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The Vinyl Anachronist: CES and the Law of Undiminishing Returns

by Marc Phillips

February 2008

Another year, another Consumer Electronics Show. Last year, I spent plenty of column space complaining about conditions at the show, and how some exhibitors were falling flat on their faces when it came to really showing off their wares. This year was much different. It might have been the fact that I was able to spend more time at the show, and really dig deeply into what was happening. It might have been that last year was the first year at the Venetian Hotel, and all of the bugs had been worked out in the second year. Or, it may have been that the entire high-end industry read my column from last year, and decided to shape up and fly right. (Just kidding.)

In other words, CES was actually truly enjoyable this year. And it wasn't just because I kept bumping into scantily-clad porn stars from the Adult Entertainment Expo that was held on the same floor of the Venetian.

News flash... vinyl is still popular

This year, vinyl was big. It wasn't so much that turntables were everywhere, like in past years. But if a room did feature a vinyl rig, it tended to be one of those uber-expensive super 'tables that most mortal audiophiles only dream about. For instance, I suspect there were more Continuum turntables and Koetsu Coral Platinum cartridges at CES than in the rest of world combined. And while that may seem like a troublesome issue, it only proves to me that the ultimate potential of the medium is truly being scrutinized and taken seriously. More than once, I heard an exhibitor who had been previously dismissive about analog now make comments such as “If you really want to hear our product at its best, you need a decent analog set-up.” Sage advice, indeed.

Speaking of Continuum, however, I am now 0-for-5 in hearing the $100,000 Caliburn turntable demonstrated effectively. The first two times, the rooms were problematic, and the folks at Continuum were beside themselves trying to make everything sound right. The next time, the demonstrator kept playing LPs that sounded like they had been cleaned in a washing machine. Last year, animated conversations filled the room so that poor saps like me still couldn't hear the difference between a Caliburn and, say, a Pro-Ject Debut. This year, well, let's just say that I visited the room several times, and each time they were playing CDs. Unbelievable.

The writing on the wall

While the analog market continues to grow, I can't say the same for other relatively esoteric branches of audio. For instance, two years ago, it seemed like every third room features some sort of single-ended triode amp mated with giant horn loudspeakers. This year, I can't remember a single room that featured such a set-up. I hate to say it, but I've drifted away from the whole low-powered amp/high-efficiency speaker over the last year, and I think the rest of the audio world has, too.

Tube amplification in general seemed to have less of a presence at CES than in recent years. Again, a couple of years ago you were nowhere without a room full of glowing tubes. This year, it seems that everyone is obsessed with D-class amplification, which offers digital switching, lots of power, relatively small physical dimensions and a low, low price. Class D amps may not be sexy, but it's what the people want, apparently. Personally, I prefer a warm, inviting and realistic sound that many switching amps seem to lack.

Another growing trend at CES was the use of wireless technology as a source component. While analog seems to have maintained its presence on the market, the preferred source component of CES seemed to be a laptop computer mated to a wireless server. I know this type of set-up can be a dream for most exhibitors, since you don't have to constantly change LPs and CDs while making business deals. And to tell you the truth, I thought the sound was consistently good through these types of systems. But if this year's CES is any indication of the future, the compact disc is definitely on the way out, and fast.

The Law of Undiminishing Returns

My new theme for 2008 is to discount the idea that as you pay more money for high-end audio, the more incremental the improvements are. I think that the time has come to say that the Law of Diminishing Returns is highly exaggerated in our hobby. That's not to say it doesn't exist at all, but I do believe that too many people are obsessing over the idea that the more expensive gear isn't really worth it. You can't make those types of assumptions if you've only read reviews in magazines, or comments on online audio forums. You can't even make those assumptions by attending audio shows like the CES.

To illustrate this, I have to tell you about one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had in the world of audio, which occurred at this year's CES. Jeff Dorgay, the publisher of TONEAudio, and I were invited to a private demonstration that was held in a private home a few miles from the Las Vegas Strip. The demonstration was held by GamuT, a highly-respected Danish audio company, and featured the new line of GamuT speakers, including the US$130,000 L9s. The entire system was manufactured by GamuT, including amps, preamps and CD players. The cost of the entire system was probably around US$200,000.

It only took a moment or two for Jeff and I to realize that we were listening to some of the greatest sound either of us had ever heard. We didn't need months of careful auditioning to arrive at this conclusion, playing hundreds of our favorite recordings. It was immediately obvious that we were listening to something quite special. I've mentioned before that I had an epiphany when I heard the Naim CD555 CD player, that I could no longer say that there was a gap between the best analog and best digital playback. With the GamuT system, I felt there was no longer a gap between live and reproduced music.

You probably think I'm crazy. But unless you hear the GamuT system, you'll never know for sure. You see, that's a growing problem with the high-end. All of the naysayers who believe that the so-called super-expensive gear is full of flooby dust, and not worth the extra dough, simply aren't getting out and listening for themselves. Ask anyone who claims that their $1500 pair of speakers blows away most $10,000 speakers how many $10,000 speakers they have tried in their listening rooms. You'll hear the sound of crickets chirping.

The GamuT system wasn't 10% better than a $100,000 system, or even 100% better. It was simply right. It's hard to put a price on that. Again, there's nothing wrong with looking for that $500 component that winds up being the proverbial giant killer, or sticking with vintage components that still offer respectable performance. But the best gear out there is simply that, the best. And unless you hear it with your own two ears, you should probably stay out of the discussion altogether.