The temptation is obvious. No sooner does the HIGH END move from Munich to Vienna after more than two decades than a new hi-fi show springs up in the city – and the rumor mill starts churning.
A replacement event? A stopgap? An audiophile rebound date? No. The Munich HiFi Days 2026 are none of those. They clearly follow a different concept. While HIGH END has traditionally been primarily an industry and dealer trade show – one that ultimately also welcomes end consumers – the Munich HiFi Days flip that idea on its head: here, music lovers themselves take center stage from the very start. Close contact with the audience, direct conversations, and easy, informal encounters between manufacturers, distributors, and listeners – that’s what it’s all about.
The premiere took place on March 14 and 15, 2026, at the Hotel Le Méridien right next to Munich’s central station. The setting was chosen deliberately: instead of anonymous exhibition halls, there were living-room-like spaces, short distances, and manageable dimensions. Anyone who has ever wandered through the endless corridors of large trade shows quickly comes to appreciate that. The Munich HiFi Days were by no means huge – in fact, you could almost call them intimate. And that may well have been their greatest appeal. Visitors were able to get surprisingly close to the exhibitors, conversations emerged naturally, and more than once you suddenly found yourself right in the middle of developers, sales reps, and curious listeners – practically shoulder to shoulder.
The atmosphere stood out immediately. The mood was surprisingly relaxed, almost cheerful, and the event was extremely well received by attendees. Before long, small crowds formed outside many of the rooms on both days, and you had to weave your way in with a bit of patience. Sometimes it took a few minutes just to get inside – a “problem” that event organizers usually love to have.
The audience itself was also striking. Anyone who regularly attends hi-fi events knows the familiar picture: the typical visitor is male, technically inclined, and over fifty – a description that, in different contexts, might also sound familiar from certain dating platforms. In Munich, however, a different picture emerged. The crowd felt noticeably younger, and there were a gratifying number of women in attendance. Overall, the scene seemed more open and vibrant than at many traditional industry events.
The exhibitor lineup was equally interesting. There were surprisingly many smaller or lesser-known manufacturers, while the biggest names were in the minority. Among the more prominent participants was Audio Group Denmark, with its brands Aavik, Ansuz, and Børresen, all of which had excellent control over their large listening room.
Raidho presented itself as an established loudspeaker manufacturer with detailed “workshops,” as did Avantgarde Acoustic with its brand-new Opus 1 horn systems. Beyond that, however, there was plenty of new ground to discover. Anyone who took the time to explore the rooms could encounter many exciting – and in some cases previously unfamiliar – concepts.
In the room hosted by WB Manufacture, for example, there were handcrafted tube amplifiers from Sweden, built according to a deliberately minimalist technical philosophy. Elsewhere, AP Elektroakustik showcased its unusual semi-active loudspeaker designs, which stand out clearly from many mass-produced offerings. Thales presented precision-engineered turntables and tonearms, including its well-known tangential designs. Rowen from Switzerland, meanwhile, demonstrated not only its electronics but also its Sonox loudspeakers, which stood out visually and structurally from the usual trade show fare and felt refreshingly different.
It was also exciting to see Starke Sound from California again. The company, founded by a team of engineers and designers, pursues a technically distinctive approach to amplifiers and loudspeakers – and stands out as well for its comparatively moderate pricing, which is far from a given in this performance class. No less interesting was S&V Audio (Storgaard & Vestskov) from Denmark, a relatively young company that presented ambitious electronics and loudspeaker concepts.
There were, of course, many other noteworthy stops. Esoteric, for instance, showcased high-end digital technology from Japan, and AudiaZ was also present with its unconventional loudspeaker solutions that venture beyond the beaten path. This selection can only give a small impression, as the sheer number of smaller brands accounted for much of the show’s appeal.
A major contribution to the successful atmosphere undoubtedly came from the organizers. Ivonne Borchert-Lima and her team clearly poured a great deal of passion into the premiere. Everything was superbly organized, the processes ran smoothly, and the team’s positive energy quickly rubbed off on both exhibitors and visitors. Nothing was lacking – except perhaps a few extra square meters in the most popular demo rooms.
All in all, the first Munich HiFi Days left an extremely positive impression. The show was compact, personal, and lively – and it was precisely this mix that gave it its charm. Instead of anonymous halls, there were conversations, encounters, and surprising discoveries. An event that clearly demonstrated that a hi-fi show doesn’t have to be massive to be exciting. Or put another way: Munich has gained a new audiophile destination – and after this premiere, it’s safe to say that many are already looking forward to the next edition.