Al Griffin

Ask S&V
Is My Vintage Stereo Receiver Worth Repairing?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 19, 2015  |  1 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

I own a vintage 1974 Fisher solid-state stereo receiver. The left channel is fading in-and-out—at first weak, now almost totally dead.  Do you think the receiver is worth fixing, or should I just replace it? —Michael McCully

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
How Do I Use a Speaker’s Biamp Connections?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 17, 2015  |  1 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have a home theater system powered by an AV receiver for watching movies, but I also want to connect a turntable and separate stereo amp to the system’s front speakers for listening to music. If a speaker has biamp connections, can you connect two separate sources to it? I want to connect the stereo amp to the top jacks on my speakers and my AV receiver to the lower jacks. Will that work? Clint Yarborough / via e-mail

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Upgrade Time: Speakers then Receiver or Vice Versa?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 12, 2015  |  5 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I plan to purchase a new AV receiver and a set of 5.1 speakers. What strategy will deliver a better all-around experience: spending more on the speakers or on the receiver? Should I splurge on speakers, with the idea that my receiver can be upgraded in a few years, or vice-versa? Simon Bolster / via e-mail

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Why Does Upconverted HD Look Bad on 4K Ultra HD TVs?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 05, 2015  |  0 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q The 4k content I see on UHDTVs in stores looks awesome. But when I ask the salesperson to flip the feed to regular HD (from Direct TV), the picture doesn’t look nearly as good. It looks worse, in fact, than the same content shown on the standard HDTVs, and certainly worse than on my 10 year-old Sony SXRD.  My question is, if I buy a new UHDTV, how can I make the picture look as good as what I’m used to seeing on my Sony? There isn’t much 4K content yet, so what I’d mainly be watching is regular HD.—Ben Soave

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Can I Use a Stereo Amp to Power One Speaker?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 26, 2015  |  0 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Will I damage a stereo amplifier by using it to amplify only one channel—in this case, my system’s center speaker?—Richard Regan

Continue Reading >
TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Sharp LC-60UD27U LCD/LED HDTV Review
Al Griffin  |  Feb 20, 2015  |  0 comments
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Accurate color
Crisp, noise-free images
Eco-friendly Wallpaper mode
Minus
Below average contrast
Poor picture uniformity
Unimpressive Smart GUI and streaming options

THE VERDICT
Sharp’s 4K THX Certified UHDTV gets many things right but some key things wrong.

The only TV-tech buzzword with any legs to it in 2014 was 4K, aka Ultra HDTV. So a TV manufacturer without new 4K-resolution product had better start thinking about packing it in. Sharp previewed a pair of UD27 series Ultra HDTVs last June, and the company finally squeezed out those models just in time for the holiday shopping season. What do the new 60- and 70-inch Sharps have to recommend them over other, similarly priced offerings? Let’s check things out.

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
How Can I Get the Best Sound Quality When Streaming Tidal?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 19, 2015  |  0 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I just signed up for Tidal music streaming and want to make sure I am getting the best sound quality from that service. My laptop is connected to my router with an Ethernet cable and then to my Onkyo pre/pro via an HDMI cable. I have the Tidal app’s settings set to HiFi.

My question is, as music streams from Tidal, does it pass through the laptop’s sound card first and then to the HDMI cable, or straight from the HDMI cable to the Onkyo pre/pro? I don’t know what sound card is equipped with the computer, and want to make sure that if streamed music does pass through, that the card isn’t detracting from the sound quality. —Andre Spits / Atlanta,GA

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
What Type of Projection Screen Should I Buy?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 11, 2015  |  3 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I’m planning on buying an Epson 5030UB projector. My sofa will be 14.5 feet from the screen. The room has controllable dimmers, and there will be some room light when I watch games. What screen size and type would you recommend? — Lou Gutierrez / via e-mail

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
Can I Split Audio From Video via Bluetooth?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 05, 2015  |  1 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Is it possible to mirror videos (YouTube or Netflix) from my iPad to my Panasonic Viera TV while simultaneously using Bluetooth to send the audio to my receiver? —John Geloso

Continue Reading >
Ask S&V
What’s the Correct Crossover Setting for My Sub?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 29, 2015  |  2 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have owned receivers from Onkyo, Pioneer and Yamaha. With each one, the sound always seemed muddy after I used the auto-calibration function for speaker setup. In my experience, I get much better sound when setting all speaker crossovers to 200 Hz, or the highest available setting. Expert opinions I’ve read on the subject say this is wrong, though I’ve adjusted two friends’ systems in this way and they agree with me that the sound is better. Am I correct? —David Bone

Continue Reading >

Pages

X