CES

Industry trade shows used to be the heartbeat of the audio industry, and their decline tells us something important about how this hobby has changed.

For decades, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (and before that, Chicago) was the place where the audio world gathered every January to unveil new products, cut deals, and argue about cables in hotel hallways. I attended my first CES in the late 1970s, and for years it was the highlight of our calendar at PS Audio. We would haul gear across the country, set up a hotel room, and spend four days demonstrating to dealers, press, and fellow manufacturers. The energy was electric. You could walk from room to room and hear the entire spectrum of high-end audio, from tiny British monitors to room-shaking horn systems, all under one roof.*

*One year in Chicago we talked Arnie of Infinity into letting us demo with the mighty Infinity IRS. What a hoot!

CES started shrinking its audio presence years ago as the show pivoted toward consumer tech, smart home gadgets, AI, and automotive displays. High-end audio became a footnote squeezed into an ever-smaller corner of the Venetian. Eventually most serious audio companies stopped exhibiting altogether, and the specialized regional shows filled the gap beautifully. Axpona in Chicago has become what CES used to be for our community, a dedicated gathering where every exhibitor and every attendee cares about the same thing. Twelve thousand people showed up this April, and every single one of them was there for music and gear.

The trade show is not dead. It just evolved. Regional shows are growing around the world. Online launches and YouTube demonstrations reach more people than any hotel room ever could. But nothing replaces standing in front of a pair of speakers in a properly set up room and hearing for yourself what a product can do. That shared physical experience, strangers listening together and exchanging glances when the music does something special, is irreplaceable.

The venue changed, but the magic did not.