Munich 2025

If it’s May, then it must be time again for the annual High End Munich show at the M.O.C. — a.k.a., the Event Center Messe Munich — which was held from May 15-18, 2025. However, this year’s event marked the swan song for its time in Munich after 21 consecutive years (one COVID cancellation excepted). Beginning in 2026, the High End Show will take place in Vienna, Austria, another highly musically oriented city — and a locale where show organizers High End Society have already held a couple of high-end audio show events in recent years.

The forthcoming move to the Austria Center Vienna, a venue closer to that city’s center, is part of a move toward a “real High End 3.0” event next May with slightly later dates too: May 28-31, 2026. One of their aims is to attract new generations of listeners beyond — and in addition to — the traditional audiophile crowd that comprises the majority of show attendees. Ideally, High End Austria will find ways to bridge the gaps between newcomers and seasoned hi-fi fans. Either way, AP, of course, will be there in full force!

One positive step in this direction at the Munich 2025 event was the brand ambassador for this year’s show — Anette Askvik, a Norwegian singer, recording artist, pianist, and composer of art-pop music. Askvik’s high-quality recordings — such as her 2LP Bird Records release, Liberty — have become favorites for listeners in the know, and she also saw fit to release a new, special edition 4-track 180g EP on vinyl at Munich.

Askvik’s presence at the show (as seen above) — and on posters all over town — heralded an effort to bring more women into the hi-fi foreground. Another positive step: an all-female panel discussion on the X-Pert Stage that was moderated by Angela Cardas of Cardas Audio. Panelists (with Cardas, below) included Daniela Manger, president and chief engineer of Manger Audio; Jenny Jose, co-founder of Bass and Treble dealerships based in Delhi, India; Linette Smith of HiFi PiG; and Amelia Santos, cofounder and managing director of Innuos.

Show organizers High End Society reported final attendance figures for this year’s show as follows: 10,562 trade visitors, 11,675 visitors from 63 countries, and 22,818 total visitors from 92 countries. The Munich show typically is home to many new product introductions across a wide swath of categories, and this year, a whopping 501 exhibitors showed products from nearly 1,000 brands — making it all but impossible to cover absolutely everything there that was analog-centric, but we did our best!

And, with that, here’s the first installment of many Munich 2025 show reports to come.

DUAL
The four large convention-center-type halls — or Halles, in German — were live and vibrant with all kinds of audio gear. Longtime German analog maker Dual showed several turntable models in Halle 2, including a late-stage prototype of their new flagship direct-drive Dual CS 718 turntable (€2,500).

The CS 718 is outfitted with a heavy die-cast aluminum platter with rubber damping inside, and a substantial rubber mat. The plinth is slightly larger and heavier than Dual’s standard tables, and its power supply is stronger by comparison.

As noted, the CS 718 table’s motor is direct-drive, and the drive system uses no iron in its core coils, allowing it to avoid cogging and, reportedly, it takes just 2 seconds to get up to its 33 or 45rpm speeds. Tonearm height can be adjusted manually by turning a small dial to its left side. Tracking force can also be adjusted, applied by a spiral spring inside, and can be dialed in (literally).

The Dual CS 718 is semi-automatic. A sensor detects the end of a record, and the motor lifts the arm up and it switches off; this function is also user-defeatable. The CS 718 boasts balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs, and a removable dust cover. The feet are adjustable for leveling purposes. As this is a higher-end table, users choose their own cartridge and phono preamp options. Neither are included, but an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge was shown on the Dual CS 718 on static display in Halle 2.

COTURN BY THORENS
Thorens, a maker with Swiss origins now based in Germany, showed the Coturn CT-01, a new, unique-looking turntable design with a very compact footprint. But that’s not to say it’s lightweight, as its housing is solid aluminum. The Coturn by Thorens CT-01 ($591) is equipped with many modern functions, including a touchscreen, Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth connectivity, and a headphone jack.

What’s most noteworthy about the Coturn CT-01’s minimalist design is its tonearm can be slid into its own slot for secure portability, it can run battery-powered (spec’d for a 16hr battery life), and it is chargeable via its USB-C port. Multiple record diameters are playable on the CT-01 — i.e., 7, 10, and 12in records. The table comes in four different color variations — gray, pink, black, and pink and black — and a case is available for an additional $34.

Part 2 of my Munich 2025 show report is coming soon!

Author bio: Julie Mullins, a lifelong music lover and record collector since age 10 who takes after her audiophile father, is also a contributing editor and reviewer on our sister site, Stereophile, for whom she also writes the monthly Re-Tales column. A former fulltime staffer at Cincinnati’s long-running alt-weekly CityBeat, she programs and hosts a weekly radio show on WAIF called On the Pulse.