CES 2017

Without a doubt, one of the benefits of attending CES is getting to listen to audio systems that reside way outside the realm of what is considered normal. Walking the hallways of the Venetian, it isn’t uncommon to pass suits demonstrating six-figure electronics and speaker systems. But when you enter the realm of mid-five-figure, cost-no-object, premium electrostatic headphone designs, then even the most jaded among us will stop to take a listen. Launching into this rarefied air and going after the title of “world’s ultimate headphone” is HIFIMAN’s new Shangri-La, a headphone system featuring virtual zero distortion and lightning fast response.

New in-wall speaker announcements at CES are about as dry and parched as the city’s desert air, so I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped into Paradigm’s Venetian suite and saw the company was introducing six new models across its CI Pro and CI Elite lineups. Designed for residential home theater installations, these new models are all LCR designs featuring integrated backboxes made from ¾-inch MDF to provide an optimal acoustic environment as well as keeping sound from bleeding into adjacent rooms.

Ashley Chloé, a San-Fran-based technology company, combines form and fashion in the Fuse Wireless Earbuds. The Fuse are completely wireless, and come with a variety of different carrying and charging options for fashion-forward convenience.

Nothing completes a pool party or day at the beach like some good tunes, but many companies shy away from offering truly portable, weatherproof speaker options. Most solutions involve small, Bluetooth speakers that have thin sound and are splash-proof at best. Soundcast displayed its upcoming VG10 which will be the world’s first wireless, truly portable, weatherproof speaker to be part of the DTS PlayFi family.

If you share a bed, or a bedroom, Zeeq may just be the best thing that ever happened to your bedmate or roommate. Deep inside the Zeeq pillow are blue speakers and a microphone. It is designed so that only the person whose head is on the pillow can hear the music or sounds without disturbing the person next to you.

NVIDIA demonstrated some revolutionary features on its new NVIDIA Shield streaming player. The Android TV based player has been fully redesigned both in hardware and menus.

At $179, Polk Audio's Signa S1 soundbar is definitely affordable.