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Rainer Reddemann, Trigon Elektronik GmbH, CEO, co-owner

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Rainer Reddemann: Not in detail because I have visited nearly all High Ends except the two first ones and 1996 and I was there each time as an exhibitor. You know that between 1982 and 1996 I was the audio engineer for Restek. I developed several amps and active loudspeakers for them and we displayed all their devices every year at the show, at the time in Frankfurt. In the summer  of 1996 Ralf Kolmsee and I formed our own company and since 1997 have attended High End with our new brand Trigon. Each show was a big experience for me. In Frankfurt the show was a hotel fair and I liked it very much because it was more like at home. The room acoustics were closer to the real world even though the acoustics are never really good at any exhibition but that is normal and most visitors know this. The show in Munich is bigger but the feeling is more of an industrial exhibition.


What product did you show here?
We displayed the complete lineup of  amplifiers, tuners, active speakers and the first CD-player.


How have your products changed over time?
Since the early 80s the audio market has completely changed. At that time there was far less selection. Apart from amplifiers and speakers or headphones, you only had a few sources. There were turntables, FM tuners and tape recorders. Today we have so many different devices. Amplifiers in all flavors of analog and digital technologies; radio receivers in analog, satellite digital, DAB or via the Internet; multi-channel systems and surround-sound equipment with up to 10 channels; different CD players; many different sources like streamers, hard-disc recorders, MP3 players; and computers and the Internet. For a small firm like us it is impossible to cover all the bases. We only have a chance at success if we stay focused on a compact range. Step by step we go forward to capture new technologies but it is not easy today. In the past high-end audio was often a good trade but meanwhile it has become high-level technology and it is necessary to employ many different engineers. Today you need at least one electronic specialists for the hardware but it is important also to have software engineers. Small companies have to work very hard to survive. The market at large is developing very rapidly


How do you feel about the 30th anniversary?
We are proud to be here and to be part of the scene. I am sure we are not everybody’s darling but we have several customers who like our components and we hope we can satisfy them in the future as well. Nevertheless we try to introduce ourselves to new customers and I hope we can convince many people about our quality. The High End Munich is now one of the famous audio fairs in the world. It is a mirror for all manner of excellent home audio equipment you can buy. A little bit sad is that pricing seems open-ended. I am not a friend of super high-end audio for super high-end money. It has warped the proper perspective on what’s ‘enough’ for hifi. Music and its reproduction at home are the main target. If you can only be satisfied by equipment over €250.000, something is wrong. If you spend that kind of money, please travel to the place where your favourite musicians perform, buy a ticket and enjoy the life concert.


What has changed in our industry over the 30 years?
The audio world is more digital than it was 5 years ago. We have parallel audio worlds now. Tube equipment with it special sound, analog semiconductor devices in the mainstream but more and more digital audio (with the IT generation everything has a display or TV on board).


What new products did you show?
A ripping hard-disc streamer called Chronolog, a little CD player named Prince, a derivative 50wpc power amplifier named Dwarf-II and some new modules for the Dialog preamplifier.


Avantgarde Acoustic Lautsprecher Systeme GmbH, Armin Krauss, CEO, owner

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Armin Krauss: The first High End show I personally attended with Avantgarde Acoustic was in Frankfurt 1996.


What product did you show there?
The demo speakers were Duos and this also was the year where we displayed the first Uno prototypes.


How have your products changed since?
The quality of the parts and our manufacturing process have become much more professionalized and with far improved build quality the sound as well has constantly improved over the years.


How do you feel about the 30th anniversary?
In recent years the High End show became the most important show around the globe! It is a fantastic meeting spot for business people and a wonderful shop window for our industry, giving a very professional and representative picture to the public. So we feel that the High End and its organizers deserve every respect and it is good to see that the show gained such a highly regarded status during the past 30 years.


What changed in our industry over the past 30 years?
There certainly have been a lot of technological changes and not only (but most obviously) on the digital side. For us the biggest change doubtlessly triggered by the Internet has been how we communicate with our customers today. As a manufacturer it is of increasing importance how our customers perceive us as an engineering, innovating and high-quality manufacturing company. We have totally new opportunities to make people understand what we are doing and what the products will do for them.


What new products did you show?
We are stepping into the next generation of specially designed amplifiers for our speakers. The approach we started with our Model Three will be taken to the next level with the upcoming amplifier line and we'll demo the line preamp and stereo power amp of this new line.


What has been the most significant technology change over the last few years?
In our products the Omega high-impedance voice coils and CPC capacitor biasing are significant steps towards a truly faithful music reproduction. Looking at the whole industry, we think that the appearance of digital high-resolution files has the potential to revolutionize the possibilities of high-end audio. Fortunately for us this will make people aware of the importance of excellent loudspeakers because there will be much more to hear in terms of resolution and dynamics.


Furutech
, Graeme Coley, international sales manager

Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show? What product did you show there?
Graeme Coley: Furutech first took its products to the Frankfurt show in 2003. Over a number of years prior to participating at the Frankfurt show, Furutech had established a loyal following of high-end enthusiasts in Europe and their call for Furutech to develop the world’s first true high-end Schuko products was heard. 2002 was spent developing these products for unveiling at the 2003 show and hard work paid off with an overwhelming response to Furutech’s craftsmanship and product performance. In Europe Furutech has not looked back since. Year after year we debut the finest AC connectors for the European high-end market. Products first introduced in 2003 are as follows: FI-E30 Schuko socket, FI-E35 high-end performance Schuko connector, FI-E11 high performance Schuko connector and power distribution units e-TP60E and e-TP80E. Furutech kept up the momentum in 2004 by introducing a high-end AC mains connector for the UK, the industry benchmark FI-UK1363 series and high-end HDMI cables.


How have your products changed since?
The Furutech range of high-end performance audio products has increased from around 50 items at that time to over 200 items and counting. Furutech has increased the variety of products it now manufactures to include a world-class lineup of analog products, analog treatments, OEM parts and now under the ADL (Alpha Design Labs) brand Furutech is looking to greatly expand its reach with the introduction of this new entry-level line. ADL was created to imbue our Pure Transmission Technology into carefully engineered innovative designs which everyone can afford. ADL digital components and cables are made with the same dedication to total resonance control and refinement as are all of Furutech's many cables and accessories. The Furutech range now covers the majority of accessories needed to take your system to the next level including the following: high-performance 15A and 20A A/V cable and power connectors and parts as well as distribution/filtering products including the 120Hz standard xv1.3 HDMI cable, GT2 USB 2.0 cables, Ag-12 silver phono cable, The Silver Arrows phono cable, La Source headshell wires, Monza LP stabilizer weight, the top-of-the-line Flux Cable series and entry-level Evolution II series, Pure Power 6, e-TP4+4, e-TP609, e-TP615 and e-TP60 power distributors, and e-TP80 power filters, deMag disc and cable demagnetizer, PC-2 disc pure cleaner and our own very special Nano liquid contact enhancer, plus even more fine cable and OEM products.


How do you feel about 30th anniversary ?
 It has certainly become a world of two halves. The two international shows of consequence are CES in Las Vegas and the High End Society event in Munich. Those in the industry who don’t visit CES are sure to visit the High End and for companies with global distribution networks like Furutech it has become essential to exhibit at both. As a manufacturer we have a responsibility to our customers to have a presence at these shows not only to debut new products and for the obligatory promotional purposes but more importantly to meet face to face and come together as friends. That is the beauty of a small industry like the high-end industry - while very specialized it remains personal and friendly and the Munich show certainly encourages this atmosphere.


What changed in our industry over the past 30 years?
High performance accessories. Once almost non-existent and an afterthought at best, high performance accessories and cables now make up a large portion of the industry, having gained acceptance as the obvious system upgrade. Furutech is proud to be an innovator and leader in this area. It is Furutech’s mission to continually offer the high-end enthusiast the finest quality best performing system enhancements at an affordable price.


What new products will you show during 2011’s High End?
Furutech will be unveiling a number of new OEM parts including new pure copper XLR sockets and RCA jacks, also two new series of pure copper binding posts to accompany our award-winning OEM parts. Furutech is looking to make a strong impression with manufacturers in 2011 and expects component and speaker manufacturers to be won over by both the performance and rational price of the new Furutech OEM parts. Under the ADL brand Furutech will be releasing a high-end performance headphone amplifier and portable media player plus related cables. We expect a strong year of growth for the ADL brand as we are confident we are well on the way to offering a range of products that enthusiasts demand, at a quality level only Furutech can deliver.