T.H.E. Show returned to the Alexis Park Hotel in Las Vegas from March 20 to 22, 2026, marking its 30th anniversary right where it started. As North America’s longest running hi-fi show, its survival is not luck. It is persistence. Credit goes to the late Richard Beers for building it, Maurice Jung for keeping it alive after 2016, and now Emiko Carlin, who is steering the brand into its next phase with expanded events in Austin and New York City. The show had moved from Las Vegas to Southern California with stops in Newport Beach, Irvine, Long Beach, and now Costa Mesa, but it is still standing. That alone says something in an industry that tends to burn through its own history.
Context matters, and 2026 is shaping up to be one of the busiest show calendars this industry has ever seen. Between eight CanJam events, AXPONA, CES, ISE, NAMM Show, CEDIA Expo, the relocated Vienna based HIGH END, and a growing list of shows in Toronto, Paris, Singapore, SWAF, and CAF, it is relentless. There is barely time to unpack before the next badge gets printed.
Which makes T.H.E. Show’s return to Las Vegas feel less like nostalgia and more like defiance. Thirty years in, it is still in the fight.
With four events on the T.H.E. calendar in 2026, the Vegas stop did not exactly start on solid footing. The show was originally scheduled for January 9 to 11 at the Tuscany Suites & Casino, but had to be postponed to March due to unforeseen issues with the venue. Credit where it’s due, the team managed to regroup and secure the Alexis Park Hotel in less than three months. That kind of turnaround is not easy in Las Vegas, where convention space gets locked up fast.
There were tradeoffs. The new dates could not accommodate every exhibitor, and the show ended up noticeably smaller than originally planned. In total, eight oversized ballrooms were filled with high-end audio systems, supported by a modest marketplace that included T10 Bespoke, Island Routers, a vinyl seller, and a portable audio accessories vendor. It felt more curated by necessity than design.
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Timing did not help either. Running the same weekend as the Montreal Audiofest split both exhibitors and attendees across two countries that are not exactly a quick plane ride apart. Add AXPONA 2026 looming just weeks later, with the eCoustics team heading to Chicago that same week, and the reality sets in. There is only so much travel budget and bandwidth to go around, even in an industry that seems determined to test both in 2026.
Best in Show
Best Over $50K: YG Acoustics / Bergmann
I’ve heard a number of YG Acoustics systems at shows over the years, and they rarely miss. This time, instead of rolling in with something that costs as much as a brownstone, they kept it almost reasonable. Almost. The Vegas system (presented by Supreme Acoustic Systems) came in around $100K and centered on the Vantage 3 Live active towers at $73K per pair, paired with a Bergmann Magne Airbearing Turntable at $12K, all sitting on a Music Tools ISOstatic rack at $1,495 per level.
The setup was refreshingly clean. No spaghetti pile of cables, no rack full of separates. Just two power cords and a pair of optical cables, one feeding each speaker. That alone tells you this is not your typical active speaker. The Vantage 3 Live uses a fully integrated DSP architecture with an external control unit that handles preamp duties and includes a phono stage. Everything is managed upstream, then sent digitally to the speakers.
The key here is that the signal stays in the digital domain all the way to the speakers, or is converted to digital before it gets there. That is why YG uses optical connections instead of traditional speaker cables. It is a different way of thinking about system design, and it cuts out a lot of variables.
There is no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but Ethernet based network streaming is built in, with support for TIDAL Connect and Qobuz Connect, and optional Roon integration. Use your phone or tablet, hit play, and let the system do the rest. No clutter, no guesswork, and very little standing between you and the music.
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Bergmann Magne Airbearing Turntable with YG Acoustics Vantage 3 Live preamp/control unit.
Additional elements rounded out the system, including AGS Diffusors (Acoustic Groove System) from Nihon Onkyo Engineering, which could easily add another $20K to the total. No, I didn’t A/B test them like a lab experiment, but patterns matter. Two of the best sounding rooms at the show used AGS, and that’s not a coincidence. In addition, power conditioning was handled by the AudioQuest Niagara 5000 at $6,900, delivering clean and stable current to the entire system.
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The Vantage 3 Live is not shy about muscle. Each speaker packs 2,100 watts of amplification, with 700 watts dedicated to each driver. That kind of headroom is not just for bragging rights. It shows up immediately in control, dynamics, and composure, regardless of source.
“Is This Love” by Bob Marley and the Wailers on vinyl was captivating. The soundstage stretched wide without losing focus, and Marley’s voice stayed locked dead center. It had the kind of precision you expect from a mastering studio, pulling every last bit of information out of the grooves without sounding clinical.
