Geoffcin
05-07-2005, 05:51 PM
Home Entertainment 2005 report;
I planned on getting to the Home Entertainment 2005 show right from the beginning, but commuting into NYC can be brutal on some mornings, and this time it took me about 45 minutes more than I expected. Samsung & Microsoft had the first press conference @ 9 am, but I missed it.
The only press conference that I attended that morning was Polks. I was expecting to hear about a new line of speakers or something, but Polk announced the first table radio to include HD-Radio.
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/medium/207729polk_table_radio.jpg
HD-Radio promises to bring a high quality digital signal that has the ability to be "CD Quality" depending on how the station allocates it's bandwidth. Several sub-channels can be carried on the same frequency too; i.e., 88.5a, 88.5b, ect. HD-Radio must be the best kept secret in audio, because this was the first I was hearing about it. Coast to coast coverage is not here yet, but many larger cities have stations that are already broadcasting HD-Radio. Unlike XM, or Sirius, HD-Radio is free!
On the new Polk table radio; They made a big deal about this little CD radio, but I thought it was overpriced @ $599 retail. It's about the size of the Cambridge Soundworks CD table radio that lists for $299, and I can't see how it could sound any better. I was pretty blunt to the sales rep because I told him I wouldn't be paying a $200 premium for HD Radio. He said that the Polk was more than just a radio, and that this component could be hooked up to a stereo, or HT system too, but to me it looked exactly designed to sit next to your bed. Zzzzzzz.....
The Polk room was on the 4'th floor, so after the press conference everyone wandered out into the hall to chat among themselves. The audio press seems to be a pretty tight knit bunch, as it seemed nearly everybody knew everyone else.
There was three of the larger conference rooms that were used by dealers, so I wandered into one that was just opening up. The room belonged to Audio Connection based out of Verona NJ. They had a set of Vandersteen 5a's set up driven by a beautiful pair of Pathos amps.
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/medium/207729vandy_5_and_pathos_2.jpg
The front end they were using was really incredibly to. A Wadia CD player, and Aesthetix component stack.
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/207729nice_stack.jpg
Along with a Turntable from hell (didn't get the name)
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/medium/207729sick_tt.jpg
With a Shelter uber-cartridge. The Vandersteens sounded good in that rather large room, which was something like 20' x 40'. Vandys never blew me away with their sound, but, besides being beautifully finished, they do an exemplary job of conveying the music without drawing any attention to themselves. Everything sounded balanced, clean, and without artifacts. If that's what they were shooting for with this setup, then the room was exactly right.
These guys were just playing records & CD's for their own enjoyment that morning. I asked if they were a manufacturer, and they said that they are an audio dealer based in New Jersey, and invited me to come by their store. They said that they have over a million dollars in "open box" equipment that they regularly lend to their customers for evaluation. We talked a bit about the state of the 2-channel audio market and the Internet, and they expressed concerns on how an Internet consumer can get the kind of personal service that they can offer. I got the feeling that their customers demand more than just a quality product. I sure plan on visiting their store next time I'm in New Jersey.
Spent a good 20 min in that room so, I decided to move on and see what else was cooking. Nobody else on the floor had yet opened, so I went down to the ballrooms on the 2'nd floor.
Continued in part 2;
I planned on getting to the Home Entertainment 2005 show right from the beginning, but commuting into NYC can be brutal on some mornings, and this time it took me about 45 minutes more than I expected. Samsung & Microsoft had the first press conference @ 9 am, but I missed it.
The only press conference that I attended that morning was Polks. I was expecting to hear about a new line of speakers or something, but Polk announced the first table radio to include HD-Radio.
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/medium/207729polk_table_radio.jpg
HD-Radio promises to bring a high quality digital signal that has the ability to be "CD Quality" depending on how the station allocates it's bandwidth. Several sub-channels can be carried on the same frequency too; i.e., 88.5a, 88.5b, ect. HD-Radio must be the best kept secret in audio, because this was the first I was hearing about it. Coast to coast coverage is not here yet, but many larger cities have stations that are already broadcasting HD-Radio. Unlike XM, or Sirius, HD-Radio is free!
On the new Polk table radio; They made a big deal about this little CD radio, but I thought it was overpriced @ $599 retail. It's about the size of the Cambridge Soundworks CD table radio that lists for $299, and I can't see how it could sound any better. I was pretty blunt to the sales rep because I told him I wouldn't be paying a $200 premium for HD Radio. He said that the Polk was more than just a radio, and that this component could be hooked up to a stereo, or HT system too, but to me it looked exactly designed to sit next to your bed. Zzzzzzz.....
The Polk room was on the 4'th floor, so after the press conference everyone wandered out into the hall to chat among themselves. The audio press seems to be a pretty tight knit bunch, as it seemed nearly everybody knew everyone else.
There was three of the larger conference rooms that were used by dealers, so I wandered into one that was just opening up. The room belonged to Audio Connection based out of Verona NJ. They had a set of Vandersteen 5a's set up driven by a beautiful pair of Pathos amps.
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/medium/207729vandy_5_and_pathos_2.jpg
The front end they were using was really incredibly to. A Wadia CD player, and Aesthetix component stack.
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/207729nice_stack.jpg
Along with a Turntable from hell (didn't get the name)
http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio/504/medium/207729sick_tt.jpg
With a Shelter uber-cartridge. The Vandersteens sounded good in that rather large room, which was something like 20' x 40'. Vandys never blew me away with their sound, but, besides being beautifully finished, they do an exemplary job of conveying the music without drawing any attention to themselves. Everything sounded balanced, clean, and without artifacts. If that's what they were shooting for with this setup, then the room was exactly right.
These guys were just playing records & CD's for their own enjoyment that morning. I asked if they were a manufacturer, and they said that they are an audio dealer based in New Jersey, and invited me to come by their store. They said that they have over a million dollars in "open box" equipment that they regularly lend to their customers for evaluation. We talked a bit about the state of the 2-channel audio market and the Internet, and they expressed concerns on how an Internet consumer can get the kind of personal service that they can offer. I got the feeling that their customers demand more than just a quality product. I sure plan on visiting their store next time I'm in New Jersey.
Spent a good 20 min in that room so, I decided to move on and see what else was cooking. Nobody else on the floor had yet opened, so I went down to the ballrooms on the 2'nd floor.
Continued in part 2;