While the CES of today is no longer an exhibition for the biggest hi - fi brand the style it has been in the past , we had no problem finding mickle of interesting and modern audio products atCES 2025 . From established companies entering newfangled category ( or launching exciting new products in traditional categories ) to up - and - coming brand creating new and challenging devices , the annual Las Vegas show cave in us a stool pigeon peep into the month and years before . Here ’s what we determine .

Dolby Atmos/Cadillac Optiq in-car demo

The inside of a railway car is apace becoming one of our favorite situation to experienceDolby Atmos music . When right apply , listening to the format in a machine cabin is an emotional experience — and the engineers at Cadillac have emphatically implemented Dolby Atmos incredibly well in the Optiq . The unconscious process begin almost two class before we sat in the motorcar at CES 2025 , and it was authoritative for the team to get it right .

The system is contain of 19 custom - tuned AKG speakers and an amplifier . We spent about 20 minutes listening to various tracks , includingBOOMby Tiësto & Sevenn andRocket Manby Elton John . The former is an utterly bonkers bassfest that highlighted how incredible the down - end response is in the Optiq system , while the latter is a field of study in how to build the commixture of a song ( the first creation of the chorus feel like a affectionate squeeze ) . We make bold say the Cadillac team ’s Atmos work even exceededwhat we get wind in the Rivian R1Slast free fall . For any audiophile , having Dolby Atmos euphony keep should be factor into any future railcar leverage .

Dali IO-8

In our special time with them , they feel exceedingly well-off and the audio was gorgeous and full . The stochasticity - offset capabilities seemed excellent , but it ’s hard to tell for sure in a quiet hotel suite , away from any hustle and hustle . We ’ll have a better theme when we get a pair in for review .

Focal Diva Utopia

Sometimes you get to hear something that reminds you why you love audio . That ’s what the Focal Diva Utopia did for us in a Venetian entourage during CES 2025 . The Diva Utopia are the first fully integrated collaboration between Focal and Naim , permit for build - in teem content from Tidal , Qobuz , and Spotify . The loudspeaker system can be dress up wirelessly with a 24 - bit/96kHz signal ( that can be upped to 24 - bit/192kHz with an included line ) .

There are three freestanding A / B complex class built - in amplifiers that power the 6.5 - column inch bass woofers ( 250 watts ) , a 6.5 - column inch midrange woofer ( 75W ) , and a 1.63 - inch tweeter ( 75W ) . A proprietary direct calibration goes through a series of prompts and tones so you may customise the reply for your room and compensate for less than ideal setups . The result we heard return highly accurate reproductive memory and was an absolute delight to take heed to . presently , they ’re usable with voguish white-haired feel paneling , with plans to supply additional selection — and potentially custom finishes .

will.i.am and LG partner on audio line

Over a dejeuner at the Four Seasons , will.i.am could n’t hold his excitation about run with LG on the raw xboom by will.i.am collaboration . When LG near him , he initially thought it was only to use the Black Eyed Peas song Boom Boom Pow in the marketing of the xboom line , but he was surprised to find out it was for a collaboration on tuning and visually ( and auditorily ) plan the speakers . He had been need a partnership like this in engineering for a while , and was already a fan of LG ( he cite during the dejeuner his interest in an OLED T ) . So will.i.am gathered a team and started imagine — which included create all the incidental sounds , like button mechanical press and power on sounds , as well as merchandising ideas . The originative energy during the lunch was electrical . If even half of that push comes across in the xboom line of descent , they could be a skillful improvement for LG over previous models .

Onkyo is trying something new

For decades , Onkyo has love a report for excellent hi - fi amplification . And while it continues to make progression in that area — as illustrate by its newIcon line of audiophile hi - fi separate — parent society Premium Audio Company seems keen on turn Onkyo into other categories , like with its newCreator Seriespowered desktop speakers . The $ 199 GX-10DB are point forthright at those who use their computers for various forms of audio creation and editing , while the bigger , more expensive $ 299 GX-30ARC are suited for a spacious miscellany of scenario thanks to features like bi - amped driver , a dedicated phono input , and anHDMI - ARCinput .

Onkyo auditioned the GX-30ARC for us at its suite in Las Vegas and we were impressed with the power and precision of these new loudspeaker — so much so , we gave them a Digital Trends Best of CES award .

Dynaudio’s $20K soundbar

Though it may not be available until 2026,Dynaudio ’s first soundbar — the Symphony Opus One — is already one of the most groundbreaking individual - speaker place theatre solutions we ’ve ever seen ( or learn ) . Its massive breadth ( 73 in ) and immense 24 - driver array ( including four consecrate subwoofers ) produce an enveloping and immersive experience for both music and movies .

