Home Theater Geeks 467: CES 2025 Part 3: Audio

Summary

Podcast Summary: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio) - Home Theater Geeks 467: CES 2025 Part 3: Audio

Release Date: January 30, 2025
Host: Scott Wilkinson
Guest: Mike Heiss, Industry Journalist and Consultant

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Introduction

In the latest episode of Home Theater Geeks, host Scott Wilkinson wraps up his conversation with Mike Heiss, an industry journalist and consultant who recently attended CES 2025. The focus of this installment centers on audio innovations showcased at the conference. Both hosts provide insights into emerging audio technologies, product announcements, and the evolving landscape of home audio systems.

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1. Audio Systems at CES 2025

Scott Wilkinson opens the discussion by noting the shift in CES's focus towards video technologies, observing a decline in the audio presence compared to previous years. Mike Heiss concurs, explaining that many audio professionals now prefer attending specialized events like CEDIA Expo or regional audio shows.

• Notable Quote:
  Scott Wilkinson [00:31]: "CES is more about video, I think, and certainly has gotten so in the last few years."

Despite the reduced focus, several noteworthy audio products made their debut:

• Hisense HT Saturn: A multi-speaker system integrating seamlessly with Hisense TVs. The setup includes a center channel supported by the TV, wireless right and left front speakers, a wireless subwoofer, and wireless right and left surround speakers. This configuration aims to provide a comprehensive surround sound experience without the clutter of wired connections.

• Samsung HW Q990F and HW QS700F: Samsung introduced sophisticated soundbars equipped with up-firing drivers designed to create an immersive 1-1-1 surround sound field. The HW Q990F incorporates additional satellite speakers and a powerful subwoofer, though Mike criticizes the acoustic performance, suggesting that the system may require significant room treatment to achieve optimal sound quality.

  • Notable Quote:
    Mike Heiss [03:48]: "That room's gonna need some acoustic treatment."

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2. Innovative Audio Technologies

The conversation delves into advanced audio technologies emerging from CES 2025, highlighting Samsung's "Eclipsa" and a French company's "Deep Stereo."

• Samsung Eclipsa: Described as a 3D immersive audio technology developed in partnership with Google, Eclipsa is integrated into Samsung's 2025 TVs and soundbars. Although detailed demonstrations were limited, Eclipsa aims to enhance the spatial audio experience without relying on traditional encoding formats like Dolby Atmos.

  • Notable Quote:
    Scott Wilkinson [08:34]: "Coming out of that same lab is something they call Eclipsa, which is a 3D immersive audio technology developed, they say, in partnership with Google."

• Deep Stereo by Lesson: A simulation technology that converts mono or stereo signals into immersive audio compatible with any headphone or speaker setup. Unlike other encoding technologies, Deep Stereo claims to achieve this without requiring specific encoding processes.

  • Notable Quote:
    Scott Wilkinson [10:13]: "It is a simulation technology that does not require any encoding called Deep Stereo from a company, a French company called Lesson."

The hosts compare these innovations to existing solutions like Dolby Headphone and DTS:X360 Reality, questioning their market viability and effectiveness.

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3. The Rise of Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the burgeoning market of OTC hearing aids, a trend spurred by recent regulatory changes allowing these devices to be sold without a prescription.

• Ella Hearing's Beyond Pro: Introduced at CES 2025, Beyond Pro offers features such as AI-powered real-time language translation and tinnitus masking sounds. These devices aim to make hearing aids more accessible and affordable while incorporating advanced technologies to enhance user experience.

  • Notable Quote:
    Mike Heiss [20:06]: "The real reason whether I have any hearing issues or not is these have built in AI translation."

Scott shares a personal connection, revealing his struggle with tinnitus and his interest in how these new hearing aids might alleviate his condition through masking sounds.

• Notable Quote:
  Scott Wilkinson [24:45]: "I do suffer from it. And I have asked ents and all sorts of audiologists. Is there any cure for it? No, there is not."

Mike expresses cautious optimism, acknowledging the potential benefits while highlighting concerns about the quality and efficacy of cheaper OTC options available in the market.

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4. Doofy Gadgets and AI Integration

Though CES 2025 saw a prevalence of AI-focused innovations, the hosts briefly touch upon some of the more unconventional gadgets showcased:

• Saltier Spoon: A novelty item designed to enhance the saltiness of soup through an electric current. While amusing, Mike remains skeptical about its practical application and safety.

  • Notable Quote:
    Mike Heiss [26:42]: "I don't get it. I mean, that's... none of that Morton imitation soup."

The discussion underscores a broader theme of AI's pervasive influence in both serious and whimsical products, reflecting the technology's dual-edged impact on the consumer market.

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5. The Future of AI in Audio

The episode concludes with reflections on AI's role in shaping the future of audio technologies. While recognizing the advancements and conveniences AI brings, both hosts express concerns about its long-term implications and the need for balance between innovation and user experience.

• Notable Quote:
  Scott Wilkinson [27:54]: "And there is some good that can come of it."

Mike adds a philosophical note, contemplating the integration of digital advancements with traditional analog preferences, emphasizing the importance of maintaining quality and authenticity in audio experiences.

• Notable Quote:
  Mike Heiss [28:25]: "I'm just an analog soul in a digital world."

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Conclusion

Home Theater Geeks 467: CES 2025 Part 3: Audio offers a comprehensive overview of the latest trends and products in the audio sector as showcased at CES 2025. From innovative sound systems and immersive audio technologies to the democratization of hearing aids through OTC options, the episode highlights both the exciting advancements and the challenges facing the industry. The integration of AI emerges as a central theme, promising enhanced functionalities while prompting discussions about quality and user-centric design.

Listeners are encouraged to explore these developments further and consider how they can enhance their own home audio setups or address personal hearing needs with the latest technologies.

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Further Resources

• Mike Heiss' Publications:
  • Residential Tech Today - restektoday.com
  • Hidden Wires - hiddenwires1word.co.uk

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Note: This summary excludes non-content segments such as advertisements, intros, and outros to focus solely on the substantive discussions between Scott Wilkinson and Mike Heiss.

Transcript

[Scott Wilkinson]

In this episode of Home Theater Geeks, I conclude my conversation with Mike Heiss, who just got back from CES 2025. Today it's all about audio, so stay tuned.

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[Scott Wilkinson]

Hey, Scott Wilkinson here, the home theater geek. In this episode, I conclude my conversation with Mike Heiss, industry journalist and consultant who just got back from CES 2025. Today we're going to talk about audio. Hey Mike, welcome back to the show.

[Mike Heiss]

Hey there, Scott. Glad to be here. And you didn't say I'm a CD Othello, which means I'm jolly good.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, I didn't say that and I should. You're right, he's a jolly good Cedia fellow. And when we talk about the CDA show, I certainly make a big point of that. But no, I know this was ces, so I thought, ah, what the heck.

[Mike Heiss]

Yeah.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Anyway, so we're going to talk about some audio announcements. CES is more about video, I think, and certainly has gotten so in the last few years. There used to be a pretty big audio presence, especially at the Venetian Hotel or the Venusian as you call it not. And that has decreased over the years to the point where a lot of audio journalists I know just don't even go anymore there.

[Mike Heiss]

And again, because of the fires, I had to leave the show a day earlier and Friday was going to be my Venusian day. There were some audio people there, but nowhere as near to the extent they were. They either go to Cedia Expo or they go to the regional exponents and the audio shows.

[Scott Wilkinson]

More regional. Yeah, exactly.

[Mike Heiss]

And there isn't that much news.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Right. But there is a little. So let's talk about it. The Hisense had had a few interesting things. Most important I think was what, what they called their HT Saturn, which is a multi speaker system and it integrates with the Hisense TVs. And here you can see it deployed in a nice environment. The center channel is I believe being supported by the TV itself. And then you have right and left front speakers, you have a little subwoofer off to the side and you have right and left surrounds. And they were, they were making something of that. It's the, the, the sub and the surround speakers are wireless and as I said, the TV is serving as the center channel. So that was kind of interesting. They also had something called the HW Q990F which is a sound bar sub and surround speakers with up firing drivers. It is supposed to create an audio surround Immersive sound field of 1-1-11. They're a little hard to see. These little satellite speakers to the right and left in the foreground. And the sub, the sound bar itself is doing the front left, right and center and probably some wides, wide simulation and some overhead simulation which, you know, that's, that's kind of interesting. They also had an HW QS700F which is just the sound bar and subwoofer.

