CES and T.H.E. 2009 - Is anyone going?

i have been going to the CES in Vegas for nearly 30 years. I expect that it will have the most shallow attendance in many years. I would love to go, and i will be in Vegas until the 7th, but the cost of a hotel room going from $38 to $128 for the same room just pisses me off no end...and that is a cheap room. I understand many hotels are adjusting the price down, which would be good, but too late for many professionals in the industry to make adjustments and attend at such short notice.....no...not going this year and i am heart broken about it.

I am, and Lc you are right!

The CEA promised the hotels would not raise rates this year, and to my checking all hotels are at least 50% or more over last years rates. Add to that the worsening economy and I think you are right, attendance will/should be down this year, but not by much. The computer business (former COMDEX) section of CES is doing well and might be doing so well as to compensate for the lack of sale in the high end AV industry, but only time will tell.

BTW I used to dream of going to CES, now that I do and have obligations there, I HATE it, and LV! Spend an hour in a cab line and another hour to go cross town to see a 20 minute demo and talk for another 20 then do it all again for another meeting? It is ridiculous! It is just too big to be doable anymore.

I plan to spend two days at the Venetian this year, an afternoon or AM at the AVN's, and likely a day or so more @ T.H.E. Show, I made no meetings this year, and am trying to stop anything show related @ 6PM, when I will go have a good dinner and relax!

No one is going.

No one is going.

If true this is the perfect year for you Audiogon guys to attend.

No crowds, no hassles, no cab lines, not even a long wait for the best seat at the finest restaurant.

Then again, if no one is going there won't be any displays or equipment either, making it the most boring CES of all time.

I will be there...jallen

Albert,

We made reservations a long time ago... No waiting for tis guy!

I am going and getting pretty excited right now. How about meeting everyone in NFS room for great wine and conversation Thursday night starting at 6PM. The room is AP-2001 in the Alexis Park. See you there

Seen one, seen them all...

If nobody, who will Harry show his 'Classic' table to?

I'm going, made my reservations months ago. I'm assigned coverage of the Venetian and hope to return with a couple of hundred high resolution images.

I wish the AVN show were still part of the CES.

Kept the crowds down in the sound rooms....

Lc,

The AVN's are there the same time as CES, Thursday to Sunday.

I am wondering how I will do CES, T.H.E. Show and still make time to stop by the AVN's to thank several studios for help this year....

I guess I will sleep when I come home after!

Just curious how is the CES and T.H.E. show going? Any jaw dropping products/news flash???

01-10-09: Macdadtexas
I should have mentioned as well that the Vandersteen new model was absolutely sublime. Wow!!! Granted, they were one of the few guys who used some room treatments, and they had about $400k worth of gear around them (Clearaudio Statement table that even Clearaudio didn't have), but man, Diana Krall never sounded so good.

Also, the goofy little thing from Peachtree Audio was a Giant Killer. That weird box with a tube, and those tiny speaker sounded fantastic in a very realistic setup, I am suggesting that for a bunch of friends now getting into audio as a starting point. They may never move up, sounded that good.

I was most excited to see my fav gear at Cary Audio, but the room was not that exciting (odd given the new eXcite gear), I really wanted to hear the new DAC and preamp, but they only had it hooked up to headphones and a computer?? Didn't really want to talk with me about it either. I was pretty dissappointed.

Totem, Bryston, Joseph Audio and MBL were all exceptional. I never saw the VPI setup?? Kept looking for it, if someone saw it let me know what it was like.

The most impressive thing at CES was when the guys @ NTT Audio aired out their total Wilson aLexandria rip offs to >120 dB with the symphony playing the exorcist rif, people literally RAN into the room! Someone asked them if they could rock, and Joe proved they can!

I was surprised how bad some rooms sounded this year, many big names rooms frankly sucked despite tons of great gear.

I only hit T.H.E show for a second to see a friend, but it would have driven me nuts to spend any time there, it was so depressing....

Jeff Rowlands room sounded amazing, the best I have ever heard the Thiels sound, and at very reasonable listening levels, possibly the most tubish sound form SS ever.

"...they had about $400k worth of gear around them (Clearaudio Statement table that even Clearaudio didn't have), but man, Diana Krall never sounded so good."

If I have to spend $400k on audio gear just to hear Dianna Krall sound good, will someone please come by the house and just back their car over me in the driveway please?!

No seriously, anything good on the audio/video front? Any amazing projection setups, scalers, screen tech's, or killer multi channel audio systems or technologies to write home about?
Actually, I didn't even know they made 2 channel gear anymore. Do they? Heehehe

I didn't know anyone did multichannel any more? That's so 2004!! What's a scaler? Don't those come standard on Technics recievers??

Skippy,

In a word, NO, nothing new and cool, the biggest thing was Chord's Bluetooth DAC, but it was usurped by Sherwood having the same tech on a $400 receiver!!!!!

Vizio was showing a 55 inch 240 Hz TV that will ship in June and RETAIL for $1,999 as well as a Blu-ray player.

It's so 2004, huh? Yes, all that "digital" hi-def audio/video content and HD Master recording stuff for movies is so passe! Who would buy any of that stuff anyway?!
Yep, I agree with you, all that analog stuff is gunna make a come back! So is analog tv, boat anchor CRT systems, 8-track, and Beta! IT'S GUNNA HAPPEN! Oh, and analog tuners are back in fashion too.
Well, I guess I could drop the idea of mult-channel entertainment. I'll think about it.
Oh, btw, I want a pair of those pannel speakers you have - way cool! That way when all my guests come over to enjoy a movie, some music, or a sporting event, all the dialoge and center action can be all pushed over to one side of the sound system, and all out of phase, off-axis! Oh well, I can be the only one to enjoy the sound I guess. Er, I can just choose to not have anyone else over and become a 2 channel recluse like yourself. I mean who needs friends anyway? I always say.
Well, I'm gunna go out now and hunt down an old inferior Laser disc player and good real-to-real setup, and tell myself some more lies now.
That is however a nice analog platter spinner thingy you have in your sysetem profile. I did see one of those about 35 years ago at my granpa's house. Does it do mult-channel or quad or anthing? I WANT ONE!
Analog TV and short wave radio's are gunna make a comback, you know. I can feel it.

off the meds again, Skippybo?

quote "Jeff Rowlands room sounded amazing, the best I have ever heard the Thiels sound, and at very reasonable listening levels, possibly the most tubish sound form SS ever."

which interconnect, cable & power cables ?

thanks

Speaker cable was Nordost, didn't check the rest.

did you like the new Magico 6.5 with soulution electronic?

thanks

No, I didn't even go in, I have never been impressed by Magico, I know I fly in the face of many reviewers but that's my feeling and I stick to it!

I never liked them either, but this year this new model really sounded musical, go figure.

Address please!!