High-end audio is more than just listening at the highest level.
In the highest spheres of hi-fi, sound quality that pleases even the most critical ear is not an achievement, but merely a minimum requirement: every component is also a statement, whether in terms of technical finesse, appearance, feel or a very special sound philosophy. This is the only way to explain why the thin mountain air is populated by an almost unmanageable number of high-end manufacturers, each with their own vision of the ultimate music reproduction concept. Legendary names can be found here as well as exotic ones, which are no less exciting with their unexpected approaches and ambitious aspirations.
The four Norwegians Filip Kristiansen Hasseleid, Haakon Sundbø, Asbjørn Werner Eikaasen and Lars Erik K. Olsen are teachers and doctors and thus maybe professionally unfamiliar with the industry, but nevertheless united by a passion for music and its uncompromising reproduction, as well as for this very special je-ne-sais-quoi that high-end systems exude. With Atlas of High-End Audio, the authors present a coffee table book that showcases the kaleidoscopic variety of brands and concepts on just under 300 hardcover pages.
The structure of the volume is simple: after a little introductory banter, a double-page spread each is dedicated to every manufacturer in alphabetical order. About a dozen lines of text provide a cursory overview of what drives and defines the respective brand, while a small selection of component images invites you to linger and admire. Some legendary names – such as Accuphase, Burmester or Wilson Audio – are honored with a picture gallery on a second double-page spread. The book deliberately favors a broad presentation over in-depth knowledge and brings together well over a hundred names from all over the world – anyone who knows 70 percent of the manufacturers mentioned can consider themselves a proven expert on the subject.
It goes without saying that Atlas of High-End Audio is not intended to be a sober source of information; it is pure pleasure reading. It celebrates the creativity, innovative power and at times the sheer extravagance of the most prestigious hi-fi components. A work meant for browsing, indulging, dreaming.
Atlas of High-End Audio
By Filip Kristiansen Hasseleid, Haakon Sundbø, Asbjørn Werner Eikaasen and Lars Erik K. Olsen
Lydselskapet, 288 Pages
Available at:
post@highendbook.com