CES 2006- Top Picks

by CAE, May 01, 2006

It may be strange to consider that some of the most anticipated and, well, sexiest products at CES were actually interfaces. But confronted with evolution of OE systems, specifically audio (and video) bus systems, and the difficulties of installing of your favorite electronic gear in a new car, truck or SUV, it's no wonder that our attention is properly focused on products such as JBL's Fix8, Rockford Fosgate's 3Sixty or Alpine's PXE-H650, all of which are designed to allow aftermarket audio gear to be implemented into any vehicle, even the most difficult, using an OE factory source unit. These interfaces go well beyond the simple line-level adapter of yesterday by incorporating some amazing and indispensable features.

That's not to say that interfaces were the only category to make an impact on us at the show. There were plenty of cool double-DIN head units, navigation products (portable and in-dash), new amplifiers and various gadgets that will make it difficult for consumers to decide what to buy. The following lists are our top picks from CES.

Casey Thorson1. Alpine PXE-H650, JBL Fix8 processor, Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty processor2. Audison LRx amplifiers3. Pioneer AVIC-Z1 DVD/nav system4. Alpine PDX amplifiers5. Visteon Dockable Entertainment6. Arc Audio Signature Edition by Robert Zeff7. Diamond Audio D9 components8. Alpine PLT-5 (LAT) powered subwoofer system9. Clarion N.I.C.E. P20010. Zapco Reference DCS Amplifiers

Bill Burton1. JBL Fix82. Eclipse SW8200 12" sub-woofer & SW8000 10" subwoofer3. Rockford Fosgate 3Sixty4. Farenheit MPIC-10 universal multimedia digital recorder5. Rockford Fosgate T15kW 15,000-watt amplifier6. Audiovox XM Passport tuner7. Alpine LAT 8. Icon-TV ICON-PC.1 car computer9. Zapco 650.6 digital reference amplifier10. American Bass AB20 20-inch monitor

Ben Oh1. Eclipse AVN7000 HDD DVD/nav single-DIN head2. Pioneer AVIC-Z1,br>3. Alpine Blackbird portable nav/music player4. Arc Audio SignatureEdition by Robert Zeff5. Pioneer Inno portable XM radio6. Clarion MAX675VD 7. Alpine PDX amplifiers8. Kenwood KOS-A2009. Alpine LAT10. Critical Mass subwoofer

Doug Newcomb1. Alpine Blackbird 2. Alpine LAT3. Eclipse AVN70004. JBL's Fix85. Kenwood DDX6019 double-DIN DVD head unit.6. Pioneer AVIC-Z17. Pioneer Inno8. Rockford 3Sixty9. StreetDeck in-car computer10. Sony's Nav-U portable nav

American Bass AB2020-Inch MonitorSometimes, bigger is better. If you have a big-screen TV in your home, you need one in your vehicle, and American Bass (famous for high-SPL competition vehicles) has a big screen for you. The price is also big, of course: $1,295.

Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD,br>With players for both formats being released this year in the U.S., we can't put off giving a brief rundown of Blu-Ray discs and HD DVDs any longer. Both are answers to how to get HD movies to fit on a DVD-sized disc. At 8GB for a typical two-hour movie, an HD film will fit on both formats, but Blu-Ray's larger storage capacity allows for more features (think interactive ones) and more content. Maybe that's why more Hollywood studios like 20th Century Fox and Disney are on Blu-Ray's bandwagon. Meanwhile, more IT companies, notably Microsoft and Intel, have taken up the HD DVD cause. Perhaps if one doesn't completely defeat the other, both will win out, HD DVD on the computer side and Blu-Ray on the movie side. Only time will tell.

  BLU-RAY DISC HD DVD Capacity 25GB single layer50GB double layer 15GB single layer30GB double layer Highest tested capacity 100GB 45GB Price level More pricey Less pricey Key supporters Sony, Philips Toshiba, Microsoft Studio supporters 20th Century Fox Universal Products coming soon Sony PlayStation 3 External drive for Microsoft Xbox 360

Stinger XPRT (not pictured)Stinger's new line of high-performance accessories was made specifically for installation professionals. XPRT power distribution systems are not only high performance, but they also have something we've never seen before-video enhancement! Tiny monitors let you "Hear Music in Color."

Best Of InnovationsProducts in 30 categories were selected by 35 judges for an "Innovations 2006 Design And Engineering Award." Only 35 products were selected as "Best of Innovations" and these five were the only mobile-electronics products to be so honored.