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Ping Gong

This is Ping Gong, one of my hosts and my fellow traveler. At breakfast this morning, he explained to me how he became an audiophile. "It was the Cultural Revolution," he said. "We weren't allowed to study, so we played music and talked. I had a big Russian turntable—mono! And one speaker, of course.

"When things loosened up in the '70s, I got a mid-fi Japanese hi-fi, but it was stereo! And I began to build stuff to listen to."

Yup—not studying and listening to records, sounds like how I got into hi-fi. Except for that whole repressive government closing down the schools…

Just Your Everyday Daoist Christmas Display

China really likes Christmas. It makes for some odd bedfellows.

I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore

GuangZhou Hi-Fi 2006 was opened by the mayor of GuangZhou and other dignitaries, and included a pulchritudinous ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Matthew Zhou really knows how to throw a show.

Booth Babeage

This one's for Stephen Mejias. GuangZhou Hi-Fi 2006 is seriously into booth babes. I could almost do a series on that subject alone. You may talk among yourselves.

And what did I tell you about Christmas?

Big Mac

McIntosh was showing a "true 1080p high-def" projector. I said, "I didn't see this at CEDIA."

"That's because we're debuting it and then they'll show it at CES in January," Winky Tse explained.

The MDLP-1 will cost about $30,000 (USD), $10,000 extra for that optical anamorphic lens from ISCO.

I didn't rate a private showing, so I'll be back for the 2pm demo.

Some Stats

Over 10,000 products; seven floors of audio; "every manufacturer who matters from the US, Canada, Europe, China, Korea, Japan, and Kowloon;" and more than 30,000 people over four days.

Kowloon? I've got to find that one.

History Lesson

Antony Yim, marketing & product manager for B&W Group Asia Limited, used the 40th anniversary of B&W to give a history lesson that includes classic B&W products and a memorial wall.

Next Chapter

For the 40th anniversary, B&W is introducing the limited edition Signature Diamond, a $20,000 floorstanding two-way featuring the Diamond tweeter and B&W's kevlar 7" mid/bass driver. The flared port is tucked into that wedge-shaped cut-away on the bottom. Only 500 pairs will be made.

Eye Want Candy!

Cayin was showing the stunningly retro SP 105i table radio, which had me drooling. Nobody here knew what US importer Sze Leung was going to sell them for, but having seen the show sample, it's not what I thought I remembered, obviously. Importer VAS is still trying to determine a price, I've now been told.

The first US samples are "in a container ship on their way."

Oh, I forgot to mention that it's a tube table radio. Drooling yet?

Crikey, It's Kef!

Not exactly old blighty.