LATEST ADDITIONS

Audio Video News
Best Buy Will Stop Selling Physical Discs in 2024
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 16, 2023  |  6 comments
As if we needed more evidence that the end of physical media is coming, Best Buy has confirmed that it will stop selling DVDs and Blu-ray Discs both in-store and online in early 2024.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Will LG’s Move to Exclude NextGen TV Tuners in 2024 TVs Hurt the New TV Format?
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 16, 2023  |  1 comments
In what could be a potential setback to the progress being made in the NextGen TV rollout, LG has informed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it will not include ATSC 3.0-compatible tuners in its 2024 TVs due to a recent patent dispute and court ruling.
Continue Reading »
Tower Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
KEF LS60 Wireless Powered Loudspeakers Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Oct 12, 2023  |  9 comments

Performance
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $7,000/pair

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Reference-grade sound quality, dynamics
Virtually full-range extension
Simple-as-possible app for setup, control
Subwoofer output

Minus
No easy path to multichannel integration
No music-data or volume display
No phono input

THE VERDICT
The ultimate streaming standalone system.

KEF's LS60 is not just a speaker; it's an acoustic revolution packed into a sleek tower of sound. From its state-of-the-art technology to its jaw-dropping design, prepare to meet the future of high-end audio.

Continue Reading »
Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 12, 2023  |  First Published: Oct 13, 2023  |  2 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras

Privately, many of us have surely dreamed of being Ferris Bueller, although I’d wager that even more of us would simply love to have him for a best friend. In a career-defining performance from Matthew Broderick, no doubt aided by his stage background and with charisma to spare, the good-spirited Mr. Bueller plans one perfect day for himself, his girlfriend Sloane and his BFF Cameron before their next chapter begins.

Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
Soundboks: Our Bluetooth Party Speaker Will Rock Your World
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 12, 2023  |  1 comments
Soundboks, a young company specializing in Bluetooth speakers with offices in Denmark and Santa Monica, promises to rock your world with an industrial-grade speaker designed to keep the tunes cranking all day and all night, whether you’re partying in your backyard or hanging at an outdoor festival.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Video Trends Report: Frustration Runs High Over Content Discovery
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 12, 2023  |  2 comments
If you hate opening multiple apps to search for something to watch, you’re not alone. According to TiVo’s latest Video Trends Report, finding TV shows and movies to watch remains a major thorn in the side of Americans and Canadians who simply want to sit down to watch TV without the hullabaloo.
Continue Reading »
SmartStream
Roku OS 12.5 Update to Bring More Sports, Music, and a Videophile Surprise
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 11, 2023  |  2 comments
The Roku OS 12.5 update that will start rolling out in the coming weeks and months will bring more sports and music in addition to making easier to find what to you want to watch.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
OLED Prevails Over Mini-LED LCD in TV Shootout
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 11, 2023  |  2 comments
Scarsdale, NY-based AV retailer Value Electronics has been rounding up flagship TVs from the top brands and pitting them against one another for two decades running in an effort to isolate the best of the best. The recent 2023 TV Shootout pegged OLED as the clear-cut winner over mini-LED LCD models in both the 4K and 8K categories.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
McIntosh Brings Back the Standalone Graphic Equalizer
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 10, 2023  |  5 comments
The standalone graphic equalizer that was once a staple of hi-fi systems is making a comeback at McIntosh.
Continue Reading »
Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsHome Theater Systems ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Focal Vestia No.3 Surround Loudspeaker System Review
Tom Norton  |  Oct 10, 2023  |  1 comments

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $5,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Strong and clear sound
Excellent imaging
Made in France

Minus
Best with a subwoofer for action films
2-way center speaker

THE VERDICT
Unless it happened in the long forgotten, misty days of my earliest reviews, I can't recall ever before reviewing a Focal loudspeaker. But years ago, I did visit the Focal factory in France and was impressed by the company's forward, creative thinking. That remains true today, as the new Focal Vestia lineup clearly demonstrates.

Focal is a long-established, high-end French loudspeaker manufacturer that invests heavily in R&D to stay ahead of its competitors. While its flagship models have always commanded nosebleed prices, the new Focal Vestia line (three floorstanders, a bookshelf model, and the Vestia Center) tops out at $4400/pair in the U.S. for the Vestia No.4. Not exactly white van prices, but more than competitive in the international loudspeaker market.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X