How we've missed you, High End Munich! The hi-fi spectacular made its widely awaited return to the MOC München last week after a two-year Covid-imposed hiatus. It's a chance for hi-fi fans and industry professionals to interact, do business, and learn about what the industry has to offer in the coming months.
 
There's something for everyone and any budget, whether you're into record players, stereo speakers, CD players, or streaming. It's a terrific chance to immerse oneself in the subject and experience items and systems that many of us could only dream of owning, from the comparatively reasonable to the out-of-this-world pricey.
 
So, what did we witness, which luxury audio goods did we fall in love with, and what raised our brows and made our eyes water when it came to the delicate subject of coin? Allow us to demonstrate, music fans.
 
The In Ear ProMission X in-ear wired headphones
(Image Credit: TechRadar) 
 
InEar was created in 2000, and Marius Schmitt, who is proudly exhibiting us the peak of the devoted headphone manufacturer's product, proudly reminds us that it is a proud family business — his father Andreas Schmitt founded the company.
 
In a four-way system, ProMission X has no less than ten drivers. The driver housings are made of jet-black violet wood with a variety of finishes (our favourite is the flagship shimmering mother-of-pearl sky-blue acrylic), and while a smaller size is available, Schmitt is confident that the universal fit, which was developed from hundreds of ear impressions, will fit – they certainly felt weightless in our ears.
 
What about the cost? Of course, ProMission X costs €2,100 (about $2,225, £1,780, or AU$3,145).
 
Avantegrade Trio G3 Speaker System
(Image Credit: TechRadar)
 
Avantgarde's designs are firmly founded in their horn technology - the oldest physical mechanism for creating sound – and the company isn't messing around with it. They require some space to function, with an 18cm tweeter horn, a 57cm spherical midrange horn, and a massive 95cm spherical low-midrange horn measuring over a metre in diameter Finally, you can select one of three subwoofers that are compatible. Between the set of floorstanding speakers lies the largest choice, the Basshorn XD subwoofer. That's correct... That is not a classy bar; it is the subwoofer.
 
As you can expect, none of this is inexpensive. Prices begin at €76,000. They do not, however, end there.
 
T+A Solitaire T Over-Ear Headphones
(Image Credit: TechRadar)
 
T+A Elektroakustik's new reference headphones, the Solitaire T, will be available in white or black finishes in July for £1,200 ($1,600, roughly AU$2,265). The boast is big: sound that's exactly as terrific when you listen wirelessly with Bluetooth and active noise cancellation as it is when you use the provided tethered connection. In order to do this, the Solitaire T features 42mm transducers, unique cellulose diaphragms, and a low-bass system that has been optimised. These 326g headphones, which use a Qualcomm QCC 5127 chip and an Esstech ES9218 Sabre DAC, enable the newest Bluetooth codecs, including LDAC and aptX HD, to more closely match the headphones' wired level of performance over Bluetooth.
 
An active noise cancelling circuit may also be turned on and off as needed, and T+A has worked hard to ensure that sound quality is maintained during this process. We can't vouch for the claims because they were submitted to us as part of a case, but we're eager to hear them.
 
Campfire Audio Trifecta
(Image Credit: TechRadar)
 
The jewel-like Campfire Audio Trifecta was another pair of headphones that attracted my eye. Three vented 10mm dynamic drivers, positioned to face each other in the acoustically adjusted chamber, are visible through the optically translucent casing of these eye-catching in-ears. These high-end buds are priced at $3375, which is roughly £2710 or AU$4800.
 
