May 24, 2009 - Part 1
All prices in euros (€) unless otherwise noted.
At time of report, 1 € is approximately 1.37 US dollars.

Audio Physic introduced the new Cardeas loudspeaker (18,000 € per pair). This large four-way floorstanding design features the German company’s newest Hyper Holographic Cone Tweeter (HHCT II), which uses a neodymium magnet and what Audio Physic calls "Active Cone Damping and String Suspension Concept" construction. The impressive array of drive units also includes a 10" woofer, a 10" passive radiator, a 5.9" midrange, and two 5.9" midbass drivers.

Germany’s B.M.C. Audio is a brand-new company with a number of new products on the ground floor of Munich’s M.O.C. Shown here is the BCD 09 CD player (also available in a transport-only configuration) notable for its high-quality construction and use of a belt-driven transport mechanism as well as four-conductor Superlink digital-signal-transmission interface. The price of the BCD 09 was, considering the impressive build quality and advanced feature set, seemingly reasonable at 2698 €. We featured another B.M.C. product, the DAC 1, in our ShowStoppers section.

Here's something you see talked about a lot but don't often see: a speaker made from concrete, which is precisely the case with the LS-44 loudspeaker and TS-44 subwoofer from Ank Audio. The LS-44 uses a single 4" full-range driver and comes as part of a three-piece speaker system that includes the TS-44 sub. The list price for all three speakers, including stands, is 3000 €.

Germany’s Behold continues to pack the impressive Gentle integrated amplifier (18,000 €) that's been out for a couple years now with new features and capabilities. In addition to its four channels of amplification, DSP crossovers, and touch-screen front panel, the Gentle is now available with a hard-disk player (above) that makes it a just-add-speakers-and-cabling proposition.

Italy’s Mel Audio displayed the massive Harmaghedon³ power amplifier. This unit boasts an external power supply as large as the main amplifier chassis and reportedly houses two massive transformers in a dual-mono configuration. The price is 29,400 €.

NAD impressed us with the new M2 Direct Digital Amplifier that we feature as a ShowStopper. The M2 wasn't the only new product. Above is the new Master Series M15HD surround-sound processor ($3999 USD). This unit is fitted with a host of advanced features, including Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume. Like all surround-sound processors, the M15HD is jam-packed around back. [www.nadelectronics.com]