CES 2012

From a technical standpoint, speakers have hardly changed since I went to my first CES back in January 1990. Yet each CES is still jam-packed with new speaker designs. Some are merely modifications on the classic black box. Others are aesthetic flights of fancy intended to captivate those who really don’t much like audio gear. Regardless, listening to new speakers is my favorite part of CES — or of any audio show, for that matter.

Here’s a roundup of 12 new speakers that caught my attention at CES 2012. Lots of others probably warranted inclusion here, but my two days at the audio exhibits in the Venetian Hotel didn’t give me enough time to visit even half of the audio rooms there.