We cover a lot of stuff at every show, but as always, a few things stand out by the end. At High End 2010 it was the sound of a particular room, a line of products, and, finally, one component that was the talk of the town. Here they are:
We heard a number of good-sounding rooms at High End, some of which we already wrote about in the Standout Demo section. One that I liked was presented by Ascendo, a German loudspeaker manufacturer who always shows at High End and always delivers great sound. The music they played through this system sounded exceptionally good, with voices in particular sounding this close to real. I listened to this system longer than I listened to any other at High End 2010.
This year's system featured the Ascendo System F loudspeakers, Convergent Audio Technology's JL3 mono amps and SL1 Legend preamp, Audio Aero's La Source digital player, and Masterclass's cables and rack. The system's price hovers around € 150.000, an obscenely large amount of money for a stereo, but, ironically, the least expensive component was the speakers themselves -- the System F retails for € 11.800 per pair.
At the other end of the spectrum of size and price are Pro-Ject's Box-series components, which are small, lightweight, and inexpensive. I really like these kinds of things because they're so relevant for so many people -- most consumers can't afford systems priced in the tens of thousands of euros, but they can afford these. Plus, they're so small that they're easy to place in your home or at work on your desk. Kick-ass-looking stands are also available for them.
We first saw these components at High End 2008 when Pro-Ject was just starting out with the series. Since then, they've added Box after Box, and there are now over 30 products including DACs, amps, preamps, phono stages, iPod docks, and much more. I looked through their price list and the least expensive one appears to be Speed Box (a turntable controller) for € 80, while the most expensive is the Tube Box SE II phono stage, priced at € 525. One of the newest is the € 425 Receiver Box, which is said to deliver 20Wpc into 8 ohms or 30Wpc into 4 ohms. Another is the € 520 CD Box SE, which features a Burr-Brown 24-bit/192kHz 1796 DAC chip.
Finally, the most talked-about component at High End 2010 was probably the € 11.000 D-Premier integrated amp from Devialet of France. It not only looks cool; it appears to be a very advanced design that, if it delivers sound quality that matches its technology and appearance, might be on the cutting edge of next-generation amplifier design. The French Revolution? Perhaps. Read more about it in our May 8 product coverage.
One other thing worth mentioning is the overall impression of this year’s High End show. In three words: the best ever. You heard that right. The worldwide economy is still in the doldrums, but there were a lot of great products at High End 2010, along with plenty of positive attitudes among the people and a lot of hope for a very bright future that should arrive shortly. I can't wait until High End 2011.
. . . Doug Schneider
das@soundstagenetwork.com