Tom Norton

Acoustics showed speakers from the new Klimt series, led by this large floorstander, "The Music" (yes, that's its name. The speaker uses a newly developed flat midrange with a coaxially mounted tweeter and a separate supertweeter. The picture does not do justice to the speakers stunning appearance and impeccable finish, including a piano black version, not shown here. Yours for just $25,000/pair.

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

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.

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.