Switching to digital via Roon and Anette Askvik’s “Liberty” didn’t feel like a compromise. Nothing collapsed, nothing softened. The presentation remained spacious, detailed, and controlled, with a level of consistency between analog and digital that most systems struggle to achieve. This is what YG does when everything lines up.
Best Under $50K: Atlantis Lab / Neoson / Audiobyte
Atlantis Lab A31 Pro Loudspeakers in foreground.
Interestingly, just a few rooms over, the Atlantis Lab speaker system (presented by U.S. distributor Decibel+) went in the exact opposite direction of the YG setup. Where YG leaned on brute force and digital control, this one stripped things down to something far more old school. We’re talking roughly 1/100th the power, less than half the price, and yet it delivered a wildly intoxicating tube driven presentation that pulled you in just as quickly, if not faster.
The system was built around three brands that, frankly, were not on my radar before this show. Atlantis Lab handled loudspeakers, Neoson provided amplification, and Audiobyte (new company out of Romania) rounded things out with a streamer and DAC.
It should not have worked as well as it did on paper, especially in a show environment. But sometimes the rooms that make the least sense end up being the ones you remember. This was one of them.
Neoson Evolution Tube Amplifier
Atlantis Lab brought its high efficiency loudspeaker lineup, with models ranging from just over $3K to roughly $24K. The system was driven by the Neoson Evolution Tube Amplifier at $11,828, delivering 20 watts per channel of pure Class A power. Digital duties were handled by Audiobyte with the SuperHub streamer ($4K) and SuperVOX multibit DSD DAC ($4,500).
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What made this setup more than just another good room was the backstory. We were told that each of the French brands was founded by two friends who intentionally designed their products with the other in mind. That kind of collaboration usually sounds like marketing copy. Here, it translated into real system synergy.
Background (left to right): Atlantis Lab A16 Pro ($3,218) Atlantis Lab A18 Pro ($4,960) Atlantis Lab A21 Pro ($4,196) Atlantis Lab A23 Pro ($6,466) Atlantis Lab A31 Pro ($14,194) Foreground: Atlantis Lab A38 Pro ($23,939)
I spent time with the three largest Atlantis Lab floorstanding models, all paired with the same Neoson Evolution Tube Amplifier and Audiobyte front end. The A23 Pro ($6,466 per pair) did not quite deliver the same level of impact, but that felt more like a room mismatch than a flaw. Large hotel ballrooms are not forgiving, and if you are not sitting in the right spot, even good speakers can sound a bit restrained.
The two larger models stepped up in a meaningful way. They filled the room with more depth, width, and texture, the kind of presentation you usually do not hear until prices climb into far more uncomfortable territory. Comparing the A31 Pro and A38 Pro, which are separated by roughly $10K, was less straightforward. The flagship may have offered a bit more bass weight and scale, but the difference was not night and day. Some of that could have been expectation bias creeping in.
What stood out with both was their ability to throw a wide, stable soundstage while maintaining composure off axis. They did not collapse the moment you shifted in your seat. More importantly, they had a knack for uncovering layers of detail without sounding analytical, pulling you deeper into the performance rather than pushing it at you.
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These are not brands most people walk into a show expecting to hear. That should change.
Tony Minasian’s custom built loudspeakers remain one of those under the radar discoveries you tend to only encounter at T.H.E. Show. He is not chasing mass market appeal. He builds each pair by hand using the best parts he can source, and prices them accordingly. At $4,500 per pair, his bookshelf models are not entry level, but they are clearly aimed at listeners who care more about nuance than brute force, especially those drawn to acoustic, unamplified music.
The Oriaco G6 is the standout. It has an uncanny ability to expose the small things that most speakers gloss over. The pluck of a guitar string, the decay of a piano note, the snap of a snare drum. Nothing feels exaggerated, just revealed with a level of clarity that pulls you in rather than pushing detail at you.
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Tony usually keeps things grounded with a Denon integrated amp and a vintage Marantz CD player, but this year he stepped it up with Electrocompaniet electronics. The system included the ECI 6 MKII integrated amplifier ($6,500) and EMC 1 MKV CD player ($7,200), bringing the total system north of $20K. He even supplied a full loom of his own hand crafted cables, adding another $2,300 to the tally.
It is a complete system with very little left to chance, but the real story is the speaker which features an extra up-firing tweeter for spaciousness. If you are in the market for a high-end bookshelf and live anywhere near Southern California, it is worth reaching out for an audition. Or wait for T.H.E. Show SoCal, where there is a good chance you will find Tony set up again, quietly reminding people what a well voiced speaker can do.
