HIGH END VIENNA


Audio brands rise and shine at High End Vienna 2026


Best known for its streaming products, WiiM used Vienna to unveil its first soundbar. The WiiM Bar is a 3.0.2-channel configuration with upward-firing drivers handling height effects. Retailing at £449, and due in July 2026, it’s likely to appeal to consumers seeking a premium TV audio upgrade that won’t break the bank. One eye-catching USP is a circular 2.1-inch


touch display, for album artwork, playback info and system settings. The bar also integrates with the wider WiiM ecosystem for multi-room audio. Shenzhen-based Questyle made its High


26


End debut with the Oceanic Blue Wireless Hi-Fi speaker system, developed in partnership with Norwegian driver specialist SEAS. Combining Questyle’s Current Mode technology with Wi-Fi


Amplification audio continues 6E


connectivity, AirPlay 2, Huawei HiPlay and Roon Ready certification, the system demonstrated how wireless


to move


Europe’s leading consumer Hi-Fi show has found a new home. Steve May reports from the Austria Center Vienna where industry stalwarts faced off against a new wave of competition


F


or more than two decades, High End Munich was one of the constants of the audio industry calendar. This year, that changed.


After 21 years in Bavaria, Europe’s


top Hi-Fi exhibition decamped to Vienna. For exhibitors and visitors alike,


the relocation


represented something of a leap into the unknown. Could a new city


replicate the


atmosphere, scale and business opportunities that made Munich such a success? The first two trade-only days were awash with manufacturers, distributors and retailers, and everyone I talked to seemed pretty positive. The first morning was admittedly disorientating. The new venue is expansive and it took time to understand how the various halls and floors connected together. More than once I found myself walking in circles looking for a particular room. But once the layout clicked into place, the advantages became apparent.


The Austria Center Vienna offers an


impressive variety of demonstration spaces. Vast


rooms capable of accommodating


statement loudspeaker systems sit alongside smaller, more intimate spaces. Spectacle co- existing with practicality. The show itself reflected a Hi-Fi industry


inspired by its past, but fixed firmly on the future. Ultra-premium loudspeakers shared floor space


with affordable streaming products, wireless headphones and compact lifestyle systems. Audacious new designs were everywhere. Perhaps the most obvious takeaway was the growing influence of Chi-Fi.


Chinese companies such as Shanling, Questyle and WiiM are increasingly challenging traditional performance assumptions. The emphasis is no longer on low-cost alternatives to established brands. Instead, these disruptors are competing on design, engineering and features - and it’s exciting.


Then there’s Jamo…


Once synonymous with Scandi loudspeaker design, Jamo is now owned by Chinese audio distribution giant Cinemaster and engineering specialist Rayleigh Lab.


Development is handled in Denmark, while manufacturing is split between Europe and Asia. Its inaugural line suggests a clear effort to preserve Jamo’s design heritage, while introducing a more contemporary approach. I particularly like the brand’s wireless Bluetooth HYG series (inspired by the Scandinavian concept of hygge). It comprises three highly stylish speakers for home and personal use. The HYG Flex (£239) is a living room all-in- one, with dual angled tweeters and a dedicated 5-inch woofer, wrapped soft fabric. The HYG Flow (£109) is an outdoor model that’s IPX7 rated, has


upmarket. The industrial design attracted almost as much attention as the SEAS Excel flagship drivers inside.


Jamo’s HYG Flow.


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