High End Munich 2024-Tracking Angle's Day Two Coverage

Day two's coverage begins and ends with visits to the main floor mayhem where you can find newly minted dreamers as well as veterans who do well selling accessories, records, inner and outer sleeves, etc.
I stopped by Rega, Thorens, where the finished edition of its big turntable was on both static and active display, Acoustic Signature, which showed a new Tango Apex NEO phono preamp and a new €50,000 TA 10000 NEO tonearm. The 50K tonearm price point has become a "destination".
Most interesting is a new floor standing Degritter record cleaning machine, which with it cooling system, dual water tanks and industrial grade filtration system is capable of continuous use.
i stopped in on a Boulder/YG joint press conference you will find interesting, and then spent time in the Cessaro/Alieno/Supatrac (which I misspelled so sorry), Dohmann turntable room where I got to interview the designer of the Alieno tube amplifiers.
Also visited SAT's Marc Gomez, Clearaudio, which also showed a circa €50K tonearm, Kuzma's booth, where Franc showed me the all black edition of the Safir arm and finally the AFI disc flattener/"relaxer".
Sounds like not much but there is much to see!
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[@jerrybdlben231]

Priceless PVC Michael! You are the best!!

[@GiancarloBenzina]

Thorens is running wild, good to see, hope they survive all this. I dropped as a kid into a bathtub of natures PVC. It really works I can now recitate 6 records a day by walking the groves on the road. The difficulty now is while I have no time to work and earn some money I have to pay the taxi to get me back to civilization every day, that’s some high expense. Clearaudio, well done, too.

[@COLDMKULTRA]

Hahaha ... Excellent ... I need Natures PVC .. take my money NOW 🤣🤣🤣👍

[@1999zrx1100]

The turntables look amazing but prices keep climbing. Use to think $30k for a table/arm combo was crazy and now I see just arms are $50k. Prices for the rich. 😳 Thanks for the tour Michael 🫡

[@henni1964]

Exactly. I wonder when do we see tonearms for 100k + 😜 Tour is amazing. Thank's Michael.

[@VideoArchiveGuy]

The price to improve performance keeps getting higher because most products today are excellent.

[@budsmoker4201120]

​@@VideoArchiveGuysure

[@1999zrx1100]

@@VideoArchiveGuyI’m still running a 40 year old Oracle with original motor, the gear today should last 5 lifetimes. 🤓

[@Jacobtootoo]

​@@budsmoker4201120.. it's all hype! Nothing more! Nothing but snake oil propaganda!! I suppose if you have millions in your bank account and have nothing better to do with it...sure blow a few hundred thousand bucks on propaganda!

[@Thestereosteve]

Thank you for another awesome video. Much appreciated.

[@danielzzz7232]

Mikey, the ad on pvc supply in pure genius. Your vinyl Renaissance glory keeps going. Shame this year I did not come across you in Munich, maybe in 2025 then. Thank you and keep rocking

[@OFBCyclingWorld]

The cover on the Rega Naia makes it more appealing to me as my home is too dusty not to use a dust cover. Yay. Good stuff Micheal

[@rixvspinner]

Love Thorens turntables. 1:43 This one is a tech wonder and the build quality is excellent. I have actually heard the early reference Thorens- stunner. That Natures PVC is a problematic business concept 😆. Everyone knows you just hook up a IV with PVC in it when you go to bed.🙂

[@kenheitmueller69]

That Clearaudio unipivot arm at 45:55 uses a magnet to to (try) and stabilize the arm. Magnets are springy and i saw a quite high resonant frequency when excited. I wonder how that would fare in a heavy bass situation or on a non-suspended turntable design.

[@siriosstar4789]

As much as i love the beauty and extravagance of some of these turntables , one has to eventually come to their senses that there's only so much one can do to improve on the medium of a needle scratching plastic .

[@Sans_Solo_]

Michael your infomercial was pure Gold.....love it Sir!!!

[@ralex3697]

Unaffordable

[@trackingangle929]

It’s like car shows. Plenty of affordable cars but people want to see the luxury rides.

[@RillenReiner]

3:45 Pure comedy gold.

[@512bb]

Natures PVC, I just about fell out of my chair Michael...you crazy bastard you!

