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<<  -- 2 --  Tess Crebbin    GOING THE EXTRA MILE WITH AN EGYPTIAN DEITY

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In our quest we went through several of the 25 halls that were filled to near capacity, and tried to look for some less expensive sound systems that would still satisfy the discerning music lover's ear. Unfortunately, all we initially found was proof that quality has its price, for what we listened to was a far cry from the top sounds experienced at the big presentations. Not willing to give up, we kept walking around, grimly determined and getting ever more tired just from the sheer distance that we had to cover to make our way from one hall to the next, until one sound expert we met at a stand eventually took pity on us and gave us some direction: Typhoon/Anubis, he said, was the magic word: this apparently is a German company which advertises little but is known mainly by word of mouth, is immensely successful and seemingly produces what we were looking for: high quality at an affordable price that would allow ordinary mortals real audio enjoyment.

The Typhoon stand at CeBIT 2005. Photo © 2005 Phil Crebbin
The Typhoon stand at CeBIT 2005. Photo © 2005 Phil Crebbin

So with a complex CeBIT map in hand, we made our way to Hall 19, stand C37, where we were told Typhoon was located. There we met crowds and crowds, speaking all conceivable languages, from the better-known ones like Italian to such exotics like Taiwanese, Korean and some of the other Asian ones. The stand and the products looked good but could they hold up to the sound comparison with Panasonic and Co? First we tried the heart-and-soul of Typhoon sound systems: the new wireless surround system that reduces the cable clutter and unsightly mess when all one wants to do is enjoy an opera on television. For this, they had it all set up: a slightly-more-regular-sized flat-screen TV with wireless surround speakers on incorporated stands that were so light you could easily knock them over. The sound was great and crisp. This 9400 Wireless Home Theatre should be on the market in June 2005 and will retail at the amazingly low price of only about 279 euros! In fact, it sounded so good that it seemed as though someone with an ear for classical music was at the helm of this company and so we decided to investigate.

This led us to Dominique Bonk, the charismatic founder of Typhoon-Anubis, a sportive guy who is Germany's answer to Richard Branson, loves to go skiing and couples his affinity for Egypt (Anubis, we learned, is an Egyptian God) with an ear for good music.

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Copyright © 17 April 2005 Tess Crebbin, Germany

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