CES Unveiled

CES Unveiled

Jan 07, 2011
“CES Unveiled” is the name of an event that’s presents a sort of preview of CES itself, featuring products that had been given awards for innovation. It takes place on the day before the CES Press Day, two days before CES is open. I normally don’t get to Las Vegas early enough to attend, but I did this time, so I thought I would check it out.

I got there nearly an hour before the four o’clock opening of CES Unveiled, and there were already hundreds of people—all accredited members of print or internet media or bloggers—waiting to get in. Were they expecting to get some valuable swag (promotional item), like an iPad? I checked at the entrance, and, indeed, there was some swag that was to be given to each person attending: not quite an iPad, but an external battery for an iPhone/iPod. Hmm. . .I recently bought an iPhone 4. I could use a battery for it. But there was no way I would wait that long. I wandered away, and came back at about a quarter to four. The line was then much longer, and I still ended up waiting about three-quarters of an hour before I got in. And—guess what—all the iPhone batteries were gone. I’m told they had 800 of them. Total attendance of the "CES Unveiled" event must have been over a thousand. It’s going to be a busy CES. . .

But I did get a little gift: an iPhone 4 case in shocking pink. Now I just have to find someone I can give it to.

Classé Unveiled

Classé Unveiled

Jan 07, 2011
CES Unveiled turned out to have little of interest to Stereophile readers—except those who are general technical geeks. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!) Most of the products on display involved mobile computing, computer peripherals, etc., and the exhibits were simple table-top setups. Major CES exhibitors like Sony and Panasonic were conspicuous by their absence. Samsung just had some of their small digicams. I guess the high performance audio community decided to pass on this event, and it makes sense: what makes these products special can’t be evaluated by just looking at them.

Moran, Potter, Grenadier, Harland

Moran, Potter, Grenadier, Harland

Jan 07, 2011
Photo: Michael Black | BLACKSUN©.

If you’re in New York City and don’t mind the snow (which resumed Friday), go to Birdland in midtown and see the Overtone Quartet, which features Jason Moran, Chris Potter, Larry Grenadier, and Eric Harland. They’re as good as you might expect, better even. They play through Sunday night.

PSB's Imagine Mini

PSB's Imagine Mini

Jan 07, 2011
PSB’s new Imagine mini ($700/pair) is available in five attractive finishes and uses a 1” tweeter and 4” clay/ceramic-filled polypropylene cone mid-woofer. The speaker measures approximately 5.75” x 9.5” x 8.3”, has high-quality, gold-plated five-way binding posts, and can be mounted on any hard surface or used on traditional speaker stands. Playing with NAD’s C565BEE CD player ($799), C165BEE preamp ($899), and C275BEE amplifier ($1199), the sound of acoustic guitars was enchanting and commanding, with fine detail, impact, and emotion. Very impressive.

Polk's Blackstone TL3 Satellite

Polk's Blackstone TL3 Satellite

Jan 07, 2011
Polk’s Blackstone TL3 ($300/pair) marks the eight-generation of Polk’s satellite speaker systems, and combines prior Polk technologies with new industrial design and improved time-aligned drive units, including a ring-radiator tweeter. The system we heard included a Marantz receiver and Samsung Blu-ray player, and I was very impressed by the small speakers’ ability to throw a wide soundstage with solid center-fill and fine detail.

T+A Caruso 2.1 System

T+A Caruso 2.1 System

Jan 07, 2011
The T+A Caruso ($3000) is a complete 2.1 system with iPod dock, FM tuner, alarm clock, USB input, and CD/DVD player, but is also compatible with external speakers, thus turning its onboard drive units into a center channel. It employs DSP processing for its admirable bass quality and wide dispersion, and seemed to have a very relaxed, enjoyable sound.

Dynaudio's DM2/6

Dynaudio's DM2/6

Jan 07, 2011
Dynaudio’s DM2/6 ($800/pair) is a bass-reflex design with a 5.5” mid-woofer and a coated soft-dome tweeter. Said to be easy to drive for any amplifier, the DM2/6 has a rated sensitivity of 86dB with a 6 ohm impedance. The DM2/6 is available in very attractive black ash and rosewood vinyl veneers, and is engineered and built in Denmark.

Wadia's 171iTransport

Wadia's 171iTransport

Jan 07, 2011
Wadia’s new 171iTransport digital iPod dock ($599) is now also compatible with Apple’s iPad. Other changes include an improved circuit board, new clock chip, higher grade connectors, and a better internal power supply. The remote control has also been redesigned for better ease of use.

Wanted: Walton "Battle in the Air" BBC Proms 2007 (any format)

Forums
General Rants 'n' Raves
Submitted by hollowman on

A bit off-topic, and I've posted this request on other forums -- w/o luck! -- so I'm posting it here (out of desperation!) ...

This is the best version of Walton's 'Battle in the Air' (BBC Proms 2007) I've heard, and if one could obtain 16/44.1 or better, it would make great demo track (a bit like the Tony Faulkner-engineered Samuel Barber Symphony #2 on Naxos).

YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feJsR1Kgibc

From "The Battle of Britain" (1969)

What is the reasonable charge for diagnosing and fixing amp. problem

Forums
General Rants 'n' Raves
Submitted by ggolub1 on

Folks, my VTL amp right channel stopped working. VTL rep recommended me local authorized repairmen.
At that time I was not aware of custom prices and I was under impression that if guy was recommended - he is reasonable.
He told me $220 as minimum call.
It turned out lamp was bad. He wants me to pay $225 for whole job which also includes re-biasing.
Do you think it's reasonable?

Subscribe to
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement