The Home Entertainment Show, like CES, is a rare opportunity to seek out that unexpected piece of gear that breaks the existing mold or at the very least expands the state of the Art in home entertainment. During this time of rapidly shifting digital formats along with the continued refinement of existing technologies, the stage was set for what I hoped to be a breakthrough show.

Best Sound at the Show

Cost no object. The stratospheric realm of super exotica seems to be alive and well in the high end. Moreover, nowhere was this class better represented than in the Rockport /Halcro/Musical Suroundings/Rix Rax room. Utterly natural and life like in timbre, the less than optimal set up of the gorgeous $41500 Rockport Antares speakers had little bearing on the undeniable superiority of this dream system. And, yes, it is true what you have been hearing about the Halcros. These amps are as devoid of solid-state distortions, or any significant distortion for that matter, as you are likely to find in an amplifier. I expect to spend a lot of money on phone calls to get these babies in house for a closer listen.

Close on the heals of the Rockports for best over-all performance comes mbl’s full lineup of super exotic gear, which produced a jaw dropping sense of imaging and soundstaging tangibility, nicely coupled to a surprisingly deep tight bass. The mbl drivers produce a truly unique sonic impression, are seamlessness throughout the entire spectrum and have the ability convey texture and detail that is both natural and exiting. This system left me breathless.

Close Second

A Tie. The Four piece Pipe dreams with Gamut amplification and the Airfoil by Impact with Tenor amplification. The Pipe dreams showed off a great sense of rhythmic drive and a sculpture garden of a soundstage, even in the tiny room in which they were set up. This is a speaker system I would love to hear in my amphitheater of a listening room. And, the Gamut GT300 stereo amplifier! Rated conservatively at 300 Wpc, This thing must be seen to be believed. This could be the biggest amp I have ever seen yet its’ styling is very attractive.

The Airfoil by Impact with its proprietary driver design produced a wonderfully sweet tonal palette and a realistic sense of scale rivaled only by the real thing. Also a four-piece system, the Airfoil performed surprisingly well under the treacherous conditions of a diminutive hotel room.

Other Standouts

Manhattans newest retail player “In Living Stereo” presented the Avalon Symbol. At $3500 in black and macore, $3990 in maple, this sliver of a speaker seemed to defy the laws of physics by disappearing into an enormous soundstage and producing room rattling bass extension. Fed by Komuro Audio labs $21000 mono amps and a Conrad Johnson Art preamp, this is one of THE speakers for a small room.

The other small speaker that made a very strong showing was the new speaker from David Chesky, called the CS-1. This lacquered floor stander proved to be the complete sonic package. Rich in tonal color, capable of subtle dynamic shading as well as great slam when called upon, the CS-1’s proved the rule of diminishing returns in the high-end speaker game has become more relevant than ever.

Best Home Theater Demo

The Krell/Piega room hosted by “Sound by Singer.” With a full compliment of their entry level home theater components as well as the new DVD Standard (review in the works), the Krell system presented a rich, warm portrayal of timbre (uncharacteristic for most home theater demos) coupled with tangible surround imaging that showed off the Piega speaker system to great effect.

Most Disappointing

DSD multi-channel Von Schweikert demo. Having had great expectations for this direct to hard drive recording of a live big band performance, I was left praying that the sound was not indicative of what to expect in the future of multi-channel DSD. The sound was bright and course, not to mention about 10 dB too loud. In addition, the room was billed as a total surround environment, yet I had no problem detecting the exact position of the rear speakers.

Tied For Most Disappointing

When are manufactures going to learn that louder doesn’t make better! Good God, I was left scrambling for the door at the Denon/ Mission room fearing for what’s left of my hearing – I actually left with my hands over my ears!

Biggest Surprise

The proliferation of tubes and analog. There were a ton of tube amps to be found, from the show dominating $20K Tenor mono blocks to the gorgeous looking and sounding Italian Viva integrated tube amp, it seems that what is old is new again. Holding to this axiom, turntables were to be found in just about every good sounding room at the show as well. Though I don’t own a turntable, I am rooting hard for their survival.

Also Surprising

The poor showing of home theater/multi-channel audio. For all the ink spilled in the name of home theater and multi-channel audio, there was just so little to be exited about. In my opinion, home theater, and to a far, far greater extent, multi channel audio are still grasping for their identity, leaving the consumer in a rather confused state of limbo.

Summary

Despite my quibbles, I was left with a great deal of enthusiasm for the state of the high-end. The commitment to the science and art of this pursuit was to be found everywhere. In addition, it was a real joy to meet some of the greatest talents in the history of the industry, as well as the up and comers whose vision and talents will surely bring some great surprises in the years to come.