Stepping down to something far more attainable, Desert Premium Audio demonstrated a KEF and Eversolo system that landed just north of $16K and made a strong case for smart system building over brute force spending.
At the core were the R3 Meta bookshelf speakers ($2,500 per pair), supported by dual KEF KC92 subwoofers ($2,500 each), creating a full range foundation that punched well beyond what most would expect from standmounts. Amplification came from the Eversolo AMP-F10 ($2,480), while the DMP-A10 ($4,000) handled preamp duties and streaming. Rounding things out, the Onix XST20 SACD/CD transport ($2,399) added a physical media option for those not ready to abandon discs entirely.
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It is a thoughtfully assembled system that balances modern streaming convenience with old school sources, and more importantly, shows how far careful matching can take you without chasing six figure territory.
German Physiks
The most expensive system at T.H.E. Vegas came courtesy of Aaudio Imports, and it did not hold back. Priced just shy of $400K, the setup centered on the distinctive Borderland MK II omnidirectional loudspeakers from German Physiks ($54K per pair), driven by the Emperor Extreme solid state integrated amplifier ($60K). Cabling alone, from Stage III, accounted for well over $100K, which tells you exactly where this system was aimed.
The source chain was equally ambitious. A Pink Faun 2.16 Ultra music server and streamer ($43K) fed the system alongside the Ancient Audio Lector Joy CD player ($26K). Digital conversion was handled by the Ypsilon DAC 1000 SE ($50K), supported by a SIN PSD 10 power distributor ($25K), Reiki network switches ($10K), and ART electromagnetic treatment ($18K) to address every possible variable in the signal chain.
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On paper, it is the kind of system that should stop you in your tracks. In practice, I wanted to be convinced. Here’s a sound clip on Instagram.
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T10 Bespoke
Bear Clark, better known as “Hi-Fi Bear,” was on hand showing the T10 Bespoke wireless earbuds that we named Best in Show at CES 2026 just a few months ago. Starting at $3,000, each pair is hand built and fully customizable, along with its matching pendant charging case. And when we say customizable, we mean it. Snakeskin, gemstones, even diamonds. If you can imagine it, he can probably make it.
Or you can skip the subtlety entirely and go straight for The BillionEAR Attaché Smoker’s Edition at $14,500, which bundles the earbuds in an attaché case with cigars, a smoking pipe, and a few other indulgences thrown in for good measure.
The largest loudspeakers at T.H.E. Vegas came from Usher Audio with the Grand Tower ($42,000 per pair), driven by the BMC Audio CS3 integrated amplifier (around $10K). On paper, 200 watts per channel should have been more than enough to get them moving.
In reality, the room won. Inside a massive untreated ballroom, the Grand Towers struggled to pressurize the space and never quite locked in. It was less about the speakers and more about the environment. Even big systems can feel small when the room refuses to cooperate.
Island Router
The Island Router is aimed at listeners who take their network as seriously as their system. Priced at $499, it brings enterprise grade routing and firewall capability into the home, with features like fault tolerant failover when two internet lines are connected, straightforward app based setup, and optimization designed to squeeze the most out of whatever bandwidth your ISP delivers.
There is a catch. No built in Wi-Fi. You will need to connect a separate wireless access point or hotspot if you want coverage throughout the house. It is not designed to be an all-in-one solution. It is designed to be stable, secure, and out of the way.
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Ai Pro
Ai Pro offered up a range of affordable fashion headphones, charging cases, and solar charger.
T.H.E. Vintage Lounge
A solid selection of vintage gear was also in active rotation, not just sitting there for nostalgia points. Highlights included the original Klipsch Cornwall, JBL 4430, and Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a, alongside racks of classic amplification.
The Bottom Line
T.H.E. Vegas 2026 was not the biggest show, and it never really recovered from the last minute venue change or the unfortunate calendar clash with the Montreal Audiofest. The lighter exhibitor list and smaller footprint were noticeable. There is no point pretending otherwise.
But smaller is not always worse. The upside was real. Less crowd noise, more time in the rooms, and actual conversations with designers and distributors that did not feel rushed or transactional. It created space to hear systems more clearly, swap components, and discover brands that might have been lost in a larger, more chaotic show.
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Credit to the T.H.E. team for getting this event back on its feet under difficult circumstances. That kind of recovery is not easy, especially in a year where the industry calendar is already stretched thin.
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Next up, T.H.E. heads to Austin from May 22 to 24, 2026, while AXPONA 2026 is right around the corner. We will be in Chicago next week, where the scale, competition, and expectations all ramp up.
If you follow [Maker’s Muse] on YouTube, you know he’s as passionate about robot fights these days as he is about the tools he uses to make the robots. Luckily for us, he’s still got fame as a 3D printing YouTuber, as this has given him the platform to share his trade secrets for strong, robot-combat-worthy prints.
He fights robots in a ‘plastic ant-weight’ division, which restricts not only the weight of the robot but also the materials used. Not only must they be primarily plastic, but only certain plastics are allowed: PLA is in, but engineering filaments, Nylon, and TPU are out. Since necessity is the mother of invention, this has led to strong evolutionary pressure to figure out how to print the most impact-resilient PLA parts for armor and spinners.
He’s using the latest OrcaSlicer and shares the profile as a pay-what-you-want 3MF file. It’s all about solidity: a solid part with solidly fused walls and solidly linked layers. It makes sense: if you’re going to be hammering on or with these parts, you don’t want any internal voids that could either collapse or pull open.
The infill density is obviously 100%, and you’ll want a concentric pattern — this makes it look like you’re just printing walls, but it allows you to use another trick. To make sure those walls don’t all align, creating a potential weakness, OrcaSlicer’s “alternate extra wall” will put one extra wall every second layer. The extra wall causes the infill pattern to stagger and lock together.
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Also helping lock it together, he’s playing with extrusion widths, with the suggested rule-of-thumb being the line width on the walls be one-half that of the internal fill — and as wide as possible. In his case, with a 0.4 mm nozzle, that means 0.4 mm wide walls and 0.8 mm for the infill. OrcaSlicer 2.3.2 also lets you play with specific flow ratios, allowing you to overextrude only the internals for strength, without overextruding on the walls and potentially ruining dimensional accuracy. He also irons all top surfaces, but admits that that’s mostly about aesthetics. The iron may make those layers a little bit stronger, though, so why not?
Would brick layers make these parts even stronger? That’s very likely; [Maker’s Muse] mentions them in the video but does not use them because they’re not implemented in-slicer, and he wants something accessible to all. On the other hand, this post-processing script seems accessible enough for our crowd.
This video/profile is exclusively about fully-solid parts. When you want strong parts that aren’t fully solid, it looks like the answer is walls.
If you miss the days when you used Basic on your classic computer or wrote embedded software with a Basic Stamp, then maybe dust off your Arduino UNO or any similar AVR board and try nanoBASIC_UNO from [shachi-lab].
Apparently, the original code was meant for the STM8S, but this port targets the ATmega328P. It is Basic more or less as you remember it. There are enough extensions to deal with GPIO, the analog systems, and so forth. At build time, you can decide if you want 16-bit or 32-bit integers.
One thing that is a little odd is how it handles direct mode. In classic Basic, anything without a line number executes immediately. Line numbers simply store your program line until you type RUN. nanoBASIC_UNO doesn’t force you to use line numbers. To indicate you are programming, you have to start with the PROG keyword. Then you can enter lines into the RAM buffer until you enter a # character. The program is stored in RAM, but there is a way to save programs to flash.
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You can also build the code for Windows or Linux if you just want to experiment. Looks like fun.
If you missed the heyday of the Basic Stamp, you missed a lot of fun. If you just want a quick Basic hit, try your browser.
As Apple races to stay competitive in AI while navigating tariffs and supply chain uncertainty, the company’s future is about to shift under new leadership.
On Monday, Apple announced that John Ternus will take over as CEO later this year, succeeding Tim Cook.
Cook transformed Apple into a $4 trillion global powerhouse, expanded its services business, and oversaw some of the most profitable years in tech history. Ternus brings a different kind of skillset. A longtime hardware executive, he has spent his career building Apple’s devices rather than managing the broader business.
Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and rose through the ranks of hardware engineering. Along the way, he has contributed to some of the company’s biggest products, including AirPods, the Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.
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His appointment signals a renewed focus on hardware at a moment when Apple is under pressure to define its next era. Ternus will now help determine what that looks like.
Hardware with AI at the center
Rather than trying to compete head-on with companies building the biggest AI models, Ternus may push Apple to focus on the AI-powered devices themselves, whether that be the one in your hand, something you wear, or something that lives in your home.
There’s already a lot of speculation about what Apple could launch next. Ideas floating around include smart glasses, a wearable pendant with a built-in camera, and even AirPods with AI features. According to Bloomberg, the idea is that all of these products would connect to the iPhone, with Siri playing a major role.
