Raxxess makes more racks than you can shake a remote at, including some affordable residential racks that utilize wood shelves. If you need a bit more ventilation, however, you’ll need some of the metal shelves that have plenty of cutouts for better airflow. For really serious (and heavy) systems, Raxxess offers racks that include a rolling support that hides under the front of the rack.

Somehow the word “true” must have taken on a new meaning while I was not paying attention…

I don’t know how humid it gets in Boston, but I do know how humid it gets in my bathroom after one of my children takes a luxuriously long shower (the kind that sucks every last drop of even lukewarm water out of the hot water heater). Boston Acoustics’ new HH 460T2 is a “high-humidity and weather-resistant” single-point stereo in-ceiling speaker that includes a foam collar around the center post that protects the voice coil from dampness and a crossover that is covered with a special type of varnish to protect it from the elements. The speaker also uses the same type of binding posts found on Boston’s Voyager outdoor speakers, so they’re easy to seal with silicone after the wires have been connected. Two models are available. The HH460T2 is $275 each. The higher-end VH470 T2 is $450 each.

AVRak’s new Fatrak component rack is 36” wide – enough for two components to sit side-by-side on each shelf – so the rack can hold the same amount of gear as a 72” tall standard rack. The Fatrak pulls out far enough from the cabinet so that you can swivel the rack for easy access to the cables and wiring that will look like a rat’s nest no matter how hard you try to organize it. The 36” tall model (FT-36) is rated to hold up to 350 pounds of gear. There are also 24” and 30” versions available. Custom heights can be ordered as well. The FT-36 sells for $2,172.

The ported cabinet on Leon Speakers’ new A3 Subwoofer is only 4” deep even though it holds an 8” woofer. It can be used as an in-wall, on-wall, or in-room subwoofer and is a great match for the company’s new Horizon 212 single-cabinet LCR that’s only 2” deep. As with all Leon Speakers speakers, the cabinets can be totally customized when it comes to size, finish, color, and etc. The base price of the A3 is $1,195. The Horizon 212 starts at around $1,500.

Let’s say you have a nice home theater system in one end of the room and a powered subwoofer in the other. Everything sounds nice until you plug the subwoofer into the AC outlet next to it, and, viola, your system is now humming a new tune. Unfortunately, it’s not humming the tune you wanted it to.

Furman and Panamax have introduced a series of power products under the PFPower name that include the MIW-XT “In Wall Power Management Extender System”, which is a fancy way of saying “custom installed extension cord”. A power cord from the back of your power surge/conditioner device (Panamax or Furman preferred but not required) plugs into the MIW-XT Inlet. The power cord from your subwoofer (or other powered device) plugs into the outlet in the MIW-XT. Your electrician kindly runs the electrical wire from the MIW-XT Inlet to the MIW-XT. Now not only is the hum problem gone, but your subwoofer gets all the protection and conditioning benefits that the rest of your home theater gets from your main power management device. All for $69 (plus electrician’s fees, of course).

Screen Excellence showed a new LED light kit for use with their screens that provides a 6500 K ambient light glow around the screen frame. I had them turn the lights way up for purposes of taking the picture, but when set at the recommended level it helped make the picture of the $13,500 CineVersum projector used in the demo even more stunning.

For one of my last demos of CES2008, I stopped by the Definitive Technology room in the Venetian. There, in addition to showing off the newest Mythos ST speakers, they were putting on demos of the company’s new Solo Surround Array speakers. The SSAs join the growing number of single speaker simul-surround thingees that reduce the multiple speakers of the traditional surround system to one slim one. Of all the slender systems I’ve heard, the Definitive SSA-50 is by far the most impressive, the most surrounding, and the most amazing. Regardless of whether I was standing in the back of the room or in the middle of the room’s “sweet spot”, the effect was stunningly immersive. It certainly won’t replace a full-blown 5.1-channel system, but for the rear-speaker challenged, wire-averse, or stubbornly décor-driven, this is a single-speaker solution that will make you sit up and listen.

Do we really have any choice?

That's funny, the damage doesn't look as bad from out here.

