by Michael

As a member of the CES 2008 Press…

I now get lots of emails most of which I am not going to share with you [You can thank me later.]…

One email talked about their being 2700 exhibits this year… No. Wait. that is 2700 exhibitors. OK, at an average of, say, 5 exhibitors per exhibit? Is that a good number? … we get 540 exhibits. I expect about 160 – 180 high-end audio rooms [about 60 of which are at T.H.E. Show] so high-end audio is a third of the show [ and T.H.E. Show a 3rd of the high-end audio portion]? Maybe so – looking at how much time it takes me to photograph everything.

Hmmmm… WARNING – there was a lot of Wile Eyed Guessing in that last paragraph 🙂

in CES 2008 / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Show Reports 0 comments
 by Michael

Audio Note at CES at Alexis Park

[Neli is helping me here with this post. Hope it gets done this year… well, we have 6 hours, should be enough?]

We have two rooms again this year. One has a modest system and one… does not.

The Modest, Down-to-Earth System

AN/E SPe HE speakers (98dB High efficiency with the hemp drivers – the ones that were brand new at CES last year, now much more broken in)
Oto Phone SE integrated amplifier
CD 2.1x/II CD player
TT2 turntable with ARM Three arm and S4 stepup transformer IO1 cartridge
AN/Vx interconnects, Lexus XL speaker cable

The Over The Top System

AN/E SEC Signature loudspeakers in Madrone with external crossovers – high efficiency with the new tweeters. [uh. brand spanking new. Well, we have the weekend to break them in, Whoo Hoo.]
Kegon Balanced [Brand spanking new. Detecting a pattern here?]
M9 Phono preamplifier [graciously on loan]
DAC 4.1x Balanced DAC
CDT-Three transport
TT3 Reference turntable with AN1S arm, IO Gold cartridge and AN-S9 step-up transformer.
SOTTO interconnects and the new SOGON [50] interconnects and speaker [96] cables
HRS (Harmonic Resolution Systems) SXR 3-shelf equipment rack and 8 M3 Isolation Bases [i.e. 5 on the floor as they say]

in Audio Note / CES 2008 / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments
 by Michael

CES 2008 Preparizations

We are not going to be providing photos to Audiogon for CES 2008, Albert Porter and crew will be doing the job for them. That makes life easier for us – we just do what we gonna do – which is probably a lot like last year, unless you people have other ideas?

Let’s see. Here, we are in disarray. Shipped 8 HRS platforms out to Vegas early in the week. We have two skids of equipment going there as well full of Audio Note equipment [Neli will have to let me know what she knows and then you’ll know what is on the skids]. We are taking two separate cars not quite full but too full for just one car. This for two rooms over at the Alexis Park. Near the back. Whatever, it’ll be better than over at the Venetian that seems to want to CRUSH whatever spirit and innovation and individuality it can find – which is funny for a place that hosts the Audio Video Awards. Maybe if we put more sex into our hobby, they would be more accommodating?

The things I am looking forward to? A few things….

The Lamm ML3 amps – which are now even more expensive. Yeah, they’ll be on – well they just say Wilson speakers. Anyway, no not the ultimate pairing, but one that should give us a sense of what the amps are doing, since the sound of most Wilson speakers are pretty familiar, well for the year or so that they are current production, anyway. Zanden front end. OK, going to be sweet. Good for driving Wilsons, probably. Silent Running Audio platforms and racks… uh – soft and mushy? OK. … TW-Acustic, Kubala-Sosna. OK, do not expect a forward and detailed presentation 🙂

The new Audio Note TT3 turntable (premiered in Milan). This will be in our room this year. Low mass platter with high torque motors. Should be interesting. We *do* like the voicing of Audio Note gear (so far :-)) so this should be …interesting… kind of goes counter to the high-mass platters we have had here – or the just-make-it-look-good tables that most other manufacturers build.

Emm Labs might have a thing or two to premiere… 🙂

The new and IMproved Wilson Alexandrias II+++ [I don’t know what their latest designation is]. I’d like to hear these. Hope someone is bringing them.

Kondo is doing a lot of press these days – maybe they’ll be at the show… and hopefully with a pair of decent speakers.

Maybe Clearaudio will actually *play* their uber table this year?

Video-wise, I would like to see a Sony XBR 1080p in 32 inches or smaller. The 20 inch LG I have on my desk now… is nice but… has issues. I’ll do a post on this thing sometime for those of you that give a hoot. 🙂

Uh, can’t think of anything. I hope it is sunny and warm, but I hear it has been a cold winter there (40s). I do about 45 minutes of walking outside, on a good day, carrying a large hunk of camera… so, uh, maybe gloves?

in CES 2008 / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments