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Thorens Holding AG, Heinz Rohrer, CEO, owner
Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Heinz Rohrer: Yes of course, that was at the Kempinski at Neu Isenburg in 1999.
What product did you show there?
I do not remember that show in detail as it was the last one from the ‘demolished’ old Thorens organization at Lahr and my job at the time was to rebuild the export business and not many products were available then. It was quite a catastrophe for us.
How have your products changed since?
Much isn’t comparable really as almost the entire catalogue has been revamped. The TD295 was available then but now we sell the TD 295 MkIV which means that we made 5 times as many new parts and changed the product for the better. The same for the entry-level TD170 and TD190, especially with the latter’s newly reworked tone arm.
How do you feel about the 30th anniversary?
Munich has a great and positive development and is probably the most important hifi show in Europe now. For a producer like Thorens it is a good opportunity to show and present new products (this year the high-gloss TD 309, the new acrylic series TD 2015 and TD 2035 now equipped with our in-house developed TP 92 tone arm).
What changed in our industry over the last three decades?
I can and want to talk only about Thorens and I can say that Thorens is well-established in the market, the catalogue has changed for the better and we once again have a worldwide presence.
What is the most significant new technology over the last few years?
I can and want to talk only about Thorens so check out the TD309.
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Thrax Audio, Rumen Artarski, CEO, owner
Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Rumen Artarski: If you mean for Thrax, our first show was last year. If you mean since I started in this business, we go back 20 years. The first show I attended was in Denmark. The first time at the High-End for me was in the mid 90s in Frankfurt. The show had gained momentum at the time but for me the leading show then was still London.
What product did you show there?
Last year we showed our products for the first time to the public. Only the Dionysos preamp had entered production, the rest were prototypes.
How has your catalogue grown since?
One year later all our products are now in full production and we introduced them in Montreal to the North American public. We decided to do all our products ‘region free’ so they can travel the world. After your review of the preamp and a few customers requests we are introducing an extended attenuation range for the Dionysos and gain selection for the Spartacus monos to make them more universal. A few usage improvements like ground selection on each unbalanced input and a more informative display will be implemented later in the year.
How do you feel about the 30th anniversary?
This is a major milestone. I have seen many magazines and shows come and go. 30 years is a long time and respect goes to the organizers. The show just keeps getting bigger and better. It is the main event of the industry in Europe. Other shows are more like bazaars.
What changed in our industry over this period?
Through the years many charlatans and speculators have steered the public in the wrong direction. Many try to imitate the automotive or watch industries to associate their products with luxury and status, to create desirability and perceived value for their non-performing products. Years ago the best stuff was perhaps really ugly but not poorly made. Maybe we have since been influenced by the ‘wife acceptance factor’. The term ‘good enough’ didn’t exist then. The attitude was ‘best I can do’ and ‘state of the art’. We will try and steer back to that as much as we can.
What new products did you show at the 2011 High End?
The revised version of the Dionysos. It has the same signal path but improved ergonomics and extended attenuation. If we do a new ‘better’ product each year it only means we didn't do a good job to begin with. Audio amplification technologies are quite mature so you either do it right the first time or you never get it right.
What is the most significant new technology?
iTunes has changed the industry. File-based playback is the way to go and its quality will be dependent solely on the playback device/converter, no longer the old source issues. It has affected us so much that Thrax is currently developing our own contribution to the field. Stay tuned.
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Docet-Lector, Claudio Romagnoli, designer engineer Ph.D.
Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show (in Frankfurt I suppose)?
Claudio Romagnoli: Yes of course, it was 1982.
What product did you show there?
Lector showed the first high-end MC-1 tone arm designed for the MC cartridge and the first hybrid integrated amplifier in the world!
How have your products changed since?
With many changes from analog to digital, Lector introduced in 1989 the first European tube CD player called CDP-1.
How do you feel about the 30th anniversary?
This is a great finishing line for the hi-end market. The hi-end products are the real core of hifi for reproducing good sound.
What changed in our industry over the last 30 years?
The high-end industry now is an important segment of the hifi world, the industry supplies high technology and research for a better sound reproduction in home. This is now mature
What new products did you show this year?
Some new exciting products were the U-4DAC as the first native Apple USB-DAC; the new 32-bit CDP06 CD player and the new ZXT hybrid integrated amplifier with new power Mosfet technology based on Lexam MOS as 100% electrically complementary for very low distortion.
What is the most significant change in recent years?
The latest fashion is computer music and the silicon industry is now researching the best chip for hi-resolution USB inputs. Lector technology is ready for more important steps like a friendly connection for both PC/MAC users and USB 3.0 readiness for reducing interface problems at high speed. Our lab’s move to new analog solutions does research and development on a new semiconductor for power amplifiers to reduce distortions with low feedback. We developed a new power amplifier with exclusive technology around the output stage to have both current and voltage gain in one complementary solution!
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Stephan Wieland, Export Sales, TEAC Europe GmbH (Esoteric)
Wojciech Pacuła: Do you remember your first High End show?
Stephan Wieland: I attended High End the first time in 2000 at the Kempinsky in Frankfurt. Compared to the highly business-oriented trade show that it is now, in those days you had the feeling of a fan-club meeting of all the hifi enthusiasts of Germany with only a few international visitors. I also remember that in those days home cinema just entered the world of high end but most the products demonstrated were hifi with a very big focus on analog.
What product did you show there?
We were showing the P-30 and VRDS-25X, which were among the best CD players on the market in those days. VRDS products from Esoteric were still sold under the TEAC brand because the brand name Esoteric was owned by Grundig then.
How have your products changed since?
During the last 10 years we saw several technologies come and go. There are no longer any high-end tape decks and open reel recorders. Mini Disc has almost entirely disappeared. So has DAT. 10 years ago TEAC was still offering 3-head tape decks like the V-8030s. All that is history now. After introducing Esoteric as a brand name in Europe and along with it the VRDS-NEO drive mechanism, we bowed universal players like the UX-1 and UX-3 with playback of CD, SACD, DVD-Audio and DVD-Video. None of these formats are in very high demand anymore. Surely CD and maybe even SACD will still be around for some time but features like surround sound for SACD never really took off with the masses.
How do you feel about the 30th anniversary?
The event is many times bigger now and thus of course the number of companies and brands is much bigger too. On the one hand High End itself is much more of an international business event than it was in the past. On the other hand you still have all the hifi enthusiasts occupying the seats of all the listening rooms searching for the Holy Grail.
What changed in our industry over the last three decades?
30 years ago the whole industry was still analog (CD was only introduced in 1982). Apart from a small comeback of the LP, the entire industry turned digital. Even amplifiers and speakers are increasingly going digital. Streaming is the catchword nowadays. But what is still the driving force behind all of this is the pleasure of listening to music.
What new products did you show at 2011’s High End?
This year TEAC/Esoteric moved from a room in the forum to a booth in the floor of hall 3. The second change is that we not only presented Esoteric products but also introduced two complete new lines under the TEAC brand. Under the Dynasty Series we introduced three amplifiers A-2610, A-2620 and A-2630; three CD-players CD-1610, CD-1620, CD-1630; and a tuner T-3610. Under the Reference Series 01 we introduced a digital amplifier with DAC and USB input called the A-H01; a DAC with 24/192 USB input called UD-H01; and a CD player with USB interface.
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opinia @ highfidelity.pl |
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