A More Practical CES Than We Have Seen in Years

CES has always been known for extremes, but CES 2026 felt noticeably more practical. Instead of endless concept products with questionable real-world relevance, many brands focused on refining things people already use every day. Better sound placement. More consistent volume behavior. Fewer components. Cleaner installations.

Walking the show floor, the message was consistent. The industry is not trying to reinvent how people experience audio and video overnight. It is trying to make those experiences easier to achieve without giving up performance.

Modern Integrated Audio Is Becoming the Default

Rather than calling it a sweeping trend, it is more accurate to say CES 2026 reinforced a direction that has been building for years. Many brands are putting their energy into integrated audio products that can serve as the heart of a system without requiring stacks of gear.

Onkyo highlighted this clearly with its Muse Series streaming integrated amplifiers. These are compact, streaming-focused components designed to power real speakers, handle vinyl playback, and connect directly to a TV through HDMI ARC. The emphasis is not novelty. It is about creating one-box solutions that feel complete and capable.

This category resonated at CES because it reflects how many people actually listen today. Music streaming, TV audio, and physical media all running through a single, well-designed component.

Powered Speakers Continue to Grow Up

Powered speakers were not treated as entry-level or lifestyle-only products at CES 2026. Several manufacturers positioned them as serious alternatives to traditional separates.

Klipsch leaned into this direction with previews of next-generation powered speakers that integrate amplification, processing, and room-aware tuning directly into the cabinet. The goal is to deliver consistency and scale without requiring users to understand gain structure, crossover settings, or speaker matching.

What stood out was intent. These systems are not meant to replace high-end separates for every listener. They are meant to deliver high-quality results with fewer variables and fewer boxes, which aligns closely with how most living rooms are actually set up.

Immersive Audio Is Still a Priority

Despite the focus on simplicity, immersive home theater sound remains a core part of CES. The difference is how brands are approaching it.

SVS made it clear that bass and dynamic impact are still foundational to a convincing home theater experience. Their CES presence focused on deep, controlled low-frequency performance and immersive demonstrations rather than flashy feature lists.

At the same time, soundbar-based systems are continuing to evolve. Brands are working to close the gap between traditional surround systems and soundbars by improving height effects, dialogue clarity, and overall scale, while still keeping installation approachable.

Personal Audio and Gaming Are No Longer Separate Conversations

CES 2026 also reinforced how closely personal audio and gaming have become intertwined.

Audeze drew attention with the Maxwell 2 gaming headset, which focuses on sound quality, comfort, and long-session usability rather than visual flair. It reflects a broader shift where gaming audio is being treated with the same seriousness as traditional hi-fi headphones.

For many attendees, it was another example of how categories are blending. Gaming gear no longer has to look or sound like a compromise.

Display Technology Pulled in Two Directions at Once

On the video side, CES 2026 showed two very different but equally important directions.

At one extreme, Samsung previewed a massive 130-inch Micro RGB TV concept. This was less about near-term availability and more about showing what future LCD-based displays could achieve in terms of brightness, color control, and scale.

At the other end of the spectrum, LG brought back its Wallpaper TV with the OLED evo W6. Measuring just 9mm thick and paired with a wireless connection box, it was one of the most visually striking TVs on the show floor. The focus here was not size, but integration into a living space.

Together, these displays showed that innovation is happening both in pushing boundaries and in refining how technology fits into real homes.

What CES 2026 Really Told Us

CES 2026 was not about radical reinvention. It was about refinement. Better dialogue placement. More consistent volume behavior. Cleaner installations. Smarter integration across audio and video.

For consumers, that is a good thing. Great performance is becoming easier to achieve without turning a living room into a rack room.

Our team captured much of our CES experience on video, including show floor walkthroughs, demo reactions, and behind-the-scenes moments. Be sure to check out Audio Advice on social media to see our CES 2026 coverage in action, and stay tuned for deeper dives as these products move closer to release.