2/S06-3
Vivid Audio
This is one we can't miss: we are very much looking forward to seeing and hearing the behemoth (and near half-million quid) 13-driver Vivid Moya 1 speakers from Laurence Dickie's brand in person.
Hall 3, K16
WiiM
The wildly popular affordable brand will be launching two new products at Munich, one of which is the WiiM Ultra, which seems to be an advanced version of the superb WiiM Pro Plus music streamer with an improved DAC and full-colour touchscreen. The other launch is still under wraps, but we'll bring you the latest news as soon as we have it.
Hall 2, F07
Yamaha
We loved listening to the HA-L7A headphone amplifier at last year's show with the exceptional YH-5000SE headphones. We're not sure what Yamaha has in store for us this year, but we will be sure to share the news once we know.
Atrium 4.2, F207
YG Acoustics
We don't know what the high-end American speaker brand has in store for us either, but it has announced a press conference on Friday 10th, at 1pm CET, so we're expecting something new.
Atrium 4.2, E218
MORE:
See all the highlights and launches from last year's High End Munich 2023
Our guide to the best speakers you can buy across all budgets
Check out the best high-end record players we love and recommend
