A whirlwind European hi-fi tour

It was supposed to be so simple, a well-trod path I've followed almost every May for the last decade: A six-day trip to Munich to attend the final Munich High End Show before it decamps to Vienna next year.

- MICHAEL TREI

I see any trip to Europe as an opportunity to replenish my personal stash of Anthon Berg Danish marzipan bars, a childhood favorite with a crack-like addictive pull. My flights and hotel were booked months in advance. I was ready to go.

Then Jim Austin, my esteemed editor, asked if I could attend an event at the Clearaudio factory in Erlangen a couple of days before the show, where they would be launching an unspecified new product. I'm the Spin Doctor, and Clearaudio makes record spinners, so of course I said yes. I have set up literally hundreds of Clearaudio products over the last 30 years, but this was my first opportunity to visit their home base and see for myself where and how their products are made. Besides, I'm always up for any opportunity to be unleashed on the speed-limit-free German Autobahn for a few hundred miles, even if it's only in a rental car. I rebooked my outgoing flight so that I could arrive a couple of days earlier than originally planned, to attend the event.

Fast-forward a couple more weeks. I bump into Steve Jain of Fidelity Imports in a hallway at AXPONA, the big hi-fi show in Chicago. “Hey Mike, we're going on a trip to a few audio companies after the Munich Show, do you wanna come?” The companies on Jain's itinerary weren't turntable-focused, although AVM's extensive product lineup does include a couple of turntables. I told Jain I was in. I rebooked my flight home, pushing it three days later than originally planned.

Then, just when I thought my plan was settled—a visit to the last Munich High End bookended by two short company tours—I got another request from my editor. “We need someone to go to Portugal a few days before the Munich show, where Innuos will be launching a new flagship streamer.”

“But I'm the analog guy,” I protested, “and Innuos only makes digital products.”