Best luxury gadgets from CEDIA 2017 for people with cash to burn

The red special edition JVC DLA-20LTD projector commemorates the 20th anniversary of JVC’s D-ILA technology, and it promises the industry’s highest native contrast ratio — 200,000:1. No pricing yet, but it joins other 4K models JVC announced at the show including the $4,000 DLA-X590RBK, $6,000 DLA-X790RBK and the $8,000 DLA-X990RBK. The feature has JVC’s proprietary e-shift technology and compatibility with HDR.

If you’ve got the square footage and cash to burn, why not install a golfing simulator? Manufacturer Golfzon says the simulator was “tested and guaranteed by tour professional golfers.” It even features apps for Android and iOS.

Never one to shy away from potential failure, Creative has been pushing the bounds of computer audio for the past 20 years. Having conquered budget Bluetooth speakers, Creative is making its first foray into the ultra-high end of audio-visual. 

The $5,800 Creative X-Fi Sonic Carrier is the most expensive Dolby Atmos soundbar we’ve seen yet. Its cosmetics might not be to everyone’s taste, though.

Not as stratospherically priced as most of the other gadgets here, these Jamo soundbars starting at $200 showed that you no longer have to be content with a “black plastic box.”

Have a spare 25 grand? This internet-connected DGB1KE3 is seriously well equipped. It will connect with your MusicCast system to stream to another room in your mansion. You can also ask Alexa to play one of the piano’s 500 onboard songs — player-piano style — for your gobsmacked guests.

Sadly (or perhaps thankfully), the Yamaha couldn’t play “Piano Man.”

Is it a speaker or a university building? At $80,000, it could almost be either. The Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 is the company’s flagship speaker.

The back of the new $40,000 Beolab 50 speakers. Leave it to the Danes to over-design something you’ll never see.

Not crazy-looking, but if this speaker is anything like its predecessors, the Elac Adante line promises to redefine performance expectations for high-end audio on a budget. We spoke to designer Andrew Jones at the show, and he said the speakers are due to go to manufacturing in the next few weeks. Look out for our review of the $2,500 AS-61 stand-mount speaker very soon!

Less flashy than the Adante range, Elac’s Discovery speaker still offers a lot for your $500. This Roon Ready speaker with Airplay and Bluetooth is essentially two amplified Debut B5s squashed together in one box. 

(To find out what Roon is, continue to the next slide…)

Roon, the best music player/multiroom system you’ve never heard of, came to CEDIA 2017 showing off its first foray into hardware. The Nexus (left) is the NAS/PC for people who don’t know or care what those things are but want digital music at their fingertips.

At $500 for a lifetime subscription, Roon is a considered purchase but it lets you connect with a bunch of different gear including dCS…

…and the KEF LS50 Wireless. Roon announced at CEDIA 2017 that the Wireless speaker was now a Roon Ready speaker.

The original passive version of KEF’s iconic LS50 speaker.

The world’s only outdoor 4K TV (according to its manufacturer), the Mirage Vision MV-QLED 55 uses a Samsung panel.

Still just for digital signage at the Mirage Vision stand.

For three glorious days, San Diego was the “rock speaker” capital of the world.

It’s hard to convey how gob-stoppingly impressive this Stewart Balon Borderless projector screen was from a simple photograph. But needless to say, if you have the space for one this size, everyone you know is coming over to visit.

This mural was on the outside of the Leon stand.

There was little sign of the so-called “vinyl revival.” The $3,500 Roksan Radius 7 was one of the only turntables we saw at the show.

We’d rather see Samsung’s outdoor TV instead, if we’re being honest.

Your ottoman might be pretty cool. You probably got it from Ikea or something. But please tell me if your ottoman can do…

…this?! The $1,300 Salamander JumpSeat Ottoman is great for those times when you have extra friends over to watch — well, “Transformers” would be great, now wouldn’t it? This ottoman includes a drink holder and a nook to store/lose your remote and those unpopped corn kernels.

Aluminum faceplates, passive radiators? The Demand speakers look like anything but affordable standmounts, but prices start at $500.

Read editors’ take

The D-Box Bourne: a motorized chair that responds to commands in compatible movies promises deeper immersion.

The Pioneer VA-FW40 offers both Alexa voice control and DTS Play-Fi multiroom.

The only other turntable we saw in three days was the $1,500 VPI Player at the KEF stand. It features a headphone amplifier, phono stage and a premounted Ortofon 2M Red cartridge.

Need to pep up the children’s room? Use these LED-inset panels to burn the observable universe into your loved ones’ retinas!

Omnidirectional loudspeakers from Germany.

The KEF Muon (center) and Blades (right).

The bronze really pops.

We saw some pretty weird things at CEDIA 2017 but this was the weirdest. Sonos’ stand was a huge empty space, and only on further inspection was it clear that the actual Sonos exhibition space was a 10-minute walk from the convention center. Come on Sonos, at least give us something…

These 9-foot tall speakers at the SAE booth played AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”

Premium LG.

Got a kombi van? Get bored on those lonely summer nights? Hook up a Sony projector and display it on your outdoor screen. Xzibit would be proud.