[Mike Heiss]

Can I say that that room's going to need some acoustic treatment?

[Scott Wilkinson]

Why, yes, it will.

[Mike Heiss]

That room's gonna need some acoustic treatment. And with all due respect to our pals at Hisense for that. Looks like that's a tall room. I'd be putting bigger speakers in that room.

[Scott Wilkinson]

I would too. I would too. No doubt about it. Oh, I take that back. That's not Sam's. That's not Hisense. That's Samsung. Well, same diff.

[Mike Heiss]

Same same comment.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Same comment. Yeah, exactly. That was the Samsung HW Q990F and HW QS700F we were talking about. And you're right, that, that HW Q990F in that concrete room needs to be bigger speakers and there needs to be some serious acoustic treatment.

[Mike Heiss]

Well, and the hardwood floor and the, the clerestory and teeny tiny speakers. But you know, God bless. I'll bet that guy in the, in the chair is going to get a really weird sound field.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Very weird. Yep.

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[Scott Wilkinson]

Now, Samsung had a sound bar that you did get a little sense of. Anyway, you actually got a picture of its.

[Mike Heiss]

I. I heard it. This was in the secret.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Oh, you actually heard it. Okay. This is in the secret room.

[Mike Heiss]

Secret room.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Tell us about this.

[Mike Heiss]

So the deal is they say that Samsung secret room. They say they do.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Every year they do a secret room that they invite journalists to.

[Mike Heiss]

And me too.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, you're a journalist.

[Mike Heiss]

Yeah, I guess so. Okay. So they said that 46% of TVs are wall mounted, but only 12% of those have a sound bar. So the deal is that they are concerned that the sound will be different whether it's mounted on the wall or mounted flat on the, you know, the credenza.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Credenza in front of the tv, whatever it is.

[Mike Heiss]

So as. As it says in this image, it has a gyro sensor that shows where the speed, how the speaker is mounted. And it, you know, helps when you flip the. If you sit it down, it knows where the speakers should be or where the little center channel pops up.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

And, you know, is it interesting? It's an interesting idea. And I did ask who developed this. And again, this is, you know, part of my past life. The. When they talk about the Samsung, not Ventura, somewhere up in Ventura County.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Oh, yeah, the audio lab.

[Mike Heiss]

Valencia Audio Lab.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

Is run by a fellow by the name of Alan Devantier who used to work at Harmon, which is how I know him. And he's one, if you will, of the Floyd Tool Canadian mafia, as is Dr. Olive and a bunch of people. And they're all very, very good at. And years ago, before Samsung bought Harmon, Samsung stole Alan and a bunch of his buddies, and they're the Valencia Sound Labs. So if he said, yeah, it's Samsung, what do they know about audio? The guys who developed this, they know audio.

[Scott Wilkinson]

They know a lot. Yeah. Yeah. Also from Samsung, that I thought was interesting. And probably coming out of that same lab is something they call Eclipsa, which is a 3D immersive audio technology developed, they say, in partnership with Google and integrated into its 2025 TVs and sound bars. Did you hear anything about that?

[Mike Heiss]

I saw it, but I wasn't able to. That was in their first look in their not so secret secret display right before the show, the day before the show. They have a thing called first look where they took over a huge ballroom at Caesars. And if. What is it? Eclipsa. If you have Eclipse it for more than four hours, call your audio.

[Scott Wilkinson]

No.

[Mike Heiss]

Audiologist, anybody? No. Yeah, but you know, it's marketing and you know, it's. That is their attempt at the age old problem of small speakers and TVs. And again, it's like everything else. If it works for you, it works for you. It may or may not work for folks here.

[Scott Wilkinson]

I would love to hear it myself. It appears to be an encoding technology.

