Paul Seydor's Initial "Best of Show" pics -- Part 1

Posted by: Paul Seydor at 10:10 am, January 7th, 2011

Less than half a day at any Consumer Electronics Show is, I know, a little premature to be thinking of “Best Sound,” yet such was among many thoughts that ran through my mind as I listened to KingSound’s (AKA King Audio’s) King II electrostatics ($11.5/pr), whose older, smaller siblings, the Princes, so impressed my colleague Robert E. Greene in TAS 210. Rarely has Diana Krall sounded so life size and lifelike yet so completely un-hifi, while orchestral music is projected with extraordinary timbrel truthfulness and clarity, superb dynamic range, and soundstaging that on good or better recordings transports you to the event. Most rooms I listen for a few minutes (or less!)—this one I didn’t want to leave. We’ll be hearing more of these.