The shows must go on. It's the law [Hammurabi]. October 28th-30th was Warsaw time. Our spies in their electronics embassy told us just a few things ahead of time. That's because most manufacturers prefer to spring their news only at the actual event. They do it so that visitors can't plan anything concrete for their must-see/hear tour guide ahead of time. Very clever. Being a contrarious Irishman, I still nursed hope. For this page, a few would spill their beans early. To flesh it out in your imagination, peruse this confirmed exhibitors' list. UK shows, go green with envy.
Aida Acoustics will premiere their massive new semi-active flagship speaker and power the midrange with their 17-watt Amaterasu valve monos using a triode-connected Philips 814 pentode.
Albedo Silver Cables will show their new Metamorphosis Signature cables with Furutech plugs.
Allegro Audio from Hungary will show their Flow One, a 4-input class A/B 80wpc integrated amplifier with wooden remote and rippled Brazil-nut wood front or chromed alternative and just a small spy glass display for input, 63 x 1dB volume and mute.
Ancient Audio will premiere their new Single Solid [€7'500], a 40wpc class A integrated amplifier with DAC, ADC and Jarek Waszczyszyn's proprietary digital speaker processor. Inputs are 4 x 2Vrms RCA and 2 x 24/212 S/PDIF. Analog volume covers 100 x 1dB steps with 0.1dB channel precision. A remote control adds arm-chair commands. The enclosure is milled from solid aluminium then hard-anodized black. Four M6 threads anticipate upscale isolation footers. Dimensions are 35 x 7 x 40cm WxHxD, weight is 14kg. This will drive Jarek's Vintage Ribbon speakers "so discussions on high-end vs. live music should be emotional again. At my first university job, my secretary sometimes called me 'artists' not because of my creative skills. After the words 'Mr. Waszczyszyn you are artists', I knew that I must have forgotten something urgent or filed away the wrong doc. Until this day I've not learnt to be more organized so for this show, I still haven't finished my new top-loading CD transport with Stream Unlimited Pro8 which was announced to be there."
Audioform will premiere a new range of speakers called Adventure.
Audio Group Denmark will showcase their flagship M1 monitors and X3 floorstanders, the Aavik I-880 amplifier and several products from the Ansuz Gold Signature cable range.
Audiophonique will bring their flagship direct-heated triode models. This company can be thought of as Amare Musica reborn to explain exotic valve kit though under the new banner, an already very deep catalogue also embraces transistors in the Classic range then adds cables and power delivery products.
Circle Labs will show their P300 preamplifier and M200 stereo amp bridged to 600W/8Ω, 930W/4Ω mono.
Closer Acoustics will bring their 300B Provocateur Signature, a classic if docked twin-chassis 8wpc class A 300B integrated with 4 inputs, 6SN7 drivers, 5U4G rectifier and 48-position motorized stepped attenuator controllable by remote.
Cube Audio's new direct-selling brand Qualio will launch their first production model which will be very different from the two-way monitor they previewed in Munich earlier this year. That project got scrapped. "We needed time to find the true soul of Qualio. In the beginning we wanted something cheap but still relatively very good. However, we love to slam and need the punch and scale of big speakers. For us one 15cm mid/woofer alone can't do that. So we identified the strongest point of Qualio as going consumer direct. Now we can afford to buy the highest-quality drivers and filter parts and the price won't escalate multiple times as it does with the classic distribution model. Finally we have affordable high-end speakers for all who can think a bit out of the box." Gregorz Rulka & Marek Kostrzynski are also feverishly finalizing this big flagship Cube Audio model. Can you guess the size of that woofer relative to its widebander mate? They do hope to have it ready for the show. If not, it's still coming.
One of many renders submitted to dealers, distributors and existing users to take the pulse.
Divine Acoustics will show my pending review pair of Bellatrix which, by the time it hits Ireland, will have 1'000 hours on it. That's how conscientious makers do it. Only sleepwalkers dispatch virgin samples or bring them to an international tradeshow.
ferrum audio too planned on showing something new. I already have the preview live. Alas, a comprehensive redesign of its PCB will delay first rollout by a few months past the show. Just so, I'm told that they still might bring something proto-ish. So visitors to their exhibit ought to keep their eyes peeled just in case.
