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Sony Playstation?

Call me biased. I really don't care, and, anyway:

You'd be right.

But I think I've already discovered one of my favorite rooms here at the Show.

I stopped by to say hello to John DeVore over at the St. Tropez where he's setting up two rooms at T.H.E. Show. They've still got a lot of work to do, but things are already sounding good.

Between the two rooms, DeVore's got three systems going. The smallest system features my sweethearts, the small gibbon 3s, matched to a Sony Playstation as the CD source.

"Awesome," I tell John.
"Yeah, it sounds…

To be honest, I didn't give it much of a chance. I mean, especially after Jim Thiel's captivating presentation on the new CS3.7, the Philips press conference seemed like so much noise and swirling lights and fake boobs.

Can I say "fake boobs" in a show report?

Anyhoo, Thiel's newest model features a midrange driver which is said to achieve some seriously realistic tonal character. Jim Thiel worked this out not by utilizing any fancy-schmancy materials — beryllium, for instance — but by going old-skool, geometry style.

It's ribbed, for your pleasure.

"Formed…

Why You Should Be Glad You're Not AT CES

Basically, the press conference day is crowded and noisy and pointless. Even worse, they play irritating techno music at you for what seems like hours.

Some Things Seem Made For One Another

Others, not so much.

Cuter Than A June Bug

If one component is omnipresent this year, it's the iPod. You may find this hard to believe, but there are actually companies making iPod accessories these days—actually, it's hard to find companies that aren't.

I was really taken by the stuff in Sonic Impact's booth, especially the $149 i-Fusion, which hoses speakers, a docking station, class-D amp, headphone storage, and DSP to make the tiny speakers sound pretty decent.

No, this won't replace my office system, bit I sure wish I could have convinced Big Rich Bracke that I needed to take the sample set back to my hotel with me…

Avega: Wire<I>less</I> Is More

I've always said that cables might be the most important component in a system—after all, without 'em, you don't get much sound out of the whole schmear. Avega Systems is doing its best to make a liar out of me with its Oyster wireless loudspeaker.

The Oyster (price TBD, but probably in the $3000/pair neighborhood) uses the 802.11 wireless protocol, so that you can control the loudspeakers from any wi-fi computer network. Or, you can use the Oyster's USB input to run off your iPod, making the Oyster the most expensive iPod accessory I've seen at the show so far. The speakers have DSP…

Thiel's New Midrange/Tweeter

"Its first audible resonance is effectively above 20kHz—that's above the operating range of some tweeters."

Thiel CS3.7—A First Look

You know that stuff I said about how pointless the pre-show press conferences are? Well, not always—not, for example, when Jim Thiel has been busy. At last year's CES, Thiel practically levitated when he began describing the challenges of re-designing his CS3.6 floorstander, which has been in production since 1992. He described what he'd keep in the CS3.7 (first-order crossover; three-way design; short-coil/long gap motor design; coincident tweeter and midrange, time coherence;and aluminum diaphragms) and then he began waxing rhapsodic about how completely open that left his…

Just After 10

It's just after 10pm, here in Las Vegas. The moon is an eyelash.

A group of people in tight jeans and flashy shirts recently left the hotel, and are following the lights toward the casinos.

Others are now stumbling back to their rooms, drunk, with smiles on their faces and money in their pockets.

Have a good night.

Thiel CS3.7—A Photo

As a reader pointed out, missing from Wes Phillips' coverage of Wednesday's Thiel CS3.7 press conference was a picture of the new speaker. Here it is, pictured with Jim Thiel waxing lyrical about his new midrange diaphragm.

From top to bottom: the new coaxial tweeter/midrange unit; 10" aluminum-cone woofer; 10" aluminum-cone passive radiator.