CEDIA 2024 Show Coverage.

Hello, Secrets readers!

As we celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we’re excited to bring you live coverage from the CEDIA EXPO 2024, taking place from September 5th to 7th at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Our team will be on-site, exploring every corner of this premier event—from captivating demos to state-of-the-art displays—to deliver the latest innovations and industry highlights directly to you.

In honor of this milestone, we’re also thrilled to showcase some of the fantastic prizes from our 30 for 30 prize giveaway. This year promises to be especially exciting, with major announcements from leading manufacturers, and we’re committed to bringing you not just the breaking news but the full experience of the show.

Stay tuned as we’ll be updating this article throughout the event and beyond, ensuring you don’t miss any of the action. 

Be sure to follow our SECRETS Facebook and Instagram feeds for real-time updates and exclusive behind-the-scenes content. We look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Enjoy our special 30th Anniversary coverage of CEDIA EXPO 2024!

Pre-Show Press Events

CEDIA 2024 started off with a bang on the evening before the show officially began. In a special pre-show press event, Trinnov Audio, Barco, Kaleidescape, madVR Labs, Officina Acustica, Perlisten & Seymour-Screen Excellence put together a most compelling custom home theater demo. An awe-inspiring 11.14.6 channel system was assembled for us to experience.

Perlisten provided all the speakers and subwoofers, highlighted by three S7t Limited Edition speakers in front and fourteen dual-driver D215 subwoofers. Kaliedescape brought the 4K content delivery with their newest Strato and Terra products. madVR Labs contributed an Envy Extreme Mk2 video processor that made the Barco Nerthus DCI projector look even more amazing.
Seymour-Screen Excellence provided their Enlightor-Neo acoustically transparent screen to help the visuals look their best. Italian acoustics wizards Officina Acoustica designed and assembled the multi-layered listening enclosure. All of it was tied together with Trinnov Amplitude amplification and an Altitude 32 processor running Trinnov’s newest Waveforming technology update.

The demo itself had to be one of the most visceral multichannel listening experiences that I have had to date. Starting with musical excerpts from an Eric Clapton acoustic concert and another amplified concert by Sting we then moved into movie clips from Lucy and Midway. The bass performance of the system was incredibly impactful and potent but all that bass power did not mask or obscure any of the detail and nuance of the rest of the system’s performance. Everything sounded clear and coherent in the best possible way.
And as an aside, in case you think you need $1 million+ home theater system to get the benefits of Trinnov’s Waveforming technology, I personally have been experimenting with it in my home 5.4.4 channel system. With two subs in front and two and back, Waveforming makes a significant improvement in my much more modest home theater system. Well done!

Another pre-CEDIA show presser was provided courtesy of Klipsch and Onkyo. Onkyo had static displays of some of their newest AVRs but most of the event was devoted to Klipsch and their new Flexus Core series of soundbars (the 100, 200, and 300).

Of particular note was the top-dog Flexus Core 300 which is the world’s first soundbar with integrated DIRAC Live room correction. The Flexus Core 300 has all the expected decoding bells and whistles along with the latest flavor of HDMI ARC, 8K passthrough, Bluetooth, and wireless connectivity.
The demo had the Flexus Core 300 ($999.00 each) wirelessly connected to two new Flexus 200 12” subwoofers ($499.00 each) and two Flex 200 surround speakers ($399.00 each). The whole ensemble looked as neat as a pin and impressively expansive. Apartment dwellers rejoice!

SVS

SVS dropped a massive bombshell at CEDIA 2024 in the form of their new PB and SB-17 Ultra R/Evolution subwoofers. Although they have a similar form factor as the previous 16” Ultra series subs, these new models have been completely redeveloped from the ground up.

Sporting a massive 17” driver with dual 8” voice coils, a 2,800-watt RMS fully balanced power amp section, and a built-in auto room correction system (via updated control app), these new SVS subs are well placed to become the go-to choice for bass-o-philes near and far! For those who care about extension, the -3 dB point for the SB-17 is 11 Hz while the PB-17’s -3 dB point is 8 Hz.

Pricing is estimated at $2,499.00 for the sealed unit and $2,999.00 for the ported. Availability will be in October. The piano gloss black finish will be the first available look with black oak coming available soon after.

