CES 2012

CES kicks off with Unveiled, an event that crams a thousand or so members of the press, most of them desperate for a snack and a free drink, into a loud, stuffy ballroom full of manufacturers exhibiting a few key products in tiny booths. It’s so loud inside that any serious demos are impossible. Why do I go? Because every year, among all sorts of weird gadgets and gee-gaws, I always find a few cool audio products I’ve probably never have noticed on the main show floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

I’ve collected a few shots of the coolest new audio products I saw at Unveiled. It’s mostly compact/portable systems and headphones, but it’s all worth a look. And a listen, but that’ll have to wait till we can hear these products in a place where there aren’t a thousand reporters and a couple hundred manufacturer reps gabbing.