Munich Show Pre-View
By Roy Gregory
Changes to coverage
Following reader feedback (a nice word for well-aimed complaints) we’re altering the presentation of our Munich coverage. Rather than a long, ever-extending page, with new material added at the bottom, reports will be posted in three separate strings – Products (to cover interesting product introductions), Places (rooms/systems that actually deliver) and Perspectives (pieces that cover the show as a whole, trends, tendencies etc.) In each case, new articles will be posted at the top of the string, so any updates will be readily apparent. Hopefully that will save too much scrolling…
Rooms to Visit
As usual, here’s a list of rooms that we’ll be making a point of visiting – and why.
Aries Cerat – A4.1, F111
Last year, Aries Cerat brought a monster system to Munich that certainly divided opinion. In fact, “divided” is probably understating the case, with extreme love it or hate it reactions the order of the day. Owners and on-line fan-boys were declaring it Best Of Show by midday on Day 1 (‘cos of course they’d been around and assessed EVERY other room in the space of two hours). Others were bemused and appalled in equal part.
We’ve never really cottoned to the whole Aries Cerat brouhaha, being either distinctly underwhelmed or almost physically assaulted by their Munich systems over the years. But ‘shows is shows’ and they tell us far from the whole story. After last year’s almost Trumpian performance, it will be interesting to see if Aries Cerat can pull it together and impress if not all-comers, then at least a working majority of visitors. This may or may not end up being your favourite room, but one thing’s for sure: it will be amongst the most discussed.
Avantgarde Acoustic – A4.1, E124
Avantgarde will not only be playing the active Trio G3 system with iTron amplification, they’ll be showing new, ‘compact’ sub-woofers, based on the bass cabinets built for the Mezzo. In this case ‘compact’ is a relative term, but almost anything is more compact than the SpaceHorns, while the vertical aspect ratio and smaller, tapered footprint suggests that the new subs will be considerably easier to accommodate, making Trios a viable option for smaller (if not small) spaces.
CAD – A4.2, F224
Computer Audio Design are one of the few companies that have managed to produce consistently listenable results from file replay over the years. Just as well as their long-standing 1543 DAC offers only USB and Ethernet connectivity? A filter-less design built around 20 TDA 1543 DAC chips, the veteran, hair-shirt decoder has (begrudgingly) ascended to Mk.III status, with an enlarged, totally redesigned and far more sophisticated power supply, improved componentry, increased EMI/RFI shielding and other evolutionary tweaks. How many other DACs remain wed to the same essential decoding architecture after 15-years? Longevity alone (not to mention a loyal customer base and their consistently good showing in Munich) make this a product – and system – to hear.
CH Precision – A4.1 F118 (and the Peak Consult room below)
CH will be rounding out the 10 Series with the much-anticipated D10, top-loading CD/SACD transport. As with any top-loader, the mechanics will be the centre of attention and we’re pretty sure the D10’s lift and pivot lid won’t disappoint. Meanwhile, the massively reinforced chassis puts the transport firmly in the ‘nailed to the supporting surface’ category. Lifting it to feel the weight is not advised…
