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 Bluesmaster Buddy Guy Is 'Alive and Well'
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Focal Clear Headphones Review
HEADPHONE REVIEWS
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 21, 2018  |  0 comments

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $1,499

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Aluminum/magnesium diaphragms
Impeccable construction
Balanced presentation
Minus
Less than spacious imaging

THE VERDICT
Focal’s Clear headphones are admirably well-balanced performers with irreproachable build quality and a gorgeous look.

Is $1,499 a lot to pay for headphones? Well, how much is a lot? Only you can make the definitive decision about what is a good buy and what would be an undue burden on your checking account. Here’s how Focal thought through the problem. This formidable loudspeaker manufacturer gave its emergent headphone line its best shot in the Focal Utopia, a four-thousand-dollar product that we hailed with a five-star review. Its latest offering, the Focal Clear, borrows technology developed for the Utopia and cuts the price by more than half.

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AT&T Announces New Streaming Package in Wake of Time Warner Merger
AUDIO VIDEO NEWS
SV Staff  |  Jun 21, 2018  |  0 comments
AT&T today announced the WatchTV streaming video package that will let wireless subscribers stream more than 30 live channels through a new app in addition to providing access to more than 15,000 TV shows and movies on demand.
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Qobuz: Coming to America
THE S&V INTERVIEW, AUDIO VIDEO NEWS
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 21, 2018  |  2 comments
15 Minutes with David Solomon

Move over Tidal. Qobuz (pronounced “ko-buzz”) is coming to the States this fall, armed with a 2-million-track arsenal of hi-res music and a web portal that makes Tidal’s slick homepage seem confined. We checked in with AV industry veteran David Solomon, newly appointed Chief High-Res Evangelist for Qobuz, to learn more about the music service and its unusual name.

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HDR10+ Developers Now Licensing the Technology Royalty-Free
AUDIO VIDEO NEWS
SV Staff  |  Jun 21, 2018  |  0 comments
HDR10+ Technologies — the partnership formed by Twentieth Century Fox, Panasonic, and Samsung — has announced the start of a licensing and logo certification program for the HDR10+ open standard High Dynamic Range (HDR) platform announced last year.
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Atlantic Technology Announces First Smart Speaker
AUDIO VIDEO NEWS, NEW PRODUCTS
SV Staff  |  Jun 20, 2018  |  0 comments
Atlantic Technology today announced its entry into the ever expanding world of smart speakers with a Wi-Fi-based tabletop system featuring integrated streaming and internet radio options.
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Bluesmaster Buddy Guy Is 'Alive and Well'
THE S&V INTERVIEW
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 20, 2018  |  1 comments
There are legends, and then there’s Buddy Guy. The Chicago-based octogenarian blues guitarist originally from Lettsworth, Louisiana just keeps going and going. And if his new album, The Blues Is Alive and Well (Silvertone/RCA) is any indication, the Guy train won’t be making its final stop anytime soon.
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Social Distortion to Headline Klipsch Fest
AUDIO VIDEO NEWS
SV Staff  |  Jun 20, 2018  |  0 comments
Klipsch today announced that Klipsch Fest, featuring punk rock legend Social Distortion, will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 11 at Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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New LG Speakers Boast Meridian Audio Processing, Dolby Atmos
AUDIO VIDEO NEWS, NEW PRODUCTS
SV Staff  |  Jun 19, 2018  |  0 comments
LG today introduced a series of soundbars and portable Bluetooth speakers featuring audio processing from U.K.’s Meridian Audio.
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Optoma Smart Projector Now Speaks Google and Alexa
AUDIO VIDEO NEWS, NEW PRODUCTS
SV Staff  |  Jun 19, 2018  |  0 comments
Optoma has added Google Assistant voice control to the first-of-its-kind Alexa-enabled projector it shipped in May.
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We Are Miserable, Slothful Creatures. Can Technology Save Us From Ourselves?
SIGNALS
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 19, 2018  |  8 comments
With all due respect to sloths (arboreal mammals that hang upside down from trees) we (humans) are total sloths (ie. reluctant to work or make an effort; lazy). To prove my point, your Honor, I submit Exhibit A, those red Netflix mail-in envelopes.

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