CEDIA Expo 2022 – Dallas, Texas – September 29 – October 1 – Show Report – by Carlo Lo Raso

CEDIA Expo 2022 – September 29 – October 1 – Show Report – by Carlo Lo Raso

Day 1 (September 29):

At 8:15 this morning I attended the Sony Press event at the Dallas Convention Center.

Jeffery Goldstein, Head of Sales for Sony’s Custom Install channel talks about Sony’s involvement in the CI space.

Standing in front of impressive 220-inch C-Series Crystal LED display, he breaks down the different Bravia XR lines of flat panels, both in display tech and size. He also touched on the Crystal LED series and the new Custom Installer-friendly menu system.

Jeffery also introduced 3 models of new SXRD 4K laser projectors and the HT-A7000 Dolby ATMOS/DTS:X soundbar.

The more-than-slightly-mad home theater demo put together by Trinnov, Sonus faber, McIntosh, Kaleidoscape, Officina Acustica, MadVR and Barco was a tour de force.

Trinnov supplied their Altitude 32 processor, Sonus faber brought the speaker firepower in the form of their new Arena series CI loudspeakers and subwoofers, McIntosh provided 19 amplifiers for an advertised 14,000 watts of power, Kaleidoscape supplied the lossless movie server, MadVR Labs was using their Envy Extreme video processing unit, Officina Acustica put together the custom designed room, and Barco provided the video projection.

The 11.12.6 channel theater demo proved to be incredibly immersive acoustically along with delivering stunning visuals. Clips from Top Gun Maverick, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Dune were frankly stunning. And the bass was awe-inspiring. This first demo of the show almost spoiled me for anything else!

Origin Acoustics is now the official North American distributor for the return of Velodyne. Velodyne’s top European distributor, Audio Reference of Germany, bought the consumer end of the company, and the engineers have been busily at work. Thomas Wolff was eagerly showing off examples of the new MicroVee X, Impact X, and Digital Drive Plus subwoofers.

MartinLogan held a great sounding home theater demo using a 7.3.4 channel system. MartinLogan’s Tribute CI speakers and Dynamo subwoofers provided the sonic muscle. Anthem’s MRX 1140  ran and powered the whole system. A clean and powerful system that didn’t take up a ton of room.

Paradigm/Anthem also ran a separate 2.2 channel and home theater demo. Two brand new 13” XR subwoofers were teamed with the Anthem STR pre-amp and power amp and a pair of Paradigm Founders 100F towers.

The 7.4.4 surround system based off Paradigm’s CI Pro line of speakers (completely made in Canada) with the Anthem the AVM90 and MCA Gen 2 series multichannel amps controlling and powering it all. Top shelf sound all the way around.

The team at Perlisten had a static display with the S7t tower and S4b bookshelf speakers that we’ve reviewed, along with a D212s subwoofer in a new all white finish. But, this being CEDIA, the newest additions were the R and S series in-wall speakers. Using the same drivers and technology from the standalone Perlisten speakers, adapted for the custom installation crowd. The speakers all look and feel incredibly overbuilt with S7i-LR in-wall speaker weighing in at a full 75 lbs. on it’s own.

Day 2 (September 30):

Click on Screen Shots below to see videos.

Day 3 (October 1):

Beyond simply the distribution of Velodyne, Origin Acoustics is a well-established company with a long history of innovation. They had a mammoth display with a speaker, amplifier, sound subsystem, or treatment for every conceivable situation or installation. Custom install ain’t just ceiling or in-wall speakers anymore, Toto!

There are always very few two-channel demos at CEDIA, which isn’t surprising. I am almost at a loss as to why MBL shows up to CEDIA almost every year because, on the surface, their presence here seems incongruous. But I am always glad they do because their little room always is a groovy place to hang and decompress a little from the explosions, dinosaurs, and the occasional apocalypse we experience at all the other demos.

I tend to prefer the sound of the more rationally sized MBL speakers, like they had here. And, of course, the look and build quality of these omnidirectional sculptures, and the supporting components, is always on another level. Thanks for the respite, MBL!

Theory Audio Design and Pro Audio Technology are both sister companies founded by industry veteran, Paul Hales. Hales was running a very busy demo booth with sound demos (both in stereo and surround) featuring various products from both his companies. Everything from a simple 2-channel demo from a pair of Theory ic6 in-ceiling loudspeakers to a full 5.2.2 Theory Audio based ATMOS system.

Hales was also demonstrating the new SR-28212ai from PRO Audio Technology that was a tall, shallow on-wall speaker with a built-in sub. These are basically fully active systems with amplification, crossovers, and DSP all living in an external rack-mounted box, so only speaker wire needs to go to each speaker. I found the overall sound quality of each of the demos to be especially clean and dynamic with great punch to the bass, which was especially surprising coming from the little in-ceiling speakers. The new big SR-28212ai were just insane-sounding.

I think DALI was very clever to bring one of their new KORE loudspeakers to CEDIA as a static display. A lot of people came up and were asking what it was, walking all around it, and asking for details. If you want to find out some more about the DALI KORE, read about my visit to DALI HQ and a demonstration of the KORE here:  (Click here to see Press Conference report.)

Another noteworthy home theater demo was the room that teamed up, Seymour Filmscreen, Ascendo Immersive Audio, Storm Audio, and Row One Seating. There was a 171-inch Cinescope formatted screen, a Barco 3-chip 5K DLP projector attached to a madVR Envy Extreme processor, a mix of 15 (both passive and active) Ascendo coaxial speakers plus 4 of their 21-inch active sealed subwoofers for a complete 9.4.6 channel system, a Storm Audio ISP Elite 24 Analog MkIII processor with PA-8 Ultra and PA-16 MkIII power amplifiers, and Row One Cortès and Revolution premium HT seating.

The dynamics and clarity in that room were borderline absurd and the bass intensity was almost concussive.

And no, the almost comical Ascendo 50-inch infrasonic subwoofer, on passive display, was not in the demo room but it almost felt like it could have been!

The folks at AudioControl were showing 3 new Architect series distribution amplifiers for multi-zone use. They also had their Concert XR-4, Concert XR-6, and Concert XR-8S AVRs on display. Topping things off, they had the Maestro X9S AV Processor on static display as well.

Next Level Acoustics was displaying some serious soundbar action, among other things. Our Chris Eberle has reviewed one of their soundbars and subs (Click here to see review.) and was thoroughly impressed by their performance.

Sound United (with all of their brands) was the literal “Thousand-pound gorilla” at the show with more than just a huge booth but multiple demo rooms on a couple of floors at the OMNI Hotel, attached to the convention center. So be prepared to see various mentions of the brands throughout our coverage.

Beginning with Marantz, all the buzz was on the new Cinema series of AVRs and AV 10 pre/pro and AMP 10 multichannel amp and they were all there in full glory on static display. Everyone seemed to agree that the new aesthetic treatment based off of the recent Marantz Model 30 and 40 two-channel components was a real winner.

The AMP 10 has 16 channels of Class D amplification, each rated at 200-watts into 8-ohms and 400-watts into 4-ohms (2 channels driven). Pairs of amp channels can be bridged to mono (BTL mode) to create a single 400-watt amp channel into 8-ohms. It is a lovely looking and feeling piece of kit. MSRP $7K arriving early 2023 and it’s made in Japan.

The matching AV 10 pre/pro is a 15.4 channel 8K ready nerve center. It has 4 independently controlled subwoofer outputs which is a welcome advancement. All the expected surround modes are present and accounted for. The other novel detail is that, while Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 is on board for room correction, there is also provision for DIRAC Live to be upgraded to. Not sure what this portends for the future of Audyssey in general or if, with 4 individual sub outs, DIRAC Bass Control will be available down the road, but it sure makes us wonder! MSRP $7K arriving early 2023 and it’s made in Japan. Equally lovely.