[@automatedelectronics6062]

I love seeing new things. Thank you. Most of this new equipment seems to be more an exercise in artistic design than anything else, especially the turntables. I see the tone arms and many remind me of the technology they used in the kiddie record players. Some have moved up to curved tubular tone arms, which is old technology, but the high-end turntable manufacturers realized the superiority of the design many decades ago, like my late-40's Capehart flip-over changer has. State of the art way back when, I fondly look back on the Empire turntables. The Japanese manufacturers saw the light, again, decades ago. Interchangeable head shells and "S" style tubular tone arms. The Technics SL-1200 took the industry by storm many years ago. Loved by both audiophiles and DJ's, the style is timeless and hard to beat. So, you take a company like Technics, who has done and tried everything, decides to re-introduce the SL-1200, doing many tweaks, and what do they use for a tone arm? The "S" style tubular tone arm like the original. They could have done anything and issued a new turntable which they still labeled SL-1200, but instead of doing like many other manufacturers and making something with Frankenstein styling or looking like someone put it together in their garage at home, they stuck with tradition and with what works. No, I just can't grasp onto why someone would pay a small fortune to play a $3. piece of plastic.

[@mcgjohn22]

nice show coverage. Some really nice tables and arms. Appears both SAT and Kuzma have put a lot of effort into damping and controlling resonances originating from the cart as well as the outside environment.

[@cameraplus7233]

Really enjoyable as always Michael. Do you know if there is a guide price on the AFI flatener?

[@garyspence8383]

Reinventing the wheel......over & over & over & over .........

[@independentfilmandhealing]

I don't think these sales people are that good.

[@budsmoker4201120]

Lol, 😂 I was thinking the same thing.... like they got models to show off the system and they mesmerized note cards....... lol

[@joseauger1353]

Bought 300 bottles of PVC with 100 capsules each. That will take me through 180,000 records of my 1,350,000 collection. Great product Mike! My wife is happy as she doesn’t have to listen to my records and my language when setting and aligning cartridges.🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Carrera6rennsport]

How do I get my order for Natures PVC, but with extra jellyfish?

[@brunorivademar5356]

I'll take the original Thorens Reference thank you very much!

[@melbguy1]

Natures PVC, lol! The finish of the new QLN Reference speakers you walked past @16:20 is stunning! Turntables-wise, I liked the Dohmann Helix One Mk3. But fyi, they brought a prototype of the new flagship Nighthawk arm to Munich - not the Blackbird as the graphic showed.

[@trackingangle929]

shoot! My bad. Brain fade....

[@jazzboy]

I recently ODed on Nature's PVC and now completing the design of the Nebula DD TT haha!!!

[@jobos98]

Awesome Video Michael

[@Fluterra]

There’s a big problem with YG towers: the tweeter height should be at ear level.

[@trackingangle929]

not necessarily.....

[@johns9349]

Thank you for the video, Mike. I have a question for you. I understand that you’re well pleased with your Wilson speakers. But do you ever get tempted to change again? Especially after hearing those amazing horn speakers? Ever tempted to go the way of high efficiency? Perhaps if you had a larger listening room?

[@CheekyFest]

38'45" - 45k for the vacuum?!

[@kenheitmueller69]

Go find a 20-35 year old Vacuum Sota for $1500. It will get you most of the way there. (I own FOUR)!

[@greencraig8570]

(An awed hush comes over the convention and someone says sotto voce) Herr Fremer has entered the building!

[@trackingangle929]

It wasn’t quite like that!!!

[@Darrylizer1]

26:19 I could tell that the Cessaro speakers being driven by the Alieno tube amps, though made of unaffordium, had an amazing sound, even translated through my laptop speakers. I wonder how they'd sound with metal? \m/

[@Fluterra]

The THORENS Reference Power supply is puny! Not at all in line with a world-class reference product.

[@analoguecity3454]

That comedy stint with "nature's PVC" was hilarious 🤣, why you didn't go all the way with the comedian thing only you know! You could have been a comedic actor! But I'm glad you decided to be a journalist! Either way !

[@trackingangle929]

I did my stand up days years ago!

[@dimebagdave77]

Do you guys have any powdered Pantera pvc?

[@budsmoker4201120]

Love the Natures PVC

[@PatKennedydon]

I'd love to know who actually buys all this expensive equipment and why do they play such crap music on them?

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Far & few between, try to buy used 🤓

[@intothevoid9831]

Must suck to have such a poor taste in music.

[@Mr.SharkTooth-zc8rm]

Oh boy, I hope I hit the Lotto soon!

