Hifi & Friends Summer Fest 2026 – What a day!

If the first guests are already gathering outside the doors just before the official start, that’s probably a pretty good sign.

On Saturday, 29 August 2026, we celebrated our first big Hifi & Friends Summer Fest in our new premises at Berlin Südkreuz from 10 AM to 8 PM. Ten hours of music, tech, conversations, demos, and shared passion for our hobby were planned.

What came of it exceeded our expectations.

Several hundred guests visited us throughout the day – long-time customers and familiar faces, as well as many people who were at our Wilhelm-Kabus-Straße location for the first time. Right at the start, our showroom was packed full; our manufacturers and partners were able to kick off their demos right away, and in every studio, people were listening, comparing, asking questions, and having discussions.

That’s exactly what we envisioned Hifi & Friends to be.

A speaker you don’t see every day

One of the undisputed highlights of the day was of course the KEF MUON.

Right out of the gate, this speaker is something totally extraordinary. Its almost sculptural form was created in collaboration with renowned industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, and the MUON blurs the line between audio technology and design object very quickly.

There was a correspondingly large crowd in our large listening room.

We didn’t skimp on the electronics for the demo either: A large Hegel preamp/power amp combination with two powerful power amplifiers driving the MUON. The wiring for power and components was done using AudioQuest’s powerful Mythical Creatures series. Many visitors took plenty of time to listen to their own music and discover what such an extraordinary system is truly capable of.

The MUON was a true guest performer: She was only available to experience with us during our Summer Fest.

And maybe that was exactly another wonderful part of this day. You don’t have to want to own some systems. Sometimes it’s just fun to listen to something you practically never encounter in your everyday HiFi routine.

DALI KORE – Big systems really know how to shine

A second highlight was waiting with the DALI KORE.

For the Summer Fest, we deliberately set up the big Danish brand’s speakers in our roughly 100 square meter space set up. There, we were able to demonstrate once again why speakers of this size even exist, and what reserves such a system has when it has a matching room volume.

At the same time, though, the setup also showed something we repeatedly explain to our customers: The room is an essential part of any system.

While the large room had plenty of volume, acoustically, our 50 square meter stereo listening room is the better space. That’s why the DALI KORE is now moving back there.

And in contrast to the MUON, there’s good news here: The KORE will stay with us for a little while longer.

Anyone who didn’t get the chance to listen to it in detail during the Summer Fest – or who wants to experience it again at their own pace – is welcome to book a listening appointment with us in the coming weeks.

Not just High End – and we were especially pleased about that

Almost more important to us was another observation.

Our Summer Fest was explicitly meant to be not a pure High-End event Of course, we love extraordinary systems. But we’re just as focused on the price ranges where most people put together their stereo systems.

And these exact categories had great foot traffic all day long.

In our stereo listening studio with a switchable system, among other things Matrix Audio streamers and streaming amplifiers paired with different speakers. Visitors were able to directly compare, test out, and find their own favorites.

A pairing with speakers from the Focal Aria Evo X series received extremely positive feedback. Several visitors were surprised how mature and – to use a commonly used term – how ‘high-end’ a system in a much more accessible price range can sound.

Moments like these are exactly what we love.

Because great music reproduction doesn’t start with five-figure budgets. A carefully put-together system for a few thousand euros can sound fantastic – and for most people, that’s already an investment they’ve saved up for a long time.

For us, it deserves exactly the same level of attention.

Thorens Analog Highlight – And a Little More Time to Listen

The analog audio fans didn’t get shortchanged at the Summer Fest either.

The special Thorens TD 124 DD Exclusive with its extraordinary 12-inch tonearm and tonearm base was one of the devices that drew visitors back again and again throughout the day.

And clearly, one day wasn’t enough for some people: Already during the event, we were asked if people could listen to the turntable again at their own pace.

Yes, you can.

The Thorens will stay with us for now. Anyone who missed it during the Summer Fest, or who wants to experience it again with their own music, is welcome to get in touch with us at short notice.

Home Cinema Premiere with ARCAM

There was also practically always something happening in our home cinema studio.

Here, visitors could experience different projection and speaker setups, and at the same time get ideas for their own home cinema. We were especially pleased with the feedback about our space itself. Many visitors were interested in how we combined acoustics, lighting, and design without turning the cinema into a fully wired room plastered with absorbers.

Another special highlight was a new ARCAM AVA 15 AV-Receiver that we were able to showcase ahead of its official market launch.

The fact that such an early device hasn’t been finalized in every detail of its software and controls is par for the course with a preview like this. All the more exciting that we were already able to hear where the sound design is heading.

With Stefan Thewes from ARCAM we also had an expert on-site who could answer questions and explain the background of the new device.

This is exactly why we love events like this: You don’t just get to see a new product, you can talk directly to the people who work with it every day.

Headphones – From Studio Tech to Rarities

Our headphone studio also had excellent foot traffic throughout the entire day.

