Waterfall Audio, a French speaker designer, have begun distributing their unique see-through speakers that are made of glass in the U.S. There are two towers plus small speakers that are wall-mountable and suitable for use as surrounds. The wall speakers disappear into the decor looking like lighting sconces, rather than hi-tech gear.

Totem Acoustics was demonstrating a speaker they call The One. Its a limited anniversary edition of the first speaker they ever manufactured. Sans a subwoofer, these diminutive $3995 (pr) speakers were extremely impressive, outperforming, to my ears, some of the behemoth tower speakers [with five and six figure price tags] that were being demonstrated by other manufacturers at the Venetian.

Anthem provides a new software package (PCs only) providing extremely advanced room correction with the D2 Statement Pre/Pro.

TAD, a division of Pioneer, responsible for the development of high-end audio products showed a prototype of a new Class A mono-amp that will be out later this year. It's made using aluminum plating and a cast iron base. After 5 days of running continuously, the chassis was barely lukewarm.

The use of music servers rather than CD/DVD transports was a common occurrence among high-end manufacturers at the Venetian exhibits. By using servers, they can store high resolution, loss-less files that are far superior to standard CDs, which are limited to 16bits.

TAD, a division of Pioneer Electronics, was using a server to demonstrate their Reference One speakers and a new 2-way compact model based on the Reference One's. This 2-way speaker (see picture) should be available later this year. Price is TBA.

At Meridian, the latest new model, DSP 7200, of their famed digital speakers series, provides an RJ-45 connection for use with digital servers. The Cat 5 cable can run audio and medadata, making it possible to send balanced audio directly to the speakers from the server. While this is the first product to have this connection, its a feature Meridian will be systematically adding it to new models going forward.

At the Meridian suite in the Venetian, in the midst of their digital speaker systems and high-end components, was the portable F80. Like so many high-end manufacturer's, Meridian is courting the lifestyle consumer, which includes support for iPod users. The F80 is a portable, 2.1 channel, iPod speaker system that comes in five Ferrari colors.

Offering a total of 80 watts to the two speakers and rear mounted subwoofer, the F80 contains a CD/DVD drive, AM/FM tuner, Band III DAB Digital Radio and a wide assortment of I/O's, including a composite video out.

Once docked an iPod can be controlled via the F80 remote and song information is viewed on the OLED readout.

The F80 is made using the same mineral filled composite material used by Ferrari, providing extreme rigidity, yet is still lightweight.

At $2995, the F80 is likely to appeal mostly to Ferrari users than the average Joe. None the less its performance is incredibly impressive given its diminutive size.

The best sound I heard on the first of my two visits to the Venetian was from the Magico v3 speakers driven by Boulder electronics and sourced from a music server (custom built by Magico and not commercially available). It was sublime. Unfortunately, Magico appears to have no plans for a center channel, and using another set of v3s for surrounds, or a three more for surround music, might be a bit, um, expensive. The v3 sells for $25,000 per pair. And just because I can't afford doesn't mean it can't sound great.

This static-display sample of an upcoming Magico speaker, the M 3.5, makes the v3 look like a bargain. The forecast price is $60,000/pair. The rear of the front baffle is visible on the right.

By itself, it's probably not accurate to call the PS Audio Memory Transport ($1695) a music server. Built around a Teac DVD ROM drive (though the unit is limited, at present, to music use with two-channel CDs) the Audio Transport can rip CDs at a variety of resolutions (including lossless compression). It has limited internal storage, however. Instead, it is designed to be connected via its Ethernet output and a home network (wired or wireless) to an external hard drive (or even solid-state flash drive) of the user's choice. The latter, which is often a noisy device, may be located in a remote location in the home, such as in a closet. (I don't know about you, but my closets have no AC outlets. But there are ways to fix that.)

No digital-to-analog converters are included on board; D/A conversion must therefore be done externally. You may use the D/A converter of your choice (even the one in your AV receiver or pre-pro. But PS Audio will also offer a matching D/A, with additional advanced features such as playlists. It will be available separately at an estimated $2000).

