16 Feb CES 2017
Vegas. Making the trek from Southern California through the desert to Sin City high on anticipation and excitement will often lead to a ride home low with regret and empty pockets. Sin City has a knack for chewing up and spitting out every sparkly eyed visitor that enters the strip and if the weekend doesn’t devour you, driving the dreaded I-15 home will be a literal hell – hungover and baking in the desert sun on a long stretch of parking lot they call a highway.





Coming home from CES 2017 was a very different experience than one might normally expect after a long weekend on the Las Vegas strip. This Vegas trip was not just a spur of the moment strike mission to the heart of Sin, this was a trip with purpose. This was a trip with RIVA Audio and the new WAND Series.
RIVA Audio set out for CES 2017 with big shoes to fill after winning CES Innovations awards in 2014 for the RIVA Turbo X and in 2015 for the RIVA S. The return to CES would unveil the much anticipated RIVA WAND Series with its first installments, the ARENA and FESTIVAL. After a great turn out for CEDIA 2016 in Germany, the pressure was on to deliver and RIVA did just that.
“The final unveiling of the products to our customers – who absolutely loved them – had their mouths opened wide just listening to the music. We didn’t even need to ask them what they thought. I would rather have been nowhere else than the RIVA suite working with some of these products because they’re going to explode the market for 2017.” – GB, Sales
The joy and amazement on people’s faces when listening to their favorite tracks with such fluidity and effortlessness was enough to make the RIVA team feel warm and accomplished. After, “Looking at all of the team and the amount of effort they’ve all put in to get to this point,” GB noted, “it was just amazing.”
Customer’s jaws dropping when they heard the new WAND Series would have been the only validation the RIVA team needed but not only did they impress the consumer, the industry also took note of ‘Who The Hell Is RIVA?’. CES 2017 would turn out to be another successful year for RIVA Audio, winning five awards including CES Innovation Honoree Awards for both the ARENA and FESTIVAL speakers.
“This was a great show. Just so much positive energy and fun. We’re really humble and appreciative of all the recognition from the press and within the industry for what we’re doing. There is a lot of work to go, but it’s all good stuff.” – Donald North, President & Chief Engineer
RIVA Audio proved that a trip to Las Vegas doesn’t have to end empty handed. They proved that you can leave Vegas with more than you can carry if you are determined and put in the work. Not only was RIVA Audio able to leave Las Vegas without being defeated by the long weekend on the strip, they were able to leave with a humble smile.
“My biggest ‘Smile’ moment was when I realized that we had won all of the number one awards for ARENA and FESTIVAL. This clearly put RIVA on the front of the grid. The professional quality of the people who visited our suite, and how professional our team hosted them… It was as if we had finally ‘Arrived’ as a Company and a Brand! And the message they brought was that RIVA’s products were leading the pack in… looks… universal usability… and audio performance. It was a great indemnification of RIVA’S team work.
I was and am very proud!!” – Rikki Farr, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer
Not every sparkly eyed visitor who enters the Las Vegas strip gets chewed up and spit out after all. With the right amount of dedication, passion and teamwork, anything can be achieved and RIVA Audio is living proof of that. ‘Who The Hell Is RIVA?’ Allow us to show you!