Techcrunch event
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San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026
Image Credits:Apple
Ternus is also expected to push forward on products that have been stuck in limbo. Foldable iPhones are the obvious example. They’ve been rumored for years, and while competitors have already moved ahead, Apple has taken a slower approach, waiting until the technology meets its standards. Reports say it will arrive in September, which means Ternus will be overseeing the launch.
Apple has also reportedly been exploring robotics, particularly for the home. One concept includes a tabletop device with a robotic arm attached to a display, essentially a smart assistant that can move and turn toward you. Notably, this lines up with Ternus’s long-standing interest in robotics. In college, he built a device that allowed quadriplegics to control a mechanical feeding arm using head movements, as reported by the New York Times.
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There are also ideas for mobile robots that could follow you around, handle simple tasks, or act like a moving FaceTime screen. Some reports even mention experiments with humanoid robots, though those are likely years away.
While none of these are guaranteed to happen, they do give a pretty clear sense of where Apple’s thinking might be going.
However, ongoing memory chip shortages, President Trump’s frequently shifting tariff policies, and the company’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing could create a challenging period ahead. Roughly 80% of iPhones were produced in China before the tariffs. The company recently pivoted to India, making about 25% of its iPhones in the country last year, according to Bloomberg.
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Asha Sharma and Matt Booty, the new leadership team for Microsoft Gaming. (Microsoft Photo)
Asha Sharma’s first big move as Microsoft’s gaming chief is a trade-off.
The company is cutting the price of its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription by $7 a month, from $29.99 to $22.99. However, future games in the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise from Microsoft-owned Activision will no longer be available on the service at launch.
The changes, announced Tuesday, come a week after Sharma acknowledged in a leaked memo that Game Pass had become too expensive and promised a better value equation.
Microsoft’s gaming business has been under pressure. In the most recent holiday quarter, gaming revenue fell 9% to $5.96 billion, with Xbox content and services coming in below internal projections.
A 50% price hike for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate last October, to $29.99, was widely seen as a response to the cost of adding new Call of Duty games to the service.
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Under the new structure, future Call of Duty titles will arrive on Game Pass about a year after launch, during the following holiday season. Existing titles will remain available.
Microsoft’s PC Game Pass price is also dropping, from $16.49 to $13.99 a month.
Sharma took over as CEO of Microsoft Gaming in February, replacing Phil Spencer, who retired after 38 years at the company. She had been running Microsoft’s CoreAI product organization and previously served as chief operating officer at Instacart and as a vice president at Meta.
She arrived without prior gaming industry leadership experience, but pledged to recommit to core Xbox fans, and prioritize great games above all else. She also promoted longtime studio chief Matt Booty to executive vice president and chief content officer.
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The Game Pass pricing change raises the question of whether this is a one-time adjustment or the beginning of a broader restructuring. Sharma’s leaked memo last week hinted at a larger vision, saying Microsoft would develop Game Pass into “a more flexible system.”
SVS isn’t sitting back and hoping a product page does the heavy lifting. The Ohio-based speaker and subwoofer maker is taking a far more direct route in April and May 2026 with its Sound R|Evolution Experience, a three-city tour built around live demos, real conversations, and zero patience for passive marketing. Stops in St. Louis, Atlanta, and Paramus, New Jersey will host in-store events where attendees can hear multiple two-channel systems and a full Dolby Atmos home theater setup in action.
Leading the charge will be SVS President Gary Yacoubian, Vice President Nick Brown, and key members of the SVS team alongside local dealer staff offering presentations, setup advice, and a closer look at what’s coming next. The focus isn’t subtle: SVS will be showcasing its latest Ultra Evolution speaker lineup, subwoofer innovations tied to the R|Evolution platform, and complete system integration across both stereo and immersive Dolby Atmos home theater environments.
Gary Yacoubian, SVS President
And because showing up matters, but giving people a reason to stay doesn’t hurt either, SVS is stacking the table. Giveaways include a $2,000 stereo system built around Ultra Evolution speakers and a $10,000 5.1.2-channel home theater package with a 4K UHD TV and AV receiver, along with additional prizes and SVS swag.
All events are free, open to the public, and yes, there will be light refreshments because even the most hardened audiophile makes better decisions when fed. Although Paramus attendees have plenty of options on Route 17 in Bergen County once their bodies recover from the bone-shattering bass. Jersey diners for the win.
It’s aggressive, it’s hands-on, and it’s exactly how it should be done. Instead of hiding behind Instagram posts and the 29th YouTube review this week of the same product, SVS is putting its people and products in the same room as actual listeners and letting the systems do the talking.
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For those who can’t attend in person, SVS will also broadcast each event live on the SVS Facebook Page and YouTube Channel with separate giveaways for those who tune in and leave a comment.
