CES 2009

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CES 2009
Good Vibes
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jan 14, 2009  |  1 comments
Frank Cheng's Acoustic System International now produces LiveLine cabling. Combining acoustic resonator technology with super thin, solid-core wire, the cabling is composed of different segments that contain wires made from different metals that are ultimately soldered together at 850 degrees. The RCA interconnect costs $995 (length not stipulated in the press materials), XLR interconnect $1450, 1.8m power cable $995, and 2.4m speaker cable $1750. One online publication gave each of these cables a product of the year award.
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CES 2009
Magic in the Midrange
John Atkinson  |  Jan 14, 2009  |  0 comments
Richard Vandersteen showed me the new midrange unit he designed for the Vandersteen 7. The cone is a sandwich of balsa wood between two carbon-fiber skins, the voice-coil is titanium, and most notably, there is almost nothing in the skeletal chassis that would obstruct the cone's rear-wave.
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CES 2009
The Vandersteen Seven
John Atkinson  |  Jan 14, 2009  |  3 comments
A new speaker from Vandersteen Audio doesn't happen very often—Richard Vandersteen introduced his Model 2 in 1977 and the 2009 CES witnessed the debut of the Model 7, which, at $45,000/pair is the most expensive speaker ever from the frugal Mr. V.
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CES 2009
Ongaku Means Ecstasy
Wes Phillips  |  Jan 14, 2009  |  17 comments
JA caught up with me at the Blue Light Audio room and suggested we saunter down to hear the 25Wpc Audio Note Ongaku integrated amplifier ($95,000) featured in his photograph above. Yes that's a jaw-dropping price, even after four days of CES. The Ongaku has five line level inputs. It employs two NOS VT4-C (211) tubes, an original NOS Telefunken 6463, and two NOS 5R4WGB rectifiers. Audio Note builds it own silver-wired driver transformer on a double AN-Perma nickel C-core. AN tantalum resistors, Black Gate electrolytics, and another silver wired transformer (output this time) complete the innards.
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CES 2009
Vivid Vivids
John Atkinson  |  Jan 14, 2009  |  10 comments
Although it was shown in protype form at the 2008 CES, the Giya from South African manufacturer Vivid ($58,000/pair) is now in production and was being demmed in US distributor On A Higher Note's penthouse suite at the Mirage hotel with Luxman amplification, Nordost Odin cabling, Quantum power conditioning, and open-reel tapes from The Tape Project's second batch of releases played back on a Tim de Paravicini-modified Technics deck.
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CES 2009
Rappin' Up in a Down Year
Wes Phillips  |  Jan 14, 2009  |  64 comments
At the end of every CES, we struggle to find the underlying themes that bind the show to the industry and the world at large. The overwhelming theme this year was the economy. Attendance was down—the official estimate was 10% off of last year's, but everyone I spoke with snorted in derision at that figure.
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CES 2009
Bel Canto FM-1 Tuner's Identity Crises
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  2 comments
We all have different digital needs, and companies like Bel Canto are trying different combinations of features to find customers.
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CES 2009
Bel Canto Ultra-Dock In The Works
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  0 comments
Robert Baird got the scoop on this one in the February issue of Stereophile. Check his Aural Robert column for details about the Sonic Focus technology included in this iPod dock and its surprising heritage.
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CES 2009
SE2 Labs ITC One Topless
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  2 comments
Once you choose which components you want, they bolt the circuit boards inside the chassis and link them together.
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CES 2009
SE2 Labs ITC One
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  3 comments
Not an audiophile product per se, SE2 Labs ITC One "Integrated Theater Console" takes all the components typical in a high-end audio/video rack, and strips away everything but the circuit boards and transports and puts them all in a single climate-controlled chassis.
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CES 2009
AMR CD-777 Player/Processor
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  0 comments
Abbingdon Music Research out of London revealed their new CD-777 at the show with US distributor Darren Censullo from Avatar Acoustics on hand to explain the details.
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CES 2009
Vitus SL-010
Wes Phillips  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  0 comments
"You have got to check out Vitus," Jon Iverson enthused. When I did, I took his point. Vitus Audio is the love child of Hans-Ole Vitus, who takes a holistic approach to audio design. Vitus products are, he explains, the result of relationships—not just parts and circuits, but how they interact with one another. I suspect, from looking at the gear, Vitus is also concerned about beauty, too.
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CES 2009
Affordable Cable Excellence
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  10 comments
All the wire used in DH Labs's products is manufactured in the USA; cables are manufactured in the same facility that manufactures for NASA. At least 11 major recording studios use the company's cables, and others will soon join the list. This, along with the nice sound albeit not ultimately detailed sound they were getting from their modest display system certainly suggests that they're doing something right.
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CES 2009
The Silent Snakes
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  10 comments
Shunyata, which first made its mark with a novel line of US-made power cables named after various snakes and using a ferrite-based powder filling to absorb RF, has come out with five new serpentine products. According to sales manager Richard Colburn, the company has learned how to put more metal inside its cables, thereby increasing their gauge. The copper used is CDA-101, the only copper certified for its purity. Proprietary connectors are unplated brass, which company founder/designer Caelin Gabriel considers to sound the best.
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CES 2009
In The Groove
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jan 13, 2009  |  0 comments
Allen Perkins' Spiral Groove has expanded beyond its excellent turntable, which has won major awards in Japan, to issue a new amp, DAC, and cabling. The patented cable line, close to final production, includes speaker cable, interconnect, and digital interconnect. Price has yet to be determined. Proof of its quality is that it used Spiral Groove's two tonearms and the entire line of Sonics speakers designed by Joachim Gerhard (formerly of Audio Physic) and now manufactured in Berkeley, CA. Having heard pre-production samples several of these products at Casa Bellecci-Serinus, I know that one of Allen's concerns is to eschew hard-edged digititis and over-hyped sound in favor of the more natural presentation of analog.
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