It’s only a couple of years since I discovered Göbel High End–it was at the 2022 Munich show and I wound up awarding these huge German speakers Best Sound at Show. I’ve never heard percussion sound so explosive and dynamic and real in my life. I’ve heard parts of this system, which also features Wadax and Nordost, a couple of times since then and I’m always impressed with the scale and authority of the musical presentation. (This is the first time I’ve seen Riviera Labs included in the line-up, BTW.) Bending Wave USA, the USA distributor for Göbel, hosted this gorgeous and impressive system.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
Bending Wave USA brought in the Göbel Divin Nobless loudspeakers ($250,000/pair) for AXPONA 2024, along with the Riviera APL01SE preamp ($46,995) and the AFM100SE class A monoblocks ($82,800). The Wadax Atlantis Reference DAC, which retails for a cool $166K, was joined by the Wadax Atlantis Reference Streamer ($68,800). The cabling for the system was also from from Göbel. Yup, this was a BIG system.
This Bending Wave USA system, however, isn’t memorable because it’s big. Sure, those impressive and well-preserved crescendos have the kind of visceral slam that few transducers do, but I’m always equally impressed with the Divin Nobless’ ability to remain delicate when required, to avoid making everything sound just a little bit bigger than it should be. If you haven’t heard of Bending Wave or Göbel High End or any of the brands listed in this room, you should really take a listen. I didn’t know any of these brands five years ago, but I’m taking steps to ensure I get to know them a lot better.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2024, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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