Dutch Audio Event, Eindhoven 2023
Arguably the biggest and best audio event in the Benelux region saw some 250 brands demonstrating in 60 rooms as the Dutch Audio Event got underway in Veldhoven. The weekend also saw live music events, two cinemas in action, seminars by Qobuz and Roon plus a lecture timetable from audio luminaries including Grimm Audio’s Guido Tent and Eelco Grimm, and covering everything from streamers and networks, to loudspeakers and cables not to mention a pub-style music quiz. Little wonder then that by lunchtime on day one over 1,500 enthusiastic audiophiles had passed through the doors, incentivised by an under-18s free policy to entice the next generation towards good sound quality.
Fischer and Fischer
My first audio delight came in the form of slate-cabinet loudspeakers from German company Fischer and Fischer founded 42 years ago by Thomas Fischer who was present. While the large three-way 770s, with ribbon tweeters were attracting a crowd their €38,000 price tag took them out of my price range. Much more in my zone were the newly-launched Klein two-ways which, as their name suggests are small and cost €3,150 sans stands. They are so compact that there’s no room inside for the crossover which is housed in a separate box. Exciting news was that the company is on the verge of signing a UK distribution contract.
Moon
Along the corridor were Canadian electronics from Moon who also had their Voice 22 loudspeaker. The recently launched North Collection, so called because the company is based in the ‘north’ and ‘it’s the way ahead, the way to go’. I was struck by the unusually-styled system remote which was a joy to use. While the power amps are stereo, they can be bridged to become mono and provide a useful upgrade route. While retaining the well-known Moon-look, the new range features smooth lines and elegant, even chic ergonomics.
PS Audio
From over the border in Belgium came Aspera Audio with PS Audio’s full-range loudspeaker, the Aspen FR30. They could certainly play loudly and had a modern sound which will appeal to a wide audience. A two-piece design which relies on a pair of 2.5-inch planar drivers with Teonex diaphragm for the treble; 10-inch planar magnetic with Teonex diaphragm handling the midrange; and four 8-inch woofers, cast framed with aluminium cone for the bass which extends to a quoted 28Hz. PS Audio’s AirLens Streamer (Roon, Qobuz, Tidal and Spotify-ready) provided the source material. Audio interfaces are impressive at up to 352.8kHz/32 PCM; Native DSD up to DSD256 (I2S output); DoP (DSD over PCM) up to DSD128 (coax output).
B-audio
The Bermann brothers from Alsace, Cédric and Sébastien, brought the new €16,000 B.audio Alpha Oneintegrated streaming amplifier with dual-mono Class A/B output stages for 120W into 8 Ohms. Inputs are many and varied with a strong digital emphasis.
Intrada
The B.audio Alpha One was being used to drive a pair of Polish-made three-way loudspeakers from Intrada, named after the 16th Century high Renaissance composer Josquin and shown here for the first time. At €17,800 they feature a large letterbox reflex port to the rear and a concealed woofer which works without crossover to produce bass to 32Hz. Created by Grzegorz Matusiak and Michal Gogulski, the design produced an immersive sound with good timing, great imaging and notable clarity.
Audiophool
On home soil were Audiophool who boast not only Dutch design and construction but also make their own components. The new 2.1 server, at €7,900 has twin linear-PSUs and relies on the company’s own Linux-based software. What caught my eye were the incredible loudspeakers with their twin woofers in push-pull, electrically not acoustically, and paper midrange with neodymium magnet alongside a Mundorf AMT tweeter. Sadly, these are not for sale, being constructed by owner Hans van den Barg purely for demonstration.
Rike Audio
From Bavaria came Rike Audio a stunning-looking loudspeaker housed in a hand-made cabinet from Frankfurt. The €16.800 Anna LS1 is a two-way capable of highly emotive sounds and incredible LF performance from the 12-inch woofer which certainly moved some air. Known for its range of five phono stages, all named after Georg Arsin’s family members (daughters Joy, Natalija and Romy; late-mother Katharina, and wife Sabine), Rike also makes high-quality capacitors which were demonstrated by colleague Manfred Kipfelsberger.
Daudio
Delighting audiences with a classical repertoire when I visited, daudio is a Dutch name synonymous with dipole loudspeakers. New this year was the MOB or modular open baffle range from €5,750 which allows for growth and upgrade while still retaining the original purchase. The sound was extremely open and transparent and I lingered quite a while to enjoy Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre. The recording acoustic was reproduced most believably in the show surroundings
Arpeggio
Delighted to see so many Dutch companies supporting this event, I enjoyed the presentation by Arpeggio Acoustics who make high-end loudspeakers. In a darkened room Prince’s Muse 2 the Pharaoh was playing loudly and being enjoyed by members of the Limburg Audio Club. Several such groups thrive in The Netherlands and I bumped into at least three at the show.
