• Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

High End Munich 2025 - May 15-18

Spocko said:
High end domestic buyers won't touch those - no amount of diamond crusted shellacking will help.
MBL on the other hand? Looks RICH

View attachment 452035
Click to expand...
I know you use Genelecs as part of your reviewing tools, which makes total sense. However, I guess that you can equally seat down and enjoy a nice atmos mix, setting your reviewer coat on the hanger behind and get an equally good enjoyment.

Point is, nothing says you cannot use Genelcs for music/video in pure leisure mode.
 
kolestonin said:
The best speakers I listened was a Magico pair(don't know the model)
Click to expand...
I had the same experience at the show here in Tampa.

Don't know the model, they were big, not the biggest, in a big room, with a lot of wall damping, I think.

Somehow the sound just "floated" in the air, for lack of a better description. It seemed to be "with me" and not coming from "over there". At least, that's the impression I got.

I even took a picture:

1747679893908.png


Liked the little Harbeth setup, too. It was playing Dean Martin, eventually bought the CD for a couple of bucks.
 
Vacceo said:
I know you use Genelecs as part of your reviewing tools, which makes total sense. However, I guess that you can equally seat down and enjoy a nice atmos mix, setting your reviewer coat on the hanger behind and get an equally good enjoyment.

Point is, nothing says you cannot use Genelcs for music/video in pure leisure mode.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I think my intent was lost in my post! I meant to say that "high end domestic" (emphasis on domestic = form is more important than function) buyers worry less about sound quality and more about whether it matches their marble walls. I know for a fact these Genelecs sound amazing but when creating that high end look to impress your partner - it has to look the part.
 
Spocko said:
Sorry, I think my intent was lost in my post! I meant to say that "high end domestic" (emphasis on domestic = form is more important than function) buyers worry less about sound quality and more about whether it matches their marble walls. I know for a fact these Genelecs sound amazing but when creating that high end look to impress your partner - it has to look the part.
Click to expand...
I guess that has to do with consumer culture. I´m the kind of guy that actually loves diaphanous environments and easily conceleable (Ikea looking, if you may) devices. Sure, Genelecs may cause some eye sore, but due to size, they will not look like Louis XVI´s speakers, which is what some people love.
 
RayDunzl said:
Somehow the sound just "floated" in the air, for lack of a better description. It seemed to be "with me" and not coming from "over there". At least, that's the impression I got.
Click to expand...
Exactly my experience!
Don't know why, don't know how, don't know what.
I can't describe it, tell it was the base, the tonality, the dynamics, the sound stage.
I just can tell it was the best sound I listened coming out from a pair of speakers in my life.
 
To me, Magico resembles the virtues of mains monitors, plus looks and impeccable quality down to the last screw.
Add very tight tolerances, low distortion/resonances, high dynamic ability, etc and we are there.

No magic, just less compromises.
 
kolestonin said:
I guess you mean Radiant and I am happy to see I was not the only one I liked these speakers a lot.
And my impression from the vibes I was getting from other persons in the room, as I went twice to listen to them, is that they were also liking them.
Did you also find the base impressive for the size?
Room was quite small though so I don't know how they will perform in a bigger space.
Click to expand...
Yes I meant Radiant. I was the first in the room on Sunday morning and spent quite some time alone with the presenter. They had 9 chairs in a 3x3 the one in the middle was the money seat where stereo imaging just worked as it should.

The room had been setup by Peter Lyngdorf himself and he did choose not to use room perfect so they show what the speakers can do by themselves.

According to the presenter the main difference between 6.2 and 4.2 is that you can go even louder. Depending on room size and your normal listening volume the 4.2 are a steal compared to the other speakers I liked at the show.

I was also really impressed by the Kii Sevens. I had the full Atmos show but I could also listen to some stereo later on. The cardioid worked. No room treatments but still really good sound without room modes even when walking around in the room.
 
Sokel said:
To me, Magico resembles the virtues of mains monitors, plus looks and impeccable quality down to the last screw.
Add very tight tolerances, low distortion/resonances, high dynamic ability, etc and we are there.

