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This review first appeared in the July 2014 issue of hi-end hifi magazine fairaudio.de of Germany. You can also read this review of German Highend in its original German version. We publish its English translation in a mutual syndication arrangement with the publishers. As is customary for our own reviews, the writer's signature at review's end shows an e-mail address should you have questions or wish to send feedback. All images contained in this review are the property of fairaudio or German Highend - Ed.
Reviewer: Jörg Dames
Sources: Laptop w. foobar2000 and JRiver MC plus Phonosophie DAC1; Fonel Simplicité CD player
Amplification: Fonel Emotion, Abacus Ampino, Funk MTX Monitor V3b, Audionet AMP monos
Loudspeakers: Spendor SP100R², Quadral Megan VIII, Thiel SCS4
Cables: Low-level -  Straight Wire Virtuoso; high-level - HMS Fortissimo, WSS Platin Line LS4, Real Cable BW OFC 400, Reson LSC 350
Power delivery: Quantum-Powerchords, Tellurium Q Black, Hifi-Tuning Powercord Gold w. IeGo termination, HMS Energia power bar
USB: BMC Pure USB1, Chord USB SilverPlus
Rack: Lovan Classic II
Review component retail: €2’275/em/pr

Silver arrows.
I gotta be honest. Cable assignments are a reviewer’s highlight of the month. Not! And not just because a ‘proper’ component offers more room to experiment and to have fun with. It’s actually because doing a proper cable review is loads of work whilst the usual thank you is a ‘so what’ from the readers at best; or hate mail at worst. But hey, we aren’t thin-skinned wussies. More to the point, I don’t know of any reviewer colleagues who haven’t spent more on serious cables for their own systems; or find the subject unworthy of discussion once it comes to their personal satisfaction.

And as it so often does, appetite happens once you start eating. For me that actually was twice true. You see, I’d been on a hunger strike of sorts. I'd not partaken of the cable assessment fruit for a while despite having changed main speakers from Thiel CS3.7 to Spendor SP100R². Often that's cause for subsequent cable adjustments. In the end today’s assignment actually became somewhat of a personal project. I even undusted the soldering iron to pimp out my Real Cable OFC 400 biwire with beryllium-over-copper hollow bananas. That cable is a true budget king if it is properly terminated rather than jerry-rigged with some screw-on connectors. At €2/ea., properly soldered bananas are a cost-effective and sonically powerful alternative to some exotic high-end and allegedly ‘hi-tech’ constructions.

With their first experiments our gents for this review go way back to 2003. Initially all they had in mind was tuning their own systems. As Jörg Erwin insists, going commercial was the very last thing on their agenda. Early on their conductor of choice was silver. In fact the first cable that saw the light of day combined jeweler’s silver wire and aquarium hose. As expected, it failed to make much noise on their hit charts.

But experiments continued bravely and now stayed clear of jewelry wholesale suppliers and pet shops. As solutions became more ambitious, our German Highenders gave trial runs to the occasional good customers for feedback. Not all of these loaners would return to the shop. Many remained with their clients. Over time demand grew significant enough to help launch the brand German Highend in 2006.