Bob Ankosko

You might not expect to see Comcast exhibiting at CEDIA but the company is here promoting the latest wrinkle to its Xfinity X1 platform—a rack-mountable box for custom installers.

You can’t walk too far through the aisles of CEDIA without running into an in-wall/ceiling speaker—and nearly all of them look alike. James Loudspeaker takes a different approach with its Small Aperture architectural speakers—like the $1,500 63SA-4—which produces full-range sound from a 3 x 3-inch square (or round) cutout in the wall (or ceiling). The cutout is, of course, neatly concealed by an inconspicuous flush-mount grille.

Despite all the hoopla over the new immersive surround-sound formats, stereo is still very much in the mix at Pioneer’s CEDIA exhibit, where the company is spotlighting a limited-edition reference-grade headphone, portable digital audio player, and stereo receiver with networking and high-resolution playback capabilities.

Monoprice the online retailer known for its cheap AV cables, accessories, and assorted electronics is attempting to step up its audio game (and capitalize on the vinyl revival) with a hybrid tube will sell for $150 when it becomes available later this month.