High-End Vienna 2026 - anyone coming?

[Paul7777x]

And when you add Canvas L soundbar to your tv, maybe you won't need your hifi anymore
Canvas with Sb acoustics drivers, lot of power and BACCH dsp sounds impressive. Although mostly just from mlp.

View attachment 537180

If you’re going to have a sound bar… then yes, make it a serious one

 

[girtab]

If I learned anything from this event it’s that most of this stuff is snake oil or sounds the same. Those 40k magico or 100k raidho acoustics towers don’t sound that much better than my Polk r700s tbh maybe 5hz more low end extension that’s it

Raidho acoustics were cool enough to let me play a song I wanted though and Larry from svs had a cool surround sound system that doesn’t distort or rattle like imax cinemas here do

 

[Vuki]

If you’re going to have a sound bar… then yes, make it a serious one

6keur serious

 

[Paul7777x]

6keur serious

Bloody hell

I’m sure they’re good… but six grand good?

 

[Puddingbuks]

Grimm presents new power amplifier (classAB) with new passive speaker. Excellent sound!

View attachment 537175

Will they offer a passive speaker now? As all of their offering were active.

 

[Vuki]

Will they offer a passive speaker now? As all of their offering were active.

They said so.

 

[TheGoldRush]

I am attending - so if anyone is interested in a coffee happy to have a chat.

Lots of interesting things today - I see an ASR 'favourite' Fosi Audio have a new sub brand that will specialize in higher end stuff starting with the V4 Mono and the V5 Mono:

View attachment 536852

I will post some more stuff tomorrow.

V4 250W @4Ohm Hypex NCore ~500€
V5 550W @4Ohm Hypex NCore or Nilail (from what i understood the engineer said "also" available). ~1000€

External of V5 is made by the same "company that produces iphones."

4-5 month until available.

The engineer said it was a bit of work to get hypex to cooperate with a chinese brand.

He said the amps will sound a bit different to what hypex is known for.

These are the first products of a whole new line up. Class A/B stereo, dac(he doesnt wanna use ESS or AKM...trying to create something new with someone) , streamer...
Line up is called "Ingenious".

Im not a journalist or something, those are not word for word quotes- just a summary of the facts i remember.

Personally i dont like the visual design of the V4 and V5- looks like (cheap) car audio to me.

 

[antcollinet]

He said the amps will sound a bit different to what hypex is known for.

So they've messed it up then? Sounds ominous

he doesnt wanna use ESS or AKM...trying to create something new with someone

Jeez - and re-inventing the wheel.

@Fosi Audio seem to be going a little off the rails.

 

[Chanur]

V4 250W @4Ohm Hypex NCore ~500€
V5 550W @4Ohm Hypex NCore or Nilail (from what i understood the engineer said "also" available). ~1000€

External of V5 is made by the same "company that produces iphones."

4-5 month until available.

The engineer said it was a bit of work to get hypex to cooperate with a chinese brand.

He said the amps will sound a bit different to what hypex is known for.

These are the first products of a whole new line up. Class A/B stereo, dac(he doesnt wanna use ESS or AKM...trying to create something new with someone) , streamer...
Line up is called "Ingenious".

Im not a journalist or something, those are not word for word quotes- just a summary of the facts i remember.

Personally i dont like the visual design of the V4 and V5- looks like (cheap) car audio to me.

IP is often not safe if you do business in China, so I get being hesitant.

That being said while they do look kind of cheap in the picture I still like them. I really like orange haha.

 

[MattHooper]

If there was more actual engineering there rather than as Fred said, ‘excess’.
Keith

Problem is… if every room featured better engineering of the type many here want, all of the rooms would start to sound alike.

Sounds like a boring show …. Give me variety and out of the box thinking… even kooky stuff… that’s part of the fun of shows for me.

 

[Purité Audio]

I don’t find fine engineering boring.
Keith

 

[ShadowFiend]

Of course it is boring if every speaker is just conventional rectangular box with cone/dome drivers. At least on this kind of shows, we can see other directions like big horn system, electrostatics, open baffle, dipole, omnidirectional.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Of course it is boring if every speaker is just conventional rectangular box with cone/dome drivers. At least on this kind of shows, we can see other directions like big horn system, electrostatics, open baffle, dipole, omnidirectional.

