Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/439814
C o n s u m e r E l e c t ro n i c s D a i l y N e ws M o n d a y, J a n u a r y 5 , 2 0 1 5 7 0 RG: The pursuit of flawless analog reproduction has always been a passion of mine. High performance audio is the only industry that appreciates vacuum tube and analog engineering. CEDN: What make Rogers High Fidelity different than the competition? RG: We have hand-made, all New York-made products with an exception- al aerospace heritage. The aerospace market is unmatched for electronic design because it is demanding for tem- perature extremes, reliability and shock. You learn how to design prod- ucts that survive in those environments. I've taken that design skill and applied it to our products. This level of con- struction and design is not available in the marketplace. All of our products carry a lifetime warranty. We are alone in that promise. There is no compromise in components or construction, which is why we believe in our products and our war- ranty. I'm not trying to design the cheapest amplifier. I'm trying to design the best. Finally, I believe strongly in person- al attention. If I get a call at 11pm with a question about a product, I'll handle it personally. There is a direct line to Roger of Rogers High Fidelity. CEDN: Who's attracted to your prod- ucts? RG: The target audience today is the audiophile and music enthusiast. These are people who are very demanding for reproduction quality and performance, this type of audiophile listens to vinyl records and high resolution audio files. CEDN: Rogers High Fidelity prides itself on 'American hand-crafted sound.' How does that come alive in your prod- ucts? RG: It comes alive through the hand assembly and testing of each of our prod- ucts. Each product is custom made for each customer. They are hand wired and Rogers High Fidelity ( Cont'd. from p. 1) hand assembled with the majority of American-made components. Some of our parts, such as the tubes, are not American made. There are no American- made tubes today so we procure them from Russia. CEDN: You distinguish Rogers with mil-spec level components. Why? RG: The reason we use mil-spec compo- nents is because they are designed to be used by the U.S. military and NASA manned space programs, and they are designed to maintain their values over a broad range of operating environmental conditions. We use resistors that maintain their value over a temperature range of -65 degrees C to +175 degrees C. Amplifiers run hot when they operate. We select compo- nents that maintain their value over broad temperature ranges. As the amplifier ages, the components will stay within their value range and maintain the value of the sound. CEDN: How do you keep driving inno- vation while preserving ties to old- school, tube technology? RG: We ask our customers what they want. It makes no sense to design prod- ucts that are already in the marketplace. If we can't come up with a unique design or solution, we don't add value. So our focus is on what adds value for the customer. That focus drives our innovation. CEDN: What innovations do you see ahead for 2015? RG: We will be broadening our prod- uct line with more options for the cus- tomer, including a wider range of inte- grated amplifiers, as well as our first products for the headphone market. We're readying for an all-tube, all-ana- log line-up. Visit Rogers High Fidelity at Venetian Hotel Suite #29-126. For more informa- tion, go to www.rogershighfidelity.com, call 845-987-7744 or email roger@rogershighfidelity.com. overpopulated with brands and products and choices and that, to form a viable company building wireless loudspeakers, we had to do something that no one else was doing," he said. Since starting the company just over three years ago, he and his team of sea- soned audio executives are already mak- ing wireless speakers that have the critics raving about their sound quality and the house-proud lauding their good looks. This year at CES, Giffin and his team are introducing the new Wren Sound Systems V5US and showcasing other new speaker models that demonstrate why the market is following its ears to a pretty small speaker with great big sound. The V5US, due to launch at the end of the first quarter at a suggested retail price around $499, is distin- guished from the market, not just by its room-filling sound and elegant mini- malist design with fine wood veneers, but also by its compatibility with mul- tiple streaming sound platforms. It's not an AirPlay device, it's not a Bluetooth device, it's not a Play-Fi device. "It integrates all of those tech- nologies. We're building a product that, for the first time, will basically accom- modate any device," Giffin said. "If you've got an iPhone Android phone and you decide to change to a Android device an iPhone, it doesn't matter. The V5US will work with Apple AirPlay, DTS Play-Fi and it also has Bluetooth ® with CSR aptX ® . All of these WiFi or wireless technologies are enabled in this device, and once it's hooked into the network, anybody with any device can play on it. It's also capable of multi-room up to eight speakers." The