Press service

The international audio show offered thrilling highlights, emotions and an upbeat vibe

 

 

The wrap-up of the HIGH END 2025 last Sunday, 18 May 2025, after four outstanding trade show days in the MOC Event Center Messe München, marked the end of an era. This year's motto, "Passion for Music", was an omnipresent feature: a lively atmosphere filled the halls and atriums, buoyed by palpable enthusiasm, candid communication and a shared passion for outstanding sound. In this, the international audio show confirmed its worldwide leading position as an indispensable industry rendezvous, before it moves to its new location next year in Vienna.

Farewell with a record turn-out of enthusiastic visitors from around the world

The 501 exhibitors from 42 countries in the sold-out 30,000 square meters of space at the MOC presented a comprehensive cross-section of the international audio industry. With countless highlights, fascinating world premieres and cutting-edge innovations, the HIGH END bid farewell to its longstanding location and made a powerful statement for the future of the industry. A total of 22,818 people from 92 countries flocked to Munich to seek information, exchange news and views and to look around for new products or business partners at the audio show. As a result, the HIGH END 2025 once again broke its visitor record. 10,562 trade visitors and 11,675 consumers showed up among the two B2B days and two public days. Apart from Germany, the largest countries of origin were above all the United Kingdom, the neighboring European countries, along with the United States and China. The industry event also enjoyed widespread media coverage: 583 accredited media representatives seized the opportunity to experience innovations first-hand and to broadcast the unique atmosphere of the trade show out into the world.

Cosmopolitan stage for tradition and innovation

The international flair on the exhibition grounds of the MOC was marked by an easy-going mood, palpable excitement and an in-depth exchange. Many exhibitors expressed great satisfaction with the quality of the discussions, visitor traffic and the consistently professional organization. The HIGH END 2025 thus staged not only an emotional farewell, but also a stunning finale with global appeal. "The HIGH END is a high-caliber combination of a trade show and hands-on event, once again a powerful manifestation of the diverse and forward-looking ways in which audio technology can be experienced in our time", says Stefan Dreischärf, Managing Director of the organizer, HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH. "Both the high appeal as an industry trading hub and the strong demand throughout all generations underscore its international significance."

The exhibiting companies – including a wide array of exclusive, name-brand producers, along with smaller niche manufacturers and newcomers – offered a compelling showcase of their strength in innovation, visionary technologies and tried-and-true solutions, thus adding an unforgettable endnote to their longstanding history in Munich. Once again, the HIGH END showcased high-quality audio technology in all its facets, featuring an incomparable spectrum of fascinating products, dazzling the eyes and ears alike. Whereas the first two days were reserved for trade professionals, on the weekend the general public was allowed to take full advantage of the stunning sound installations, enjoy musical diversity in utmost quality, marvel at extraordinary design and experience state-of-the-art audio equipment up-close. On Saturday, the trade show saw a huge turnout of visitors. Spread throughout the day, more than 8,000 people circulated through the halls and the atriums of the MOC.

Accessories, sound and interaction at the special exhibitions

Once again this year, as a parallel and well-established event to the HIGH END, the two special exhibitions in Hall 1 offered a variety of products and sounds to experience up-close. The WORLD OF HEADPHONES has been constantly growing, and this year it occupied an even larger space than last year, featuring a vast selection of high-end headphones, portable audio players and matching accessories. With a wide range of over 70 brands, the exhibitors showcased unparalleled product diversity, attracting people of all ages. At the listening tables, visitors were able to immediately try out several types of headphones and accessories and to compare various models. In an additional adventure area, the GAMING ZONE, the action focused on sound during gaming – also with the unique opportunity to directly test the sound equipment. With support from the cooperation partner, konsolenfan.de, numerous gaming consoles were fitted out with headsets, loudspeakers and sound bars, impressively demonstrating how the gaming experience can be improved with good sound. By contrast, the IPS was mainly geared to trade professionals – and thus also to exhibitors at the HIGH END – seeking high-quality components and solutions for audio production, including electronic parts, cabinets or software.

Brand ambassador Anette Askvik delights her fans

A special highlight of the HIGH END 2025 was the appearance of Norwegian singer-songwriter Anette Askvik, who captivated the audience on all four days. This year's brand ambassador touched the hearts of the visitors with her music and her natural presence, lending extraordinary flair to the event. In exclusive performances scheduled throughout all the days of the trade show, the artist premiered two songs from her album "Liberty" in public in an immersive-audio version. In close cooperation with KiiAudio, the tracks were presented in specially prepared rooms in such a way that the artistic vision and emotional depth of her music was able to unfold in a totally new dimension. In response to the high demand, Anette Askvik gave several bonus performances and took extra time to speak to journalists and her fans. She gave several interviews and signed numerous records, including an exclusive EP HIGH END edition.

Trade expertise first-hand on the X-PERT Stage

On the X-PERT Stage, interested guests were offered an entertaining program featuring top-class expert presentations and panel discussions on innovative technologies, audiophile standards and topics from the audio industry that are relevant to society. The main focus was technical innovations, along with culture- and industry-specific questions with meaty content such as technological advancement, sustainability and social commitment. With thematic depth, industry-specific relevance, and an excellent line-up of speakers, the HIGH END's talk and lecture series, totaling six events, provided valuable impetus and impressed trade journalists, industry insiders, and audiophiles alike.

Ciao Munich, Hello Vienna

The positive response of all those involved, combined with the constantly high visitor numbers are an indication: The enthusiasm for excellent music reproduction is an enduring trend. After two successful decades in Munich, the HIGH END 2025 marked the end of an era – and the beginning of a new one. Starting in 2026, the international audio show will be based in the Austria Center Vienna. The modern, futuristic location in the heart of Austria’s capital offers optimal conditions for further growth and innovation. "The move to Vienna will usher in new opportunities for us to further boost the level of the trade show", explains Stefan Dreischärf. The change in location represents a new beginning, a further development and the unwavering determination to take the success story of the HIGH END to a new dimension.

The HIGH END 2026 will take place from 28 to 31 May 2026 in the Austria Center Vienna.

Exhibitor Statements:

"The HIGH END was above our expectation. People, music and organization was on highest possible level. Pure love."
Marcin Sobczyk, Blade Brothers

"Super show as always, looking forward to Vienna."
Anders Ertzeid, Hegel Music System