This year, my trade fair report will focus exclusively on the analog highlights of HIGH END 2025. You will deliberately not find sound descriptions of individual demonstrations here – for good reason.
After all, anyone who has ever attended a trade fair or exhibited themselves knows how challenging it can be to get a system to really sound good under acoustically suboptimal conditions. Criticism would not only be out of place, but also unfair to the manufacturers. All the more reason for me to hope that I will soon get to hear and review some of the most exciting components under realistic conditions in my own home. I arrived athe the HIGH END 2025 on Thursday at 10 a.m. sharp to find bright sunshine and a great atmosphere. The exhibitors and visitors were all in good spirits – perhaps with a touch of melancholy, as this year’s High End will be the last in its usual form at Munich’s M.O.C. Event Center. Reason enough to devote special attention to the highlights that the world of analog playback currently has to offer.
Technics SL-1200M7B – Lamborghini Edition
Technics presented the venerable SL-1200 in an eye-catching Lamborghini-themed special edition. The striking color accents and the logo on the slipmat make it a head-turner. Technically, everything remains unaltered – and that’s a good thing.
Transrotor – splendor and new systems
As always, Transrotor offered lots of eye candy: polished aluminum, massive turntables and extravagant presentation. Particularly exciting: the new cartridge models, including the MC Tamino at the top of the line-up. The golden tonearm and the playful look also set striking accents.
Aries Cerat – High end without compromise
Aries Cerat presented one of the most uncompromising turntables at the entire trade fair. The turntable weighs around 400 kilograms and uses a hydrodynamic bearing and a direct drive, which, with 2 kW of power, is more massive than almost any other. Technically and visually, everything here seems to have been cast from a single mold – imposing, oversized and consistently well thought out.
The tonearms, which come from the 3D printer and are made of titanium or an aluminum-carbon composite depending on the version, were also particularly striking. They feature air-bearings and are mechanically implemented at the highest level.
The whole thing was complemented by the new Hermes phono preamplifier, which perfectly matches the rest of the system – both in terms of sound and design.
Revox – Alice Cooper Limited Editions
Two special models caused quite a stir at the Revox stand: a strictly limited Alice Cooper edition of the B77 MK III tape recorder and a matching record player in the same look. Both devices bear striking artwork depicting the rock star and are real collector’s items for fans. There will be more on the standard version of the B77 MK III elsewhere soon.
Analogue Audio Association – Analog heart of the trade fair
The Analogue Audio Association is an integral part of every High End – and of course, this time there was once again cultivated tape listening with selected master tapes. Fittingly, classics were played on Revox and Tandberg machines, while the corresponding tube amplifier “The Universal” from AudioCulture provided amplification in proper style. Anyone who wanted could immerse themselves not only in the sound, but also in the technical aspects of analog audio reproduction.
Klaudio Magnezar – Technological statement from the USA
For me, the Magnezar from Klaudio was the most innovative turntable at the entire trade fair. It impressively demonstrates that real innovations are still possible even within a traditional topic like the analog turntable. At the heart of the concept is the turntable, which is mounted entirely on magnetic bearings, floating contactlessly in space and set in rotation by a precisely controllable direct drive with a 45-pole structure.
Another technical highlight is the liquid-filled platter tray. It not only serves to increase mass, but also to effectively eliminate unwanted resonances through targeted damping – an elaborate but prudent approach to sound optimization. Another clever solution is the automatic clamping device for the records, which centers and fixes them at the touch of a button – without the need for manual readjustment, in the interests of trouble-free operation.
The high-precision tangential tonearms, the integrated laser for exact stylus alignment and the automatic lift unit fit seamlessly into the coherent overall picture. The Magnezar is not a mere show piece, but a well thought-out high-tech device – consistently analog in design, but realized with modern engineering skills.
Wilson Benesch GMT One System – drive reimagined
With the new GMT One System, Wilson Benesch presented one of the most technologically ambitious turntables at the trade fair. The patented Omega Drive uses 21 coils and 14 neodymium magnets to form an extremely precise direct drive. The Graviton Ti tonearm is made of titanium using a laser sintering process – light, rigid and perfectly damped.
Pro-Ject – Turntables with a show effect
With special editions of Elvis, AC/DC and the Peanuts, Pro-Ject provided the biggest eye-catchers at the trade fair. The partly illuminated and elaborately designed turntables stole the show from many an audiophile heavyweight. In terms of sound, this may be a matter of taste – but these models were certainly hard to miss visually.
Soulution 787 – A special kind of linear drive
Soulution presented a real novelty with the 787: Here, the tonearm remains stationary while the turntable itself moves underneath it in a perfectly linear fashion. This is reminiscent of some old CD player concepts, for example from Sony – but in an analog XXL version. Technically highly sophisticated and definitely a highlight for fans of unusual solutions.
VPI Model One – new edition with S tonearm
The new VPI Model One from the Forever series was on show at Audio Reference. The massive turntable stands on a damped chassis and has the usual high-quality appearance. The new S tonearm is a clear technical and visual statement.
Personal summary of the High End 2025
These were my personal highlights – exemplary for a trade fair that was more diverse this year than ever before. Of course, there was much more to discover: More and more drives are now breaking the 300-kilo mark and are priced in the six-figure range. At the same time, a number of new manufacturers appeared on the scene with exciting concepts at pleasingly affordable prices. And the revival of Dual was also unmistakable.
In short, there was something for every taste and budget. If you want to delve deeper, you will find more exciting impressions in the picture gallery – and in one of the next issues of Fidelity you’ll certainly find more about one or two of the highlights. All in all, a successful trade fair with exciting discussions, many discoveries and inspiring sound impressions.