CES Show Report

[ack]

Myles, great report - thanks

 

[garylkoh]

Gary Koh's Genesis Technology room wins hands down the award for the most improved sound this year. The last time I heard Gary's set-up back in October at RMAF, I walked away sadly less than impressed. According to Gary, he's been working on refining the sound of both the $9000 Model 7.2f speakers and price to be determined 1400 wpc Class D Anniversary model 3 monoblock amplifiers. Gone was the hardness and brightness present at RMAF; that was replaced with a great sense of power and ease coupled with great transparency.

Thanks, Myles for the great comment. At RMAF, not only was it the first prototype of the monoblocks, the system was hardly warmed up. At CES, we can set up up to 3 days before the show starts. At RMAF, the show ends 4 days after we set up.

 

[garylkoh]

Well I think it would be an issue with any hotel environment. There's no limiters in Denver, but that doesn't mean the line isn't being loaded down. There were some shows, and I don't remember which ones, that had real problem with the electricity. Perhaps Gary can comment more since he's far more experienced having done RMAF, CES and a few other shows.

It is an issue with any hotel, but it's less of a problem than a fear. At RMAF, we've had tube amps at other exhibitors blowing up, taking the whole hotel down and spoiling the show for everyone.

I had a long discussion with the hotel electrician at the end of the first show we did at the Venetian about those blue boxes. The hotel actually understands us better than we give them credit for - their fear is the start-up surge every morning when all the rooms turn on their big amps at the same time. What they don't want happen is for one room to trip the whole floor and take everybody down.

Our electrical usage is far, far less than some other conventions/meetings that they have. Their absolute worst is the Avon ladies convention. Before the big dinner, all the ladies wash and dry their hair. When all 6,000 rooms in the hotel turn on two hair dryers at the same time, it could dim the lights on the whole Strip! Seems that the Avon ladies bring their own 1,500W hair dryers, and they don't use the 350W dryers that the hotel supplies.

The blue current limiters protect the hotel in case we short out our equipment. They also restrict max current draw and are a fast acting circuit breaker. I haven't used them since the first show. The power conditioners I use are equipped with a very fast acting magnetically-actuated RCBO's, are non-current restricting, and will trip before the cheap circuit breakers that the hotel uses. So, I'm not too worried about incurring the big fine and I plug my power conditioners right into the wall. When the hotel comes in for their pre-show inspection and see that I am not using their blue boxes, they will ask, and I will tell them that I am prepared to take the risk and incur their charges for turning the breakers back on. They don't like it, but they haven't given me any serious grief so far.

The circuit breakers are in the cupboard that the hotel secures with the zip tie. Fine for breaking the zip tie is $450. Fine for tripping the breakers is (I think) $250 the first time and $750 the second time. The third time you trip the breakers, the hotel will refuse to turn them back on. If you trip the breakers, break the zip tie, turn the breakers back on, loop the zip tie back around and carry on with your show. At the end of the final day, pay the $450 fine when they realize the zip tie is broken.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

Nice job Myles. Gary, I love the fines!

 

[vinylphilemag]

Great job, Myles!