The Marantz Cinema 40 ($3,500), 50 ($2,500), 60 ($1,700), and 70s ($1,200) AVRs replace the current SR7015, SR6015, SR5015, and NR1711 models respectively. They will be available by October/November of this year. All these new Marantz models carry a 5-year warranty and the Cinema 40 is also made in Japan.

Sister brand Denon does without a matching set of AV separates, but it does get the imposing AVR-A1H. This new Denon “Uber-AVR” gets the same channel count, 4 independent sub outs, and Audyssey/DIRAC shotgun marriage as the Marantz AV-10 but adds 15 channels of onboard amplification (150-watts/channel) and a full set of preamp outputs should you want to move to more powerful amps in the future. Also made in Japan.

MSRP is $6,499, availability is TBD.

And like Marantz, Denon is releasing an updated line of 8K ready AVRs to replace the current crop. They are the AVR-X4800H, AVR-X3800H, AVR-X2800H, and AVR-X1700H.

Probably my “high school crush” of the SU brands, the Classe Delta preamp and power amp. We reviewed them. (Click here to see review.) Need I say more?

Polk, Definitive Technology, and Bowers & Wilkins were all well represented in the floor display too.

JVC had several rather serious-looking Laser projectors on static display. Many of them featured JVC’s 8K e-shift technology. The fact that they looked like high-powered space weapons only adds to their appeal for me!

LG had a large display at CEDIA as usual. Below LG’s Greg Lee walks us through some of the highlights. I’ve known Greg for a few years, and he was such a good sport, hamming it up a little bit with me when we shot this. At one point he had me laughing so hard that I must have inadvertently stopped recording before he was done talking about the projectors, only to realize it later. Oh well, that’s showbiz folks! Check out the video below.

FOCAL also had an impressive footprint in the CEDIA convention center, with a full ATMOS theater using their top shelf 1000 Series Custom Install speakers.
The FOCAL/Naim 10th anniversary edition of Focal Sopra 2 speakers and Naim electronics caught my eye with its striking limited-edition finish. The whole bundle costs $40K with only 50 bundles of speakers and electronics being available in the US. It commemorates the anniversary of when Focal & Naim were put under the same umbrella of the Vervent group.
Headphones at CEDIA? Why yes, please!

FOCAL had a limited selection of some of their seriously good headphones there including the closed-back Stellia (link), the open-back Clear MG (link), and the closed-back Celestee. But they also had the newly upgraded Utopias as well. Buying headphones is probably one of the most personal audio choices out there and FOCAL, almost more than anyone, has perfected the best presentation and sensory experience when it comes to packaging and coming in first contact with their headphones. Unboxing and putting on a pair of FOCAL cans for the first time makes you feel special. A must when you are at some of these price levels. Putting on and listening to those open-back new Utopias, even on the noisy CEDIA convention floor told me enough to know that I want to review these suckers in a very bad way. Plus, the fact that they are drop-dead gorgeous made them an unexpected high point of the show.

Our friends at AudioQuest and GoldenEar had a display that was in fine form.
Another one of the rare two-channel demos at CEDIA, Canada’s Totem speakers sounded in fine form. The active Kin Play towers were in action when I dropped in and they were just so relaxing and enjoyable to listen to, I just slumped into the chair and let the music wash over me for a good bit. Recharge the batteries as it were. I got to catch up with Totem’s owner Vince Bruzzese too, which is always a pleasure. BTW, our Jim Milton will have a detailed review of the Totem Kin Play in the next couple of weeks.

Hisense had a couple of very nice-looking laser projectors called the L5G and L9G putting out a 100” or 120” image respectively.

SVS had a nice presence and a very busy booth at CEDIA. The company was featuring their Prime Wireless PRO active loudspeakers along with the Prime Wireless PRO SoundBase and the brand new 3000 in-wall subwoofer. National Sales Manager Larry McGough walks me through all the details in the video below.