[Mike Heiss]

It is a somewhat parallel competitor to. Because we don't need any more Atmos DTS X360 reality. It's in that vein. I don't think that they're going to get much in the way of Hollywood because really what Hollywood needs now is another encoding technology.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, here I saw this in a press release and I thought it was really interesting. I think you did not get a chance to see it or hear it. Is a simulation technology that does not require any encoding called Deep Stereo from a company, a French company called Lesson, which is a spin off of a company called Music Unit. And it is said to convert any mono or stereo signal into immersive audio playable on any headphones or speaker setup.

[Mike Heiss]

Has anybody told him about the Dolby headphone or DTS X virtual?

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes. I don't know.

[Mike Heiss]

No, no, no. I'm.

[Scott Wilkinson]

It's in the same vein. There's that.

[Mike Heiss]

That's the point. It is in the same vein of that. And you know the. There are two parts to that. Is it going to get enough market traction? Does the market want it?

[Scott Wilkinson]

Right.

[Mike Heiss]

You're a headphone guy. Do you want virtualization in your headphones?

[Scott Wilkinson]

If it works well, yes, I do.

[Mike Heiss]

Oh, okay. Because I was going to guess not because you're a pure music guy.

[Scott Wilkinson]

I'm a purist. That's true. However, I also really enjoy immersive music and if it's done well, I really like it. Now I'm curious to know if this, if this technology will take, will accept into it an immersively mixed soundtrack. Not just mono or stereo, but an Dolby Atmos soundtrack for.

[Mike Heiss]

If you play it. If you play an Atmos soundtrack.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

Whether it's music or movie.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes.

[Mike Heiss]

Content.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes.

[Mike Heiss]

And then you play it into these headphones. What are they going to sound like?

[Scott Wilkinson]

What are they going to do? This is what I want to know.

[Mike Heiss]

Under this green piece of felt behind me that's hiding all the garbage in my office.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes.

[Mike Heiss]

Is A pair of Razer headphones. Gaming headphones that are supposed to be able to do that, but last time I. Look, I only have two ears. I don't have 7.1 ears.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, no, of course, but that. But the argument there is you only have two ears but you hear sounds coming from all different directions.

[Mike Heiss]

No, I, I know that but you know, binaural sound or you know, or listen to coast to coast AM and maybe the aliens have.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, maybe. Yeah, exactly. Anyway, I'm. I just wanted to point it out and mention it and I'm. I sent them an email actually. I said tell me more and I haven't heard back yet.

[Mike Heiss]

So we will get to you when we are ready.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes, and it could be that they took a. Took a vacation after ces and who could blame them?

[Mike Heiss]

Yeah.

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[Scott Wilkinson]

Early ct mobile.com okay, so you probably didn't see the Onkyo. I saw the press release for two items. One is the Creator series powered speakers.

[Mike Heiss]

I did see them. I did see them, but I saw them. They were not active. They were in the middle of. They were just when you come down the ramp when you go into the central hall, they were in a huge open booth. So they didn't have them on. And it's probably a good thing because you wouldn't have been able.

[Scott Wilkinson]

You wouldn't have been able to judge anything anyway.

[Mike Heiss]

But they look, they look nice.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Oh, I, they. From the specs, they really look very good. The GX10B has a 3 inch woofer and a 3/4 inch tweeter. 17 watts per channel. They're powered speakers.

[Mike Heiss]

And they. And you know, that's not. There was a day when I was working for a famous audio company when all that they were talking about were.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Desktop computer speakers, which is what these are.

[Mike Heiss]

Except these are Actually you don't get those kinds of things anymore because people don't use desktops for the most part.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, it's true. Except for me.

[Mike Heiss]

No, but these are probably. I would consider buying these.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

Because the comparison to that is when I, when I did work at Harmon, they had the JBL gla. Remember those ones that were loose sight and they looked like a.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes, yes.

[Mike Heiss]

And they really sounded great. But they were $1,000.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

If these are 299. If I were doing a desktop thing, I'd consider buying these.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Exactly. The GX10B is $200 a pair. The larger GX30 ARC is $300 a pair. Those are bamped. They both have a bunch of input modalities. And the larger ones also will even do hdmi ARC audio return channel, as.

