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Agreed: For me, for whatever reasons, this CES was not only far more enjoyable than last year's show, but the most enjoyable CES I've ever attended.
I think it had something to do with staying at the Mirage, which offered far more comfortable working and sleeping environments and was generally better for the soul than Harrah's. And I also think it had something to do with smaller overall crowds, which made interacting with people a lot more pleasant. And, at least for me, I think my mood was bolstered by the presence of more affordable gear (especially headphones and desktop systems) than I anticipated.
I think it's also important to note again, as Michael Lavorgna emphasizes in his CES show wrap, that there were two overarching topics at this particular show: The promises of DSD -- in every room I heard it, DSD playback managed to convey an enormous sense of space and wonderful tonal color, and invariably proved intensely emotionally compelling -- and lifestyle products and technologies (specifically Bluetooth) that should appeal to wider markets, yet which have been significantly improved by audiophile engineers. The high-end audio world should embrace the "lifestyle" market and improve it. High-end audio is, after all, a lifestyle.
In any case, it was a fun and encouraging show.