I've had some questions about Vegas, the different venues and why oh why the audio journalists from around the web haven't been able to offer up show reports as large and analytical as years past. If you're not familiar with the madness the Vegas hi-fi extravaganza has become, here's a helpful primer to get you up to speed.

It was only back in 2006 that CES and T.H.E. (The High End Show -- separate from CES but happens at the same time) were located at Alexis Park and St. Tropez (bottom right of the map). These two venues aren't classic hotels, but more Vegas-style motels with drive-up parking and easy-access to the rooms. Alexis Park and St. Tropez are right next to each other, thus allowing show goers to cruise between venues with cigar and scotch in hand all day long.

The CEA (which runs the Consumer Electronics Show) decided last year to move their high-end audio portion of the show over to the beautiful Venetian. And like the real Venice, the Venetian is flipping impossible to navigate. Two CES shows and a handful of personal trips to Vegas later, I can be considered a local. This year, I brought bottled water and a first aid kit for the inevitable newbie attendee I'd find lost and disoriented, seeking refuge under a craps table, burning speaker pamphlets for warmth and comfort.

The Venetian, in addition to having no parking after 7am, is actually split up between the 29, 30, 34, 35 floors and the Sands Convention Center. While technically in the same building, popping down from the tower to shake someone's hand in the Sands is, with the massive elevator lines and crowds in the halls, a good hour round trip. Oh, and the Sands' walls are as thin as Japanese paper cone woofers, but that's another story entirely...

The T.H.E. show (open to the public!) is now split between St. Tropez and Alexis Park. Unfortunately, the number of exhibitors didn't multiply to fill all the rooms, leaving a sprinkling of manufacturers in both venues. Traveling from the Venetian to the T.H.E. show is a good hour trip. Danny, at one point, just had to see a new Modwright piece. After leaving the Venetian and arriving at St. Tropez, he found out the Modwright room is in Alexis Park...at least, one of the Modwright rooms. The right one was back in the Venetian. With certain popular manufacturers exhibiting numberers pieces, everyone had two or three experiences like this.

That's four venues so far and there's another three arrows on the map. The Mirage, "across the street" from the Venetian is, realistically, a 30-45 minute adventure out of the Venetian towers. I almost wouldn't have bothered making the trip if Vivid, Luxman, Verity, Nagra and Wilson weren't located in the Mirage penthouse tower. However, unlike the Venetian that unlocked the suite elevators for show-goers, the Mirage private elevators to the penthouses were key access only. The issue was somewhat resolved a few days in, but a handful of attendees were always hovering by the elevators like audio-starved mosquitos.

Now for the Convention Center. Companies like B&W, Quad, Logitech and others decided to show in the North hall of the convention center while Music Giants and other internet and music companies showed in the South hall. Unfortunately, one can only travel between the North and South halls via bus. And because there are roughly 100,000+ visitors to the Convention Center, actually getting inside takes over an hour.

So that's the madness that is Vegas. Even though I appreciate the trice daily jog between venues, I, like many other attendees, was simply unable to visit every room, let alone spend quality time listening to the systems and talking to the manufacturers. Having so many venues is a disservice to the exhibitors who would otherwise receive more traffic and business if located together in one place.

Really, though, this is a roundabout way of saying "sorry" to everyone whose rooms I missed. The good news is I've already started a strict training routine -- if I can nail a six minute mile, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to see every demo next year.