High Fidelity strikes back: Paris Audio Video Show 2025 proves sound is serious business

High-fidelity audio is making a comeback, and nowhere was that clearer than at the Paris Audio Video Show 2025. From vinyl-spinning masterpieces to pocket-sized powerhouses, this year’s event proved that sound — real, rich, goosebump-raising sound — is back in style.

Crowds at PAVS 2025: Paris' audiophiles packed the Palais des Congrès, all chasing that perfect note.

There’s something in the air, and it’s not just the thump of bass from a €5,750 subwoofer. High-fidelity audio, the art of listening to music and movies exactly as intended, is having a moment. At this year’s Paris Audio Video Show 2025, held at the Palais des Congrès from 25–27 October, it was clear that high-end audio is still very much alive and kicking.

While Saturday saw shoulder-to-shoulder crowds filling demo rooms and queueing for listening sessions, I was lucky enough to slip in early on Friday night. The calm before the audiophile storm gave me a chance to take in the gear properly, to sit, listen, and let the music (and the machinery) do the talking.

Here are five standout products that defined this year’s show for me.

Denon AVC-A10H: The powerhouse amplifier

While the mainstream love their wireless gadgets and minimalist setups, Denon’s AVC-A10H is gloriously unapologetic. A 13.4-channel amplifier capable of 150 watts per channel, it’s basically an audio gym membership for your living room. Denon’s engineers have clearly decided that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing with 32 speakers and enough bass to shake loose dental fillings.

With support for Dolby Atmos, DTS: X Pro, and Auro 3D, plus HDMI 2.1 for 8K video, it’s built for anyone who believes “home cinema” should mean “cinema.”

McIntosh MT10 turntable and Sonus Faber Amati Supreme speakers

There’s a certain reverence that surrounds the McIntosh logo — that glowing blue is practically holy light for vinyl fans. The MT10 turntable, with its low-vibration platter and sapphire bearings, was a highlight of the Hi-Fi hall.

But paired with the Sonus faber Amati Supreme speakers, it became something else entirely: warm, weighty, and impossibly elegant. The Italian craftsmanship of the Amatis, with their “Voice of Sonus faber” technology, made every record feel alive, proof that vinyl’s appeal isn’t nostalgia, it’s nuance.

Meze Audio 105 SILVA Headphones: Retro looks, modern soul

Over in the headphone section, Meze’s new 105 SILVA stopped me in my tracks. Walnut wood ear cups meet brushed aluminium; it’s a design that feels both timeless and modern. More importantly, they sound exquisite. Balanced, rich, and effortlessly detailed, they’re the kind of headphones that make you want to re-listen to your entire library just to hear what you’ve been missing.

For those who prefer a touch more magic, Meze’s Empyrean II was also on show, a lesson in how far isodynamic driver design has come.

FiiO M21 Titanium Digital Audio Player: Pocket rocket

FiiO might not carry the same old-school prestige as McIntosh, but the M21 Titanium shows just how much innovation is happening in portable audio. With four Cirrus Logic DACs, native DSD256 decoding, and enough power to drive any headphone, it’s essentially a high-end hi-fi rig in your pocket.

It even runs Android with full access to the Google Play Store so that you can stream from Qobuz, Tidal, or Apple Music without compromise. Fifteen hours of battery life and a slick titanium finish seal the deal; this is a serious player for serious listeners.

Klipsch Real Custom Cinema: You’re not ready (but you’ll want to be)

Some demos at PAVS are subtle. This one was not. Klipsch’s Real Custom Cinema room was a full-blown 18-seat Dolby Atmos theatre that felt more like a theme park ride than a listening test. The subwoofers, described by the hosts as “colossal beasts,” delivered a wall of sound that could probably register on seismographs.

It’s the kind of setup that makes you wonder whether your neighbours would move out voluntarily or just surrender. Either way, you’d be too busy grinning to care.

A crowd that knows its sound

By Saturday, the show floor was packed with enthusiasts, dealers, and a few wide-eyed newcomers, realising that Bluetooth speakers aren’t the be-all and end-all. Whether it was DALI’s majestic KORE speakers, Yamaha’s hand-crafted YH-4000 headphones, or the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Max shaking walls with its virtual 3D audio, the message was clear: fidelity matters again.

Walking out of the Palais des Congrès as the city lights of Paris flickered on, one thought stuck with me: music is personal, but great sound is universal. While modern conveniences and features have taken over from true high-fidelity sound, it’s nice to see that, although it might be niche, style and sound quality in their purest form are still worth aspiring to. Once you hear great sounds, it’s hard to unhear it.