How to Register for the SVS Sound R|Evolution Experience Tour
Attendees can RSVP at the links below.
Each event will have live demonstrations of the SVS Ultra Evolution Speakers, R|Evolution Subwoofers,Prime Wireless Pro audio gear, and more. SVS will provide “Experience Zones” that include an immersive Dolby Atmos home theater system, audiophile stereo set-up, budget wireless audio systems, and more.
“There’s simply no substitute for experiencing world-class speakers and subwoofers in person. The scale, the emotion, the way sound fills a room and pulls you into the moment. Events like this are about bringing that to life and giving people a chance to feel what’s possible in their homes,” said Nick Brown, VP of Marketing, SVS “It’s also about connecting with the SVS community over shared passions for music and movies and shining a spotlight on some of the premier A/V retailers in the country. We’re waking people up to the joys of great sound!”
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The SVS Sound R|Evolution Experience has been touring the United States for nearly a decade, with previous stops at ListenUp in Denver; NFM in Dallas, Omaha, and Kansas City; IQ Home Entertainment in Washington, D.C.; World Wide Stereo in Philadelphia; Huppin’s in Spokane, WA; Abt Electronics in Chicago; Gramophone in Baltimore; and elsewhere. Since launching the series, SVS has hosted more than 65 events with over 14,000 attendees.
Pro Tip: Upcoming events are being planned for San Antonio and Minnesota.
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The Bottom Line
Buying speakers or a subwoofer isn’t a spec-sheet decision, no matter how many tabs you’ve got open. You need to hear the gear, in a real room, with people who actually know how to set it up and that’s where this tour earns its keep. SVS is bringing complete systems, experienced staff, and enough time for actual conversations, not five minute demos.
If you’re anywhere near St. Louis, Atlanta, or Paramus, this is an easy call. You’ll get hands-on listening across stereo and Dolby Atmos setups, practical setup advice, and a chance to ask questions without someone rushing you out the door. And if SVS isn’t your final choice? You still walk away knowing what to listen for and what to avoid.
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And if those cities don’t line up, don’t panic — SVS is already planning additional stops in San Antonio and Minnesota, so the roadshow isn’t done yet.
Not everyone can make the two dozen global hi-fi shows in 2026. This is the opposite of that chaos. Smaller rooms. No elevator purgatory. No media camped out in the sweet spot like they’ve claimed squatter’s rights. Just gear, your ears, and a much clearer path to making the right call.
Photo credit: Top Gear Top Gear recently took the F-26 from Gunther Werks for a spin and came away convinced of what a beast of a car it truly is. The F-26, based on the 993 generation Porsche 911, gives the iconic slantnose design a makeover, filling it with a lot of the technology you’d expect in a high-end supercar that works just as well on the track as it does on the road.
Every panel and door in the car is constructed of carbon fiber. The original pop-up headlights have been replaced with fixed ones that just slice through the air. They’ve also added some substantial ventilation to keep the car’s air-cooled 4.0-liter flat six (designed in partnership with Rothsport Racing) cool, which now produces 1067 horsepower (on E85) or 880 (on standard high-octane), with 750lbft of torque. Not only that, but the airflow over it has been more than doubled when compared to a regular engine in order to keep temperatures down. To add to the loudness, they’ve installed a large 6-speed manual transmission with a limited slip differential that sends everything to the rear wheels.
BUILD A RACING LEGEND – Boys and girls ages 9 years old and up can construct the LEGO Speed Champions Porsche 911 GT3 RS Super Car (77239) building…
AUTHENTIC PORSCHE DETAILS – Young builders can recreate the real-life vehicle’s signature elements including the famous rear wing, air intake…
1 PORSCHE DRIVER MINIFIGURE – Kids can place the driver minifigure with helmet and red Porsche Track Day Experience outfit behind the wheel to stage…
The F-26 is also not particularly heavy, weighing only 2750 pounds thanks to the carbon panels, magnesium wheels, and some clever wiring choices. The front suspension is double wishbone, with multilink in the back, and electronic JRZ dampers are used to absorb bumps. Big ceramic discs, 381mm up front and 355mm at the back, are clamped down by six-piston and four-piston calipers, all wrapped up in some 18inch wide Continental tires.
Inside, the exposed carbon fiber is offset by some beautiful leather and Alcantara in the seats and headliner. The wheel is a robust piece of kit, with a fighter jet-inspired wing design that feels natural in the hands, and a wooden knob on the shifter adds a touch of luxury. There’s a beautiful dramatic red roll cage running through the car, as well as a Porsche vintage radio that blends in with the rest of the style and includes Apple CarPlay.