The Transport also connects to the Internet to grab a CD's metadata (track information, etc.) and cover art. While it has a small video screen, presumably a larger screen will be attachable for an easier readout of your library of recordings.

While a rudimentary remote will be included, a more elegant solution will be an iPhone or iTouch, which may also be used to read out the disc information. While either of these must be purchased separately, PS Audio plans to offer the software needed in the iTouch/Phone to provide this capability.

Here is some additional information on the PS Audio Memory Transport

The Phase Technology dARTS system isn't new, but it has never been reviewed in UAV and this is the first time I have been able to actually hear it. It was impressive—and one of the few surround-sound setups, with video, at the Venetian Hotel. The system includes speakers and all DSP and amplifiers. There are 250W of amplification for each individual driver, and the system controls the crossovers, time alignment, and equalization. Separate room eq is performed via the included Audyssey multEQ system. $20,000 for the audio package, not including pre-pro or source.

The top module is rotatable to aim it toward the listening position using an elegant screw and thumbwheel arrangement in the back that makes it unnecessary to touch that polished fingers with your greasy paws (though oddly the supertweeter is fixed in relation to the woofers).

There will also be a center channel ("The Poetry" and a stand-mount, "The Kiss" (that's not a typo). though these two models will be several months behind the first quarter delivery of "The Music." (First quarter always means the end of March in CES-speak.) Photos of the center and surround follow in the next two entries. No prices were given for them, nor for a somewhat smaller floorstander scheduled for release late in 2008.

Here's "The Poetry," the upcoming center channel for the Vienna Acoustics' Klimt line.

Here's "The Kiss," the upcoming floor-standing model in the Vienna Acoustics' Klimt line.

Is this really the world's thinnest television with a built-in tuner? According to JVC, it was as of January 6, 2008. That was the day before the start of CES! This design is 1.5" deep at the thinnest point, but 2.9" at the thickest. While that's svelte, it isn't the thinnest now, by a long shot, based on what has been shown at CES.

But none of the contenders, including this one, are yet available. So JVC still has a shot at the title, for at least the time being, if this is the first such model to hang on the display wall at your local retailer. It will be available in two 1080p designs: 42- and 46-inches. But no price or delivery date was announced.

I don't speak with any authority on this, but it would seem "easier" to produce a slim plasma than an LCD. A plasma panel is self-illuminating, but a LCD requires some sort of backlight. But JVC has developed a new slim backlight to solve that problem.

LEDs would also seem to be more space efficient than the CCFL (fluorescent) backlights still used in most LCD televisions. While there were no LED backlights in sight for JVC's current or just announced models, the company did show a design with an LED backlight in a separate, photo-free zone where some of the company's upcoming technology was on display. Expect to see this feature in future JVC designs.

JVC also showed a prototype of its first Blu-ray player, the XV-BD. A tentative release date of September 2008 was announced, but we would not be surprised if certain recent events made it so much sooner. It will be a Profile 1.1 machine (as all models launched from now on must be).

JVC is not the first name that comes to mind in the high-end AV receiver market, but this classy-looking design just might change that. As is often the case at CES, designs are shown to gauge the reactions of dealers and the media. While no production decision has yet been made, I'd say yea based on looks alone—but only if the performance and features measure up to the cosmetics. It's a tough market out there.

Want a convenient way to watch video program material downloaded from iTunes to your TV? JVC will have the answer when it releases the new P-Series LCD flat panel televisions, ranging in size from 32- to 52-inches. All of them have an integral iPod dock, and all but the 32-incher are 1920x1080. No delivery date or prices were announced.

Yesterday, throughout the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center you saw wireless solutions or solutions designed to limit the amount of wiring you need to set up a multi-channel sound system. All in an effort to make it easier and more convenient for the average consumer to add audio to that new flat panel TV.

However, at the Venetian, boutique 2-channel audio manufacturers love to debate the various characteristics in sound from one cable to another. While a good many people might look at this picture and think..not in my house, an audiophile would never shy away from using such large, fat cables if it meant a more transparent and open sound. :-)

This is a good example of the diversity that can be found here at CES.