Series 2

Show reporting is a drain. Doug Schneider couldn't find a Starbucks in the Venetian to keep his energy level high, but he was still able to keep his coffee fix going throughout the day.

Only in Las Vegas (and perhaps anywhere else there's a Johnny Rockets burger shop) do the employees break out in dance.

Most of the CES's high-end exhibits are at the Venetian. The Palazzo is the newest addition to this massive complex and is right next door.

The "isitlive" picture was taken at the Panasonic booth, where a bunch of cardboard cutouts were in front of a video cameras. One live model was (obviously) among them.

Music sales returned to the Alexis Park, where organizers of THE Show housed a room full of retailers...

...and buyers, such as SoundStager John Crossett, who could find LPs they've been searching for.

Once again, the Aurum Acoustics complete system sounded great in a less-than-ideal hotel room. The system's price has risen to $46,500, but speaker systems that cost considerably more were abundant at CES, and few approached the refined sound of the Aurum system. [www.aurumacoustics.com]