|
CES 2007
Part
1
 After
years at Alexis Park, CES moved to The
Venetian. I was not looking forward to being
so close to the rest of CES and I was not sure
what to expect. The unpleasantness started
quickly. After walking what seemed like a
couple of football fields to pick up my press
badge I was confronted by a security guard.
Two friends accompanying me were at a
registration window. I needed to give them a
message that I was going to make a quick trip
to the nearby press room and would return in
five minutes. I wanted them to wait for me
near their present location. Because I already
had my badge the security guard would not
allow me to go through the rope snake and talk
to my friends for 30 seconds. The fact that
there was not one person in line seemed to
escape him. I still cannot understand what he
thought he was protecting or what order he was
preserving. My friends and I were the only
ones there except for someone at an adjacent
window. The guard’s actions were mimicked by
the dour attitudes of the guards at the end of
the halls on the lower levels of the
Sands/Venetian. They somehow forgot how to
treat guests. Fortunately the atmosphere was
much improved once I entered any of the
exhibitors’ rooms. There the shared passions
restored harmony in more than one way.
The tower rooms at the Venetian are larger
than the ones at Alexis Park or the St. Tropez
(home of T.H.E. Show). But they are
split-level which forces lower level seating
to be too close and upper level seating to be
too high. However, most exhibitors dealt with
it very well and the extra space was
appreciated.
I did not think I would miss the knee
punishing concrete steps at Alexis Park but I
was wrong. I would trade them any day for the
long, smoky waits for an elevator in the
Venetian. I truly miss the more relaxed
atmosphere that was present at Alexis Park and
the chance for some fresh air between rooms.
That is why I enjoyed T.H.E. Show more than
CES in 2007. That and the fact that T.H.E.
Show organizers and staff went out of their
way to make exhibitors and attendees feel
welcome. Many thanks to them for a job well
done.
Fun People and Good Music
AudioKinesis (T.H.E. Show)
Good music and
friendly people are what makes T.H.E. Show a
great place to be. One of my favorite rooms
was the AudioKinesis room. Pictured are Lori
and Duke LeJeune with their Stormbringer
speaker ($3000/pair). To say their room was
understated would be, well, an understatement.
Surrounded by speakers many times the cost,
Duke’s interesting approach to speaker design
has created an excellent sounding speaker from
top to bottom. After the sound, the first
thing that captured my attention was the
45degree toe-in (see photograph above). Duke
explained that the Stormbringer has a
90-degree radiation pattern and the extreme
toeing creates a sound field where the axes
crisscross in front of the listening area.
That creates a wider than normal “sweet spot”
and avoids the early reflection off the near
sidewall. I can attest to the wide sweet spot.
I wandered around the room and even listened
from the adjoining room in their suite. The
off-center listening rivaled the quality of my
beloved Apogees.
The Stormbringers are SET and OTL friendly.
System electronics consisted of an Oppo
DV-970HD DVD player used as a transport into
an MHDT Labs Paradisea DAC. Amplification was
a deHavilland Ultra-Verve preamplifier and
deHavilland Aires 845-G monoblock amplifiers.
All electronics were connected to a single
Magnan Signature 6-outlet power strip. Bass
response from the Stormbringer can be tuned
via a modular port system. The port system is
comprised of three parts (outer flare, inner
flare, and short center section) which can be
used in various combinations to adjust port
length and therefore, speaker performance. I
did most of my listening without “The Swarm”
which is a set of four small subwoofers with
one 240 watt plate amp ($1500). I found the
bass from the Stormbringer to be rich and full
without the Swarm. Note: one subwoofer is
visible in the photographs.
www.audiokinesis.com
Silverline Audio Technology (CES)
The
always-effervescent Alan Yun poses with new
products debuted at CES 2007. The Allegro
(5-driver, 3-way; $3000/pair) and the Minuet
(2-way bookshelf monitor, $600/pair) debuted
at CES. I heard the third speaker pictured,
the Prelude (3-driver, 2-way; $1200/pair),
powered by the Prestige 300B ($8000) which was
also introduced at CES. The Prestige 300B is
an integrated amplifier producing 7
watts/channel from a single-ended, zero
feedback, automatic biasing design. The
Prelude and Prestige were a very musical
combination. The front end of the system was a
North Star Model 192 CD transport and Model
192 DAC. The same North Star duo was used for
the Minuet speakers I listened to. The dynamic
bass response, volume, and musical
presentation from those minute speakers (9” x
5.5” x 7.25” -- shipping weight 15
pounds/pair) was astounding and left more than
one listener totally amazed. With a sly smile
Alan pointed to the Pass Labs X600.5
monoblocks powering the speakers. At many
times the size and price it seemed a strange
pairing indeed (but it worked exceptionally
well). Alan, Alan, what car do you drive---a
Mini Cooper with a big block Chevy engine?
www.silverlineaudio.com
Nola Viper Reference (CES)
One room I enjoyed very much was the Nola
room. The Nola Viper Reference speakers use
the same bass (cast magnesium) and midrange
(110mm, cast frame Alnico magnet) drivers as
the Grand Reference. The tweeter is a twin
Alnico magnet dipole metal dome. The midrange
and tweeter operate as open baffles and gave a
very open and spacious sound. The Viper
Reference is an external crossover design.
The support system for the Viper Reference
included a Lector 4 piece CD player,
conrad-johnson ART II preamplifier, Western
Electric 972-A mono block amplifiers, three
pairs of Nola IP1 Isolation platforms, and
Nordost Valhalla cables.
The Piano Rosewood Viper Reference speakers
pictured are $12,000/pair. They are also
available in piano black for $13,200/pair.
www.nolaspeakers.com
Arcici Suspense Equipment Rack (CES)
The dapper Ray Shab shows off his Suspense
isolation rack. The Suspense uses three rubber
bellows to isolate an entire rack of equipment
(up to 600 pounds). Whereas typical
air-bladder isolation units place the bladder
under the equipment, the Suspense places three
bladders under a top plate that is made of
acrylic-buffered steel and weighs more than 70
pounds. The internal acrylic shelves are then,
as the name implies, suspended from the top
plate by four rods. The combined weight of the
suspended shelves and equipment provides a
greater loading on the bellows and a lower,
more stable center of gravity compared to
other bladder suspension systems. The
adjustable shelves are individually decoupled
by means of Zorbex pads under each shelf. This
prevents resonant crosstalk between components
within the rack.
The Suspense Rack System is available in two
heights, a 48” with four interior shelves
($2950) and a 36” with three interior shelves
($2650). Both have a footprint of 23”x23” and
come with an air pump. Additional interior
shelves are available.
www.arcici.net
Coming Attractions
Furutech Expands Their Line of Vinyl and Disc
Treatment Products (CES)
In addition to their existing DeMag LP, disc,
and cable demagnetizer Furutech introduced two
new products to be available at the end of
March. The Destat ($360) is a hand-held,
battery operated unit that removes dust and
static charge in ten seconds. A balanced ion
flow reduces static and enables the
incorporated fan to blow dust away. The DeStat
is meant to be used in conjunction with the
DeMag each time a disc is played.
The Furutech DFV-1 ($1380) flattens warped
LPs. Simply place the LP inside, secure the
latches, and push a button. The DFV-1
automatically takes care of the entire heating
and cooling cycle that takes about two hours.
Judging from the number of very expensive
turntables playing warped vinyl at CES, this
is sure to be a popular item. At least it will
make you more popular if you own one and your
friends don’t.
www.furutech.com
Don Shaulis
Next Page
|