And no, the device at right ain't it. That's already available to buy right in their web shop. Don't know what it is? Then go check it out.
Grandinote's Massimiliano Magri will bring not just himself and his Italian solid-state electronics designed to emulate valve sound with output magnetics but present the Oles Brothers whom Wikipedia describes thus: "Bartlomiej Oles studied classic percussion at the Music High School of Lodz. He has performed with Kenny Werner, Theo Jörgensmann, David Murray, Erik Friedlander, Chris Speed, Christopher Dell, Herb Robertson, Ken Vandermark, Frank Gratkowski, Simon Nabatov, Jean-Luc Cappozzo, Emmanuelle Somer, Andrzej Przybielski, Mircea Tiberian, Rudi Mahall, Marcin Oles, Mark Taylor, Anthony Coleman, Adam Pieronczyk and Stanley Jordan. Since 2003 he's been a member of the trio Oles Jörgensmann Oles which recorded four albums: Miniatures, Directions (voted by Polish Internet jazz magazine Diapazon as 'Best Recording of the Year 2005'), Live in Poznan 2006 and Alchemia. In 2007 he formed the Oles Duo with brother Marcin. He also composes music for theatre and movies."
For LampizatOr this will mark the 10th year of attendance in owner Lukasz Fikus' home town. For the occasion their €50K Horizon flagship DAC will show in the Golden Tulip Hotel with Sveda and KBL; and in the Sobieski Radisson with Aida Acoustic's new Göbel Divin-esque flagship speaker. Lucarto Audio will premiere their new Ferro FR100 monitor speakers driven with a Ferro IA40 38wpc/4Ω p/p valve integrated with a quad of 6550 output tubes fronted by pairs of 12AX7 and 5C8S. It's not just the Italians who own high style in their back pocket.
Hungary's Popori will introduce their WR1 2023 and W360 2023 pure electrostatic loudspeakers at €12'800/pr and €43'120/pr respectively.
Qualio's hybrid open-baffle IQ would have its official premiere to launch a new direct-selling speaker brand.
Dalius Razanas of Lithuania's Rada will show his new Valkyrie 36 class A tube integrated of ~20 watts per channel. Its -1dB full-power bandwidth rates 5Hz – 40kHz with an input impedance of 50Ω, output impedance 1/100th that and input sensitivity of 1Vrms. In the absence of English web pages, Google Translator informs us that "Rada's audio concepts use parts from reliable vendors and output, inter-stage and power transformers are usually made locally to insure an excellent price-quality ratio. Structural elements and casings are manufactured in Lithuania. I've designed audio gear since 2000 across a wide variety of SE/PP amps, preamps, phono stages and D/A converters. I tried direct-heated 2A3 and 300B triodes, worked with several types of the 6L6 family like 6F6, G807, KT66, 6550 and even with types not made to amplify sound. I got acquainted with various transformer manufacturers both famous and less known ones from the Ukraine and Israel."
J.Sikora will introduce their new Zirconium Series KV Max Zirconium tonearm in 9/12" versions. If the name were taken literal, should one assume, à la Ansuz, either a zirconium skin treatment of certain metal parts; or pure zirconium elements à la Børresen's most extreme 3D-printed driver basket? As it turns out, the arm itself remains Kevlar—also known as aramid, Nomex or Twaron depending on trademark—but the new bearing gains from zirconium oxide, the new housing replaces aluminium with bronze, the new wiring adopts 24-carat gold-plated copper.
Lithuania's Silent Pound will bow their 88dB Challenger whose partially open-backed 36 x 35 x 124cm WxDxH 60kg steel enclosure contains perforated loading for the midrange drivers coupled to a short tweeter horn. Safety glass on the plinth allows a glance at the crossover whilst the rear grill can be removed to see the open-baffle woofer magnets. Numerous finish options from the RAL palette allow customization options. The usual 'free room treatment' benefits of dipole bass apply even into the vocal band due to cardioid loading.
Julian Soja of Soyaton will show a new power cord and Mk2 versions of his RCA interconnect and speaker cable.
To be featured on this open-ended page of show novelties only required that manufacturers sent me an email with photos/renders, a weblink and some product info. Since this page ended up being very short, few paid attention or thought it worthwhile enough to participate. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
