CD player prices continue to go down and, surprisingly, sound quality goes up; the Yamaha CD-X1 is an example of both. It's a front-drawer loader with some interesting innovations. Pushing the Open/Close button opens the drawer; it can be closed either by pushing the same button again or by pressing lightly against the end of the open drawer. (We understand this was done because many such players have been damaged by users trying to force the drawer shut by hand.)

The unit has three operating modes: Auto, Manual and Single. In Auto, play begins as soon as the drawer is closed, or as soon as the AC is turned on if a disc is already loaded. In Manual, play begins only when you press the Play button. Single is the same as Manual except that the unit goes into Pause after playing a single selection. Pressing Pause then plays the next selection.

I've included the long view of this room to demonstrate the lengths to which Ocean Way Audio's Allen Sides, in partnership with Viola Labs, went to achieve reference quality sound at T.H.E. Show…

What a songwriter!

Saturday, June 11, 1–7pm, Esoteric Audio (111 W Monroe Street, Suite 100, Phoenix), is presenting "Musical Bliss for any Budget" with Aerial, Aesthetix, dCS, Musical Surroundings, and Simaudio, while from 11am–7pm, Integrity Sound (4035 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota) will host a special "Truth in Sound" event with MartinLogan, Parasound, and AudioQuest.

Only one question followed me to the 14th floor of Hotel Irvine: Will floor 2's unprecedented number of good-sounding rooms be repeated on other floors during T.H.E. Show Newport?

"Dear TSA, These are Hi-Fi components. They are magnetic. Nothing active. Thanks."

On the first night of the show, a standing-room-only assemblage of friends, associates, and supporters gathered in a huge, tented outdoor pavilion to bid adieu to Richard Lawrence Beers (July 26, 1949–January 26, 2016), co-founder of The Home Entertainment Show.

Was it really possible that so many excellent sounding rooms, both large and small, could be located on a single floor?

A Game of Thrones vibe hit me when I visited the room hosted by Texas-based distributor Believe High Fidelity…