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HIGH END MUNICH 2025 Closed on a High Note
By David Tovissi
Vice President and General Manager
HARMAN Luxury Audio Group
As mentioned in previous editions of the newsletter, this year’s HIGH END MUNICH will be the last show in the MOC in Munich and thanks to JBL and Mark Levinson, it was one of their best-ever shows.
It was ten years prior that HARMAN Luxury Audio introduced the №536 dual monaural amplifier as the flagship amplifier in the 500 Series so it was fitting that we unveiled the successor to that product at this year’s show as part of the all new Mark Levinson 600 Series of components. The 600 Series opens a new chapter in the storied history of Mark Levinson audio excellence which was proudly displayed and demo'ed in our booth. With the fully discrete №631 monaural and the №632 dual monaural amplifiers displaying alongside the №626 a new pre-amplifier, the 600 Series features a hot new industrial design appropriately referred to as the Tectonic design.
Project Everest was introduced to audiophiles first in 1985 when we launched the DD55000 loudspeaker which was the most advanced loudspeaker ever manufactured by JBL at that time. It was the 3rd Project speaker for JBL following the Hartsfield and Paragon in the rich history of JBL. The DD55000 was often referred to as Everest because of its stature and size and was named after the highest mountain in the world. Later in the Eighties, JBL introduced the sibling to the the DD55000, the K2 S9500 loudspeaker. K2 is the 2nd highest mountain on planet Earth. Rising in the shadows of Everest, K2 was the fourth Project speaker of JBL.
Last week we ushered in three new loudspeakers to the Summit Series. Summit Makalu is a 3-way floorstanding loudspeaker featuring JBL's patented D2830K 3-inch (75mm) dual-diaphragm, dual-motor compression driver mated to a large format Sonoglass® High-Definition Imaging (HDI™) horn. Summit Pumori stands just below Makalu in height. It too is a floorstanding 3-way loudspeaker with utilizing the D2815 1 ½ inch dual diaphram compression driver. Summit Ama is a 2-way standmount monitor loudspeaker which punches way above its weight class. It uses the same D2815 compression driver and an 8” Anchoring the sound foundation of Summit Ama is an 8-inch (200mm) cast-frame woofer utilizing a triple-layer Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite Cone (HC4), a design made from a proprietary formula of carbon-fiber and pure-pulp front and rear surfaces, sandwiched with an internal core of closed-cell foam.
Along with the new loudspeakers we created a new website for the Summit Series which will help differentiate these products and the dealers who will be authorized to sell them in their respective markets. https://www.jbl.com/summit.html?ged=off
As spectacular as the products were, our room on the Atrium level in Hall 4 was every bit as awe-inspiring. We estimated that most of the estimated 22,000 attendees at this year’s High End Munich show visited our space including this year’s show ambassador Anette Askvik who came by to hear the new Summit Series loudspeakers.
We had overflow seating at our Day One Press Conference that featured our guest speaker Benedikt Böhm, CEO of Dynafit and a speed mountaineer who climbed and descended many of the world’s tallest mountains in less than 24 hours. Benedikt shared with the attendees that all his climbs required a detailed plan, special tools and gear that would help in his quests for the top. After Benedikt concluded his talk, Jim Garrett, Paul Neville, and I joined Benedikt for a panel discussion on how we approached the design and engineering of the Mark Levinson 600 Series and JBL Summit Series.
With this year’s show in the rearview mirror, we are now focused on getting our new products into production and into our customers’ showrooms. We anticipate that all of them will see SOP before the end of summer barring any unforeseeable headwinds.
Look for additional insights and images from the final HIGH END MUNICH in other articles in this month’s newsletter.