Thomas J. Norton

Focal has a whole new line of loudspeakers slotting in just below the company's Electra range. The Aria series' signature feature is the use of cones consisting of a layer of flax sandwiched between layers of fiberglass. The result is said to produce a diaphragm that's stiff, light, and less time consuming to produce than the layered cones used in Focal's more pricey designs. There are currently five models in the range, shown here with the flagship 948 ($5000/pair) in front. The Aria CC 900 center is not shown, but somewhat disappointingly it's a conventional two-way woofer-tweeter-woofer design and not a 3-way with a centered, vertically-arrayed midrange and tweeter.

Passersby wondered if this was an OLED set (no luck there&mdashSony showed no such product) or a 4K HDTV (despite Sony's clear 4K leanings, it wasn't that either.) Nor was it an XBR; all Sony XBRs are now 4K.

Vicoustic USA is a company new to me in the field of acoustic treatment. They offer a wide range of products, including some unique absorbers and diffusers, for that application. Many of them are less expensive, in my experience, than many of the similar devices currently available. They begin as low as $75 each for an approximately 2-foot square panel (but only available in a package of 10), though the prices can escalate rapidly when you get to premium products such as all wood diffusers.

Mounting a flat screen HDTV over the fireplace is a favorite trick of decorators everywhere. It's also a terrible idea, unless you don't mind a sore neck from looking up. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Future Automation isn't the first company to offer a mounting bracket that moves the TV out then down to a more comfortable position, but such devices are still not common. And this one isn't cheap. At about $3000, $4000 for a model that also swivels, it costs more than many HDTVs! And you obviously shouldn't use it in the down position with a fire in the fireplace!