"You have got to check out Vitus," Jon Iverson enthused. When I did, I took his point. Vitus Audio is the love child of Hans-Ole Vitus, who takes a holistic approach to audio design. Vitus products are, he explains, the result of relationships—not just parts and circuits, but how they interact with one another. I suspect, from looking at the gear, Vitus is also concerned about beauty, too.

Abbingdon Music Research out of London revealed their new CD-777 at the show with US distributor Darren Censullo from Avatar Acoustics on hand to explain the details.

Not an audiophile product per se, SE2 Labs ITC One "Integrated Theater Console" takes all the components typical in a high-end audio/video rack, and strips away everything but the circuit boards and transports and puts them all in a single climate-controlled chassis.

Once you choose which components you want, they bolt the circuit boards inside the chassis and link them together.

Robert Baird got the scoop on this one in the February issue of <I>Stereophile</I>. Check his Aural Robert column for details about the Sonic Focus technology included in this iPod dock and its surprising heritage.

We all have different digital needs, and companies like Bel Canto are trying different combinations of features to find customers.

RBH Sound is best-known for its home-theater speakers, but CES saw the Utah-based company launch a "Signature" series of speakers that were demo'd in two-channel systems. I listened to a Telarc Aaron Copland recording on the three-way, sealed-box 8300-SE/R towers ($8449/pair), with a Boulder 1021 CD player and Boulder 860 power amplifier, and was impressed by the natural balance, extended low frequencies, and good dynamics.