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Best Sound and Coolest Audio Gear at CES 2015

By Chris Boylan

Roaming the halls at the Venetian Hotel at CES to check out the latest audio exhibits can be a challenge. For every great speaker or amplifier or innovative new product, there are equal parts snake oil and ultra-tweaky high-end gear that defies any measure of value. And yet, ironically enough, first up on my "Best of CES" list for audio products is an $80,000 pair of speakers.

Stone Age Sound

I've seen, but not heard, MartinLogan's Neolith speakers ($80,000/pair) before at last year's CEDIA Expo. These are massive transparent electrostatic speakers with huge curvilinear electrostatic panels mated to acoustic woofers. Earlier this week, I was finally able to hear these puppies and they sounded amazing: wide open, really dynamic, a deep three-dimensional soundstage. Overall, really impressive. I am still using MartinLogan electrostats in my main reference system, and it's encouraging to see that the company is still designing excellent-sounding speakers even after being acquired a few years back. If cost is literally no object and you like a unique design to go with your top-of-the-line sound, then the Neoliths are worth a look (and a listen).

MartinLogan Neolith speakers
The MartinLogan Neolith comes in red as well as a number of other custom colors (photo by Chris Boylan).

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For Golden Ears with Bronze Budgets

Toward the other end of the price spectrum was GoldenEar Technology's brand new Triton Five tower speaker ($1,999.98/pair). Like the larger Triton towers, the Triton Five features a High-Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) tweeter design, which gives it a lush midrange you normally only find on much more expensive flat panel speakers. But what surprised me was how deep the bass went and how well balanced the response was, coherent from top to bottom. It's rated to go down as low as 26 Hz and, though I didn't have a microphone or SPL meter handy, that sounds about right. It was also incredibly dynamic and produced a deep and realistic soundstage on both classical and rock music tracks. For under $2,000/pair, the Triton Five is a stellar performer and worth checking out.

GoldenEar Wendy and Sandy
GoldenEar's founder Sandy Gross (right) and his daughter Wendy show off the new Triton Five tower speaker at CES 2015 in Las Vegas (photo by Chris Boylan).

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Sonic Fidelity for the Masses

It's hard to get excited about Bluetooth speakers. But the Core ($599 list) from Mass Fidelity is a little different from the rest. Most Bluetooth speakers are monophonic with all the sound coming from a single point in space. At best, you can link two speakers to get a stereo image, but then the cost doubles and you have to stand or sit in the "sweet spot" to hear the stereo sound. The Core creates a true stereo soundstage that you can hear from virtually anywhere in the room from a single small speaker. It handles all types of music but sounded particularly good to me with rock music. Male vocals can be tricky for a smaller speaker to reproduce without sounding thin and anemic but the Core sounded full and robust with the singer's voice floating in the middle of a stereo soundstage just above the speaker.

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Mass Fidelity's Core allows you to take your "stereo system" virtually anywhere without settling for low-end sound (photo by Chris Boylan).

You can link up to nine Cores wirelessly for multi-room sound and you can even plug in a turntable or a CD player in case you don't want to use your phone or tablet to play the tunes. No app is required as the Core uses standard Bluetooth to pair with a phone or tablet. They also have a Subwoofer ($399 list) in case you want even better bass.

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Stick it in your Ear

Today's professional musicians are lucky. They get the best in-ear monitor headphones to use while performing. They no longer have to worry about blowing out their hearing by cranking the stage monitors just so they can hear the rest of the band. A good pair of in-ear monitors blocks out all the stage noise while allowing the musician to hear the rest of the performers in precise detail at a comfortable level. But what's good for the guitarist can be even better for the audiophile. Now Logitech is offering custom in-ear monitors (IEMs) to audiophiles and well-heeled music lovers via their Ultimate Ears Pro line.

Simply visit a local audiologist who will take a quick mold of your ear canal and you can order a pair of incredible-sounding in-ear monitors from Ultimate Ears that will bring your personal music listening experience to a whole new level. Ultimate Ears offers custom in-ear-monitors starting at about $600/pair with anywhere from three to six discrete drivers to reproduce sound as well as an uber-expensive pair of speakers. At CES, I had my own ears molded for custom inserts and listened to some of the Ultimate Ears IEMs including the Ultimate Ears 11 Pro ($1150/pair). This four-driver IEM with built-in subwoofer produced a tuneful and dynamic sound with incredible realism and a bass response that extended all the way into the lowest octaves without being thumpy or over-exaggerated.

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Logitech's custom in-ear-monitors are not only custom-fitted but come in a variety of custom colors and finishes so you can show your own unique style (picture courtesy of Logitech/Ultimate Ears).

Also, advances in digital scanning and 3D printing technology allow Logitech to turn around many orders for custom IEMs within about five business days.  Can't wait to check out my own pair of UE 11s with the custom fit ear inserts in the near future.

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Technics is Back!

In case you missed it, Panasonic re-launched the Technics brand at the IFA show in Berlin last fall. At CES, the Technics gang was back to announce U.S. availability and ballpark pricing for their two high resolution audio-capable systems. I stopped by the Technics suite at the Venetian for some listening and found that both systems really took advantage of the additional detail and resolution of high res audio music tracks.

Technics Premium Series C700 syste
Technics C700 system includes a high-res audio player/controller, a CD player (not pictured), an integrated amp, and bookshelf speakers (photo courtesy of Panasonic/Technics).

System pricing starts at under $6,000 for the C700 series and under $60,000 for the R1 series.

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Feeling Blue? Perhaps You Need a Moment?

Another cool product we saw at the show was the new BeoSound Moment from Bang & Olufsen. The Moment controller is wood one one side, and an aluminum slate with color touch screen on the other. The wood side would look at home on its stand in any modern living room and actually is itself a touch panel for controlling volume and skipping through favorites in your music collection. But when you flip it owner you'll find the sleek aluminum panel featuring a color-coded "mood wheel" touch screen.

Instead of selecting a song by genre, title or artist (which you can also do), you can touch the mood wheel to select music based on your mood. Touch blue for something melancholic and slow, bright red for something passionate and touch yellow for something upbeat and energetic. You can also touch the center and the Moment will start playing through your favorites. You can use the wheel to access your own personal music collection and playlists, or supplement it with a catalog of over 30,000,000 songs from Deezer's Premium+ high quality lossless streaming service.

BeoSound Moment - Both Sides Up
Choose the organic and earthy wood side up or the sleek high-tech aluminum panel with touch screen. It's all in the Moment. (photo courtesy of Bang and Olufsen).

Like any good relationship, the BeoSound Moment gets to know your tastes over time and will start playing more of the music you prefer based on your selections and interactions with the wheel. The BeoSound Moment is compatible with B&O's full line of wired and wireless speakers. It will be available exclusively at Bang & Olufsen stores on January 30, 2015 in selected countries where both Bang & Olufsen and the Deezer music service are available. The BeoSound Moment is expected to sell for $2,795 (2,195 Euros), including a 12-month prepaid subscription to Deezer Premium+.

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