[@plato801]

Sota claimed that too much suction on a record vacuum will result in the vinyl degassing 😢

[@petegibson1552]

I'm Kinda disappointed the reason I like this guy is when he goes to these shows that most of us cant afford to attend he takes us with him and l like his commentary on the equipment but now because the exhibitors are playing music he doesn't do what I enjoy about his podcast talking sh-T About what he sees I met him at CAF last year I told him that I look forward to and love his content.

[@christophmartin5381]

Was very disappointed by the Thorens presentation. The overall qualitity was not bad, but the details were bad, one example, this flagship here with the anti vibration system had extreme sharp edges, the dials were very uncomfortable to touch and use. The other turntables hat heap plastic buttons and dials. This is not the way to go if you take 7500€ for a turntable.

[@artyfhartie2269]

I would like to place an order for 500 bottles of Natures PVC and a jar of snake ointment for my arthritis, please.

[@LaughingDolphin]

14.37 what was the name of that album please.

[@julianstorey2699]

Flux Hi Fi has a nice pair of turntables. ;)

[@CheekyFest]

@ 6'32" - 50K for an arm?

[@mpmcruz]

Natures PVC as a substitute of Vinyl listening?

[@Johnny-te4rv]

I don’t have money to fly to Munich. Can you please let us know when something like this comes to the Javitz center?

[@trackingangle929]

I wish for such a show but….

[@courtneyswaby3178]

Nice

[@paulrudolph8469]

The ugly Thorens turntable is reminiscent of a 1980s US shopping mall.

[@mikeross4081]

@27:21 Crikey! Was he beaten up by the local Mafia?

[@artyfhartie2269]

I would like to place an order for 500 bottles of Natures PVC, please

[@floydlaza8751]

Al those records look like represses

[@AnthonyCandaele]

It's a pitty the distributor of Nature's PVC wasn't at High End Munich 2024

[@ronaldjennings8057]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🏵🎷🎷🎻🎸🎶👌👍✌️🙏

[@madmeister407]

Turntable manufacturers are taking the piss, just how difficult is it to spin a record at 33.3 or 45 rpm. Not £50k+ worth of difficult. There are a lot of people jumping on the hi fi band wagon just to make a load of money.

[@3dimensionsofmusic3D]

Beavis and Butthead - classic 😊.

[@jitrapornpha5104]

50,000 euro tonearms . 500,000 euro speakers that cost 10,000 to make . This is a snake oil industry now

[@jamesfarrow6752]

Whilst I agree that some items are excessively priced , it’s not just about the costs to manufacture a product. R&D, staff costs, utility bills and costs associated with renting or owning a building need to be factored in. Also, these items will not be sold in bulk, making the unit cost higher.

[@trackingangle929]

Affordable products abound

[@razzman2987]

Mental prices. Hifi is dying

[@trackingangle929]

Hardly. There's plenty for everyone at every price point and this show was extremely well-attended. That may be your wish, but it will not be fulfilled.

[@razzman2987]

@@trackingangle929 Shure says the guy with turntables cost more than a car ..High end audio is for a few ..there is always a new better sounding product according the dealers ....but actually there is not ! My wish u say 🤔 the set i got at home enjoying it every day

[@razzman2987]

​​@@trackingangle929 sorry more than a house 😂 cost youre turntable ..you talk about average stuff for everyone get real My wish is not to listen to bullshit

[@trackingangle929]

@@razzman2987 Ferraris are not "bullshit" just because you can't afford or don't want one.

[@ecyfoto]

Do you ever get out, walk the city and consume copious quantities of food and drink? Hope so. Thanks, Michael.

[@Jacobtootoo]

Yo Mike, Vince here, year after year you show what appears to be nothing but snake oil propaganda at its finest. Turntables at this point looking like something you would see in a sci-fi movie or tv show. Hell its got so bad viewing your videos on these so called audio feast, watching an old tv show like My Favorite Martian is a breath of fresh air compare to this. I only view snips of these type of videos where i start to see a pattern and fast forward hoping to see something really new instead of the same repeated garbage of whats supposedly new in the audio world. Even if i had the funds to purchase such hideous looking gear and the ridiculously extremely high price i still wouldn't think of purchasing any of this stuff. Some of those so-called turntables now look huge and bulky. They appear to look like CNC machines you see in a machine shop. Nah....im going back to old days of my favorite old turntable the famous British BSR recird changers...sorry!😂