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High-end audio's greatest hits from CES

As I said a few days ago, bona fide audio breakthroughs are rare, but there was no shortage of interesting gear at this year's CES shindig in Las Vegas.

Stereophile's Tyll Hertsens spotted Furutech's GT-40 combination USB digital-to-analog converter/phono preamp/headphone amp. The device can rip your vinyl or play computer files at up to 24-bit/96-kHz resolution with USB convenience, and includes a high-quality headphone amp. It looks great!

CNET's Natali Morris' report on Sculpted Eers' custom-molded in-ear headphones looked really interesting. Every other custom molded in-ear on the market requires the buyer to first go to an audiologist to make "ear impressions" of your ear canals, which are sent to the headphone manufacturer; you get your headphones a couple of weeks later. With these Sculpted Eers headphones, you go to a store that sells Sculpted Eers and they make your headphones on the spot. Prices start around $149, which is $250 less than any custom-molded in-ears I've tested to date. How good are they? We'll see.

Over at Audio Review, Adam LaBarge was bowled over by Zu Audio's new $40,000 flagship speaker, the Dominance. LaBarge called it "a well-tamed beast that is just waiting to explode." Zu founder Sean Casey told me about this speaker a few weeks ago, and he sounded pretty excited about it. Zu has made its name selling affordable (by high-end standards) American-designed and -built speakers. For example, the $1,000-a-pair Zu Omen is getting great word of mouth, so I'm super-curious about this mega-buck Zu. … Read more

Google TV roundup: The first wave of products

Google TV had tons of hype in the run-up to its mid-October launch. Now that we've had a few weeks to live with the first wave of released products, we have a better idea of what Google needs to fix and which products (if any) are worth considering.

What Google needs to fix A lot of our early reviews of Google TV products may seem negative, but that's doesn't mean we aren't impressed with the platform's potential. Google has laid the groundwork for a lot of great functionality, but until it addresses its long list … Read more

Google TV from Sony: Integrated but still raw

Aside from actually hooking a PC to your TV, Sony's Internet TV with Google TV, aka the NSX-GT1 series, is the closest you'll likely come today to converging the two devices. That's both an advantage and a disadvantage compared to more conventional Internet-connected TVs, which typically rely on a "walled garden" of apps and streaming services to channel that fire hose of Internet content into discrete, useable streams. On the upside, the Sony's built-in Chrome browser--which behaves basically like the one on your computer, aside from an inability to get video from Hulu and … Read more

Hennessey's 2011 Venom GT heads to SEMA (video)

The 1,200 horsepower club has a new member. Hennessey Performance's 2011 Venom GT makes its first appearance at the 2010 SEMA show next week, the same aftermarket and tuner conference at which its prototype was revealed three years ago.

Since then, the Texas-based boutique carmaker has been busy producing what could be described as the Tesla Roadster's much dirtier evil twin. The Lotus Elise/Exige-based supercar has a 6.2 liter V-8 mid-engine that delivers 1,200 horsepower, a top speed of 267 mph, and a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds. Getting to 200 mph … Read more

Bring on the Mustangs (SEMA preview)

Yesterday, we took a sneak peek at some of the custom Ford vehicles that will be on hand at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV. However, that list was all Fiestas, Explorers, and Fusions. Where were the Mustangs?

Today, Ford delivers with an all-pony car preview of a few of the custom Mustangs, most of which started life as 5.0 GT models, that we'll see at the show. From the pink Creations n' Chrome convertible to the street-warrior-themed MRT custom coupe, it's always a thrill to see the completely different directions the customizers take when … Read more

Sold out: Limited edition Porsche 911, NM Camaro convertible

Porsche yesterday announced it has sold out of the 911 GT2 RS; the German auto-makers fastest sports car to date.

The limited-edition 911 GT2 RS, which has a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six and delivers 620-horsepower, has sold out in just two months. Since its introduction at the Moscow Auto Show, Porsche secured 500 preorders. The units are scheduled to be delivered to owners in February, 2011, Porsche said in a press release.

Also sold out is the special edition 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible featured in this year's Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. Limited to 100 units, the $75,000 car … Read more

Hang a classic car on the wall of your man cave

There's a Nudie-built Elvis car hanging on a 50-foot wall behind the bar of Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, Calif. Legend has it Owens won the car in a poker game against the King, but now that both men are deceased, we may never know.

While 3D Classic Car Shelves from Gadgets and Gear aren't the stuff legends are made of, one of these babies won't need a 50-foot wall either.

Replicas of the front end of classic automobiles, the shelves come in shapes ranging from muscle cars such as the 2010 Chevy Camaro and … Read more

2012 Nissan GT-R to debut at LA Auto Show

Nissan unveiled the GT-R in Japan with the announcement that the car would also be on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Very few details were released regarding the GT-R, shown here in Aurora Flare Blue Pearl. The supercar, which has an expected base price of just over $100,000, also comes in Meteo Flake Black Pearl.

Nissan has made changes to the body's GT-R structure, setting it apart from previous models. No performance details were officially released. However, Inside Line today reported the GT-R will deliver 523 horsepower and 451 pound-feet of torque--over the 2011 … Read more

Electric Datsun 1200 runs 10-second quarter mile

How do you make a drag racing, Nissan GT-R beating monster out of a 1970s vintage Datsun 1200? If you're John "Plasma Boy" Wayland, you start by yanking out the almost 40-year-old internal combustion engine and all of its support systems. In its place, Wayland installed a lithium ion battery pack that sends 355.2 volts to an electric motor with a 2,000-amp controller.

The end result is the White Zombie, an EV that makes 772 foot-pounds of instant-on torque, hits 60 mph in less than two seconds, and tears up the quarter mile in 10.… Read more

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid racecar coming to Atlanta

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which led its overall classification for more than 8 hours back in May at the Nurburgring 24-hour race, will now travel to the USA and Asia.

Due to its larger range, the GT3 R Hybrid took the lead in the race after the other cars pitted, but left it with less than two hours to go.

This fall, U.S. racing fans will get a chance to see the GT3 R Hybrid at the season finale of the American Le Mans Series. The "Petit Le Mans" on Oct. 2, at Road Atlanta. … Read more