FOCAL/Sony

This year at CEDIA, FOCAL teamed up with Sony on two demonstration theaters. Sony was introducing two new projector models, the BRAVIA Projector 8 and BRAVIA Projector 9, one of which was in each theater along with new Sony ES series AVRs taking care of the processing in the big theater and full control and amplification in the other.
The first theater had a 9.2.4 channel system consisting of:
(x9) Focal 1000 IWLCR-Utopia surround channels ($7,999 each)
(x4) Focal 1000 ICLCR-5 Atmos channels ($2,499 each)
(x2) Focal SUB 12 subwoofer ($2,999 each)
(x1) Sony STR-AZ7000ES receiver ($3,299.99)
(x2) Naim CI NAP-108 ($2,999 each)
(x1) Sony VPL-XW8100 projector (BRAVIA Projector 9)
Both the image and sound in this bigger theater were top-notch, with clips from Zero Dark Thirty, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague.

The second 7.1.2 theater included Focal’s NEW Aria Evo X speakers:
(x2) Focal Aria Evo X Nº4 front channels ($2,999 each)
(x2) Focal Aria Evo X Nº2 side surrounds ($2,399 each)
(x2) Focal Aria Evo X Nº3 rear surrounds ($2,599 each)
(x1) Focal SUB1000F subwoofer ($2,099)
(x2) Focal On Wall 301 height channels ($999 each)
(x1) Sony STR-AZ7000ES receiver ($3,299.99)
(x1) Sony VPL-XW6100ES Projector (BRAVIA Projector 8.)
The picture and sound in this smaller theater were also excellent. The Sony ES receiver definitely had some “stones” as it powered all those FOCAL ARIA EVO X speakers to some serious volumes during the demo. Everything remained super clean sounding and the bass slammed accordingly. Another nice touch was an example of the very first Sony ES series integrated amplifier on display outside the theater. Sony ES celebrates its 60th Anniversary next year.

Paradigm/Anthem/MartinLogan

You could say that MartinLogan went on a bit of a “Subwoofer Bender” this year at CEDIA, announcing not one, not two but EIGHT new individual subwoofers with two more scheduled for next year. I’ll have a walkthrough video with ML’s Andrew Lindsey posted soon (no thanks to an intransigent laptop that will shortly be put out to pasture) but here is the initial lowdown from the bottom to the top:
Foundation 10 $499.00
Foundation 12 $699.00
Dynamo 10 $999.00
Dynamo 12 $1,499.00
Abyss 8 $1,199.00
Abyss 10 $1,699.00
Grotto 12 $2,199.00
Grotto 15 $2,699.00

Getting into the details a bit more, the Foundation series has a single 10” or 12” down-firing driver and all the essential connections to get you going. An optional $99.00 wireless kit is also available for them. The Dynamo series moves to front-firing drivers, upgraded build and aesthetics, more connectivity options, app control and an included wireless kit to boot! The Abyss series adds a pair of matching passive radiators to the Dynamo’s front-firing active driver recipe and maintains all the added connectivity and wireless options.
The Grotto 12 and 15 are more understated but beastly-sized units with either 12” or 15” active drivers in front with matching passives on the sides and 1 kW of RMS power in each. And as an added bit of news, the replacements for the Balanced Force series subs will come out early next year in the form of Depth 212 and Depth 215 each with a dual force-canceling driver arrangement. Pricing on those is TBD.

Paradigm, Anthem, and Martin Logan enhanced their presence this year with two separate demo rooms too. The first featured a 6-channel HT system built around MartinLogan ESL speakers and four of the new Abyss 8 subwoofers.

The second demo room featured two separate demos with Paradigm speakers. One demo was of a 5.4.4 system based around their P-series custom install speakers and four of the new in-wall subwoofers while the other was a 6.4.4 system using paradigm Founder 100 speakers for front, sides, and rear, a Founder Center Channel speaker and four XR-13 subwoofers. Both sounded excellent with the bigger Founder system providing that extra sense of immersion and “oomph!

Also on the subwoofer front, Paradigm was showing their new SFC12-SYS in-wall subwoofer for the custom install market. This unit features two oblong or “racetrack” style drivers mounted in a force-canceling arrangement along with a unique internal suspension system to mitigate any vibrations from transferring through the walls.

