Hello!
This will not be a 'show report' - There are lots of those around the web. I just thought I’d post a thanks to some of the folks I met and talk about a few of the personal highlights for me. Also wanted to start a thread for anyone to post questions about CES in.
Top of the list was meeting so many of the people I've been dealing with over the last year and some new people that were a pleasure to spend time with. I won't post most names here in a public forum but you know who you are and feel free to chime in! I'll post names of industry people and two of the ones I met the first day were Kevin Carter and Josh Stippich.
I recently built Kevin's phono stage kit (
http://hometown.aol.com/kevinc927/index.html ) and will soon have my new table (Redpoint) setup here to enjoy it. Kevin worked for VAC for some time and he's a super guy to deal with ( he sells Lundahl trannies and some kits ). A tweaked up version of this kit was in the ART Audio room and Kevin was in that room spinning records most of the time. It was a real pleasure to spend time with him and to listen to the new ART reference phono stage.
The other highlight was meeting Josh Stippich and seeing in person his latest artwork - And I mean artwork! There is nothing in audio history that I can think of that compares. If you have not seen his work you can get an idea from these links:
http://www.shows.soundstagelive.com/shows/ces2003/showstop5.shtmlhttp://www.audioasylum.com/audio/general/messages/249985.htmlwww.electronluv.comKeep in mind that these pics don't even start to do justice to these amps. These things will end up in museums. Every time I was in the room everyone had a grin from ear to ear as they viewed and listened to these creations. Josh is an artist and in years to come owning an original Stippich will be really something! These are expensive but he has about 500 hours into these latest amps and god only knows how much in parts.
Visiting Josh's Electronluv room was THE big surprise for me at the show because he had a pair of TX102's doing duties as the pre-amp on his $35K amps! I had sent some to Josh for him to use in a pre-amp he is building for a fellow (who was also at the show) and to my surprise when I got there they were at CES! He did not have the final pre-amp design finished but was running them as a passive pre-amp in a box he 'threw together". Josh's version of threw together is a really cool enclosure machined from a solid block of metal with this ultra cool knob - if you've seen the amps you get the idea – no hammond boxes need apply! Anyway everyone involved with that room was great (Terry of Cain and Cain speakers was also there). Josh is the kind of guy who’ll do very well at whatever he gets into!
That Thursday night I was treated to the company of some great fellows who I won't name here (feel free to post your identities if you'd like). Five of us had dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Nobu. Nobu is to Japanese food what Josh Stippich is to Audio. Dig around if you are interested in Japanese food as he also has a restaurant in London, New York, and Tokyo. We all agreed we’d have liked to install some attenuators on a few of the tables near us – it was loud! Good food and good company - vegas was off to a great start!
The next day I went to the Alexis Park and saw a bunch of stuff I have been wanting to hear but the highlight of that day (and subsequent visits) was a room with a new full range flat panel speaker from Japan on display - from a company called Furuyama Audio Lab (FAL -
www.furuyama-audio.com ). It was an honor to spend time with the very gracious designer Mr. Furuyama and with the others helping out in the room including Mr Shibazaki who is representing the FAL products for export via his company Sibatech (
www.sibatech.co.jp).
They had a 47 labs CD front end and a vinyl front end as well. These are not the speakers for your new monster theater or impressing your friends - these are speakers to enjoy. They were hands down the most musically natural sounding speakers I have heard and had a wonderful low end. I had to laugh because they had a hand written sign at the speaker saying 'no woofer inside'. The 2 neo panels are each only about 3" x 8" and the bass response was very good so I guess they got tired of answering the question - "Is there a woofer in that cabinet?". The panels are augmented by a Heil tweeter above 10K or so. These speakers are unique in that they offer a crossover free panel for most the audio range from the bottom up to 10K and they are about 93 to 95 db efficeint. They were driven with an 8 watt tube amp also designed by Mr. Furuyama and even on Kodo drums the system had no problems with dynamics. Of all the full range (or semi full range) panels I have heard these are the best. Absolutely none of the 'shout' that always seems to be there with Lowther and other full range cone drivers.
I'm describing it in some detail here because I fear it'll be over looked by most CES blurbs in favor of the mainstream (and extreeeem) systems on display. If you did go to the room I hope you sat in the center of the back row of seats - the front row was really to close to the speakers and there was a dramatic improvement moving to the back row.
I was impressed by these as I'm sure you can tell but they are not going to be cheap as a finished product - I'd est between $25K and $35K based on the comments by the folks in the room. I have expressed an interest in offering a kit version and will pursue it over the next while - possibly meeting with them on a trip to Japan I have planned for this spring. More to follow....
Other highlights were roaming the booths with Max Kreifeldt from silver audio (
www.silveraudio.com). Max just tried a TX102 before the show and I have not known him long but he's a first class guy to deal with for sure. He was kind enough to introduce me to EveAnna Manley (of Manley labs) and Israel Blume of Coincident speakers (who’s speakers I have used and enjoyed in the past). Like me he had chosen not to exibit at CES this time and it was a pleasure to yak and check out the rooms with him - Thanks Max!
Later that day I toured the Alexis Park show with Danny Richie from GR research. We had a good time listenning to stuff and yak'n! That night was the Audio Asylum Party and again it was a treat to put faces to so many names. Meeting Rod M (from the audioasylum) and Duke (from
http://www.audiokinesis.com - Soundlabs) and may other folks there was great!
The next day was spent re-visiting rooms at Alexis Park and at The Show at the San Remo. I finally hooked up with Wayne from Bolder cables and Brian from VMPS. Both great guys (congrats to both of you for being part of the "Best of CES" room!). Wayne was able to join us for dinner as well as Kevin Carter from K&K audio and 2 other fellows (chime in or let me know if it's o.k. to post your names!). We ate at a seafood joint and then went back and spun records and yak'd. A great last night in Vegas.
Then home.....
Please feel free to post any questions about the above or about CES in general and I'll do my best to answer!
Many Thanks!
John Chapman
www.bentaudio.com
