Greetings Secrets readers! We will be coming to you from the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, from September 7th to the 9th, to bring you all the amazing sights and sounds from CEDIA EXPO 2023. Both Co-Editor Robert Kozel and myself will be roaming the halls, demos, and displays to bring you all the latest and greatest that we find at the show. And while there are several big CEDIA announcements that have already been teased by manufacturers, we plan on bringing you the fun side of the show along with all the cool news and tech as well. Please check back often as we will be updating this article during the course of the show and after. We will also be posting on the SECRETS Facebook and Instagram feeds as well, so be sure to keep an eye on those too. We hope you enjoy our continuing coverage.
Carlo Lo Raso
Editor-In-Chief
In this video I chat with Richard Litofsky, CEO of madVR Labs whose Envy Extreme Mk II processor was a part of the Trinnov demo, along with several other demos at CEDIA this year.
An array of Sony A-Series wireless and Dolby ATMOS sound-bars were also on display for those needing a simpler, less obtrusive solution. Each could be configured with matching A-Series wireless rear speakers and subwoofer for a full “stealth” type of system.
Sony also had two demo theaters for attendees to experience. The first had 9.4.6 channels of KEF Reference in-wall speakers and subwoofers. A Sony STR-AZ7000ES AVR was powering the whole system. The screen was a 180” Stewart Studio Tek screen.
The second theater had a full 9.2 channels of Monitor Audio Silver Series speakers and subwoofers powered by a Sony STR-A3000ES AVR. The screen was a 120” Screen Innovations ZeroEdge Pro. Both rooms used Sony’s VPL-XW5000ES Native 4K projector and a Kaleidescape 4K Strato S player and server. Both rooms had great image and sound.
Paradigm had much of their Founder and Premiere lines of speakers on display. One of the new things for the Founder line was a 41st anniversary limited edition run of three new matte automotive style finishes which are named Ruby Frostbite, Frozen Charcoal, and Azure Ice.
In this video Paradigm’s Kyle Delnero tells us about the new Founder “FortyOne” Limited Edition color options.
The brand also had a new two-channel second-zone network amplifier called the SVX-1202. With Anthem ARC room correction onboard it provides some additional multi-room audio options for the Custom Install crowd. No power per channel figure was listed, but it is supposed to be able to handle 8 and 4 ohm loads with ease.
In the other of their two sound rooms Paradigm had 3 complete surround speaker systems to demonstrate. The first was an all-in-ceiling-based system (5 channels) along with a pair of Paradigm Seismic 110 subwoofers. The next was a prototype on and in-wall system that Paradigm was calling the Founder Slim for the time being. It also used the pair of Seismic 110 subs for its demo. This system is still under development and there are no release plans for it as yet. The third system used three Founder LCR for the front channels and some of the Founder Slim on-walls for the surround channels. A pair of the new Defiance XR 11 subs rounded out the bass channels. In the demo, each of these three systems successfully delivered a proper and enjoyable surround sound experience in three completely different use cases. With no tower speakers and in a medium-sized room.
While the last of those three systems was powered by an Anthem MRX 1140 AVR, the first two were powered by an all-new Anthem compact AVR called the MRX Slim. The MRX Slim fits 5 channels of 50 watts (into 8-ohms), ARC room correction, bass and subwoofer management, one analog input, one optical input, one HDMI input, and one HDMI (with eARC) output into a snazzy aluminum box above the size and thickness of my 20-year-old IBM Thinkpad.
Once again, Kyle Delnero gives us a detailed look at the Anthem MRX Slim and Paradigm’s Decor line of on-wall speakers.
