Ypsilon Electronics was a new name to me, so I wasn't sure what Jon Iverson and I would see when we entered its room. Whatever we expected, it wasn't the <I>ginormous</I> hybrid SET-100 monoblock amplifiers ($69,000/pair).

Ray Kimber's isoMike demonstrations always deliver some of the most natural sound of any show he attends&mdash;and CES 2007 was no exception.

"Let's face it," Neosonik's Ted Feldman said, "wires are a hassle&mdash;nobody really wants to clutter up their homes with the darn stuff. I know eliminating wires has always been a dream of mine."

Von Schweikert Audio's VR-5 SEs ($25,000/pair) aren't new, but once again they impressed Jon Iverson and me with their verve and natural presentation of acoustic guitar. Nils Lofgren's "Keith Don't Go" kept us nailed to our seats for the whole 12 minutes&mdash;which, in CES Show mode, is equivalent to seven human years.

Joseph Audio's Jeff Joseph didn't bring any new goodies to the show this year. He once again demonstrated the $2495/pair Insider. "I'm still trying to demonstrate how incredible an in-wall loudspeaker can sound&mdash;if it uses an infinite slope crossover, that is."

Paul McGowan's $2500 PS Audio Power Plant Premier is radically different from his earlier power regenerating products. "For one thing, it's 85% efficient, which means it runs cooler and uses less energy," McGowan explained. "It has 10 Power Port receptacles with Nano Crystalline filters. It's even remote controlled."