Epson

Epson walked through their new series of Q-Series 4K High Lumen Laser projectors which consisted of three models, the QB 1000 ($7,999.00 no lens), the QL 3000 ($14,999.00 no lens), and the QL 7000 ($29,999.00 no lens). EPSON made no bones about wanting to shake off the moniker of “budget” or “entry-level” with these new projectors. They are available with an array of short, middle, and long throw lens choices (which must be purchased separately) and customizable enclosure options.

Sitting through a demonstration of the new QL3000 we were treated to an image comparison between it and the lower-tier QB1000, switching back and forth between the same content. There was no question that the QB1000 threw a fabulous sharp and colorful image but switching to the QL3000 revealed a brighter, deeper image with extended contrast. It should be noted that the sound in the demonstration was courtesy of Marantz and B&W, sourcing was through Kaleidescape, and the screen was from Stewart Filmscreen.

As a bonus, I’ve always been curious about what the laser light engine in one of these projectors looks like. Epson just happened to have one available for us to examine. Notice the passive, vapor-cooled heat sink built around the example. Very much like a high-performance CPU cooler in a powerful PC.

Monitor Audio

Monitor Audio had a significant footprint at CEDIA this year. Beyond the always impressive Hyphen flagship on display and the very cool new Studio 89 monitor, the show marked the first North American debut of the redesigned Gold Series of loudspeakers.

Charles Minett, Monitor Audio’s Product Design Director walked me through the line which includes the Gold 500 6G tower, Gold 300 6G tower, Gold 100 6G bookshelf, Gold 50 6G Bookshelf, Gold 250 6G Center channel, and Gold On-Wall 6 G.

Perlisten

Speaking of subwoofers, Perlisten was showing off two new and massive in-wall subwoofers the D3is and the D8is. The D8is is pictured here with its push/pull array of eight 8” drivers visible along with its external 3 kW DSP power amplifier. The D3is has three 8” drivers in a sealed cabinet.

Both subs are said to have a unique mounting system that isolates the subs and prevents any vibration from transmitting through the wall studs. These babies are beasts and I can only imagine what they would sound like!

Ascendo/Storm Audio

Ascendo Immersive Audio has been impressing showgoers at CEDIA for a few years with their accurate and powerful speaker and subwoofer solutions. This year they teamed up with Storm Audio, and put together a couple of compelling theater demos.

The bigger theater demo (13.12.10 system) had 12 of their very big and very square “The 28 Sub Squared Pro” subwoofers anchoring the bottom end. The smaller (9.12.6 system) had a more “modestly sized” subwoofer array pulling bass duty. The Storm Audio ISP Elite 32 Digital AoiP handled the audio duties while running DIRAC ART.

Projection for the demos was handled by a Christie Griffyn 4K35-RGB projector with Seymour Screen Excellence providing the screen and the Lumagen Radiance 5244 PRO taking care of the video processing. Moovia took care of the very comfortable seating for both demos. Needless to say, everything sounded fantastic!

Friends, while on the subject of subwoofers, this is Geoffrey Heinzel, genial madman and owner of Ascendo Immersive Audio standing next to one of his “The28 Sub Squared Pro” passive subwoofers. There were 12 of these geometric monsters pounding out the bass in the Sound Room 4 theater demo at CEDIA. Each sub costs $30K and darlings, those aren’t copper decorations sitting on top of the subwoofer, those are driver voice coils from some of Geoffrey’s most fearsome toys. Beware the smiling man with the giant subs! 😁

Procella

Procella is a pro brand that I was unfamiliar with but they made a serious impression on me at CEDIA. Originally based in Sweden but relocating to Belgium, the brand has an array of speaker solutions and powerful DSP amplifiers that handle all the speaker crossover functions within them.

CEO Ignace Rombaut and US rep Chuck Back treated me to listen to a 5.1.4 system based on their P5 series of speakers and a P15 subwoofer. Impressively clean sounding with plenty of bass impact, it was an excellent-sounding little system. It made me seriously interested to hear what their bigger systems sound like!

