What will come as more of a surprise is an extension to the C10 DAC family. The C10 Mono has already broken the CH mould by simply adding an extra power supply to create a three-box, dual-mono rig. Now the company is adding an additional digital router and pre-DAC component, the Conductor, complete with its own, separate power supply. Now do the maths and you’ll quickly conclude that the full-on C10 is now a five-box DAC – seven if you include the D10 transport, eight with a T10 clock! Is this CH sending a message? We couldn’t possibly comment…
CH owners should also note that the company are present in the Peak Consult room listed below, where some interesting, CH-specific accessories will be on show.
Meanwhile, long-time co-exhibitor TechDAS will be showing a brand-new model, the Air Force 4. Details are firmly under wraps for the moment, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that it will fit between the two compact models in the range, offering another, more affordable option from the company.
Clarysis – H4/K3
There’s going large – and then there’s larger still!
Clarysis are no shrinking violets but right about now even they might be wondering just what they’ve bitten off. At the show they will be presenting the mighty, massive and monstrously heavy, six panel Atrium system, driven actively by VAC tube amps from a Lampizator, Pink Faun or Kronos front-end. The venue for this high-risk spectacle? Room K3 outside Hall 4. Where? You might well ask. If you are standing outside Hall 4 facing the hall entrances, turn left, past the staircase and the lifts and then turn left again, down a narrow corridor. The Press area is straight ahead (probably best avoided for any number of reasons) and you’ll find the entrance to K3 on your right. Interestingly, it’s outside the main show area and thus outside of the access control that stops you getting into the show early – just like the Cessaro room last year. So, if you find yourself waiting for the show to open, you might as well listen to some music on a serious system while you are doing it…
The Atrium rig is likely to be playing in the mornings, with the afternoons devoted to the new, four-panel, two-way Aria, a more approachable and more easily accommodated model that fits between the Studio and Auditorium in terms of price and ambition. That arrangement/timing might change, so it’s worth checking early in order to hear what you want. Either system should be worthy of attention, if for different reasons. Really big systems rarely seem to deliver consistent results – or any worthwhile results at all – in Munich, with the Living Voice horns the honourable exception to that rule. I’ve a sneaking suspicion that if any speaker can pull it off, it might just be the Atrium. Either way, the attempt is to be applauded and should be well-worthy of attention.
Kora High Fidelity – H2, K04
Kora will be showing their interesting ‘Square Tube’ amplifiers in the Spherel Systems room. But rather than the compact and capable products we’ve seen in the past, where the price/performance ratio has been front and centre in the design brief, expect to see something altogether more ambitious. Big class A amps are few and far between these days, but that’s exactly what Kora will be launching at the show. Massive and reportedly capable of driving seriously awkward loads, the Kora 2 mono-blocks being used at the show will offer 200W/Channel at a price of €28,000 each. The range also features an outwardly identical stereo chassis at the same price and half the rated output as well as slightly lower (70W/150W) versions too. The amps will be driving the latest Dyptique Reference Mk.11 speakers, which is another good reason to visit this room. Be there or get left out in the cold!
Kroma Atelier – A4.2, F219 or H2, H05
Kroma Atelier’s loudspeakers have quietly been making a name for themselves, while also making consistently impressive music in Munich. This year they will debut a new, compact-ish four-way floor-stander, dubbed the Callas. Nothing to live up to then – and no expectations whatsoever! Taking a belt and braces response to the obvious challenge, they will play the speaker in both an upstairs room and a sound cabin in Hall 2. Upstairs they’ll be running Wadax Studio Player and TechDAS front-ends with Engstrom electronics. Downstairs, another Studio Player will be paired with Orpheus Lab amplification. A brand that’s been going from strength to strength with impressive pace, it will be interesting to see if they can maintain the momentum.
Nordost – A4.1, E112
While Nordost were one of the first cable companies to recognise and promote the benefits of single-source cable looms, their digital cables have always enjoyed a considerable reputation in a wider, global context, often being used to deliver digital data transfer in systems cabled with products from other companies. Even renowned cable sceptics like dCS were seen to employ Nordost cabling to lift the performance of their products.