Chord
Among the UK contingent exhibiting was Chord Electronics with a new entry-level monoblock, the Ultima 3, and the Pre-3 analogue preamp. Using the Dave DAC on an Innuos server the system sounded rather good with a pair of Sonus Faber Maxima two-and-a-half-way loudspeakers. Also in use was the new Ultima 125W/ch integrated at £8,500 and sporting a bright red centre button.
DASL
One of the most exciting rooms for me was that of Rik Stoet and the realisation of his long-awaited M.one thin-walled mini monitor which I have followed through its gestation. At last, all the pieces came together – literally – and production began in a range of cabinet finishes a week before the show. The €3,300 two-way even has a range of matching stands available with a choice of hollow or solid frame, to cater for different tastes and acoustics. “We have no streamer”, he boasts to the audience as he leaps up to change the record and we wallow in Ella Fitzgerald enjoying a highly detailed treble, exquisite midrange and superb definition from excellent drive unit integration. I’m looking forward to a longer listen in my own system.
Aavik, Ansuz & Børresen
Audio Group Denmark can usually be relied upon to produce a decent sound under show conditions, and the Dutch event was no exception. They had two adjoining rooms and, personally, I thought the smaller system worked slightly better in the trying acoustics. This comprised Børresen X3 loudspeakers, Axxess Forté 1, 2 and 3 electronics and Ansuz cabling. The big drum solo in Friedemann’s Passion & Pride in concert was something else. Wow! A big sound which filled the room and made my toes vibrate. Superb timing and incredible dynamics from this all-Danish system.
Innuos
I have to confess that, such was the popularity of the Innuos room that despite several attempts to visit I hardly made it past the threshold. Some kind-hearted audiophile passed my camera to someone at the front to snap an image of the acclaimed Statement server (with next-gen PSU), Pulsar network player, Phoenixnet switch using the Sense App. This is a brand with a huge following, not least amongst us at the-ear.
Guru
Sweden’s Guru Audio brought some prototype Guru 12 two-way loudspeakers which feature a Helmholtz resonator enclosure in MDF and steel. The 21mm soft-dome tweeter is combined with a 102mm mineral-fibre coned mid/bass. The €2,800 design is set for either bookshelf or standmount use close to the rear wall. The letterbox reflex port was working well with a claimed LF response to 28Hz from this diminutive cabinet.
Yamaha
Yamaha’s Y-H5000SE headphones stood out among the many available to audition. The separate remote-controlled amplifier at €4,000 features an inbuilt DAC, pre-set modes for cinema, drama, concert, etc. with 4-pin XLR, 4.4mm and quarter-inch outputs. The €5,500 headphones themselves created a warm and inviting sound.
Driade
Well-know and well-respected in Dutch audiophile circles is the name Driade. Their Model 2, a compact floorstanding two-way reflex design at €5,400 produced some deep, refined bass; more than expected from the looks. The carbon-fibre/paper drive unit (the result of a joint development with Eton of Germany) sits in an almost triangular cabinet to reduce internal reflections that created a natural and open soundstage.
Grimm
From just a few kilometres away Grimm Audio had one of the show’s biggest surprises; they used one of their two rooms to unveil the MU1 and LS1be Nano surround system, the latter used for the centre channel. Along the corridor, distributor Bert Bazuin showcase Grimm’s new MU2 music player with inbuilt DAC, as part of a Halcro Eclipse and PMC Fenestria system.
Pearl
I remember how the Editor enjoyed the Pearl Acoustics Sibelius floor-standers when he reviewed them. This single metal-driver design, sans crossover, is built in solid, aged French oak cabinets. Prices start around €5,900 and increase with more exotic finish options. I have to admit they are about as far from a BBC-monitor sound as it’s possible to get, but visitors were lapping up the sound and the company seems to be doing well. I am sure we will hear more from them fairly soon.
Sonus faber
The show provided the perfect timing for Sonus faber to reveal its new wireless Duetto loudspeakers. Sounding as though they possess all the brand’s hallmark sound qualities, the on-board streaming capability makes them very exciting indeed. I noticed especially that its Apple AirPlay2 capable, as well as all the others not to mention Bluetooth. Rather neat is the leather top panel that allows the user to control and set-up functions, such as volume, input selection, and connections. The buttonless interface allows users to pilot the playback and connection functions through simple finger swipes. All rather futuristic in a reassuringly knowledgeable package. We hope to get our hands on a pair very soon for a thorough test.
Aretai/Bladelius
Even from the corridor it was clear that Latvian-based Aretai were creating wonderful sounds. Inside the room and their Contra 100S was a joy to behold. This €9,000 2.5-way infinite-baffle loudspeaker was generating highly detailed and revealing soundstage with surprisingly low and impactful bass (quoted down to 32Hz), which made me look round for the subwoofer but it was merely the rear-firing woofer doing its job. Here too was Bladelius with their new €12,000 Ask integrated amplifier with DAC and phono stage providing the driving force for the amazing sound.
