Almost Famous
A Short 2003 CES Show Report!

Regular visitors here will realize it has been some time since our last Picture of the Month page update, but after a fairly busy and snowy January, February, and March, I now have my act together enough to get around to putting together a new Picture of the Month (POTM) Page. The subject for this current POTM page is the January 2003 CES. While it may not have been the busiest show to my recollection, I thought the show went really well this year. I did my usual gig in helping set-up and run the Merlin Music Systems room with my Mr. Merlin himself, Bobby Palkovic. Even though I spent much time in the Merlin suite helping out, I did get out and about a bit this year, so I've put together some of the pictures I took at the show to form this mini CES show report. Before I get to those, in my wanderings I managed to run into a number of folks who wound up snapping pictures of yours truly (shown above) which wound up on a few other web sites (hence my title for this POTM page). You can see these pictures and a fantastic amount of CES show reporting (with lots of pictures of people AND cool HIFi gear) on Audio Asylum 2003 CES Show Report Page [click here - opens new window] and on Positive Feedback's Website (scroll down to the Show Report heading) [click here to view - opens new window].

This year, Bobby Palkovic elected to pick a single large room (around 25 by 25 feet approximately) suite as opposed to the usual two room suite that we get at the Alexis Park CES Specialty Audio Venue as it is called (where most of us High-End weenies hang out and show our wares). We went with a somewhat unorthodox diagonal speaker set-up which worked incredibly well as many magazine and internet show reports have stated. As well, the system clearly showed that the VSM-Millennium speaker system has the capability of filling larger rooms with more than ample bass and a natural tonal balance (which surprised many folks who thought we had subwoofers running with the speakers)! I pasted together a panorama type image (shown above) from three different pictures to give those who could not be there a feeling of our room set-up. That is Bobby Palkovic, President of Merlin Music Systems, sitting on the couch and enjoying the sound from his speakers and the wonderful Joule-Electra gear and Cardas cabling.

[Click on any image above to view a larger image]

Without a doubt, the most coolest looking HiFi gear at CES this year, was Josh Stippich's ElectronLuv (www.electronluv.com) HiFi gear. This youngster is obviously both a talented artist and designer. I don't know about you, but Josh's amplifiers just blew my mind. I guess his use of unique vacuum tubes and industrial design really appeal to the engineer geek in me. As you can probably guess, hundreds of hours of labor goes into each amplifier and it shows. You can click on any of the pictures above to view a much larger version of the picture.

[Click on any picture above to view a larger image]

Switching back to more conventional products, CES 2003 had some interesting new products announcements from EAR, Manley Labs, and Rogue Audio which Signature Sound sells. First up is the new EAR 324 Phono preamp show above. The 324 is a new solid state phono preamp ($3,495 retail) with lots of flexibility in adjusting gain and loading for MM and NC cartridges. You can read more about this new EAR Phono preamp at the EAR Website [link opens new window]. Below the EAR 324, are two new amplifiers. On the left is the new Manley Labs MAHI monoblock. For $2,500/pair you get a set of sprightly EL84 based 40W monoblock amps which include user adjustable feedback settings as well as the ability for the user to switch the amps to triode mode. Your can read more about the MAHI's here on Manley Labs Website [link opens new window].

One of the best things about CES for yours truly is the people. CES is generally the one time each year where I get to meet up with most of my audio buddies and other acquaintances for some lively discussion. Above you can see Bobby Palkovic of Merlin Music Systems enjoying some tunes and lively discussion with the irascible Clark Johnson (writer of the Wood Effect and contributor to Positive Feedback magazine and a few other journals). We do manage to have some fun, as can be seen below as another good friend, marvelous Marvin B., gives his best gangsta thumbs up on the Merlin speakers and Joule Electra OTL  power amplifiers!