CES 2014

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CES 2014
GoldenEar Launches Triton One Tower Speaker
Brent Butterworth  |  Jan 10, 2014  | 

What might have been the most anticipated speaker launch of CES definitely delivered when GoldenEar demoed its new Triton One flagship tower speaker. Walking around the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, I kept hearing showgoers rave about the Triton One's sound -- no big surprise, considering that speakers like the Triton Seven have gotten such glowing reviews in Sound & Vision and other publications.

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CES 2014
GoldenEar Technology Goes Wide and Tall
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 14, 2014  | 
GoldenEar Technology introduced its new 3D Array XL soundbar (Spring, $1500). It's wide enough to accommodate a 70-inch HDTV, and as a passive soundbar requires an external AVR. GoldenEar recommends separate surrounds and a subwoofer for optimum results (not included), though it can operate without them.
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CES 2014
Happy Plugs Redefines Meaning of Earbuds
Lauren Dragan  |  Jan 06, 2014  | 
All these years I've been reviewing headphones, and I thought the point was how they sounded. How wrong I was. Stockholm company Happy Plugs has re-educated me on the definition of earbud. According to their philosophy, headphones are "the most contemporary fashion detail of them all."
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CES 2014
Harman Rocks
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 10, 2014  | 
Instead of formally exhibiting at the CES this year, Harman International set up shop in a large ballroom at the Hard Rock hotel. When we were there, the place was jumping, despite the relatively remote vernue.
CES 2014
HDBaseT Tells 4K to “Bring it!”
John Sciacca  |  Jan 09, 2014  | 
There’s been a lot of talk at the show about 4K – or Ultra High Definition, if you prefer – but no one is talking about how you’re going to move that signal from one side of your house to the other. Well, HDBaseT wants people to know that its technology is ready and waiting for the 4K revolution, and that it can send 4K video – along with full-resolution audio, control, Ethernet and power – over a single Category rated cable up to 328 feet!

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CES 2014
HDTV Goes Head-to-Head with HDTV+
Al Griffin  |  Jan 09, 2014  | 
Sharp’s new AQUOS Quattron+ TV line is being pitched as the company’s solution for consumers who want a new set capable of handling Ultra HD content, but don’t want to pay a premium price for it. What Quattron+ brings to the table is added resolution: By dividing up subpixels in the display, Sharp is able to double the vertical pixel count.
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CES 2014
Here Are CEA Award Winners We've Missed
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 10, 2014  | 
Here's just a smattering of the audio/video products honored in the 2014 CES Innovations Awards, chosen because they might not otherwise appear in this year's CES coverage (mine, at any rate). Clockwise from top left: The Pioneer Elite SC-79 receiver ($3000) serves up nine channels of D3, the company's version of Class D amplification, and every D3 model we've heard so far has lived up to the promise of energy efficiency combined with great sound. This is Pioneer's top-of-the-line model; we've got a review of the less expensive SC-71 in the pipeline. Jamo's Torsten is the brand's first soundbar. The Sharp SD-WH1000U Blu-ray player uses WiSA wireless technology to wirelessly deliver uncompressed 24/96 PCM and 1080p, effectively freeing high-res audio and video from their wired chains. Would'nt it be great if surround receivers could do the same? Bang & Olufsen's BeoLab 18 tower speaker has a tweeter on top firing into a diffuser and four mid-woofers in an extraordinary looking column enclosure; more here. To see more honorees (and we've omitted quite a few good ones!) see the CES website.
CES 2014
Hisense High on VIDAA Series Smart TVs
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 07, 2014  | 
Hisense is not exactly a household brand but the Chinese-based company came out swinging at a pre-CES press conference touting aggressive plans to grow its business in the U.S. and become one of the world’s top three TV manufacturers. The company, which opened a U.S.-based subsidiary in Atlanta more than a decade ago, sells boatloads of TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, and other products through Walmart, Best Buy, hhgregg, and Costco.com. In TV alone, it produces more than 10 million sets a year globally.

Hisense executives are counting on the new Android-powered H7 VIDAA series smart televisions to meet their goals.

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CES 2014
Hisense Shows Roku TV
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 08, 2014  | 
Roku has joined forces with Chinese TV manufacturer, Hisense to offer a Roku TV. When the TV is first turned on, it will display a Roku home page similar to the menu on a Roku Box streaming device
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CES 2014
Hisense’s Flat 55-inch OLED TV
Al Griffin  |  Jan 07, 2014  | 
As promising as the first two OLED TVs to hit the market, a pair of 55-inchers from LG and Samsung, were, there was one problem with both: their screens were curved. That’s why the 55-inch OLED model hanging in Chinese TV-maker Hisense’s booth caught my eye.
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CES 2014
Hybrid Audio Technology's Functional Audio Art
Brent Butterworth  |  Jan 07, 2014  | 

I didn't expect to find any high-end tower speakers amongst the car audio stuff in the North Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center -- until I stumbled upon this new model from Hybrid Audio Technologies.

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CES 2014
id America Sings a Rainbow with the Colorful TouchTone Wireless Speaker
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 08, 2014  | 
While every manufacturer is making speakers in any color you want, as long as it’s black, id America is breaking the mold with their colorful new portable Bluetooth speaker, the TouchTone. This is a compact speaker that won’t break the bank - it’s available now for $80. It comes in a variety of colors, with an even greater palette available soon.

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CES 2014
iLuv Rocks the SyrenPro, Wavecast, and Rollick Portable Speakers
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jan 08, 2014  | 
iLuv offers a plethora of portable wireless Bluetooth speakers. Not surprisingly, at CES, they expanded their lineup in this popular category. In particular, three portable speakers caught my eye: the SyrenPro, Wavecast, and Rollick.

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CES 2014
In-wall DIYing Without Frying Yourself from SANUS
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 09, 2014  | 
SANUS gave an X-ray view of its upcoming In-wall Power and Cable System that’s designed to make it easy for homeowners and DIYers to install flat-panel TVs – and soundbars – on the wall and hide the wires without having to hire an installer and/or an electrician. The basic kit includes a single- or double-gang in-wall receptacle, a matching in-wall AC connection box, and an extension cable that plugs in to an existing AC outlet. You can basically think of it as a safe, uncluttered way of running an extension cable in the wall along with all of the necessary AV connecting cables. The wide ELM809 in-wall mounting box is designed to go behind wall-mounted soundbars and provide access to AC as well as AV cables that are hidden in the wall. The basic package will sell for $99 with the soundbar solution being priced at $49. Both products should be available this spring.
CES 2014
Infinity Reference Series Center
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 10, 2014  | 
Brent Butterworth covers the details on the new Infinity Reference Series below. Here’s a look at the three-way center ($499). Its vertical orientation for the midrange and tweeter is, in my opinion, the only proper way to design a center channel speaker —other than using a speaker identical to the left and right, which can only work if the screen is very high or acoustically transparent, or the system is used for music only with no images.

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