Audio Analogue & Airtech
Flying the flag for Italy, two companies had come together: Audio Analogue with the premier of their Berlini preamp and Donizetti power amps driving panel speakers by Airtech. The ATS01 are €50,000 hybrids: electrostatics with a traditional six-inch sub-woofer (courtesy of Morel) to provide some bass to the detailed, transparent treble and glorious midband. Two bridged power amps were used at €11,750 each and the sound was so clear with enormous headroom and a soundstage to die for while the room was bathed in colours from the Italian flag. Nice touch. Sadly the venue wouldn’t let them serve authentic expresso though.
Goldmund
Goldmund Benelux presented a professional-looking room bathed in blue light. Centre stage were the Tethys passive speaker, Modus Audio SPR01 preamplifier, SPA01 power amplifier, and the brand-new Modus Audio DAC01. Last year’s show saw the introduction of the DAC01 and this time it was paired with the Dual Pink Faun high-end audio 2.16 Ultra, all connected using Ikigai Audio’s top-of-the-line Kinzan cables. Managing this high-end set-up was the Silent Angel Bonn NX high-end switch and the Genesis GX word clock, controlling network signals.
Trafomatic/Blumenhofer /Feickert/Van den Hul
Distributor Music2, known for their analogue portfolio, treated visitors to their ‘smallest’ Trafomatic / Blumenhofer /Feickert/VdH setup. The source was a Feickert Volare turntable with Trafomatic Evolution Phono One and the Van den Hul Grail SE. Of note was the Auris Classica turntable (€2,999 including W-10 arm) and an Auris Bayadere 5 turntable with a Reed 2G arm. Rather than a single Trafomatic Elegance Evolution power amplifier, we saw the four 60 Watt (KT88) horizontal bi-amp variants paired with an Evolution Line One preamp. The room was constantly packed to hear the systems feeding Blumenhofer Genuin FS3 SE speakers made in a dual-tone wood veneer with a solid walnut high horn.
Stilla
One room which I had to queue for was Aequo Audio which has a huge Dutch following and was immensely popular, not least with the audio club groups. Here the three-way slim tower Stilla was filling the room with immersive sounds which were clean and powerful. Produced just 5km from the show, this truly local product is a horn-loaded bass-reflex design. A hybrid, the implementation of DSP for low-frequencies means it can be adjusted for room size and position. Those twin 7-inch active powered woofers, positioned at 45 degrees from each other for cancellation, did seem to work incredibly well in the room’s long and narrow acoustics.
Harbeth
Harbeth’s owner-cum-chief designer Alan Shaw dusted off his passport to unveil the Nelson which looks a lot like a Rogers AB1 mini monitor subwoofer stand. It addresses two fundamental problems of the P3 mini-monitor (created as successor to the BBC LS3/5A), namely that there’s never been a dedicated stand and, secondly, the bass output tails off rapidly. This €3,295 design uses an onboard DSP chip (factory set) and comprises two chambers with a five-inch woofer firing from one to the other to create output down to 35Hz. The only user-control sets the bass output level. The secret, he says, was to galvanically isolate the Swedish-sourced audio transformer. Standard cloth finish is black with other options to custom order. Shaw is so delighted by creating “More bass in the same space” (trademarked!) he’s got international patents pending and is working on a version for the M30 (LS5/9 replacement). Watch this space.
Hepta
Bargain of the show has to be oldest-established Dutch audio company Hepta’s Sublimis Orator (Latin for sublime speaker). With raked baffle and huge front reflex port, which is supplied closed but can be opened by the user as required, the vast soundstage created is open, detailed and immersive. The design uses a pair of SEAS woofers, a SEAS midrange and Scan-Speak soft-dome tweeter in a €5,000 a pair package, albeit with a slight issue: Chris Rutgers now only supplies direct to end-users since scaling down his operations.
KRM
It wouldn’t be a Dutch Audio Show without a new cable brand, and this year was no exception. Raphaël Watelet is proud of the hand-made cables he produces in Belgium, everything from speaker wires, power leads, XLR and RCA interconnects, plus a 75 Ohm coax lead which allow user options of digital or analogue applications. His speaker cables are sheathed with ground tags supplied whereas the interconnects are sheathed but not grounded. An amazing array of colour options embraces everything from mauve, grey, blue, black, red etc.
T+A
Before leaving I found the T+A room, a German engineering brand which I have a lot of time for and one which I feel should be better known in many markets. Two new products were on show, both entering production shortly and both with incredible design. The PSD3011HV is a €16,000 all-in-one preamp/DAC/streamer including FM, DAB and internet radio. Also in the pipeline is the €14,500 R2500R receiver. Due at the end of the year, it features VU meters, a large display, CD drive and FM/DAB+ capabilities.
Caspar Bunge
With that it was time to say goodbye to another Dutch Audio Event with the news that founder and organiser Caspar Bunge has sold his share of the show, his import/distribution business and his retail shop to Mafico. The good news is that he will remain involved for the next two years although there are already rumours of exciting developments for the event. Whatever happens, I have confidence that it will be as good as ever if not even better and I look forward to returning in 2024.
Trevor Butler