I remember there was always somebody in the press wanting teams to use a "different strategy" in Formula 1 races to mix things up, but the fact was unless something unexpected happened in the race, and latterly the software and number of people made it practical to change strategy in the race if it did, all that meant was voluntarily f*cking it up. Many are still calling for the same illogical behaviour today.

Sadly the most technically valid and cost effective way of making a good speaker is almost certainly well enough known today and a considerable deviation from it will result in something technically worse or equal performance for more outlay but give an opportunity for a different marketing narrative, so could be profit effective.

Looking at the peformance of a Genelec "one" or Neumann KH150 the only real questions are do they look nice enough to have at home and will they go loud enough? FWIW in my case the answers are no and no sadly.

I have horns which look great and can go very loud but for overall SQ they are not the best speakers I own.

 

[sergeauckland]

I don’t find fine engineering boring.
Keith

Indeed. I rather hanker for a day when everything sounds the same, and one can choose entirely on looks. A bit like cars today...

S.

 

[Gregm]

I have horns which look great and can go very loud but for overall SQ they are not the best speakers I own.

Out of curiosity, which of your speakers do you *enjoy* listening to the most ?

 

[ShadowFiend]

I remember there was always somebody in the press wanting teams to use a "different strategy" in Formula 1 races to mix things up, but the fact was unless something unexpected happened in the race, and latterly the software and number of people made it practical to change strategy in the race if it did, all that meant was voluntarily f*cking it up. Many are still calling for the same illogical behaviour today.

Sadly the most technically valid and cost effective way of making a good speaker is almost certainly well enough known today and a considerable deviation from it will result in something technically worse or equal performance for more outlay but give an opportunity for a different marketing narrative, so could be profit effective.

Looking at the peformance of a Genelec "one" or Neumann KH150 the only real questions are do they look nice enough to have at home and will they go loud enough? FWIW in my case the answers are no and no sadly.

I have horns which look great and can go very loud but for overall SQ they are not the best speakers I own.

I respectfully disagree with your analogy. F1 is real engineering with clear objective in predefined environment. Speaker designs do not have that clear target and working environment of speaker, the room, is also vague. So while conventional approach on speaker design can be good enough in many cases, there are always rooms for other approaches to satisfy different needs due to its inherent properties when interacting with the rooms.

 

[MattHooper]

I don’t find fine engineering boring.
Keith

Indeed. I rather hanker for a day when everything sounds the same, and one can choose entirely on looks. A bit like cars today...

S.

I get that. And I thoroughly respect that point of view as well.

I was being a bit cheeky, of course.

 

[Jean.Francois]

Hello,
a vidéo with exceptional Systems and the Best Sound of the Show

 

[Puddingbuks]

Problem is… if every room featured better engineering of the type many here want, all of the rooms would start to sound alike.

Sounds like a boring show …. Give me variety and out of the box thinking… even kooky stuff… that’s part of the fun of shows for me.

Totally agree. I love the different ways that hundreds or maybe even thousands of brands choose to make their speakers.

Electrostatic, magnetostatic, horns, omni directional, “radial strahler”, closed, bass reflex, open baffle, active, passive, small, big, all kinds of materials - everything aimed at the pleasure of listening to music. Some with high amounts of snake oil and colored sound, some very “correct” and ruler flat. It’s up to you what you like.

I myself have gotten a little bit bored of my “perfect” Kef LS60’s. They will soon be exchanged for something a little less perfect, but hopefully a little more entertaining and with better dynamic capabilities.

I am somewhat amazed by how little attention high end vienna gets here on ASR…?

 

[MattHooper]

Totally agree. I love the different ways that hundreds or maybe even thousands of brands choose to make their speakers.

Electrostatic, magnetostatic, horns, omni directional, “radial strahler”, closed, bass reflex, open baffle, active, passive, small, big, all kinds of materials - everything aimed at the pleasure of listening to music. Some with high amounts of snake oil and colored sound, some very “correct” and ruler flat. It’s up to you what you like.

I myself have gotten a little bit bored of my “perfect” Kef LS60’s. They will soon be exchanged for something a little less perfect, but hopefully a little more entertaining and with better dynamic capabilities.

I am somewhat amazed by how little attention high end vienna gets here on ASR…?

*bro fist

I’ve had some of my most fun enjoyable and sometimes amazing listening experiences to some kooky out-of-the-box speaker designs at shows and elsewhere. I like how speakers sounded different.
I’m glad that there are companies out there, refining loudspeaker design along ASR parameters, but also glad there are other companies out there taking their own path, exploring other ideas.