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The CES's "Innovations" exhibit at the Sands Convention Center is intended to honor the most technologically advanced and ground-breaking consumer electronic products at the Show. Most of the display cases were still waiting to be populated on set-up day (though we spotted B&W's cute cylindrical subwoofer as well as Krell's Dean Roumanis wheeling in some big boxes). But some of the choices for an award raised our eyebrows, as with this robot intended to train boxers in the comfort of their own homes. <I>Stereophile</I>'s Stephen Mejias strikes a suitably pugilistic pose.

As a reader pointed out, missing from Wes Phillips' coverage of Wednesday's Thiel CS3.7 press conference was a picture of the new speaker. Here it is, pictured with Jim Thiel waxing lyrical about his new midrange diaphragm.

It's just after 10pm, here in Las Vegas. The moon is an eyelash.

"Its first audible resonance is effectively above 20kHz&mdash;that's above the operating range of some <I>tweeters</I>."

I've always said that cables might be the most important component in a system&mdash;after all, without 'em, you don't get much sound out of the whole schmear. <A HREF=http://www.avegasystems.com">Avega Systems</A> is doing its best to make a liar out of me with its Oyster wireless loudspeaker.

Others, not so much.

Basically, the press conference day is crowded and noisy and pointless. Even worse, they play irritating techno music at you for what seems like hours.