High End 2026 Vienna by Clement Perry

 

 

This year’s High End 2026 switched from Munich (where it had been held since 2004) to the beautiful and enchanting city of Vienna, Austria. As compared to Munich, Vienna feels more affluent and more artsy. The streets seem narrower than in NJ, so I really drove carefully. I noticed downtown Vienna boasts tons of nice places to wine and dine. No Wienerschnitzel for me, thanks. It was a choice among pasta, steak, and burger restaurants for us. And we tried each. Delicious!

Weather-wise, the four days we were here were sunny and warm. Vienna seems a little more spring-like in terms of its temperature than the sweltering heat we experienced before flying out of Newark airport. Known for being one of the most livable cities in the world, I was taken aback by how much Vienna reminded me of NYC minus the gridlock, noise, and pollution. My cousin Paul, who accompanied me on his very first international audio show, had no idea what he was walking into. Needless to say, he was excited to finally see and hear some of the finest audio products the world has to offer under one tent. Rather, it was the biggest tent I had ever seen. The sheer size of the Austria Center Vienna is astounding. On first glance, I admit, I didn’t know where to start. High End 2026 statistics boasted more than  500 Exhibitors from 41 countries and over 1.000 Brands. Attendance grew to 23,109 from 104 countries over this four-day event.

 

Paul was all smiles as the Audio Gods smiled down on us as we got to upgrade our seats to business right before our flight to Vienna.

 

Our flight over the Atlantic was eight hours long, but I didn’t notice because I fell asleep as soon as we took off. Upon landing and clearing Customs, our rental car (an Audi A5) was waiting for us.

 

 

Driving through the city was challenging because the navigation system displayed everything in meters rather than miles. One hundred meters is much farther than 100 feet. Once adjusted, the ride and the sights proved quite impressive. Especially compared to Munich, which, by comparison, looks like the country, versus the very sophisticated and modernized city that Vienna appears to be.

 

 

The High End 2026 Vienna show is easily the largest audio show I’ve seen. Bar none (and I’ve been to plenty of the past 25 years). I do not think one person could have covered these expansive spaces even if the show lasted seven days. Based on the photos above of where rooms were located, this was easily a three-person job. Paul tried to help, but I could tell he was overwhelmed with the amount of eye candy he saw and heard. I take my hat off to the folks in charge of High End Vienna because, in my opinion, this was a huge upgrade over the Munich show in terms of sheer space for excellent setup and demonstration opportunities. Next year, God willing, I’ll be better prepared and bring along a pair of roller skates!

There’s lots more showroom coverage coming, so please come back!

 

Fabian, the audiophile from Great Britain, actually mistook Paul for Spike Lee. After a good laugh and great conversation, a friendship ensued.

 

 

Stein Music’s Holger Stein greets my cousin Paul with a big smile. It was great seeing Holger in his element (which is talking about the art of removing various kinds of noise and distortion). I was disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to show Paul the Stein Music Bob Loudspeaker system, easily one of the Best of Shows since its debut.

 

 

PS Audio has recently launched its new PMG Signature series of components to replace its award-winning BHK series. The looks are quite attractive if you ask me; however, the size of that PMG signature 400 resting between the two racks is intimidating.

Paul on Paul. Yes, PS Audio’s Paul McGowan had a big smile when greeting Paul (I bet he could smell the neophyte on him). And few things are as rewarding as someone as new and excited as my cousin Paul.

Of course, I began telling Paul about how big the MSB brand is and how very good they’ve performed everywhere I’ve heard them.

 

 

Personally, it’s hard to believe the Icon 12 from Norwegian manufacturer Ø Audio can sound this good for only $25k. The smaller Frigg 02 was in our possession for many months and wowed us enough to purchase it. Strapped to a Boulder stereo amplifier, the sound of this room was remarkably alive, sounding ultra-fluid, while devoid of the many bass issues that haunted many of the rooms here.