A Collection of Thoughts on CES – CES 2017

Stereophile recently spruced up its contributor lineup with the addition of Jana Dagdagan. Her unique perspective on the subject of high end audio has not only been a breathe of fresh air in the heavily male-populated, often 60-or-older collection of enthusiasts, but also one that brings along a new set of talents to the publication’s already stellar team. One of her many gifts appears to be video production of which you can observe in the embed below.

The video experience appears to mirror much of the sentiment from those in the 2 channel-dominated Venetian tower, things look like they may be slowing down a bit for the those in “Tech West”. Most of the collective listening spaces could be found on a mere two floors of suites (not just your typical hotel-sized room like you might find at other audio shows, which equates to even less total rooms per floor). Many great sounds and sights could be found within those walls, however the sheer number of entrants did feel a little diminished compared to the relative size of the entire show. Perhaps a reflection of hifi in general, the south and central hall with its lavish headphone displays trotted on undeterred, maybe even a little bit larger than life than last year. Wireless options were certainly pushed into the forefront for both headphones and loudspeakers.

Some complaints in the South hall still remain, most surrounding the selection process of space which reportedly involves an archaic hand-written system for “calling your booth” for next year. Many headphone vendors kept their displays relatively the same, whereas other companies like [EchoBox] beefed up their game considerably to a full-fledged walkthrough experience.

The show will always be kinder experience to the media, as we don’t have to dodge or interrupt consumers in our endeavor to capture the news, but as for the Venetian, things might be standing on shaky ground for next year. In the meantime, enjoy a slice of Jana’s handiwork, its worth a watch.