CES 2013!

By Michael Lavorgna • Posted: Jan 2, 2013

Happy New Year! With CES less than a week away, it's time to start thinking strategy. With 1,118 exhibitors listed under Audio and only 541 in the sub-category Audio, High-Performance and nearly 4 full days to see 'em, I figure with some judicious use of time I should be able to cover what I can cover. Not to mention T.H.E. Show with its nearly 90 exhibitor rooms. The first priority for any show coverage is typically What's New(s) and based on the barrage of press releases that started pounding my inbox weeks ago there will be a lot to talk about.

I'm guessing one big topic for CES 2013 will be "DSD". Its just a hunch, mind you, but I figure our ever-growing list of DSD-capable devices will be longer post-CES. Another word I hope to hear more of at CES 2013 is "Ethernet", ideally attached to "DAC" or some variation on that theme. The ever-elusive Ethernet-enabled DAC is one of the more often eluded to requests from readers so I'm hoping some intrepid exhibitor will answer the call. We shall see.

the S.O.t.M sDP-1000 DAC/Preamp is just one of the new breed of DSD-ready devices to be seen and heard at CES 2013

Do you have any must-see items for CES 2013 that you'd like me to see? Any predictions or wish-list items? How about a logical replacement for the beloved Squeezebox Touch?

Comments

Still more desktop speakers

Submitted by hotsoup on January 2, 2013 - 3:03pm.

I will continue rocking my SB Touch for years to come but I'm curious about what'll replace it too. It's such a capable, high-value little thing...

Personally, I would like to see more desktop speakers. There are great ones out there, but I'm hoping there's even more selection this coming year. For some reason I'm still hesitating to pull the trigger on some Audioengines.

CES 2013 - Teac UD-501 DAC

Submitted by hlesser on January 2, 2013 - 2:06pm.

This Teac DAC/headphone device has DSD capabilities, 2 coax, 2 optical and 1 USB input and balanced & RCA outputs. It may be an attractive new option.

Is CEA part of NSTAR?

Submitted by labjr on January 2, 2013 - 5:33pm.

Is CEA part of NSTAR?

Jitter

Submitted by Axiom05 on January 3, 2013 - 6:37am.

With the many DACs currently available, and more will be shown at CES, I am wondering if jitter is now a non-issue? Traditionally jitter has been one of the weak points in DACs and measurements in Stereophile have shown quite a variability in performance between units. Unfortunately, Stereophile seems to be the only review magazine/site that performs jitter measurements. There are many interesting DACs available that have not been measured, e.g., Resonessence, MYTEK, are we to take manufacturer claims at face value? Many of these new DACs aren't even available for auditioning as they are either not available via stores or there is no return policy. How does the consumer sort through all of these products to decide where to invest their money? Many of us have been burnt in the past by companies that did not produce the product that was claimed.

Gallo Strada 2

Submitted by christopher3393 on January 3, 2013 - 7:29am.

If you get a chance to hear the new Gallo Strada 2, I'd love to know what you think. Very suitable for desktop according to the recent 6moons review by Srajan Ebaen. It's a rave review, but the only one out there AFAIK. I'm seriously considering them for desktop use. May you survive Vegas.