And despite the hustle and bustle in the rest of the showroom, visitors could retreat there, settle in, and listen to different headphone and amplifier combinations at their own pace.

In addition to our regular range of models from Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Audeze, Meze, HiFiMAN, Stax, and other manufacturers we also had some extraordinary rarities on-site.

Additional special headphones and setups came with support from YouTuber and blogger Mini Klangwunder to us. Together with our own extraordinary demo devices, this created a lineup you can’t hear side by side every day.

Our new studio area also played a part here. Modern studio and mixing headphones like the Audeze MM-520 show very well how close professional audio technology and critical music listening have become in some areas these days.

The best part: Many of the headphones and setups we had at the Summer Fest will stay with us for the time being.

So anyone who didn’t get to everything on Saturday – which is perfectly understandable given the program – is welcome to stop by again. For a particularly detailed comparison, we recommend booking an appointment. Then we can prepare the setups you want, and it will be much quieter than during the Summer Fest with several hundred guests.

Of course, you’re also welcome to bring your own headphones and your own music.

When Genelec Suddenly Makes the Furniture Join In

We deliberately added a new area when planning our new business: Professional Audio and Studio Technology.

We ourselves were a little surprised that exactly this area would be almost constantly packed during the Summer Fest.

Our large Genelec 8361 Active Monitors got to show what modern studio monitors are capable of in a roughly 25 square meter space. And let’s put it this way: No one complained about a lack of bass.

At times, even parts of the furniture in the adjacent areas were set vibrating – something no other speaker system here had ever achieved in this way before.

In addition, musicians and producers could test out extraordinary hardware, including synthesizers from Oberheim and other studio technology.

We were especially pleased that this still-new part of our product range was so naturally embraced. After all, HiFi and professional audio technology aren’t two completely separate worlds. In the end, it’s the same thing on both sides: Music.

Several Hundred Sausages and Eventually No More Drinks

Of course, the day wasn’t just about technology.

Around 2 PM and 6 PM grilling took place. Among other things, Merguez and Rostbrat sausages from the well-known Genz Butcher Shop from south Berlin.

Several hundred sausages came off the grill throughout the day.

And eventually, our drink supplies actually ran out.

Luckily, this problem is much faster to fix than a misaligned speaker setup – so we quickly organized more supplies.

Our small outdoor and garden area turned out to be exactly what we had hoped for when we moved in: a place where you could sit between demos, eat something, and chat.

That’s how the Summer Fest played out both indoors and outdoors at the same time.

What Stays With Us Most From This Day

Of course, we could talk about the MUON, KORE, Genelec, Thorens, ARCAM, and all the other devices.

But what will probably stay with us the longest are the people.

several hundred visitors, a small line right at the start, and yet an extremely pleasant, relaxed atmosphere throughout the entire day.

People brought their own records. Favorite music was listened to on completely different systems. People who didn’t know each other before got talking. Manufacturers stood alongside customers in the listening room and discussed music and technology.

And many guests who hadn’t visited us at our new location at all yet took the opportunity to tour all the spaces for the first time.

That’s exactly what Hifi & Friends should be.

Missed Out? You Can Still Listen to Plenty

Anyone who couldn’t make it on Saturday, or who simply didn’t get to everything among all the demos, doesn’t have to be upset.

Virtually all of the products from our Summer Fest are already part of our regular demo lineup anyway. Some special guest devices will also stay with us for a limited time.

That’s why now is a really good time to book a listening appointment.

This is especially true if you want to experience a specific system like the DALI KORE, the special Thorens, or one of the headphone setups again at your own pace.

And you specifically don’t need to have a concrete purchase desire.

If you’re curious, have wanted to listen to something for a long time, or thought after the Summer Fest: “I actually still needed an hour for that” just get in touch with us.

We’ll happily prepare the setup you’d like.

After the Summer Fest, Before the Next Event

And because this Saturday showed us once again how much fun events like this are, the next idea is already in the works.

In a little more than a month, we want to dedicate an entire day to analog music playback.

There will be two main focuses.

On one hand, everything will revolve around Phono: turntables, tonearms, cartridges, phono preamps, and all the many small and big things that turn a good analog setup into a really great one.

On top of that, we want to dedicate a whole separate area to tape decks.

Here, special tape machines, including from Revox and Nagra will be on display. The exciting part: This time, we want to involve the community even more. Together with partners, analog enthusiasts, and selected customers, special devices and personal treasures will come together that normally just aren’t on display in a dealer exhibition.

It will explicitly not be a day where you only look at products.

We want to listen, try things out, share experiences, and maybe even discover analog technology for the first time that you’ve never interacted with before.

We’ll announce the exact date soon.

So anyone who doesn’t want to miss it should sign up for our newsletter now, ideally.

After our first big Summer Fest, we can say one thing for sure:

We’re already looking forward to the next Hifi & Friends.