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Las
Vegas 2007: CES 40th Anniversary Impressions
 It
was Monday, January 8, the time 5:30 AM when
my cab arrived to take me to Newark Airport.
Bleary eyed and excited, I tried not to dwell
on the notion that due to poor visibility from
rain, I might not make my 7:30 flight or even
worse my connecting flight to Las Vegas might
get cancelled. The cab was stuck in the
morning rush hour traffic complicated by the
pouring rain, and my flight was delayed more
than 90 minutes! As life would have it
Murphy’s Law was in full effect.
Once we were airborne, the remainder of the
flight was uneventful.
Upon arrival in “Lost Wages”, Nevada
(apparently a more apt name for the city) my
spirit began to convey the significance of WHY
the CES is held annually in this wonderfully
lit eclectic city. There were reservations
awaiting me at the Golden Nugget Hotel, so the
gracious airport sky captains hailed me a cab
and off to the hotel we sped. On the way the
driver mentioned, that Las Vegas was the
fastest growing city in America, averaging
more than 14,000 visitors a week and more than
two thirds of the visitors become residents
(Wow!). There is something for everyone in
this town, from the fabulous stage show
productions, great hotels & casinos to the
fabulous and affordable homes, not too mention
eloquent restaurants and sight-seeing tours.
There was also a consistent mantra everywhere
I went and I quote “What ever happens in Vegas
stays in Vegas.” I arrived at the beautiful
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino checked into my
room, sat on the edge of the bed and thought
to myself. Imagine me a music lover turned
audio reviewer participating at the 40th
Anniversary of the International CES.
While fantasying about the day, wondering
about the various events and showcases to be
seen, the phone rang and reality stepped in.
The call was from Clement Perry, who had just
landed. All he said was “I‘ll pick you up in
20 minutes. Be ready to hit the ground
running.” My God, this man was serious. After,
the preliminary salutations to his lovely and
tolerant wife we hailed a cab and off to the
San Tropez Hotel we went.
Like a Priest visiting the Vatican for the
first time, I was full of curiosity and awe.
We proceeded to the press registration and
reception room. Looking at and passing people
whose faces I’ve only seen in the audio press
was exciting. Once in the pressroom, I
witnessed my longtime friend in his element.
We received our Press passes and it was off to
T.H.E. Show (or races for that matter).
CP’S knowledge of the manufactures and their
products made the shows coverage a breeze to
this novice observer. Let me apologize in
advance for not taking my own pictures due to
a non-functioning digital camera and being in
such awe that I didn’t collect or misplaced
all the program data.
Lansche Audio
Lansche Audio is a German loudspeaker
manufacturer whose products certainly had
compelling and involving sound. The
manufacturer intimated that his speaker
promoted some type of physiological well
being. All I remember is that if you don’t
have room for a sauna and don’t care about the
heat they generate, this may be the speaker
for you. (Heat generating loudspeaker? Ed.)
ROOMS of INTEREST
Behold USA
In the Behold Room I was greeted by Sam Laufer
of Laufer Teknik, importer for the fabulous
Behold equipment powering the now legendary
Ascendo loudspeakers. The front-end handling
the music was the Behold CD player and/or the
Nova Physics Memory player. It was no mere
accident Laufer chose Sunny cabling to
complete this ensemble. Laufer’s warm greeting
was typical of his, non-imposing and
unassuming yet informative persona. Basically,
the system spoke for itself. I’ve heard a
similar rig before (at guess whose home?). Not
only did this room sound good but it attempted
to reach the soul. I’m not going to say that
it could do it as faithfully as I’ve
encountered outside show venues but I’ve got
to admit they tried. On the other hand the
Behold gear is a thing of beauty unto itself
aesthetically speaking: clean and simple makes
for a satisfying appearance accented by a
large blue light emanating from behind its
dial (after looking at it for awhile you
wonder who’s watching who). As for the Ascendo
loudspeakers, they seem to just disappear when
music is played and I became easily engulfed
in their sound. Keep on the lookout for
importer Laufer Teknik.
Sunny Cable Room
Prior to entering this room you’re greeted by
Miss Lo, Sunny’s daughter. As she swipes her
key card then pushes the door open, you wonder
is this the top secret audio room that only
the chosen can enter? The first thing you see
are two black behemoth loudspeakers resembling
paralleling phone booths. When I say big, I
should have said huge like in sumo wrestler
huge. Imagine someone like CP or Clark Kent
going behind those things and emerging as the
Caped Crusader bound to protect the weak eared
audiophile from himself. Stepping in front of
these speakers and declaring, “I’ll save you
but first let’s have a listen.” Sunny
approaches us and greets CP and I with a
formal handshake. All kidding aside Sunny Lo
is a gracious and passionate music lover who
builds audio cables with a unique philosophy
employing phase timing and coherency. Now he’s
about to launch his new speaker line utilizing
the same technology.
To my recollection the speakers seemed to be
as tall as Wilt Chamberlin and weighed in at
700lbs. Each cabinet has two parts: the base
housing a 16 1/2’’ compression horn driver and
18” woofer the upper cabinet housing a gold
super tweeter. The speakers are basically a
2.5-way system, utilizing the super tweeter to
capture ambient cues and air in the
recordings.
Prior to the Sunny demonstration the best
sound I've heard was at CP’s place in that
sanctified upper room. We would have listening
sessions that seemed to last for hours. During
those sessions we’d be jamming, dancing or
crying. My goal was to duplicate those
treasured experiences in my place. What a
task, I was never close but with CP’s help my
system maintained a rather trendy growth.
Sunny Lo asked CP if he had any music he’d
like to hear, if you know CP then you know
that’s like asking Citibank if they had change
for a $100 bill. First CD up was a compilation
of classical recordings. I can’t remember the
title of the first piece but I recall looking
at CP’s face after the arpeggio and we
jointly, as if in sign language, said, “Do you
hear that s#!t?” Pardon the expression but
sometimes colloquialisms just fit the moment.
We not only heard the music, we heard the
event. It was as if we were on the Starship
Enterprise and asked Scotty to beam us there.
CP has a habit of asking me to sit in the
sweet spot and tells others to observe my
behavior or reactions. What floats my boat is
music that can transcend time and space and
place you at the scene of the
composer/conductor’s or performer’s
translation of the material. These majestic
behemoths were able to do this and much more.
CP selected John Rutter’s “Requiem” as the
next sonic experience. Moving to the rear of
the room he pointed to Sunny to take a seat
next to him and prankishly pointed to me.
Track 4 “Lord Make Me an Instrument of Thy
Peace” started to play. I’ve been listening to
this particular track for years so I thought
it would be nice to hear. The opening sounds
were unfamiliar and when the Turtle Creek
Chorale began to sing. I felt as if I entered
a dimension that truly transcends space and
time. It was a dimension that takes you to a
place of the heart, where your soul reaches
out to welcome you and makes you quiet and
still. During this mesmerizing experience you
forget your surroundings. You just let go. The
Meyerson Symphony Center became alive again
with what appears to be a hundred individuals
sing separately but together. The goose bump
factor was on overload and tears began to
flow. Tears that showed me that everything was
right with the world and that I too was an
Instrument of the Lord (Wow!).
When the music was over I excused myself and
left the room feeling that something special
had just happened. I literally felt blessed.
Never before in my life have I ever felt
myself trembling from just listening to
speakers. Oh, did I mention that during the
demonstration the speakers disappeared. If I
had the space and financial wherewithal I’d
beg borrow and sell my wares to get these big
boys. I can only give words of the highest
praise to Sonny Lo for this creation, and God
Bless you for allowing us to share your dream.
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