AudioControl

Our friends at AudioControl had a bunch of interesting new products that they had brought with them to CEDIA. Of particular interest were ground-up new AVR and Pre-Processor designs.

The Hyperion RC-11 can support a 7.1.4 channel system with 11 channels of onboard digital GaN-FET amplification. The digital amps are said to be in-house designed units. The APR-16 Pre-Processor supports 16 channels via RCA or XLR outputs. Both support HDMI eARC, DIRAC Live/Bass Control/ART, and DANTE audio-over-Ethernet protocol. The price on each is TBD, with availability coming early next year.

The Bijou compact line of integrated 2.1 and multi-channel integrated amplifiers were also a big hit with the custom installing crowd. Available in 2.1, 3.1, and 5.1 channel configurations, they also feature GaN-FET amplification, HDMI eARC, and full IP control in impressively compact packaging. Price on each is TBD, with availability coming early next year.

Acurus/Aragon

Acurus and Aragon had a great-sounding 2-channel and home theater demo happening at CEDIA.

The HT setup featured the Acurus ACT 4 and MUSE preamp-processors along with matching M4 and M8 power amplifiers along with a full array of Totem loudspeakers including the Element Metal V2 for the left and right mains and an Element Wood V2 for the center channel. The 2-channel setup used the Aragon Tungsten preamplifier, and two Aragon Iridium mono-block power amplifiers all running a lovely pair of Dynaudio Confidence 60 loudspeakers. Both systems sounded excellent, and props to Acurus’ home-grown ASPEQT correction system for the theater but I confess to having a soft spot for those Confidence speakers and they sounded superb with the badd-ass looking Aragon gear!

Amped America/ Pangea/Acoustique Quality/Vincent

Amped America was sharing a booth at CEDIA with Pangea Audio, Acoustique Quality Speakers, and Vincent Audio. Plenty of 2-channel goodness was to be found at this booth.

The current full line of Adcom amps and preamps was here along with several speakers from Acoustique Quality of the Czech Republic. Vincent Audio also had a couple of integrated amps on display along with announcing the new SV 500 MK integrated amp.

Yamaha

Our friends at Yamaha had a tidy little display at CEDIA featuring a few of their Aventage class AVRs. Along with the AVRs was some higher-end 2-channel equipment in the form of the R-N2000A Network Receiver and the NS-800A Bookshelf Speakers.

Dynaudio

Dynaudio was showing a rather interesting proof-of-concept prototype that looks like it is aimed squarely at Bang & Olufsen’s backyard. They presented a rather striking 73” wooden soundbar with 72 little slats that open to allow the 22 drivers (including 2 subwoofers) access to the air. Called the Symphony Opus One, this giant, designer-approved soundbar uses beamforming technology to create a rather impressive immersive sound field. Some sample music from Sade and Roxy Music played through the Symphony Opus One sounded remarkably spacious and musical without seeming contrived.”

Designer Leif Schmucker says more development work needs to be done and the Opus One hasn’t received final approval for production yet but it was neat to see, and hear, how far this project has come.

JBL Synthesis

The HARMAN booth was chock full of goodies at this year’s CEDIA Expo. Sr. Director of Product Planning Jim Garrett walked me through JBL’s Synthesis offerings, many of which were being put to use in the impressive theater demo that they had going on, along with updating me on the second wave of ARCAM Radia components. Check out the videos for the full skinny on stuff.

I would like to point out that the JBL Synthesis theater demo had the clearest dialog of any of the theater demos that I attended at CEDIA. On the song “Always Remember Us This Way” sung by Lady Gaga from the A Star is Born remake (which several of the theaters at CEDIA played in their demos) I was able to make out the refrain lyrics “So when I’m all choked up, and I can’t find the words” more clearly here. Specifically, the words “choked up,” as I’ve never been able to exactly make out what those two words were in that line. I sat in the JBL Synthesis demo, listened to that piece and, OMG, I finally understood those two words because I finally heard them clearly! It may seem like a small detail but whether you are sitting in a megabuck home theater installation or your modest basement entertainment center, you want to be able to hear every detail properly. That’s the point. Well done JBL!

