Series 3

JBL's Project Everest DD66000 speaker is pricey ($30,000-$35,000 each, depending on finish) and heavy (about 300 pounds apiece) and retro-styled, but it is thoroughly modern inside. Its cutting-edge engineering touches include a 1" ultra-high-frequency beryllium compression driver and horn that run from 20kHz to 60kHz, a 4" high-frequency beryllium compression driver and horn that goes from 700Hz to 40kHz, a 15" low-frequency driver that works from 700Hz down (the"inside" driver), and another 15" low-frequency driver that augments the bass from 150Hz down. The cabinet is beautifully finished, and the curved walls are created through a method where laminated MDF is grooved and curved.

Another all-out speaker. This is one of the proprietary drivers used in the 500-pound Rockport Altair ($89,500/pair), which provided one of the true musical highlights of our coverage in Las Vegas this year.

One of four new products from Conrad-Johnson was the ET250S stereo amplifier ($7500), whose voltage gain happens in triode, as with an SET amp, but it delivers far more power: 250Wpc.

Another innovative stereo amplifier is Audio Research's new HD220 ($8895), which features a JFET dual-triode input stage and Thermal Trak no-feedback output stage. It's also way powerful: 220Wpc. We know it looks like a VT100 or Reference 110, but trust us -- it's not! [www.audioresearch.com]

The Aura Note ($2495) is a complete audio system -- minus speakers -- in a single box. It's a 50Wpc MOSFET power amplifier, top-loading CD player, AM/FM tuner and preamp with USB connectivity. You can plug in a USB storage device and listen from it or record to it. You can also connect your computer. It comes with a full remote control as well. April Music, makers of Stello electronics, is behind this ingenious device.

Roger Kanno said, "This is the next LCD panel I'm going to buy." Sharp introduced the Aquos D92U series of 1080P LCD panels, which feature a 120Hz frame rate, "5 wavelength backlight system," "real ability of native contrast ratio 3000:1," and a 4ms pixel response. The prices for the various sizes are as follows: 65" LC-65D93U, $11,000; 52" LC-52D92U, $5300; 46" LC-46D92U $4200; 42" LC-42D92U $3500.

Judging by the crowd, the security and the camera flashes around this display, we thought a rock star would be there. Instead, it was Sony's display of their "organic LED" (OLED) displays, which, according to some, could "turn the panel industry on its head" with their cost (low, once Sony is able to produce them big enough), outstanding picture quality (Sony claims a contrast ratio of greater than 1,000,000:1) and convenience (so thin you could possibly roll them up -- no joke). But, these were only prototypes. Still, they were impressive; the 11" one is just 3mm thick, and the 27" model is 10mm thick.