Production is limited to only 26 units total, and each one is built to order. However, this does not imply that each one is made using the same old parts; instead, the F-26’s owners have complete control over their vehicle, so each one is unique.
Google Doodle artwork by Kameirah Johnson of Renton, Wash. (Google Image)
Kameirah Johnson, a senior at Seattle’s Lakeside School, is one of five students nationwide whose artwork will appear on the Google homepage later this month, after being selected as a finalist in the annual Doodle for Google contest.
The contest, which drew tens of thousands of submissions from K-12 students, invited entrants to interpret the theme, “My superpower is …” through original artwork. Kameirah, 18, of Renton, Wash., created a piece centered on hair as a symbol of identity and inherited strength.
Kameirah Johnson. (Photo courtesy of Kameirah Johnson)
The work depicts three figures — inspired by Kameirah, her mother Simone, and her sister Kalieyah — lying in the grass, their hair styled as crowns.
Her artist’s statement reads: “My superpower is my hair and the family history it carries. Each texture and style holds culture, care, and survival passed down without words. Lying in the grass, our crowns rest without weakening. This kinky hair refuses conformity; it makes us different. Shaped by our lineage, our hair is undeniably beautiful.”
Kameirah said she spent more than 40 hours on the piece, often staying up late to work on it. She drew on her own photography and old family albums, including film photos her grandmother has preserved for years.
“I often take inspiration from my own photography or from old family photos,” she said. “Using those images as references, I incorporate elements of my family into my art as a way to honor my lineage.”
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Kameirah’s path to art started early, watching her older sister draw. She began sketching as a child, but got more serious during COVID, experimenting with pastels and charcoal. A turning point came freshman year, when she completed her first acrylic painting — a portrait of Stevie Wonder — for a school art show. She now works primarily in oils and acrylics, though her Doodle was created digitally.
Kameirah’s artistic pursuits stretch beyond her painting. She’s a dancer, plays bass guitar in a cover band, collects records, and makes short films.
In the fall, she’ll head to NYU to study economics and studio arts, with an eye toward the intersection of art and business. She hopes to own a gallery someday.
The five finalists’ artwork will appear on the Google homepage on April 28. The public can vote for a favorite through April 29, with the overall winner announced May 12. Kameirah has already secured a $10,000 college scholarship and a Chromebook. If she wins the top prize, that total jumps to $55,000, and her school would receive a $50,000 technology package.
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Now in its 17th year, the Doodle for Google contest has attracted Seattle-area winners in the past. Mahee Chandrasekhar, a ninth grader at Redmond High School, was the Washington state winner in the 16th contest. In 2023, sixth-grader Rebecca Wu of the International School in Bellevue, had her artwork recognized.
Judges this year include NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and 2025 National Teacher of the Year Ashlie Crosson.
Two months following the deadly shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, OpenAI’s Sam Altman has formally apologized for not informing police of the alarming ChatGPT conversations seen with the suspect’s account. Before the incident, OpenAI banned the account belonging to the alleged shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, for violating its usage policy due to potential for real-world violence.
“I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June,” Altman wrote in the letter. “While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered.”
Altman noted in the letter, which was published in full by Tumbler RidgeLines, that he spoke with both Darryl Krakowa, Tumbler Ridge’s mayor, and David Eby, the British Columbia premier, and agreed that a “public apology was necessary, but that time was also needed to respect the community as you grieved.”
Eby, who also highlighted Altman’s letter in his post on X, agreed that the “apology is necessary,” but added that it was “grossly insufficient for the devastation done to the families of Tumbler Ridge.” Moving ahead, Altman reaffirmed in the letter that OpenAI would “find ways to prevent tragedies like this in the future” and work with all levels of government to prevent something like this from happening again. Altman’s latest commitment builds on the previous letter from OpenAI’s vice president of global policy Ann O’Leary, who said the company would notify authorities if it finds “imminent and credible” threats in ChatGPT conversations.
Mixing concrete for industrial purposes often requires heavy machinery. Specifically designed trucks are used to prepare the mixture, the volume of which is determined by a calculator. It is then poured to lay everything from a city sidewalk to a residential driveway. But there’s more to the process, as workers often follow the 90-minute rule, which means that prepared concrete must be emptied from the mixing truck within 90 minutes after mixing begins.
The reason for this is due to how the mix behaves over time. A concrete mix is kept fresh with a consistent texture thanks to the spinning cement truck. The truck does its job by preparing the concrete to be poured, and once it’s ready, the operator can release it accordingly. But after the 90-minute window closes, the mix isn’t what it used to be and if poured after the fact, there’s no guarantee it will set properly.