V5US is simple to set up, and it'll produce room-filling sound right out of the box. Wren's audio designer, John Crisco, holds a graduate degree in tech- nology management as well as six Wren Sound Systems ( Cont'd. from p. 1) patents and has spent his career engineer- ing great sound, and all that expertise is built into the V5US, Giffin says. "Our sound guy has 22 years with Polk Audio and has worked with other companies in the industry too; he's an amazingly tal- ented guy who knows how to extract very big, very good sound out of a small box," he said. "I take great sound as table stakes – you just have to have it and we came to this table to win." As for the elegant minimalism that characterizes Wren speakers, Giffin has a two-word response: Ashcraft Design. "I have worked with Dan Ashcraft and his team for decades. There is simply no one better at designing products that people want to live with." Giffin himself has a long and distin- guished career in the audio industry. He started his career in audio in 1977, and since then he's done everything in the business, from retail sales to company president. Before founding Wren Sound Systems, he spent 22 years with Harman International, finishing his career there as Senior Vice President of Global Brands for the company's Consumer Division after moving through a variety of other senior executive positions. He started his company with the idea that consumers should have a simple and beautiful way to fill their homes with music, and he saw wireless technology as a way to provide that. "What's attractive about wireless isn't the whiz-bang technol- ogy, it's that it's elegant and simple," he said. "If you can produce a beautiful object that looks great in a room and can fill that room with beautiful sound streaming from a smartphone or a tablet, that adds value. There's value in eliminating all that clutter. People don't want sound systems in their homes – they want music." Visit Wren Sound Systems in Suite 1450 in the Central Tower of the Westgate Hotel, formerly known as LVH and the Las Vegas Hilton. After the show, visit www.wrensound.com. STAY ORGANIZED WITH NEET CABLE KEEPER An interview with Bert Ibarra, Creative Director, NEET Products. CEDN: What is a NEET Cable Keeper? BI: Organize your life with NEET Cable Keeper, the world's simplest cable man- agement solution. It is new, patented, attractive, affordable, fully-functional and easy to use. The NEET Cable Keeper is a sleeve made from vibrant fabric that feels great to the touch and has a struc- ture wire designed to allow users to form the cable and prevent tangles. Installation is simple with the full zipper opening, allowing for one or more cables to be added with ease. The NEET Cable Keeper is designed to eliminate frustrat- ing cable tangles. Guaranteed! CEDN: How does the Cable Keeper work? BI: It's simple. There's a zipper that runs the full length of the Cable Keeper. The installation is literally: Feed and Zip. Once you install your cables into the NEET Cable Keeper, the structure wire allows you to form your cables into a compact shape that is convenient and easy to organize. The fabric protects cables by creating an extra barrier from pets and sharp objects. With the many color options available, NEET Cable Keeper allows you to easily identify your cables. CEDN: What would you say makes the NEET Cable Keeper unique? BI: There is truly nothing else like it in the world. As a consumer myself I have bought all the one-dimensional, tedious cable management products out there. Needless to say, I was not satisfied with the results I got. I have the cable ties, I have tried the 'flat' cable and so on – none of those worked. The multi-functional traits of the NEET Cable Keeper are what really satisfies consumers. It organ- izes, protects and allows you to identify your cables, plus has many other uses that consumers are finding every day. CEDN: What has been the consumer response to the NEET Cable Keeper? BI: It's been great! People are not just ordering one at a time. The majority of retail purchases have been for multi- ples. As the reliance of mobile gadgets continues to grow among consumers, so has the need for a product that can help keep you organized. Also, it's fun and playful in a way that encourages consumers to explore its uses. Consumers have always sought after the ultimate cable manage- ment product, and that is what NEET Cable Keeper is: the ultimate cable manage- ment product. CEDN: Describe what NEET Products has lined up for 2015. BI: We are developing variations and lines for products beyond mobile devices and chargers. Right now in the works, we have a model that will prevent earbuds and headphone cords from getting tan- gled. How many times have we gone to the gym and pulled out a wadded nest of earbuds from our bag or pocket? Also, we have plans for variations for home appliance use, A/V entertainment equip- ment, and professional DJ setups. We are on a mission to rid the world of frustrat- ing wire tangles. For more information about the full line of NEET products, visit www.neetprod- ucts.com, or visit Eureka Park booth #75464 or South Hall #MP25270.