[Mike Heiss]

Do most of the little streamer boxes that are out there now. And that is a big trend that I saw down in the. The basement of the south hall where they had all the streamers. Or in the other end, the SVS sound base, which is a play fi technology with an amp. It's like a modern day receiver, stereo receiver without a tuner instead of a tuner that has a streamer. So this is a growing thing. And E ARC is a big part. ARC or EARC is, is a big part of that.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Big part of that. Okay, cool. The other thing that Onkia was showing was called the ICON series. These are two channel hi FI components. And these are like separate components, which is kind of interesting. The P80 is a two channel network preamp with Dirac Live room correction, which is pretty good. HDMI, ARC, Wi Fi, AirPlay, 2 Chromecast, Bluetooth Roon. So it'll stream a bunch of stuff. Separate phono stage.

[Mike Heiss]

So it's that big round black things.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah, those are called knobs.

[Mike Heiss]

No, no, no, I'm talking about the phono things.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Oh yes. The really big black round things are called phonograph records. They're made out of vinyl. Those of us who are old enough might remember, in fact, youngsters are now getting back into vinyl.

[Mike Heiss]

As you know, vinyl is the new streaming.

[Scott Wilkinson]

It's the new streaming. That's right. This thing has built in. Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon music, tunein. It's $2,000.

[Mike Heiss]

Well, but it's got a cute front panel with the faux LEDs.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah, true enough.

[Mike Heiss]

OVU meters.

[Scott Wilkinson]

I mean combined with that is the M82 channel power amp. 200 watts per channel into 4 ohms or 150 into 8 ohms. It's a symmetrical class AB amp. It's not even.

[Mike Heiss]

Which is rare in this kind of product.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Rare in this kind of product. Same high end quality, another $2,000. And then finally they, they showed the A50 integrated amp. 180 watts per channel into 4 ohms, 140 into 8 ohms. Same capabilities really as the, as the P80, but it has a preamp and a power amp built in. 1499. 1500 bucks.

[Mike Heiss]

I, I wish them luck with this because there still is a market for two channel products.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

And it'll be, it will be good to see them succeed with this. I mean, there was some technique stuff in the Panasonic booth given the Panasonic is, you know, re entering all parts of the consumer market.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

So, you know, they have been and are to some extent a competitor to some things that I do. But I wish them a lot of luck because if they have luck with this, then it's good for the market, it's good for you, it's good for me, it's good for the consumer.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Mike Heiss]

I mean, if you make that music, somebody's got to listen to it.

[Scott Wilkinson]

That's right. And hopefully they'll listen on some equipment that makes it sound good.

[Mike Heiss]

One would hope.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

Maybe this stuff or if they can't hear it, then they go to that next thing we want to talk about.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Right, exactly. Which, which is hearing aids. Now this is not exactly. I mean, you know, sure. It's. It would apply to home theater geeks who have hearing loss. And this year or last year, I think the f. Some governmental agency.

[Mike Heiss]

Yeah.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Said you can sell hearing aids over the counter, you don't have to go to an audiologist. And so there's a slew of them. And there were a bunch at ces. Right.

[Mike Heiss]

There were a bunch. A bunch of them. And to some extent it's good for the consumer, but to some extent. Okay, fine. I know that if I go to a hearing specialist and get tested and fitted, if the person is good, the odds are that I'm going to get, you know, a decent pair of hearing aids. I may pay for it, but I know they're going to be good because they'll be done by a licensed professional. Yeah. As you know, personally, it's a real thing.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

Then there is OTC that says, well, we'll do it online. Okay, fine. And there's a market for that because that stuff is cheaper. But then the thing that I'm concerned about is Joe namath selling headphones, OTC, hearing aids for $99 on late night TV. God bless Joe Namath, but I ain't buying a $99. I mean, fortunately I can afford something more than that. But you wonder if that's really an improvement in it. If you read the disclaimers, they're very specific because they have to be about the level of improvement. But what I saw at ces, the brand that you want to mention is one of them is this mid range sort of 299, 399, 499 OTC hearing aids. And they're pretty good. And in fact, they're going to send me some and I'll see if they make. If they make a difference.