The 90-minute mix time keeps the cement loose, and easily workable, as the hydration process takes place. Without that process, the cement would become less fluid and eventually it could get firm, essentially “setting” in the truck’s mixer. However, temperature fluctuations can also cause the same effect. Moisture loss is another problem for the mixer’s contents, as it can directly affect how easily the concrete is poured. In the end, the longer the mix is in the truck, the more challenging everything becomes.
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Concrete timing is more flexible than it used to be
Grant Giulumian/Getty Images
The 90-minute rule regarding the mixing of concrete has been in place since around the 1930s. It is a long-standing guideline set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). In fact, ASTM C94 governs ready-mix concrete standards used throughout the United States in construction projects. The rule has been well established over time thanks to both building codes and state highway associations. It was originally based on older production methods, as well as shorter transportation distances overall.
But the 90-minute rule isn’t as rigid as it was once. That’s because today’s standards allow for more flexibility based on the actual condition of the concrete at the time of placement. As of this writing, updated ASTM guidance no longer enforces a strict time limit. Any adjustments are instead allowed during transportation or at the job site itself. As long as the concrete meets its required expectations, workers can safely pour and it should be effective.
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Because of this different approach, and due to preexisting standards under ASTM C94, the 90-minute rule is mostly connected to ready-mixed concrete instead of hand mixing. So even if you’re using a portable mixer or doing it yourself by hand, there’s no real hard and fast rule like the truck delivery standard. Of course, wet concrete mix shouldn’t remain in a holding state for long as it will eventually begin to harden.
A recent security incident involving Anthropic has highlighted just how fragile the safeguards around advanced AI systems can be. A Wired report suggests that a small group of users, operating through private Discord channels, managed to gain unauthorized access to the company’s highly restricted Mythos AI model – an experimental system designed for cybersecurity applications.
A Breach That Exposes Bigger Risks Around AI Control
The incident appears to have occurred almost immediately after Mythos was made available to a limited group of trusted partners. According to multiple reports, the unauthorized users gained access through a third-party vendor environment, rather than directly breaching Anthropic’s core systems.
Some accounts suggest that members of a private Discord community were able to exploit access permissions or identify entry points using publicly exposed information, effectively bypassing restrictions placed on the model.
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Importantly, there is no confirmed evidence that the system was used for malicious activity. In fact, reports indicate that the users interacted with the model in relatively limited ways. Still, the fact that access was obtained at all is the real story.
Mythos itself is not just another AI model. It is designed to identify vulnerabilities in software systems and simulate cyberattacks – making it one of the most sensitive AI tools currently under development. That dual-use capability is precisely why access was tightly restricted in the first place.
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Why This Incident Matters Beyond One Breach
At a glance, this might seem like a contained security lapse. In reality, it underscores a broader issue facing the AI industry: control is becoming harder than capability.
AI models like Mythos are built to find weaknesses in systems, which means that in the wrong hands, they could accelerate cyberattacks rather than prevent them. Researchers and officials have already warned that such tools could pose significant risks if misused, given their ability to automate complex attack chains.
What makes this case particularly notable is how the breach happened. It wasn’t a sophisticated hack targeting core infrastructure. Instead, it appears to have leveraged gaps in the surrounding ecosystem—contractors, permissions, and access management.
That distinction matters. It suggests that securing advanced AI isn’t just about the model itself, but the entire environment around it.
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Why It Should Matter To You
For everyday users, this incident may feel distant, but its implications are closer than they seem.
AI systems like Mythos are being developed to secure everything from browsers to financial systems. If those same tools are exposed prematurely or improperly controlled, the risk shifts from defensive to potentially offensive.
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Even without malicious intent, unauthorized access introduces uncertainty. It raises questions about how well companies can protect technologies that are increasingly critical to digital infrastructure.
In simpler terms, if AI is being built to protect the internet, it needs to be protected first.
What Happens Next For Anthropic And AI Security
Anthropic has already launched an investigation into the incident and has stated that the breach was limited to a third-party environment, with no evidence of broader system compromise.
However, the timing of the breach – coinciding with the model’s early rollout – will likely intensify scrutiny around how such systems are tested and shared. Regulators and industry bodies are already paying close attention to high-risk AI models, and incidents like this only add urgency to those discussions.
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Going forward, expect stricter access controls, tighter vendor oversight, and potentially new frameworks for handling sensitive AI tools. Because if this episode proves anything, it’s that the challenge is no longer just building powerful AI – it’s keeping it contained.
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