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Last week at CES 2020, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)’s Smart Home Division announced its 2020 Mark of Excellence Awards celebrating outstanding custom-installation AV products.

GoldenEar Technology’s Sandy Gross is no stranger to change, having started, and then eventually moved on from, two major speaker brands, Polk Audio and Definitive Technology. As we reported last week , GoldenEar was recently acquired by The Quest Group, owner of the AudioQuest brand of cables, Niagara power products, and DragonFly DACs. With change, of course, comes uncertainty, which is why it was reassuring to walk into the company’s CES suite and see the man himself conducting demos of GoldenEar’s latest speaker, the Bookshelf Reference X.

Like several other TV makers at CES, Vizio plans to introduce its first-ever OLED models in 2020. The company was displaying the new sets, which will be available in 65- and 55-inch screen sizes, at its usual offsite digs along with its new V-, M-, and P-Series Quantum and Quantum X sets that are also scheduled to ship in 2020.

While Meridian’s line-up of digital speakers might be out of your budget, you can still enjoy some of the company’s sonic digital wizardry which is featured in the new line of LG premium soundbars. These bars leverage a long-standing partnership between LG and Meridian Audio and apply Meridian’s in-depth understanding of psychoacoustics and world leading DSP expertise, incorporating key technologies such as Bass & Space, Image Elevation, and Meridian Upmix Technology to boost low-frequency reproduction, widen the soundstage, and ensure a more lifelike listening experience by elevating the perceived height of lead instruments and vocals — extra important when the bar is positioned beneath a display.