That's Entertainment: our man in New York (Greg Koster) covers the Home Entertainment 2001 Show. (Special Report).(Brief Article)

The first High-End Hi-Fi Show in New York, in 1987, included 55 speaker models from 41 manufacturers. The 1990 High-End Hi-Fi Show had grown to 57 systems. The third show in New York, in 1996, reflected the changing nature oaf the high end business in its new name The Home Theater & Specialty Audio Show; it had swollen to 134 exhibits, so I concentrated on rooms with $ensible systems and found 45 that showed some promise.

Stereophile hadn't brought the show back to New York for five years, but suddenly this spring they announced the Home Entertainment 2001 Show. Again the changing nature of the business was shown in the new name and in the sponsorship: Home Theater, Stereophile, Home Theater Interiors, and Stereophile Guide to Home Theater--they've got us outnumbered three to one!

The bad news is that the last-minute nature of the show seemed to limit the number of familiar names. Despite a press release claiming 200 exhibitors I only found 44 systems worth a listen--and I managed to hear them all in one day. They've already started planning another New York show for next year, so I hope it will be a real blockbuster.

The weird news was the continuing fascination with single-ended triode tube amps, and the wide variety of wacko wire technology (from garden-hose fat to stiff and skinny to computer-style ribbons).

The good news is that the New York Hilton was a much better venue than any of the previous hotels: no brownouts, no electrical cables strung from room to room, and small enough crowds throughout the first day that I was able to get around and listen quite comfortably.

The best news is that the overall sound was much better than I remember at prior shows: boomy bass and screechy highs were mostly absent, and a number of $ensible systems sounded really good.

The show was spread out over five floors. The second floor included registration, several bazaars of CD and accessory vendors, and some big demo rooms. The fourth floor included nine big demo rooms. The ninth and tenth floors included the bulk of the show, and most of the $ensible systems. And high up on the 42nd floor were the high end systems (symbolic, huh?). Being a $ensible person, I started on the ninth floor.