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High-End Audio Alive & Well in Europe
During a sightseeing visit to Luxembourg, one pleasant stop came at Audio Concept, an audio shop with discerning taste for components, speakers and sources.
How much is that doggie - er, Sonus faber - in the window?
I think it's been said that mathematics is the universal language, but I'd like to think it's music.
After covering Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam, I was fortunate enough to extend my first trip to Europe and do some whirlwind sightseeing. I visited a small town in Germany called Koblenz, then on to Luxembourg and finally Brussels.
As anyone who attended ISE could tell you, it was bitter cold (though thankfully not as cold or snowy as in Eastern Europe where people were literally freezing to death). Any reason to duck into a shop and continue window shopping inside was a good way to get out of the cold, and my eyes lit up at the sight of an audio shop while I walked through Luxembourg.
Actually, I passed one called simply "Audiophile" a few blocks earlier but figured I'd keep going to see touristy stuff. When I walked by another, "Audio Concept" - self-billed as HiFi and High End - I couldn't resist checking it out, being the music geek I am. The Sonus fabers and tubes in the window were calling me.
The inside of the small shop was as fun to look around as any good audio shop in the U.S. High-end audio was clearly alive and well in Luxembourg, where this dealer's shop basked in beautiful speakers, racks of components, turntables and even some bins of brand new vinyl.
As far as that universal language, the salesperson I "chatted" with didn't speak a whole lot of English, and since I don't speak a whole lot of French, we didn't have an in-depth audio conversation.
We did, however, get enough across so that when I asked him what his top-selling product was he quickly noted the Sonus faber loudspeakers (the vaunted Italian manufacturer that is distributed here in the U.S. through Sumiko). And for components, he said the store was a big Naim dealer. You can see both in the pictures below - with Sonus speakers powered by Audio Research electronics in the upper photo, and Naim components located near a Clearaudio turntable in the lower.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see a display full of Transparent Audio cable products. I tried to convey to the salesperson that, being from Massachusetts, I am a neighbor of Transparent and have had the good fortune of visiting its Maine factory and sitting in its incredible home theater. That all went over his head.
Oh well. Would he kindly be able to give me a demo, I asked? Unfortunately, it was Saturday and near the noon closing time. However, they were opening their doors for a client demo at 2 p.m., and could I come back? As much as I would have enjoyed a turntable demo over Sonus faber speakers, I thanked him and passed - it was time to brave the cold again for touristy sights, rather than high-end sounds.
On a related musical note, the next day I was in Brussels in ducked into a record store. The second floor was packed full of vinyl bins, and somewhat opposite of the U.S., the majority were jazz and classical, with a handful of rock, and the real universal language was piping through the store's loudspeakers.
After covering Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam, I was fortunate enough to extend my first trip to Europe and do some whirlwind sightseeing. I visited a small town in Germany called Koblenz, then on to Luxembourg and finally Brussels.
As anyone who attended ISE could tell you, it was bitter cold (though thankfully not as cold or snowy as in Eastern Europe where people were literally freezing to death). Any reason to duck into a shop and continue window shopping inside was a good way to get out of the cold, and my eyes lit up at the sight of an audio shop while I walked through Luxembourg.
Actually, I passed one called simply "Audiophile" a few blocks earlier but figured I'd keep going to see touristy stuff. When I walked by another, "Audio Concept" - self-billed as HiFi and High End - I couldn't resist checking it out, being the music geek I am. The Sonus fabers and tubes in the window were calling me.
The inside of the small shop was as fun to look around as any good audio shop in the U.S. High-end audio was clearly alive and well in Luxembourg, where this dealer's shop basked in beautiful speakers, racks of components, turntables and even some bins of brand new vinyl.
As far as that universal language, the salesperson I "chatted" with didn't speak a whole lot of English, and since I don't speak a whole lot of French, we didn't have an in-depth audio conversation.
We did, however, get enough across so that when I asked him what his top-selling product was he quickly noted the Sonus faber loudspeakers (the vaunted Italian manufacturer that is distributed here in the U.S. through Sumiko). And for components, he said the store was a big Naim dealer. You can see both in the pictures below - with Sonus speakers powered by Audio Research electronics in the upper photo, and Naim components located near a Clearaudio turntable in the lower.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see a display full of Transparent Audio cable products. I tried to convey to the salesperson that, being from Massachusetts, I am a neighbor of Transparent and have had the good fortune of visiting its Maine factory and sitting in its incredible home theater. That all went over his head.
Oh well. Would he kindly be able to give me a demo, I asked? Unfortunately, it was Saturday and near the noon closing time. However, they were opening their doors for a client demo at 2 p.m., and could I come back? As much as I would have enjoyed a turntable demo over Sonus faber speakers, I thanked him and passed - it was time to brave the cold again for touristy sights, rather than high-end sounds.
On a related musical note, the next day I was in Brussels in ducked into a record store. The second floor was packed full of vinyl bins, and somewhat opposite of the U.S., the majority were jazz and classical, with a handful of rock, and the real universal language was piping through the store's loudspeakers.
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About the Author
Arlen Schweiger is managing editor of CE Pro and Commercial Integrator magazines. Arlen contributes installation features, business profiles, manufacturer news and product reviews.
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