When I attended High End in Munich in 2019, the big Living Voice room really stood out for me. First of all, it was like a forest in there, with plants everywhere and a huge window that opened into the large atrium behind the room. It was incredibly relaxing to sit in that room and listen to the Living Voice R25A loudspeakers, a small and relatively inexpensive model that filled that big room with glorious sound.
Flash forward three long years, and I’m in the same big Living Voice room. The R25as have been replaced with another relatively small speaker, the OBX-RW4, in Santos rosewood. If you noticed, Living Voice has replaced their Auditorium line with new R4 designations–that marks the fourth generation of these high-efficiency speakers. The OBX-RW4, with its external crossovers, looks smaller than the last LVs I reviewed, but it’s still an incredible transducer that can fill large rooms with effortless and balanced sound.
I enjoyed hanging out in the big Living Voice room for another reason, however. If you wanted a vinyl fix, this was the place. Two vinyl rigs were running–a delightfully orange Kuzma ‘table and a Grand Prix Audio Monaco direct drive turntable.
But I do have to give Kevin of Living Voice his props–somehow he creates a sylvan and relaxing room that connects visual beauty with the superb sound his loudspeaker designs provide. The big Living Voice room is retro in its feel, sort of woody like ’70s architecture. The only thing missing is some plants hanging from the ceiling in macrame slings. That sounds odd, I know, but nostalgic in the best sense. This was a truly memorable room three years ago, and it was equally memorable in 2022.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from HIGH END 2022, 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.
