CES 2016 Las Vegas, NV 1/6/16-1/9/16

Discussion in 'The Meeting Place' started by velvetx, Dec 30, 2015.

  1. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Haha it's not that just add a few bass tracks to your system add something Americans know. Orpheus 2 was an experience where HFM was just there.
     
  2. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Oh yah the Orpheus 2 frequency response is something like 8-100000khz. Also don't expect any tube amps from Sennheiser despite securing tubes for the Orpheus (didn't tell me what company is supplying). Also the HD series will not be refreshed at this time nor in the immediate future.
     
  3. TMoney

    TMoney Shits on SBAF over at Head-Case to be cool

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    Orpheus 2? You lucky bastard!
     
  4. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Day 4 CES:

    It was my final day and I had some requests so I ended up visiting the suites again as I had a few meetings there and at the Sands Expo. RHA booth must attract celebrities because that is where Warren from Head-Fi just happened to be. As always really cool talking with him so a real pleasure.

    Pass Labs - Per @TMoney recommendation I went to Pass Labs and checked out their HPA-1 amp which if you look below looks really beautiful. The guys I met were super nice and pointed out to me they had some price conscious products that gets the trickle down technology from other higher end products in their line. Unfortunately couldn't listen to it but doesn't mean I wasn't going to snap some pictures for the everyone. I know TTVJ just announced a loaner tour and we may also get a potential loaner tour as well :)

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    Ayre Acoustics - One of the highlights of the day for me was talking with Alex of Ayre Acoustics. They put a lot of time into their amps and dacs and specifically stated that whatever goes into their amps is purely for performance purposes so expect all killer no filler here. I am going to be working with Ayre to see if we can get a loaner. One thing that was a concern was cables as the balanced outputs behind this little bad boy are 3.5mm so the good news is maybe we can get Cardas to loan us some cables for this loaner :)

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    MOFI - I had to go back to MOFI as @drfindley the vinyl nut wanted me to ask if they could get a recording of some ancient record to add to his collection. The guy no joke wanted me to give him Adam's phone number so he could call Adam directly. Anyway obviously couldn't do that so when I get back I'll forward on the guys digits to you Adam and you can talk to him all you want about whatever recordings you are looking for. He honestly thought you were joking :). All jokes aside I finally got to discuss with a few people about their upcoming turntable they are releasing in May/June. I didn't get model numbers but the base price is going to be $999 for a no cartridge turntable while the one with all the bells and whistles will be about $1799. The good news is you will get a steep discount off their cartridges if you buy a turntable. Also they have 10in tone arms which they said are not the norm which I thought was interesting. To say the least they want to provide the best product with the return of vinyl at a price that doesn't break the bank. Yes, I know @drfindley and @shaizada definitely not for you guys with your fancy schmancy setups.

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    MOFI Phono Stages will be $249 and one that is priced a little bit higher. They also have different cartridges as well as a puck they are coming out with as well. Stay tuned for pricing updates if you are interested.

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    Technics - A company I had never heard of but I stopped by anyway they are coming out with a closed back stereo headphone called the EAH-T700 for $1200. It incorporates a 50mm dynamic driver as well as a 14mm super tweeter. It sounded pretty good but I don't think I'm a good person to judge a closed back headphone as my thing is more along the lines of open back.

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    Rodgers Fidelity - Per request of @Chris F I did stop by and take some pictures. Thank you for pointing it out as it was easy to find.

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    Wrap Up - This was my first CES and it was definitely a fun time and a huge learning experience for my job. I enjoy doing these write ups unfortunately I didn't do as much exploring as I would have liked as my focus was on the appointments for my job and SBAF (loaners, coverage, etc). Expect a lot of cool things in 2016 and it seems like CanJam will also be packed with some of these goodies. One of the trends I found and is it seems a lot of people are jumping on the Apple/Portable/Digital bandwagon as I saw a lot of products adding features such as Bluetooth, lightning support, and streaming support. It's a brave new world out there and I think many of these companies want to try to focus on getting as many customers as possible. Lucky for us as this adds another line of things to add to our homes that can be controlled with our phones, iPads, or computers. Lots of vinyl stuff coming out as well but unfortunately from what I saw most were way out of my budget :). Anyway just want to thank the whole SBAF community as with this recent meet and CES it kicks off the New Year with a bang. We got a lot of meets coming up so my suggestion is if you can go please go.
     
  5. TMoney

    TMoney Shits on SBAF over at Head-Case to be cool

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    You the man, Nick!

    Now to find out how to get on the list for one or both of the potential loaner tours! \/
     
  6. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    Oof, for a sec there I thought you were saying Warren was a celebrity....
     
  7. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Warren of course isn't a celebrity by the traditional standard but a lot of people from the audiophile community I'm sure know who Warren is so it was a joke haha.
     
  8. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    Sweet dude thanks for the pics :)
     
  9. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Thanks for all the write ups!

    Have you really never heard of Technics? They're one of the big turntable makers. I'm rocking a vintage Technics in my analog rig.
     
  10. chakku

    chakku Friend

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    Not to mention their fantastic vintage speakers! SB-10000 would be a dream to own.
     
  11. IndySpeed

    IndySpeed Friend

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    Yeap, they have been around for a long time. My first stereo system ever was a Technics from back in the early '90s. My father-in-law still uses it after all these years. To be fair, I didn't even know they were still around...
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2016
  12. IndySpeed

    IndySpeed Friend

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    So, how do you end up being so lucky to be at CES? I though it was largely a trade show for manufacturers. Mostly press and others have to be invited I thought...
     
  13. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    He's a male porn star
     
  14. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    I work for a huge company which sells products to Costco. Where Costco goes I go :)
     
  15. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Thks for pics and Impressions @velvetx
     
  16. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Forgot a few pictures like the new Simaudio Moon Ace:

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    HFM Super Mini:

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    Audeze Cipher (Sine Amp/Dac Lightning Cable) $100

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    Audeze Sine priced at $499 (sweet portable and light):

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  17. IndySpeed

    IndySpeed Friend

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    Press coverage about this year's CES has largely been on virtual reality, drones, slim TVs, cell phones talking to my fridge or washer/dryer, and the like. It's awesome that we have our own industry insider reporting on audio products!
     
  18. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Haha, thanks I try. We will see what the powers that are my bosses say about sending me next year as I had to submit my report yesterday.
     
  19. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    Last edited: Jan 12, 2016
  20. sfoclt

    sfoclt Friend

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    Definitely a massive thread. I started this morning and still not through. Good stuff though.
     

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