CES 2018

dCS, D'Agostino, Wilson, Transparent, and HRS—how often have we found products from these companies making a synergistic and most musical match? As you'll learn from Jana Dagdagan's video once it's posted, Jana, John Atkinson, and I visited the spacious suite in the Mirage Hotel in which these companies paired a dCS limited edition Vivaldi 1 ($80,000 or, in the striking bright nickel finish seen in this room, $92,000) and Rossini clock ($7999); an HRS VXR rack; D'Agostino Master Systems Progression preamplifier ($22,000) and Progression stereo amplifier ($22,000); Wilson Audio Sasha 2 speaker, with Transparent Generation 5 XL cabling (approx. $50,000 total); and Transparent Reference Power Isolator ($5995).

HiFiMan had two new products on display this year: one for the budget-minded, and one not.

First, for the entry level, is the new Sundara planar headphone which will retail for $499. Josselin Marvie from HiFiMan explains that "We spent some time designing this headphone to be more reliable and comfortable, so we have a new headband design which is more lightweight as well. We also have new cups, and everything has been redesigned to make the headphone last longer."

Pennsylvania-based distributor/exporter Dyson Lai proudly presented the gorgeous new TPC-1HP tube preamp from Seattle, Washington-based Increcable Acoustic Lab. Retail will be $6,000 when the preamp is released in the next couple months.

Discerning college dorm rooms and recording studios rejoice! JBL's famed L100 speaker from the seventies has been rebooted as the L100 Classic (left, in the photo above), which, despite the familiar look, Harman's Todd Eichenbaum says is new from the ground up.

KEF has just upped the ante on the LS50W, the wireless version of its lauded LS50 bookshelf speaker, with the release of the LS50W Nocturne Special Edition ($2499.99/pair). Engineered by KEF Head of Acoustics Jack Oclee-Brown and sporting an eye-catching design by Dutch Designer Marcel Wanders—I regret that my photo fails to capture all the graphic detail on KEF's Uni-Q driver and cabinet—the LS50W Nocturne Edition will be available on January 15.

"All products in the Heritage Series are built in the Klipsch factory in Hope Arkansas," the company's Kerry Geist begins. Klipsch has chosen to only demo the Heritage stuff here in the Venetian, with the bulk of their contemporary line back at the main convention center. And the room is quite crowded, so they clearly understand their demographic.