The other really standout home theater demo at CEDIA 2023 was the one put together by Grimani Systems, Storm Audio, Seymour Screen Excellence, Barco Residential, and Row One Seating. Storm Audio featured their new ISP EVO digital processor and one of its key features is sending audio over internet (AES67 standard). So, in this implementation the ISP EVO is able to send up to 32 channels of digital audio over a single CAT 6 Ethernet cable to a suitable multichannel amplifier, or bank of amps/speaker controllers in this case, and then off the the speakers. DIRAC’s new ART (Acoustic Room Treatment) processing also featured prominently in this demo. Grimani Systems set up a custom 11.6.6 channel active speaker system to take advantage of all this. Seymour-Screen Excellence provided the 186” Enlightor-Neo 4K screen for the native 5K Barco Residential Njord Cinemascope DLP projectior and madVR Labs Envy Extreme processor to work their magic on. All in all it was a really superb, top-tier demonstration both visually and sonically. A well thought out and implemented presentation.
I would be remiss in not mentioning Todd Girdis from RowOne Seating. Not only were the company’s Calveri and Cortes seats in the Grimani/Storm Audio demo eminently stylish and comfortable, but Todd and his company are doing a little “giving back.”
RowOne is working with a homelessness group called Empowerment Plan to provide specialized coats that can convert into sleeping bags to those in need. Just a little shout-out here as it’s good to know a potential purchase can have a lasting impact beyond simply being a very comfortable place to sit. Well done!
This year, Perlisten had an offsite presence at CEDIA. A 5 minute walk from the convention center brought us to a private, well-appointed condominium where the company had set up a bit of a more casual, but no less impressive, display. Getting the spotlight here was the first public listening demo of the S7t Limited Edition loudspeakers that had been previewed in Munich. Both Robert Kozel and myself spent some quality time both listening to the speakers themselves and talking with Dan Roemer and Erik Wiederholtz about what makes them so special. Essentially these are S7t speakers that have been refined down to the “Nth” degree. Everything from the enclosure, to the suspension/isolation, to the driver construction and the crossover design have been fettled and tolerances tightened as much as humanly possible. With only 50 hand-signed and numbered pairs to be produced, and with that beautiful carbon fiber finish, these were top on our list to experience while here.
Well kudos to Dan, Erik, Steven, Peter, and the entire Perlisten team are in order. These speakers are spectacularly good sounding! I won’t put words in Robert’s mouth but he seemed genuinely impressed as well. I reviewed the original S7t loudspeakers for SECRETS and listening to the Limited Edition versions brought all the memories of why I liked them so much flooding back. But there is definitely more going on here. Some additional sweetness in the midrange, a little extra perceived solidity and impact in the bass are what come to mind for me. There was even a visit by Noel Lee of Monster Cable fame who came to audition the speakers for himself. I heard that he was also quite impressed!
This being CEDIA after all, Perlisten was also showing off their line of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, the R2ic, the R3ic,and the S3ic. All look and feel like some of the most serious and beastly custom install speakers that I have ever come across.
And then there are the subwoofers. Having direct experience with Perlisten subwoofers in my home, I can attest to just how outrageously good they perform in real-world use. A D215 dual-driver sub in a striking matching carbon fiber finish to the S7t Limited Editions greeted us as we entered the condo. But what also caught our attention were the new prototype R-series sealed subwoofers that were being considered for production. They were here to help gauge consumer interest and by all accounts, every consumer who looked at them seem interested! There was a sealed 10”, a 12”, a 15” and an 18”. Perlisten is looking to offer some more affordable and flexible subwoofer options with these choices. We shall see what the company eventually decides, but I did tell Dan and Erik “ You realize don’t you, that someone is going to see that 18” driver and ask you to make a dual driver D18 sub, right?” They both looked at me like they had an immediate need for some Tylenol!
Focal decided to make a statement at CEDIA this year. Not by building some bespoke listening room and putting a state-of-the-art theater in it as one would expect at this show. No. They took the biggest and most bad-ass two-channel setup they had, a pair of Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo loudspeakers and the NAIM Statement audio system and placed it out in the open, smack in the middle of the convention floor.
BOOM!
It was pure spectacle. Grand theater of the highest order. Basically, Marketing 101. And judging by the mob of people that were surrounding that display, sitting and listening, taking selfies, calling others to come over and look, it worked spectacularly!
