Last Updated: Monday, 11-Jan-1999 20:12:21 EST

(January 10, 1999)
Day 4 Summary
Day Four began with a listen to Muse's entries on the 24bit /96kHz stage, the Model Eight transport and Two Ninety Six DAC. The Muse digital components shone a ray of hope on the land of ones and zeros, proving that "digital" need not be synonymous with "dry, edgy, and lifeless". Full Story

(January 9, 1999)
Day 3 Summary
There may be life in the old dear yet. Compared to Days One and Two, the walkways between the buildings and the rooms of the Alexis Park were chock-a-block with industry members and interested audiophiles. T.H.E. Show in comparison (in its first incarnation, though), seemed sparsely attended for the third day. Full Story

(January 8, 1999)
Day 2 Summary
Day Two turned out to be spectacular. The surprisingly low-key flavor of the show was still in the air, but the sound was great. Full Story

(January 7, 1999)
Day 1 Summary
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". The "best" was the magnificence and variety of high-end equipment on show. Truly, an amazing amalgam of everything an audiophile could ask for. The worst? Getting here! Full Story

(Pre-Show January 6, 1999)
We've Arrived - Finally!
The day began on an up note. The alarm clock rang on time, the airline limousine arrived fifteen minutes early, and the horrific backlog at Toronto's Pearson International caused by last week's brutal snow storm was all but non-existent. After a minor thirty minute delay in Toronto, Air Canada flight 579 to Las Vegas via Denver, Colorado was in the air. The flight was uneventful, save for the repeated in-cabin appearance of the pilot and co-pilot, both of whom seemed rather concerned about the rapid accumulation of ice on the plane's wings. Ice build-up notwithstanding, we landed unscathed at Denver's lovely, sun-drenched airport, with more than an hour to make our connecting flight to Vegas. No problem, especially since the ticketing agent in Denver informed us that our connecting flight was an hour behind schedule. As we waited patiently for the United Airlines Boeing 737 to make its way from San Francisco to Denver, the sunny skies we were enjoying began to turn grey, and a thick band of fog moved in. As (bad) luck would have it, the fog reduced visibility such that landings in Denver were deemed unsafe, and our plane-to-be was re-routed to Colorado Springs, where it was to be refueled and sent back to Denver to take us on our merry way. So, we waited. And waited some more. Delay after delay tried our patience, but we were determined to make it to Vegas before the day was done. Almost four hours after our scheduled departure, our plane finally arrived in Denver, where it was hastily prepared for its run South West to the home of flash, glitter and CES. Thirteen hours after leaving Toronto, we arrived at the Alexis Park Hotel, the hub of the Specialty Audio/Video leg of CES. We expected the hotel to be bustling with activity, with industry luminaries scrambling about in a last minute effort to get everything just right for the onslaught of the show's opening day. Instead, we were greeted with an eerie silence - no loudspeakers being played at deafening levels in the name of break-in, no Fifth Element DVDs at 130 dB, nothing at all. Just quiet and tranquility - the calm before what is likely to be a four-day storm of high-end audio/video activity. Until tomorrow...

(Pre-Show January 5, 1999)
It's (almost) Show Time!
Our bags are packed, our test CDs are chosen, our airline seats are pre-selected, and our digital cameras and laptop computers are fully charged. The latest in digital audio and video editing software is loaded and configured, and our favorite HTML editor is in tow. It's almost show time. Beginning Wednesday January 6^th, Audiophilia's live, interactive coverage of both the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show and T.H.E. Show will commence. Watch for constant updates, including pictures and text in response to CES !nteractive requests, a continuously evolving Photo Gallery, our vote for Room of the Day, and a daily summary of room tours and events. It's the next best thing to being there!

(Pre-Show January 4, 1999)
Worst Snowstorm in 55 Years Buries the Audiophilia Offices
Over the last 48 hours, the Toronto area was pounded with what local newspapers called "the worst snow storm in 55 years". Some areas saw almost 50 centimetres (about 20 inches) of snow, roads and highways were reduced to skating rinks, and flights into and out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport were cancelled. According to Pearson officials, it may be as late as Wednesday before the travel backlog is cleared. The good news? Audiophilia's Vegas-bound flights are on schedule and coverage will begin on January 6^th as planned.