Audio Video News

Is your sound system as good as it can be or, more to the point, as good as you want it to be? If not, it’s a great time to make tweaks and upgrades you thought about but didn’t quite get to during pandemic lockdown. Here’s the lowdown on the dozen speakers that made our Top Picks list so far this year.

With the Great Pandemic largely behind us, the masks are disappearing as life slowly returns to normal and the electronics industry is, as always, ready to greet us with an ever-expanding roster of new gear, even though it is still dealing with lingering chip shortages and supply-chain disruptions. The past few weeks have brought to light a unique “triphonic’ speaker designed by a former Apple designer, a tiny projector that makes it easy to take movies and gaming out to the patio, and a couple of really cool turntables that commemorate the album that redefined popular music 54 years ago.

As a pandemic-free summer beckons, we look back at the unique collection of products we had the pleasure of evaluating in May. From a dynamic duo of subwoofers that deliver impressive performance and unparalleled setup flexibility for $600 or less to what may be the world’s first “smart” ceiling-mount video projector, we present our latest Top Picks in the hopes that at least one of them will inspire you.

Apple today announced a sound quality makeover for its subscription-based Apple Music streaming service that expands its Spatial Audio surround-sound platform with support for Dolby Atmos and brings lossless audio to its music catalog.

As we continue to emerge from the Great Pandemic with even the most reluctant of reluctant states finally looking to lift restrictions, Spring 2021 continues to pay dividends with an eclectic and, in some cases, season-specific mix of A/V news and gear, ranging from outdoor TVs and speakers to solar-powered headphones and new wireless speakers that don’t rely on Wi-Fi. Let’s take a closer look…

We didn’t really plan it this way but two of our Top Picks for April have more than just A/V in common — they both sell for less than 200 bucks. Our first low-cost specimen is a no-frills subwoofer from a brand you may not know that delivers surprisingly respectable performance down to 30 Hz. Then there’s an all-around great performing portable speaker from a brand you most definitely do know. Rounding out the mix is a serious desktop speaker setup and a sweet sounding home theater ensemble from an exotic brand whose speakers you thought you couldn’t afford.