I heard a couple of people grousing about how Focal could install such a refined audiophile system in the worst possible listening environment. To them I say, get over yourselves. That obviously was not the point here.
You have to have a supreme level of confidence (or a huge pair of stones) to pull off an image stunt this audacious. Kudos to Focal for “Thinking Different” at CEDIA.
At CEDIA 2023 the fine folks at Def Tech walked us through the new Definitive Technology Dymension CI and Mythos series speakers.
Stopping by the Lenbrook Group to see what was new and exciting. PSB was showing a new Imagine series of loudspeakers. Not much information was available beyond there being three models, the B50 a bookshelf speaker ($699.00/pair), the T54 a mid-size tower ($1,499.00/pair), and the T65 a larger tower ($1,999.00/pair). Looking forward to putting these through their paces on a future review.
Bluesound was touting an important new update to the BluOs controller app. The upcoming release is called BluOs 4.0 and it is said to be backwards compatible with every single generation of Bluesound product since the first generation. More details are in the video we shot.
Things have been a little quiet from Revel in the last few years. But at CEDIA 2023, the company announced new custom install versions of their Performa 3 Be speakers. Called the Revel Be Architectural Series, they complement any of the current Revel tower and bookshelf speakers to complete a surround system. Or you can use them on their own for a completely “stealth” Revel high-performance audio system.
Over at JBL, they had the entire collection of its Classic Series of components for folks to get all the nostalgic “warm and fuzzies” over! Jim Garrett does the honors again, walking us through the collection.
The McIntosh Group had a well appointed booth at CEDIA that covered all their brands. Starting with Mac themselves, they had a number of processors and amps on display including the MHT300, which our Jim Milton has in for review. The star of the show for Mac was the recently announced PS2K powered subwoofer that stood like a piano black monolith smack in the middle of the room. No, Co-Editor Robert Kozel is not genuflecting before it in prayer, but with four 13” graphite bass drivers each with its own 500-watt amplifier, and the ability to daisy-chain up to six of these beasts together, he might as well have been!
Rotel’s high-end MICHI brand had the new Series 2 version if their P5 stereo preamp with updated DACs and other goodies hooked up to the elegant but beastly S5 stereo power amplifier.
Rotel itself had a couple of new distribution amplifiers aimed at the CI market along with a couple of updated multi-channel home theater amplifiers. They also had updated A-Series components that looked like perfect high-quality entry points for the budding audiophile. Rotel’s Daren Orth and Jeff Coates are gracious enough to outline everything for us in the videos below.
Pro-Ject was in the booth with 3 new turntables including the gorgeous flagship table the Signature 12.2. Jeff Coates again gives us a grand tour of the offerings in the accompanying video.
And Sonus faber was also in the house with their Arena Custom Install line of home theater speakers and subwoofer. All these new speakers are handmade by Sonus faber in Vicenza Italy and are poised enough to reveal the most subtle of details, but powerful enough to blow dry your hair and rearrange your internal organs at a distance. The always affable Will Kline was eagerly conducting demos of the Area’s prowess to all who would ask.
Had to pop in to AudioQuest/Goldenear and visit with Chris Volk and David Penrod posing with the new Goldenear T66. The more I see that speaker, the more I like it, especially in red!
You never know who you’ll run into at these shows. It was great to catch up with Jill Escol from Origin Acoustics, Roberta Lewis PR Duchess extraordinaire, and the Head Monster himself Noel Lee!
At the Origin Acoustics booth WiiM was showing an array of network streaming products. And while they have recently made waves by offering, simple but high-quality streaming options for the home, it looks like they are taking aim at breaking into the Custom Install space with a specialized interface and whole house audio distribution solutions.
Being from Ohio, it’s always good to see Nick, Larry and the hometown gang from SVS doing their thing at a show. A) because they do what they do so well with compelling products that average folks can afford, and B) after a couple of days at shows this big they are often like an island of sanity in a sea of WTF?!
