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Headphone Reviews
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Review: Superior Sound and Fit
Mark Henninger  |  Sep 22, 2022  |  0 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $249

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Noticeably better active noise cancellation
Improved audio fidelity
Superior fit with four ear tip sizes
Adaptive Transparency
Personalized Spatial Audio for better immersive sound
Touch-sensitive control
Easier to find when misplaced
Minus
Requires an iPhone to set up
Touch controls occasionally fidgety
Spatial audio with head tracking sometimes lost track of my head
Uses a Lightning connector instead of USB C

THE VERDICT
Just like the originals, AirPods Pro 2nd Gen up the ante on what to expect from a pair of true wireless earbuds, including better fit, better sound quality, and superior active noise canceling capabilities.

Apple’s newest earbuds are true wireless IEMs that feature advanced spatial audio, noise cancellation, and transparency mode functions. The AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) have a new chip, the H2, which has over one billion transistors. They also have a new higher-performance driver, a new amplifier to match it, capacitive touch-sensitive control including volume adjustment via swiping (with haptic feedback), and even a new extra-small (XS) ear tip to ensure a good fit for more buyers. These earbuds carry an IPX4 rating–you can use them to jog in the rain, but not to go swimming.

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Projector Reviews
Hisense PX1-Pro 4K DLP Laser TV Projector Review
Michael Hamilton  |  Sep 22, 2022  |  1 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Ultra-wide color gamut
Terrific lens for impressive focus
Built-in (ATSC 1.0) tuner
Minus
No dynamic tone mapping
Netflix not part of the Android bundle
Tuner doesn’t support ATSC 3.0

THE VERDICT
With its onboard streaming capability and TV tuner, the Hisense PX1-Pro comes about as close as you can to the proverbial “Home Theater in a Box” concept—one that that lets you savor big-screen fun without leaving home.

Hisense is known by Sound & Vision cognoscenti as a brand taking ambitious steps to spotlight itself as an innovator in leading-edge television technologies with pricing it terms affordable. For those who do not peruse our pages, the Hisense name may be more closely identified with refrigerators and other home appliances. But as a manufacturer in the consumer electronics space, especially one in the business of making flat-panel televisions and projectors, you can legitimately claim to "have arrived" when your products occupy rack space in Costco alongside the best-known brands in TV.

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CEDIA 2022Audio Video NewsNew Products
CEDIA 2022 Preview: A Return to Normal
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 22, 2022  |  0 comments
Some 15,000 residential technology professionals will descend upon the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas next Wednesday to attend CEDIA Expo 2022 where they will learn the latest tricks of the trade and explore new gear from more than 300 brands, nearly two-thirds of which specialize in audio/video and home theater. Here’s a sneak peek at what some of this year’s exhibitors are planning.
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Media Server ReviewsStreaming Device ReviewsAudio Video News
Your Tunes Anywhere: Roon Releases 2.0 and ARC Mobile App
Mark Henninger  |  Sep 22, 2022  |  0 comments
Roon is an impressive software music playback system that runs as a core (i.e. server) on a dedicated PC in your home, which you can access from various playback devices. It allows you to merge streaming through Tidal or Qobuz with local music files to provide a seamless listening experience. However, until now Roon only worked in the home.
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Ask S&V
How Can I Add CD-Quality Streaming to My Old AVR?
Al Griffin  |  Sep 22, 2022  |  1 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I am interested in listening to music from Spotify using my older Pioneer Elite SC-07 A/V receiver. I tried connecting my smart TV to the receiver via an optical digital connection and then streaming using the TV’s built-in Spotify app, but was disappointed with the sound quality. Will adding a network media player like the Marantz NA6006 to my system and using that to stream Spotify provide the CD-quality fidelity I am after? —Rob Pileski, Burlington, WI

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A/V Veteran
Swords, Sand & Sandals: Revisiting CinemaScope Epics
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 20, 2022  |  0 comments
A few blogs ago I commented on the 1954 movie, The Egyptian. In the '50s, the introduction of CinemaScope inspired, or rather demanded, epic tales in a genre often referred to as Swords and Sandals. Many of them, but not all, were set in the ancient world, typically Egypt or Rome. Here we look at a few more of those classics.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
The New Sonos Sub Mini Melds Style & Substance
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 19, 2022  |  0 comments
Last week Sonos previewed a new compact wireless subwoofer designed to pair with its One and One SL powered speakers and soundbars, including the new entry-level Ray (watch for our review) and Arc and Beam soundbars, both Sound & Vision Top Picks.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Event Horizon
Roger Kanno  |  Sep 16, 2022  |  2 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
Paul W.S. Anderson's Event Horizon was neither a critical nor commercial success upon its theatrical release in 1997 but found popularity and new life, first on DVD and then on Blu-ray with multiple releases over the years. The film is now enjoying a 25th anniversary Steelbook release on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. Set in 2047, the story follows a crew of astronauts sent on a mission to rescue a spaceship, the Event Horizon, seven years after it goes missing while on a top-secret mission to test a gravity drive that would give it the ability to travel faster than the speed of light.
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The Connected Life
Big-Screen Duality: A 2-in-1 TV/Projection Solution
John Sciacca  |  Sep 15, 2022  |  2 comments
When I began this series of columns earlier this year, I had no idea it would turn into a four-part, treatise on the evolution and current state of choosing a big-screen TV for your media room or home theater. To conclude this tetralogy, I address two additional solutions that straddle the divide between wanting a fantastic, cinematic experience in a non-dedicated/light-controlled room — options that don’t require a wallet melting budget.
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SmartStream
Roku Announces OS11.5 Upgrade & New Products for Fall
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 14, 2022  |  0 comments
Roku just announced the Roku OS11.5 update to its operating system. This update includes improved discovery features for users to find and stream what they want to watch from the home screen. The fall virtual press conference also brought news of a lower-priced Roku Express player and wireless subwoofer.
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