Steinway/Lyngdorf had one of the other few completely 2-channel demos going on in one of the adjoining hotel conference rooms. It was, in fact, 3 separate 2-channel demos in 1 room. We started off by facing forward and listening to a demo of their tall on-wall line array speakers. Each line array was made up of four LS-1000 in-wall modules for a total of 32 tweeters and 16 midrange drivers per channel. These were mated to twin stacks of dual BW-20 subwoofers. This was powered by the Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 Stereo amplifier and a pair of SDA-2400 power amplifiers.
Next, we turned to our right and listened to a pair of very chic-looking outdoor stand-mounted speakers called the Steinway & Sons Marine Speaker. Specifications say they each use an AMT tweeter, a 5” midrange driver, two 8” woofers, and a pair of 10” passive radiators. As elegant and high-end as these speakers look, they were obviously built to withstand the elements, being fully weatherproof and on substantial stands that bolt to the ground. These were powered by a Steinway & Sons P100 Processor and an A2 amplifier.

Then, turning 180 degrees to the left we sampled a substantial, shallow 3-way speaker meant to be placed right against the wall. This was the new Steinway & Sons Model A, featuring an AMT tweeter, one 6.5” midrange driver, and two 12” woofers. These were driven by another set of matching electronics that were used with the Marine.

All three pairs of speakers were tuned with the company’s proprietary RoomPerfect tuning system. All sounded like they would easily satisfy the kind of discerning and well-heeled clientele that would be shopping at this level. The line array and subwoofer combo were a particularly fine-sounding setup to my ears.

Visiting the HARMAN booth, I got to spend some time with Jim Garrett who walked me through a variety of new products from ARCAM, JBL Architectural, and JBL Synthesis. Check each out in the videos below.

In a second-floor conference room of the adjoining OMNI Hotel, Sound United had a 9.4.6 channel system featuring the new Marantz AV10 and AMP10 powering an array of B&W CDT 7.3 speakers. The 4 slim subs were each powered by an external B&W CDA-2HD power amplifier. A Kaleidescape movie server was used to deliver the content. About $60K worth of audio in total, and it sure sounded like it. Another very appealing-looking and sounding demo.

One thing worth noting here is that, besides having a booth with a ginormous screen of their own, Kaleidescape seemed to have a lock on all the big theater demos at CEDIA, and for good reason. Every demo that used a Kaleidescape content delivery system had consistently stable high-definition video and audio. I don’t think I experienced a demo with a single serious content hiccup the entire show. Well done.

Although I missed sitting in on this B&W 7- series two-channel demonstration, it does make for a nice visual comparison between the outgoing 703 S2 (wood veneer) and the incoming 703 S3 (piano black).

Epson was at CEDIA in full force showing off a range of new 3-Chip Laser projectors available in both short-throw and long-throw configurations. The picture quality in both the demos I attended was outstanding.

PSB was premiering their new Alpha iQ active speakers that work directly with Bluesound’s BluOS app which will have a customized setup routine just for them. The Alpha iQ sport a 3/4” tweeter and a 4” mid/woofer driver. They have a built-in MM phono input, optical, HDMI ARC, 3.5 mm stereo analog, and Ethernet inputs as well. A dedicated subwoofer output is also provided. There is also a snazzy touch strip control on the master unit that houses all the main controls. During initial setup, once that speaker is assigned as either L or R, it wirelessly pairs to the other. MSRP is $1500 for the pair and will be initially available in only black or white, with additional colors and finishes TBD.

Back to that crazy Trinnov/McIntosh theater demo for a second. Another aspect of that impressive demonstration (that might otherwise go unconsidered at first blush) was the video processing resources supplied by MadVR Labs and their Envy Extreme processor. The folks at MadVR spent some time with me going into a deep dive on just what the Envy Extreme is capable of. Check out the video below.

And while on the subject of said demo, I snagged a quick chat with Roberto Gamba from McIntosh Group. He was responsible for organizing the whole partnership between the various brands that put that show-stopping theater together.

Savant was another company with a huge presence and a seemingly vast portfolio of custom integration and automation products. Check out our video overview with them below.

And there you have it folks! It was a heck of a show. Looking forward to doing it all again next year. Until then… All the best . . . Carlo Lo Raso.