L. Paul Hales has been in this business for a while and has more than just a bit of an established track record when it comes to speakers. Here at CEDIA 2023, he put together one of the best sounding, no-muss no-fuss audio demonstrations at the show from his two companies Theory Audio Design and Pro Audio Technology. From pendant speaker solutions to in-wall speakers to 5.1 and above packages, every arrangement he and his team demonstrated wowed the crowd with its capability and overall superior sound quality. Hales has a great no-nonsense delivery to his presentations. He lets his speakers do the talking, and boy did they!
Amped America was at CEDIA this year with an array of their Class-D amplification an a preamp. They are also helping distribute ADCOM products back in the USA. Although ADCOM is being assembled in China now, the product looks and feels good and it’s nice to see them back! Amped America owner Boris Meltsner was sharing a booth with Pangea Audio’s Steve Nemi who was displaying some of the company’s audio racks and a new self-contained Record Doctor Vacuum LP cleaning machine.
And speaking of classic brands that are still going strong, Morris Kessler’s ATI was at CEDIA displaying an array of impressive amplification. They also had processors from Datasat and processors and amplification from Theta. Three halo brands under one roof!
A nice sort of two-for-one demonstration was held in the Phase Tech/Acurus room. On one side they had a full and impressive home theater demo using Phase Tech’s dARTS 5000 series speaker system and DC410 subwoofers paired with an Acurus MUSE surround processor.
While on the other side was a two-channel demo using the new Aragon Tungsten preamp ($15K each) and Titanium dual-monoblock power amplifier ($11K each).
Monitor Audio had a big footprint at CEDIA showing off much of their custom install products which I don’t get to see that often. But they also had a static display of their new Hyphen loudspeakers and the Cinergy line of home theater speakers too.
I’ve known LG’s Gregg Lee for years and it’s always fun catching up with him at these shows. He was running me through the gauntlet of LG’s offerings this year and the things that stood out to me were the 77M, 83M3, and 93M3 OLED screens that had a completely wireless connection from their control box. Full 4K 120 Hz video and sound could be wirelessly transmitted from the control box to the panel. The box simply needs to be within a 30 ft line-of-site position to the panel for transmission to be successful. The company also had a 136” MicroLED “wall” that looked impressive. The 27” portable briefcase touch screen display called the “Stand By Me” had a completely James Bond vibe about it. The briefcase part was extremely durable and the picture quality was striking. LG had also set up a display that showed the three different OLED lines they make (the C, B, and G series) side by side so attendees could get a better sense of the subtle picture differences between the three lines. I’m still trying to figure out ways to sell my wife on the idea of a 77” G3 OLED panel. Gorgeous looking picture!
Samsung was also at CEDIA and had an equally wide variety of displays. From QLED (MicroLED) to OLED the company has you covered. I particularly loved their Art frame displays showing images from a library of famous artwork. It was eerily convincing and very beautiful to look at.
In fact while both LG and Samsung had 8K displays at the show, there was much less hubbub about 8K this year than previously. Something tells me that 4K will be the practical limit for most people for quite some time.
HDMI cables abounded at CEDIA and are available at both ends of the pricing spectrum. Bridgee sells higher-end hybrid optical/copper HDMI 2.1, 48Gbps cables that are ISF certified and can be run up to 30 meters without any additional assistance. These are available now.
THX also introduced a line of HDMI 2.1, 48GBps cables produced in concert with Pixelgen Design. I happened to run into THX’s Steven P. Martz on the show floor and he happened to have a sample to show me. They are flexible copper cables that are affordable and can be run up to 15 meters without assistance. THX is also planning a hybrid optical/copper version for longer runs as well. The company is now taking pre-orders.
Are you in the market for a new, big flat panel TV but are either tired or confused by the odd-numbered size choices? Well Hisense has got you covered. They just simplified maters by rounding up to 100-inches as they introduced this new 100″ U8K Series 4K MiniLED model into their lineup. With 1500 peak nits of brightness and more than 1600 local dimming zones, this screen produced a colorful, bright, and punchy picture that was stopping show-goers in their tracks over the CEDIA’s 3 days. MSRP is slated to be about $10K and will be available come the fall
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