CES continues...
     They call it "the zoo," and when you're there you see why. The Las Vegas Convention Centre is now one of the largest in the world, and CES is the reason it has gotten so huge. Take any one of the halls--and there are several--and you couldn't see across it with binoculars. All throughout are electronics companies that have come to push their wares. The guide to the exhibitors is the size of a medium-sized city phone book.
     And as if that weren't enough, the convention centre of the Hilton hotel next door is also full of exhibits, though no longer by high end audio companies. We went forth to see what was what.
     
      We finally caught up with Sony, whose room was as dazzling as usual (but all their presenters seemed to have laryngitis...they must drink from each other's glasses). We had a look at the company's prototype Blu-disk recorder, using a new DVD with 50 Gb storage. It's a prototype for the moment. If you can't make out the little white cards on the unit at right, one of them says "Don't touch."
     The other interesting new product was a series of cathode ray tube HDTV monitors featuring "Super Fine Pitch." The pictures were indeed superb, without the coarseness of some earlier models.
     We're still waiting to get our hands on Teac/Esoteric's impressive (and expensive) new DV-50 player, which plays CD, DVD, DVD-A, SACD, and perhaps even bagels. It should arrive soon, but at least we have now seen one. In the meantime, we looked fondly at Teac's retro-styled record player. It comes in several colors, including bright red, as in our picture. Also being shown was a new two-box player with the Esoteric badge, and a compact "DVD receiver," containing the player, the tuner, and two channels of amplification. A companion piece adds three more channels for full surround.
     We were still thinking about the prospects of players that can play any disc when we arrived at the Linn booth. In UHF No. 65 we mentioned that Linn (in conjunction with Sony) was planning what it calls a "Silver Disc" player, compatible with nearly anything. Was it ready? Only in prototype form, as the Unidisk 1.1. And unlike the DV-50 it could be listened to, though only in one of those dreadful little knock-down booths that convention centres are so fond of.
     Despite the toxic acoustics, the demo (with CD, DVD-A, 2-channel SACD, and SACD surround), was truly excellent. No price has been set, but it will cost considerably more than the Linn Ikemi CD player (at about C$5K/US$3.5K).
     Quad had only a static display, a disappointment, because we never pass up an opportunity to listen to Quad electrostatic speakers. We did note that the lineup of Quad-branded conventional speakers has grown quite considerably.
     Over the years we have seen many an audio company vanish, but oddly we have seen some return. And Thorens is making turntables once again. Oh, it's not actually the same company, but a new one, the Thorens Export Company, based in Switzerland with its factory in Germany. Most of its turntables will be completely new, and quite different from any of the old ones. The model 800 shown in our photo is built on a thick MDF platform, with adjustable shock-absorbing feet and a heavy aluminum platter. The synchronous motor is fed from a separate power supply. And yes, that is a Rega RB250 arm on it, not one of the arms that the old Thorens was infamous for.
     Perhaps the most dramatic new product shown was the Sensio 3-D television system. This device, developed in Montreal, fits between a standard DVD player and a video projector, allowing viewing of full-resolution DVD's in 3-D. You do need to wear glasses, the same LED glasses used in the better IMAX cinemas. The demo did in fact include scenes from recent IMAX movies. Sensio's sales director, Richard LaBerge (shown in our picture with his baby) says the Sensio box willl be out in the Spring for about US$3000, and include a package of 3-D movies. Deals with distributors are already inked to bring out DVD versions of the IMAX 3-D films, as well as Jaws 3-D and some of the great 50's classics (which include The House of Wax, Hondo, and of course Bwana Devil.
     Well, that's it. There's just one day of CES left, and we'lll be spending it back at Alexis Park, where the high end companies we know and mostly love are located. If we can, we will file the report Sunday night (but Vegas is on Pacific Time, remember). If not, we will get it up Monday morning, perhaps when the Apple Store opens. The Apple Store? We'll explain when we get time. Keep in touch!

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