Brent Butterworth

Even in a tech-packed place like the January Consumer Electronics Show, the Edifier Spinnaker stood out like a. . . well, like a pair of red rhinoceros horns at an electronics trade show. I noticed it from about 70 feet away and rushed right over to see it. These days, you see lots of crazy designs for audio systems, but the Spinnaker looked crazy-cool, not crazy-silly. I demanded a review sample right then and there.

I go into every major audio/video trade show thinking I won’t hear much in the way of new speakers, yet every time I encounter new designs that leave me surprised at least and sometimes downright shocked. This year at the CEDIA Expo, I heard what is certainly one of the best audio demos I’ve ever heard — and maybe even the best.

The CEDIA Expo is supposed to be a showcase for custom home theater, multiroom sound, and home automation, but this year a lot of manufacturers didn’t seem to have read the rules. Instead of focusing on in-wall speakers or 12-channel amplifiers, they showcased wireless audio systems, desktop systems, and even headphones.

As athletes such as Michael Vick, Kobe Bryant, and the whole New Orleans Saints defense have learned the hard way, even when you’re the best, it helps to be friendly. Big surround sound systems aren’t friendly to your décor or your pocketbook. Fortunately, in the last 2 years, we’ve seen major speaker companies put serious effort into designing compact 5.1 systems that deliver no-compromise performance. The Mini Theatre line from Bowers & Wilkins is the latest to make its way through my listening room.