May 21 - After reading up on the Munich High End 2008 Show, a show I previously knew only very little about, it got me thinking about shows with hi-fi elements in general. Naturally there are quite a few each year (CES, CEDIA, RMAF, and the like), but I am curious about which one is your favorite.

Does it bring to you the most information? Best product demos? Does it have the most manufacturers that interest you?

You don’t actually need to have attended these shows to answer. Which do you look forward to reading about the most?

Also, if you have any excellent stories from shows feel free to share them here, or jump over to our forums and post in the Show Reports section.

Back to the News

Minus the incessant ringing of slot machines in my ears, the seizure-inducing flashes of a billion neon lights, and the slew of pretty women in “bunny” outfits or bustiers (or, in the case of AVA’ers, nothing at all) to distract me, it was tough to recognize the elegant, business-like, Bauhaus-inspired M.O.C. (Munich Order Center) as the site of a hi-fi show. And yet that’s what it is—after CES, perhaps the largest hi-fi show in the world, held this April from the 24th to the 27th.  Continue Reading Here

January 23 - From iPod and PC speakers to loudspeakers above $12,000, CES 2008 was an audio extravaganza. Here’s where you’ll find in-depth reports straight from the editors you count on at The Absolute Sound. Click below to read the reports and see which gear took the cake for Best of Show 2008.

Chris Martens on affordable loudspeakers
Paul Seydor on mid-priced loudspeakers
Neil Gader on solid-state amps, preamps, and integrated amps
Robert Harley on disc players, transports, and DACs
Alan Taffel on “next-gen” audio
Dick Olsher on tubed gear
Jim Hannon on turntables, arms, cartridges, and phonostages
Jonathan Valin on high-end loudspeakers

Check out our Best of Show from CES 2008

By Dick Olsher 

January 23 - It was gratifying to discover that interest in tube audio has not only remained strong year-to-year, but judging from the number of rooms with tube products, appears to be surging at every imaginable price point. A case in point is the release by TEAC Esoteric, a leader in digital technology, of a stereo tube amplifier. “Why a tube product, and why now?” are questions I raised during the Esoteric press function. The official answer was that these decisions were driven by market interest and demand. Click below to read more about the Esoteric A-100 and other tube gear on display at CES 2008.

Tube Gear From:
TEAC Esoteric, LAMM, Trulife Audio, and PrimaLuna
EveAnna Manley, Audio Research, WAVAC Audio Lab, Cary Audio Design
Wavelength Audio, Western Electric, AcousticPlan, Atma-Sphere
Valve Amp Co, VTL, Profundo, Viva Audio, Pathos, Nightingale, Union Research
Dick Olsher’s Best of Show

Next: TEAC Esoteric, LAMM, Trulife Audio, and PrimaLuna