[Scott Wilkinson]

I really look forward to hearing your report. This is a company called Ella here E L E H E A R and the. They have had a OTC hearing aid called beyond and this at CES they introduced Beyond Pro.

[Mike Heiss]

And I obviously they didn't let me try them on or actually wanted me to, but I didn't want to do it in a. I don't try on hearing aids.

[Scott Wilkinson]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Mike Heiss]

I don't know who had them last exactly. But in terms of form factor, they're a little bit better than the Recons or Philips that you would see from a hearing specialist or Costco where they are specialists also. It's a little bigger, but not much. But if you're on a budget and people are these days, if those are 399 and they're pretty good, that makes a difference in your life, I'm all for it. And these, the real reason whether I have any hearing issues or not is these have built in a. AI Come on, Keith. AI translation.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah, right. AI Real time language translation.

[Mike Heiss]

So, and, and I.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Somebody's talking to you in Swahili.

[Mike Heiss]

Well, no, no, no, no, no. In fairness to one of the discussions we had in Part two, this is on device, so there's a limit to the number. It's just like with your phone and you want to do Google Translate or Microsoft Translate, whatever it is, there's a limit to how much they can store on device. That's true, but I've become addicted to Korean K dramas.

[Scott Wilkinson]

No kidding.

[Mike Heiss]

And I love them. They're. They're like Spanish novellas or good old fashioned soap operas, but they're in Korean and it's an acquired taste. But I love them and you read the subtitles. So I want to get one of these to test out the AI the AI translation to. To the subtitles because that's how a lot of the subtitles are being generated. And by AI or when I'm in a meeting with one of my Chinese vendors.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

For my other businesses. And they start saying, excuse me, we need to talk to each other. I want to be able to know what they're really saying.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

And for those of you who are students of history show. And why. Who is Mao's second in command in Red China spoke perfect English. And when Nixon went over, he waited for the translator because he was using that time because he knew what was going on. So if I have hearing aids that do live translation, I don't have to wait until the other person tells me what's going on.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Right.

[Mike Heiss]

So I'm all in for these hearing or not.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah, I would love that too. The other really cool things that these, that, that these particular hearing aids or what are called hearing wearables.

[Mike Heiss]

Yes.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Do is they, they offer what are called tinnitus masking sounds. So if you have tinnitus, it's ringing in the ears and you can ameliorate the effect to some degree by playing masking sounds, noises of one sort or another. And these hearing wearables will do it.

[Mike Heiss]

It's like an ANC kind of thing.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes. And they also do noise cancellation.

[Mike Heiss]

I would ask your better half, I believe, that there is no cure for tintinitis.

[Scott Wilkinson]

There isn't. I know this for a fact.

[Mike Heiss]

Right. Well, you know, ask the man who, who knows somebody who knows.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah, right. I, I know. I know for a fact because I in fact, suffer from tinnitus.

[Mike Heiss]

Wow.

[Scott Wilkinson]

It was all those, it was all those loud rock bands in college and.

[Mike Heiss]

Hanging around with all them damn tubers.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, that too. So I, I do suffer from it. And I have asked ents and all sorts of audiologists. Is there any cure for it? No, there is not. There's only retraining and, and sort of adaptive technologies like masking sounds.

[Mike Heiss]

Wow. Well, I spoke to those people and they were very good. And I think that it would be interesting, especially if you mentioned connection to a hearing professional, that I bet you that they would, that they might send you a review sample and it'll be really curious to hear what you and your, your expert have to say.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yes, well, I, I intend to ask them. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, this has been a short, you know, episode compared to the others with audio, with video. We only had a little bit of audio to talk about, but, you know, that. Still interesting stuff.

[Mike Heiss]

Yeah, I mean, it was. I usually at this show, I'd always say Here was the doofy gadget.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

That I saw. And I didn't get to see any of the doofy gadgets with the exception of the spoon that makes your soup taste saltier. I saw that.

[Scott Wilkinson]

I saw it in it. Yes. It has some sort of electric current in it. Yeah. Saltier.

