High End 2024 runs from Thursday 2024-05-09 to 2024-05-12 at the MOC in Munich. It’s the largest and most important international high-end audio show in the world. As usual, the Serious Music Blog will be attending and reporting on the show.
Unlike some other audio shows, High End is devoted solely to high-end consumer audio. This focus attracts practically every high-end audio manufacturer, a boon to enthusiasts and industry professionals, alike. It’s also a trade show, with Thursday and Friday reserved for the audio industry and the audio press, and Saturday and Sunday open to the public.
Audio Shows
Most audio enthusiasts, even those living in large cities, have little opportunity to actually hear many of the audio products they’ve read or heard about. We can listen to our friends’ systems, and the equipment on demo at local dealers, or at dealers we visit on our travels. However, this is seldom a wide range, and often doesn’t include the latest models. Audio manufacturers use major audio shows to exhibit their products and introduce new products. This, and the opportunity to meet and discuss with manufacturers, dealers and other enthusiasts, makes audio shows invaluable to enthusiasts.
High End, being the most important international show is also where most manufacturers choose to introduce their new products, making it even more special.
High End 2024
As usual, High End this year will feature a number of events, including:
- X-Pert Stage: a set of talks, lectures and panel discussions. This year it includes such topics as streaming, vinyl playback and the future of high-end audio
- World of Headphones: an area of the show dedicated to headphone systems, with exhibits from all the major manufacturers of high-end headphones, in-ear monitors, headphone amplifiers, DAC/amps and portable audio players.
- Soundsclever: demos of entry level systems costing €5,000 or less.
- Immersive audio: acclaimed musician, singer, songwriter and producer, Steven Wilson, will present an immersive version of his latest album “The Harmony Codex” on a Dolby Atmos system featuring reference-level PMC speakers
Munich
Munich, host city of High End, is the capital of the German state of Bavaria. It’s an enchanting city, blending old-world charm, history and elegance with 21st Century excitement and modernity. One of the joys of High End is the opportunity it presents to enjoy Munich. Show attendees can enjoy the Bavarian food and drink, and take in the wide range of attractions, including the old city, palaces, Marienplatz, the Viktualienmarkt, the Deutches Museum, Englische Garten, the Allianz Arena …
Other Events
There will also be a few other high-end audio events in the vicinity of the MOC during the show. Hifideluxe has run in parallel with High End for a few years. It’s held a the Munich Marriott Hotel, a short, free shuttle ride away from the MOC. This year, hifideluxe runs from Friday 2024-05-10 to Saturday 2024-05-11. A few manufacturers also set up booths at Motorworld München, which is just across the road from the MOC.
Serious Music regularly attends High End and publishes a show report in The Serious Music Blog. You can see the previous High End show reports here.
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