For my last CES demo of the year, I spent 15 relaxing minutes in Wisdom Audio's suite at the Venetian. The company was showing off its Sage Series of hybrid speakers that use both traditional woofers and thin-film planar magnetic drivers. An outboard system controller handles the electronic crossover between the speaker's different elements, and it performs room correction using Audyssey MultEQ XT technology. The line includes four models ranging from 20 to 75 inches tall, and each speaker is available in a freestanding, in-wall, or on-wall configuration. The demo consisted of various 2- and 5.1-channel music tracks, and the top-of-the-line L75s sounded absolutely fantastic, impressively spacious and dynamic for such thin speakers. After five days of chaos and concepts, this moment served as a tangible reminder of all that we love about home theater.

Radiient Technologies’s first products were HDMI switchers and distribution boxes, but they’re going all out to develop high-performance wireless audio transmitters and receivers that can be built-in to speakers or added on externally. Based on the quality and performance of their current HDMI gear, the wireless components should be excellent, too. Not surprisingly, they mentioned that a lot of the video companies they’ve been dealing with have requested wireless video devices, as well. Expect to see product for sale before the end of this year.

This is going to be the year of 3D. I know it’s been said before, but this time it’s really going to happen. More studios are producing more 3D films, and there is more 3D hardware than ever. Most importantly, the quality of the 3D experience is the best that it’s ever been. Look for lots of HDTVs with built-in 3D capabilities. 3D leader Sensio announced that they are now part of the HDMI spec, which means that – in the future – when you put a Sensio-encoded disc in your hi-def player, your HDTV and associated hardware will know that it’s a 3D movie and automatically switch into 3D mode. Simple is always better. In this case, it’s 3X simpler.

Marantz has been the industry's #4 hitter in delivering high-end, single-box AVRs that sound great for some time. In Q2 of 2008 Marantz gets outside that single-box with the AV8003 preamp/processor (pictured above) and MM8003 multichannel amplifier.

The AV8003 is going to be loaded with the latest in meaningful features, including HDMI 1.3 switching (4 in/2 out), Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, XM and Sirius and Ethernet streaming for networked audio and video throughout the home. It even has a set of XLR stereo inputs for high-end audio apps like SACD.

The brute of this pair is the MM8003, a 150x8 amplifier with XLR inputs, and the kind of overdone build quality one would expect from Marantz. No prices were given, but Marantz is bringing these separates to the market in the second quarter of this new year.

It's nice that we've been getting AVRs with next-gen audio decoding, but for many of us the separates can't come fast enough.

Universal Electronics has added another model to their successful Nevo line of universal remotes. As the flagship controller in the line, the $1199 NevoS70 combines popular features from the company's previous two models (the NevoSL and NevoQ50) and then further sweetens the deal. Like the SL, the S70 can tap into your 802.11g network and provide navigation and control of movies, music, and photos stored on your PC. Like the Q50, it offers both IR and two-way Z-wave control options, with the addition of the $299 NevoConnect NC-50 base station. Best of all, it adds an IP browser, so you can pull up a TV program guide or get sports scores and weather info without ever having to turn on the TV. It can also talk to and control any device that has a compatible web server, such as a web-based camera or media server. And, like all Nevo models, it comes with a fully customizable color touchscreen and lots of convenient programming features for the custom installer.

It shouldn’t hurt to be an audio/video signal.

Sure, he looks cute, but beneath that plushy exterior lies a soul-eating pusher of 24/7 communication. You think methamphetamine is bad? Take a Blackberry away from someone and you’ll see the kind of behavior that’ll make Britney’s antics seem as benign as a day on the set of High School Musical II.

Snell speakers have always had a good reputation, but I had no idea that they were good enough to find their way into the White House. Now, the question is, was it a Republican or a Democrat who put them there?

And what are they used for? Is it in the President’s home theater the staff stays up late and watches reruns of the West Wing? Maybe they use them to listen to in on the microphones secretly placed in Putin’s office.

One further question: do they use an HD DVD or Blu-ray player? Only the Secret Service knows for sure.

As much sculptures as speakers, the new Strada Series from Gallo Acoustics comes in a cast aluminum enclosure with innards similar to those in the Reference 3.1 towers. Price $899/each. The TR-3 sub, which will replace the TR-2, features a long-throw aluminum cone woofer and will sell for $895. Both available in the second quarter of 2008.