[Mike Heiss]

I don't get it. I mean, that's. I bet my cardiologist would want me to get one of those, you know, none of that Morton imitation soup.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Right, right.

[Mike Heiss]

Yeah. That I should have asked for a review sample of that one.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

What else did they have of any. You know, I think the crazy gadget stuff. There wasn't as much really silly, wacky crazy gadget stuff this year because everybody was into.

[Scott Wilkinson]

AI.

[Mike Heiss]

AI and some of the applications like these hearing aids that we just spoke about. I mean, there's clearly some AI going on in there, no question. Particularly for the tendinitis stuff. Also for.

[Scott Wilkinson]

For the translation.

[Mike Heiss]

For translation and for clarity. Anc. So, I mean, I make fun of it because that's what I. But, you know, but. But there is some value to it, even when it's applied to goofy stuff.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Right, Right. So while it may make you puke to hear the term, it's with us. It's with us to stay.

[Mike Heiss]

And it ain't going away.

[Scott Wilkinson]

It ain't going away. And there is some. Some good that can come of it.

[Mike Heiss]

Oh, to be. To be sure. And, you know, and, you know, not to get serious, you know, heaven forbid that I would do that. But, you know, but where this is going to lead, you know, is it going to be nobody? You know, you can't underestimate the Borg. I don't know. I'm just an analog soul in a digital world. And for one of the chat people.

[Scott Wilkinson]

I got this at nab, national association of Broadcasters. The show, which is a.

[Mike Heiss]

Which is a world where AI is really both puzzling and something that's great and helps and something that they're scared out of their brains about.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, it'll sure be an interesting year to see what happens.

[Mike Heiss]

Yep. Yep. But, you know, an interesting, you know, fire is not withstanding. An interesting way to start the year.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Yeah.

[Mike Heiss]

And hopefully it'll be a good one.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Hopefully. So. And may you stay safe.

[Mike Heiss]

Thank you. And all of us and.

[Scott Wilkinson]

And all of. All of everyone in la, our hearts are really out to you and really hoping that you can stay safe and if you had a problem, that you can recover well. So to be sure. Yeah. So, Mike, where can folks find your stuff?

[Mike Heiss]

Okay, so you can Find me in residential tech today. Restektoday.com or Hidden Wires www.hiddenwires1word.co.uk both available in print and online. Perish the thought.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Perish the thought. You can actually get it.

[Mike Heiss]

Paper stuff. What's that? Paper? Yeah. Is that related to that vinyl thing? I'm gonna listen to something on my turntable in my stud stereo receiver while I'm reading a print magazine.

[Scott Wilkinson]

You're just an analog soul in a digital world, my friend.

[Mike Heiss]

Yeah, I guess so.

[Scott Wilkinson]

Well, thanks so much for being here. I really appreciate all the time you spent with us. It's always a hoot to have you on and I look forward to the next time.

[Mike Heiss]

Thanks. I do too. Thank you very much.

[Scott Wilkinson]

All right, so. So that's it for our CES coverage. Hope you enjoyed it. If you have a question for me, please send it along to htgwit TV and I will answer as many of those questions as I can right here on the show. And as always, we thank you for your Support of the TWiT Network with your membership in Club Twit let you come into the Discord channel and chat up with other like minded geeks. Until next time, geek out.

[Unknown]

Hey buddy, are you a geek? Are you a tech enthusiast? Then I would love to invite you to join a tech community like no other. You can gain exclusive access to our incomparable quality tech content for just $7 a month. With Club Twit as a member, you'll Enjoy all twit TV shows ad free, plus access private video feeds for insider shows like iOS Today, home theater Geeks and so much more. Dive into the members only Twit bonus feed for behind the scenes content club discussions and special events. But here's the best perk. Join our incredible Discord community to watch live show productions, chat with hosts and participate in exclusive members only activities. It's your backstage pass to the world of twit. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or a lifelong learner, Club Twit elevates your knowledge while entertaining your interests. Get two weeks free when you sign up now for $7 a month and unlock unparalleled access at Twit TV. Club Twit. That's Twit TV Club Twit and from the bottom of my heart, thank you and welcome to.

[Mike Heiss]

Foreign.

[Unknown]

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