Reference Recordings’ Sean Martin brings you our CES 2011 Report:
Well, another beginning of the year has gone by and in the blink of an eye so has CES/THE show. As usual the exhibits were a blur of too many incredibly interesting ideas and not enough time to check them all out. Reference Recordings titles were being sold at our Canadian distributor Liberty Trading’s booth in the Flamingo Hotel. Marcia and I did our best to meet with everyone we could about how to innovate and implement the idea of hi-rez audio into the lives of normal mortals.
Highlights:
Olive, a manufacturer of impressive hi-rez servers, have decided to use our products ( just like PS Audio, Boulder, Goodwins High End, Auraliti, just to name a few) and offer our HRx hi-rez titles with their products as an add-on. This will give their customers an immediate avenue into the world of high definition audio and hopefully start educating more folks about the difference in quality there can be between CDs and high-rez computer music playback. Watch for their announcements.
We had a good meeting with Chad Kassem of Analogue Productions, regarding the progress on his new LP pressing plant. This will be the first new ultra-quality audiophile pressing plant in the US for many years. We’re looking forward to working with him this spring and releasing our new LPs.
Marcia met with several of RR’s key international distributors to discuss our plans for 2011 recordings and releases. Also had good talks with the key people at Sonic Studio, who make the great Amarra software for high-rez playback. RR and Sonic just concluded a very successful promo campaign together and we will keep collaborating!
I leaked a bit of our newest (and not yet released) album of modern chamber music at the show and played it for some eager listeners in a few exhibits. The reaction was a resounding “yes! this is awesome, where can I buy it?” and the answer is it will be available soon in many formats.
Keith Johnson was also present spending most of his time with ultra-high-end manufacturer Spectral Audio. He is the designer for all their wonderful products. He had many meetings with manufacturers, dealers and distributors regarding the advancement of high resolution audio. People are slowly but surely realizing that the way of the future (just like hi def video) is hi def audio. Fortunately for Reference, Keith just happens be one of the Gurus of the industry on this.
-Sean Martin