| CES 2005 Coverage |
| FOREWORD |
Adopting its past practice, CES has a subdivision venue at the Alexis Park
Resort dubbed High-Performance Audio, and that’s where many high-end audio
manufacturers conjoined to set up their sound rooms. Adjacent the Alexis Park
Resort is the St. Tropez Hotel, the site of the independent The Home
Entertainment Show (T.H.E. Show).
There is a world of difference in assessing high-end audio from most everything
else. Anyone can appreciate the quality of a plasma or LCD TV immediately,
likewise for electronic gadgets that are to enhance a gamer’s gaming
experience, or chairs that give comprehensive message. But not so for high-end
audio.
For me, high-end audio is an emotional experience to be appreciated in one’s
own home, an experience that the best and most fortunate of exhibits can only
fleetingly suggest at best. So I went to demonstrations and exhibits for
intellectual and suggestive information on the uniqueness of the products.
Since not all deserving products sounded their best in their respective rooms,
DAGOGO’s Event Coverage will include an indicator for exhibits which I find
exceptional; but most importantly, I think all products should be auditioned
carefully to determine their sonic compatibility to your ears.
I can appreciate the approach adopted by JM Lab, ELAC, PS Audio, Marantz and
many high-end audio exhibitors, who forewent a quieter environment of Alexis
Park Resort for listening, and exhibited instead at the Las Vegas Convention
Center. They positioned themselves to take advantage of the tremendous
traffic for high exposure, and their exhibits were pure informational,
sometimes with actual product cross-section displays. Having a sound room can
be advantageous, but being aware of the highly compromised surroundings, and
thus steering away from giving visitors negative demonstration impressions can
also be wise. In terms of show participation, these companies' decision to go a
different route could make them stand out inadvertently.
To many, the task of making an abundance of ingenious designs sound good in a
room is not only a daunting task and a thankless one, it is oftentimes
frustratingly impossible. For one, not all loudspeaker exhibitors get to
demonstrate their speakers in rooms with sonic properties conducive for
critical listening, and not all exhibitors were able to tune an otherwise
unsuitable hotel room to sound good in a few days. It is oftentimes pure luck if
an exhibitor can customize the sonic properties of a room to his advantage.
Then, attendees’ have their own, unannounced expectations and preferences
when they visit each exhibit. All audiophiles want to find the room that
produces the sound he likes, and a horn speaker advocate will certain find the
sound of certain types of speaker unacceptable. No one would expect an SET-
phile to vouch for a solid-state amplification exhibit, and so much for getting a
room to sound good for the largest of speakers, if some members of the
audience didn’t like the electronics being used to begin with. Many exhibitors
had to utilize someone else’s electronics to showcase how their products could
sound, be it CD players, amplifiers, speakers, or cables. The fact that such
matching is sometimes suboptimal only adds to the odds of a suboptimal
presentation.
In the end, venues such as CES should accord audiophiles and exhibitors alike an
opportunity to meet, and perhaps even learn from each other, in the hope of
mutual appreciation.
Resort dubbed High-Performance Audio, and that’s where many high-end audio
manufacturers conjoined to set up their sound rooms. Adjacent the Alexis Park
Resort is the St. Tropez Hotel, the site of the independent The Home
Entertainment Show (T.H.E. Show).
There is a world of difference in assessing high-end audio from most everything
else. Anyone can appreciate the quality of a plasma or LCD TV immediately,
likewise for electronic gadgets that are to enhance a gamer’s gaming
experience, or chairs that give comprehensive message. But not so for high-end
audio.
For me, high-end audio is an emotional experience to be appreciated in one’s
own home, an experience that the best and most fortunate of exhibits can only
fleetingly suggest at best. So I went to demonstrations and exhibits for
intellectual and suggestive information on the uniqueness of the products.
Since not all deserving products sounded their best in their respective rooms,
DAGOGO’s Event Coverage will include an indicator for exhibits which I find
exceptional; but most importantly, I think all products should be auditioned
carefully to determine their sonic compatibility to your ears.
I can appreciate the approach adopted by JM Lab, ELAC, PS Audio, Marantz and
many high-end audio exhibitors, who forewent a quieter environment of Alexis
Park Resort for listening, and exhibited instead at the Las Vegas Convention
Center. They positioned themselves to take advantage of the tremendous
traffic for high exposure, and their exhibits were pure informational,
sometimes with actual product cross-section displays. Having a sound room can
be advantageous, but being aware of the highly compromised surroundings, and
thus steering away from giving visitors negative demonstration impressions can
also be wise. In terms of show participation, these companies' decision to go a
different route could make them stand out inadvertently.
To many, the task of making an abundance of ingenious designs sound good in a
room is not only a daunting task and a thankless one, it is oftentimes
frustratingly impossible. For one, not all loudspeaker exhibitors get to
demonstrate their speakers in rooms with sonic properties conducive for
critical listening, and not all exhibitors were able to tune an otherwise
unsuitable hotel room to sound good in a few days. It is oftentimes pure luck if
an exhibitor can customize the sonic properties of a room to his advantage.
Then, attendees’ have their own, unannounced expectations and preferences
when they visit each exhibit. All audiophiles want to find the room that
produces the sound he likes, and a horn speaker advocate will certain find the
sound of certain types of speaker unacceptable. No one would expect an SET-
phile to vouch for a solid-state amplification exhibit, and so much for getting a
room to sound good for the largest of speakers, if some members of the
audience didn’t like the electronics being used to begin with. Many exhibitors
had to utilize someone else’s electronics to showcase how their products could
sound, be it CD players, amplifiers, speakers, or cables. The fact that such
matching is sometimes suboptimal only adds to the odds of a suboptimal
presentation.
In the end, venues such as CES should accord audiophiles and exhibitors alike an
opportunity to meet, and perhaps even learn from each other, in the hope of
mutual appreciation.