Theory Audio Designs/ Pro Audio Technology

Paul Hales runs a no B.S. style of speaker demo that, in the end, is a complete and total Mind- (insert word that is not suitable for print here)! You are presented with a selection of custom install, pendants, and pro-audio type speakers that play back repeated music clips that sound as good as any so-called “Audiophile” loudspeaker that I have come across. Honestly, a pair of his 6-inch in-ceiling speakers sounded better to me than some full-tower speakers that I have auditioned.

But the real magic is that all these various speaker types had exactly the same timbre to their sound. One could mix and match any of them (large or small) in almost any conceivable way. How is this done? Superior design incorporating active electronics and DSP, intelligently executed. It was legitimately some of the best sound of the show. And the biggest surprise was revealed from behind of curtain. A pair of outdoor bollard speakers that sounded better than a speaker of this type had any right to.
Pro Audio Technology celebrated its 20th Anniversary at CEDIA. May they get to celebrate 20 more, times 2.

Totem

Totem was once again at CEDIA this year featuring their diminutive KIN one speaker. Vince Bruzzese walked me through and demoed the little bookshelf speakers for me with the equally little KIN Amp. These Lilliputian speakers have a 1” soft dome tweeter and a 4” woofer and are ported out the back. They also have a rear threaded insert to use with Omni mounts or other threaded wall mounts.

Available in “sunset vibe” colors of Satin Orange, Pink, and Blue, these tiny gems put out a surprisingly big and rich sound. Color me impressed!

PMC/Storm Audio

Sound Room 7 featured a 7.8.4 channel system comprised of PMC ci Series Speakers, JL Audio Subs, Christie projection, madVR Labs Envy Extreme video processing, StormAudio’s ISR Fusion 20 receiver, and a screen by Seymour-Screen Excellence. This demo sounded particularly well-balanced and cohesive.

Sony Crystal LED Theater/Wisdom Audio

A surprise in the Sony booth was this 137” modular LED video wall that created the most amazing image. I say it was modular because the screen is made up of 25 individual sections that connect together.

I could not see any seams from the sections anywhere on the screen. According to Sony, the controller that comes with the system can control up to 100 modules connected together. Originally designed for corporate and retail environments it has found its way into high-dollar residential theater installations. The picture was wonderfully colorful with loads of brightness and plenty of contrast. The video wall as shown could be yours for around $170K.

Oh, and the 13.2-channel Wisdom Audio system that accompanied the display wasn’t too shabby either!

Marantz

Across the street from the convention center, Masimo Consumer Audio had a whole floor of the Le Meridian Hotel to itself. It was there that Marantz showed off its latest 10 Series of Reference Hi-Fi components. The three-component lineup consists of the Model 10 Integrated Amplifier, the SACD 10 SACD Player, and the Link 10n Network Audio Player. According to Marantz’s Gary Dayton, there were no constraints in the design and development of these three reference products and it shows in both the look and feel of them. Every detail looks as if it has been thoughtfully attended to. The Model 10 Integrated Amp is a dual mono design using licensed PuriFi amplifier technology, built by Marantz. Rated at 250 watts into 8 ohms, power will double into 4 ohms and can produce up to 30 Amps of peak current. The Model 10 is an all-analog component, any digital music function has been reserved for the Link 10n Network Audio Player.

The Link 10n Network Audio Player used the HEOS platform as its control interface. Marantz came up with a bespoke, in-house designed DAC system for both the Link 10n and the SACD 10. The SACD 10’s drive mechanism is also completely designed in-house by Marantz. No off-the-shelf componentry here! Each 10 Series component weighs about as much as a black hole and feels like it could survive a direct hit from a cruise missile. The Model 10 Integrated Amp is currently available for $15K while both the SACD 10 and Lin10n will be available in the coming months.

Classe Audio/ Bowers & Wilkins

A rare and unusual opportunity presented itself while at the Le Meridian Hotel. It consisted of a musical demonstration of the Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus loudspeakers controlled and powered by Classe equipment in a VERY blue room.

Having never heard the Nautilus before, I felt like it was a chance that I couldn’t pass up. Sound-wise I would put the Nautilus somewhere around the current 800 Series but without the overly extended top-end response.

In Closing

Well, that’s the end of another CEDIA show, come and gone. Thanks for following along and hoping you’ll join us next time, from wherever we are reporting from! Salute, and all the best!