This was probably the most pleasant surprise Munich offered this year, and yes, I’m aware that this is quite a statement. Audiodata is by no mean a new comer. Actually the company is quite old, going some 30 years back when Peter Schippers founded it, but we could also consider it as a new company, since from year 2014 Hannes Palfinger and Franz Stoger came in bringing fresh ideas for an entire new series of products. The first of which — a gorgeous speaker named Master One.
This is not your ordinary speaker. It packs a coaxial magnesium-beryllium mid-tweeter and four 220mm woofers mounted on the side panels of the, powered by 180 Watts/woofer. They also have sensors reading the excursion of each driver in order to adjust for perfect pistonic movement. At 100+ kg, this is a full-range speaker with declared frequency response of 20-25000Hz. Fit and finish is spectacular; the 70.000 euro price tag seems appropriate.
Franz Stoger insisted on me taking a closer look at the company’s turntable, a mass-loaded design, made from some kind of synthetic resin, costing 39.000 euros. He said that the bearing was exceptionally well-made and I replied “sure” … Then he showed me his bearing design, and I was like “holy f***”; the thing is massive and engineered at levels of perfection rarely seen (even at this rarefied price range). The power supply/external motor-controller was at least as impressive, and got me thinking that a company with this amount of commitment is bound to make titles for years to come.
PS They had in hand a reissue of El Sombrero de Tres Picos with Ansermet leading the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (DECCA), and the system which included a Symphonic Line pre-power amplifier and a custom-made Van den Hul cartridge, performed very well, with micro and macro-dynamics being top-notch.