But when you want to agitate an estimated $ 20,000 for a speaker , you need more than keen sound . The Opus One justifies ( or tries to justify ) that investing with an all - aluminium chassis and an array of 72 wooden fins that can rotate individually to expose or hide the number one wood that lurk behind them .

Then there ’s Dynaudio ’s unusual “ mysterious - prima donna ” mode , with its eldritch ability to stick out a virtual loudspeaker system raiment around your listening position . During our demo , it consecutive targeted five dissimilar listening positions . The essence was astonishing . Dynaudio is still finalise the Opus One ’s specs , like physical inputs and outputs and Wi - Fi cyclosis sustenance , so we wo n’t get to see a final product for a while , but if our demo was any indication , this could be a major advance in the state of the art for soundbars .

Canvas HiFi

If the Dynaudio Symphony Opus One is intended to make as much of a ocular program line as an audio one , the Canvas HiFi does the opposite . Like the Opus One , it ’s a individual speaker array designed to accompany a TV or to be used on its own , but unlike Dynaudio ’s creation , the Canvas is meant to blend seamlessly with your TV — regardless of your boob tube ’s size .

While the actual Canvas speaker has the same breadth as a 55 - in TV , you could choose from a variety of grilles in different material that match larger TVs , from 55 inches all the elbow room to 85 inches . Included with the Canvas is a vertical mounting ray that not only connects your TV to the loudspeaker system , but also provides hidden computer memory slot for your cyclosis devices and other rigid - top boxes to keep things looking clean and tidy .

Still , the most impressive aspect is the Canvas ’ sound . We heard this loudspeaker demonstrated on a busy show floor , and when company CEO Laust Nielsen cranked up the volume , it bring every conversation to a occlusive . The bass was so powerful , it felt like I was standing next to a subwoofer . The Canvas HiFi starts at   2,990 euros ( about $ 2,979 ) for the standalone example , with the ready - for - TV integrating rendering starting at 3,350 euros ( $ 3,446 ) for a 55 - inch model .

Fraunhofer UpHear Flexible Rendering

Though it ’s not a ware in the conventional sense of the word , I got a fortune to experience Fraunhofer IIS ’ newUpHear Flexible Rendering engineering . It ’s a weapons platform that can intelligently alter the multichannel sound being send to a diverseness of speakers based on where you place them in your elbow room . If the speakers in question are wire , UpHear Flexible Rendering can estimate their position using a mike , and if they ’re wireless , some speakers will be able-bodied to automatically update their sound as you move them around .

The benefit of the system is that beleaguer sound channels no longer have to be fixed to specific utterer or specific localization . With as few as two speakers , you may rate them anywhere that ’s commodious and/or esthetically pleasing , and the organization will ensure they deliver the considerably potential sound .

The demonstration certainly proved that Fraunhofer ’s tech whole caboodle , but ultimately , it will be up to the organization ’s licensees to make versions we can buy . When these products arrive , they ’ll likely have their own branding for the UpHear Flexible Rendering feature film .

Moondrop MIAD01 Smartphone

By now , you ’re probably very cognisant of the deficiency of earphone jacks on modern smartphones . For most family who want to use wired headphone or in - auricle monitors ( IEMs ) , the answer is a USB - cytosine - to-3.5 mm adapter or a dedicatedDAC / amp dongle , which can add hundreds of dollar to the price of mobile hearing .

That ’s why I was so intrigue by the $ 399 Moondrop MIAD01 Smartphone , which is destined for the U.S. marketplace in 2025 . Moondrop — which is best known for its collection of low-priced wireless earbuds and audiophile - grade IEMs — has compound a hefty Android smartphone with the feature article of a top - notch roving DAC / amp in a single product . With both 3.5 mm disturbed and 4.4 mm balanced jacks nestled in the sound ’s top edge , you may take heed tolossless , hi - res audiothrough almost any wired headphones . A pair of Cirrus Logic DACs take guardianship of decode , and you’re able to utilize MicroSD cards to inflate storage up to 2 TB — handy if you want to bring your FLAC compendium along with you .

Android Centralreviewed the MIAD01 in 2024 , and while they experience the phone could do with several improvements to put it in contention with other Anrdoid French telephone , they were definitive about the sound quality .

Technics EAH-AZ100

Panasonic - owned Hawaii - fi brand Technics choose CES 2025 to debut its previous wireless earbuds , the $ 299EAH - AZ100 , and they ’re well the best we saw at the show — not to observe some of the best you’re able to bribe right now . Another Digital Trends CES 2025 awarding winner , I gave these bud a 9/10 in my review . Technics has better virtually every aspect of its already fantabulous EAH - AZ80 , giving the AZ100 killer auditory sensation , ANC , call quality , shelling life — the list goes on . Check out our fullEAH - AZ100 reviewfor all the details .