No magic, just less compromises.
Click to expand...
Build quality of Magico is amazing but they also understood the challenge of room treatment. I think the room treatment made the biggest difference.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20250518_103843400.MP.jpg
    PXL_20250518_103843400.MP.jpg
    206.2 KB · Views: 105
Mister.Mole said:
They sounded like Erin measured those. One of the worst speakers I listened to.

I liked, in order from most to least:
Genelec / Kii
Radiance 6.2 and 4.2
Lyngdorf FR2
Fink Kim

I also think I could like Purifis prototype/demo model and KEF blade but these 2 had been out in the open not a dedicated listening room so it's hard to put them in the list.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the photos.

But…

1747687988451.jpeg


My God that is one Fugly speaker!

May as well be a portable latrine.
 
MattHooper said:
It’s one of those most common experiences among audiophiles, especially those attending their first shows, to make the type of discoveries you are making.

You go there, thinking you might be hearing stuff that blows away your own system, but then you come home to your own system and you think “ that sounds better than most of the show!”

Happens to me all the time. In fact, I have a friend who reviews “ ultra audio” gear, really expensive stuff, and there hasn’t been one time where I’ve come home after listening at his place and not enjoyed my system far more.

It makes sense because we’ve chosen our system based on exactly what we’re looking for, and we’ve been able to usually set it up in a way that pleases us, so you sort of optimized things to a degree at home to just what you want.
Click to expand...
A big part of this experience which I also share is in my opinion due to the lack of acoustics understanding (like placing full range loudspeakers in the problematic SBIR front wall distance) and lack of room/bass correction which results in large and very expensive loudspeakers sound like toys (also similar is observed in most hifi shops and also hobbyists homes).
 
And you could also get personalised speakers!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4712.jpeg
    IMG_4712.jpeg
    394.4 KB · Views: 206
It's interesting to read feedback from the different forums. How colored they are by what they believe in the first place.
Here, the Genelec and Kii speakers are praised by several but not mentioned at all at more typical "high end" forums. And the exact opposiste by some of the expensive systems.

There's very little of common agreement on what sounded good. Part of the reason is obviously because people listen at different places in the rooms and with different music. But I think pre conceived ideas and bias are major causes.

The fact is that some systems are much better than others and some are very poor, but most audiophile don't seem to be able to distinguish it in these types of exhibitions. It shows us the importance of proper AB tests with level matching, but something that's not easy to carry out in practice.

P.S. Also noticed how few that can actually be able to say something in detail about how it sounded? There's basically "it sounded great" or "I didn't like" it with no further descriptions.
 
Last edited:
Bjorn said:
It's interesting to read feedback from the different forums. How colored they are by what they believe in the first place.
Here, the Genelec and Kii speakers are praised by several but not mentioned at all at more typical "high end" forums. And the exact opposiste by some of the expensive systems.

There's very little of common agreement on what sounded good. Part of the reason is obviously because people listen at different places in the rooms and with different music. But I think pre conceived ideas and bias are major causes.

The fact is that some systems are much better than others and some are very poor, but most audiophile don't seem to be able to distinguish it in these types of exhibitions. It shows us the importance of proper AB tests with level matching, but something that's not easy to carry out in practice.

P.S. Also noticed how few that can actually be able to say something in detail about how it sounded? There's basically "it sounded great" or "I didn't like" it with no further descriptions.
Click to expand...
Most audiophiles that go to these shows don't like pro audio gear so it makes sense
 
Bjorn said:
The fact is that some systems are much better than others and some are very poor, but most audiophile don't seem to be able to distinguish it in these types of exhibitions. It shows us the importance of proper AB tests with level matching, but something that's not easy to carry out in practice.
Click to expand...

And there’s also the possibility of audiophiles seeking different things. You might hear a big horn system and be put off by the coloured frequency response, whereas another audiophile might zero in on what they find to be some exciting or lifelike qualities.

I got to listen a number of times to the Klipsch La scalas at my friends house.
He’s had a ton of high-end speakers in that room, and I could hear some of the frequency response colouration in the Klipsch, but was there ever a sense “life energy” and a dense palpable solidity to the sound that felt more live than the other speakers. Despite their liabilities, I would’ve chosen to listen to those speakers then most of the other ones he had reviewed.

So there can be that element of things to what you are focussed on versus other people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom