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Daniel Kumin  |  Feb 08, 2011  |  0 comments

Where do you start when converting a music collection to data files for home (and portable) playback? In the January 2011 issue, we defined key terms and explored the pros and cons of both lossy (data-compressed) and lossless (uncompressed) music-file formats. Now we'll put that knowledge to use. With space at a premium in these columns, instead of debating all the options I'll just tell you what I do and why, and hope that you can work out your best strategy from there.

Formal Fit

Mike Mettler  |  Jan 20, 2011  |  0 comments

So I've been basking in the sounds of Cake's new chart-topping album Showroom of Compassion (Upbeat Records; cakemusic.com), and have to say that I'm really loving it.
Oh good. That would be horrible if it was a nightmare for you. [chuckles]

And it's a great album to listen to on vinyl. The bass lines on "Got to Move" and "What's Now Is Now" have real impact.

 |  Jan 11, 2011  |  0 comments

CES 2011 is a wrap, but the new products will live on - at least until they're made obsolete by new stuff at next year's show. Here's a hand collection of all the news you need from the floor and beyond.

CES 2011: The Wild World of the High-End Audio Rooms

Geoffrey Morrison  |  Dec 30, 2010  |  0 comments

Color is one of the most important aspects of a TV’s performance, right up there with contrast ratio, black level, and video processing.

Brent Butterworth  |  Dec 29, 2010  |  0 comments

While wandering the aisles of the recent Audio Engineering Society show in San Francisco, I found a great little measurement rig for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that deserved inclusion in my recent article on DIY audio measurement in the January 2011 issue of S+V [on stands now]. Unfortunately, the article had already gone to press, so I thought I'd report on the system here.

Geoffrey Morrison  |  Dec 20, 2010  |  0 comments

Most 3D TVs have some sort of faux-3D mode that can add a certain amount of depth to a 3D image. For that real 3D, though, you need original 3D content. There's a fair amount out there, but frustratingly, not all of it is available to everyone.

With this guide, we here at S+V will help you navigate the murky waters of the current state of 3D content.

BLU-RAY

Mike Mettler  |  Dec 07, 2010  |  0 comments

And in an instant, lo, a hole in the sky appeared, and then it hit me like (bang bang) Maxwell's Silver Hammer when "Get Back," the Beatles? 1969 classic song to roller-coast by, cued up on my iPod during one morning's commute. As Paul McCartney's lead vocal embraced the song's galloping melody line, a great revelation emerged: I can sing Black Sabbath?s "Paranoid" to the same tune! Black Sabbath, the dark lords of melody . . . revealed!

Brent Butterworth  |  Nov 29, 2010  |  0 comments

Back in the days when a decent TV cost $4,000, I never hesitated to recommend spending $300 or so on professional calibration. But now you can get a pretty good set for less than $1,000. Far be it from me to tell you what your priorities should be, but to me, spending three bills to have a $900 TV calibrated seems as silly installing a $10,000 Viking range a 30,000 mobile home. Does this harsh nancial reality leave TV bargain hunters at the mercy of the factory calibration?

HT Staff  |  Nov 23, 2010  |  0 comments
Give a Little Bit

Looking for the perfect gift for the techie in your life? Home Theater’s writers and editors are here to help spread the holiday season cheer.

Gary Dell'Abate  |  Nov 23, 2010  |  0 comments

The iPhone has clearly infiltrated our culture. Its owners are rabidly loyal, and they’ll tell you that every other phone is inferior to theirs. Alas, the many people out there still devoted to BlackBerry can only look longingly at the iPhone, wishing for some of those cool features that Apple has become famous for.

HT Staff  |  Nov 15, 2010  |  0 comments
This might be my favorite tent in the annual Home Theater circus. The Home Theater Top Picks of the Year are the very best components we’ve reviewed over the past year in all the major categories. We also call out an overall Product of the Year and a Budget Pick of the Year. This year we see a terrific mix of emerging new technologies—3D and next-gen media servers are both represented—and stalwart audio brands that deliver high-end sound year in and year out amid the constant churn of technology.
 |  Nov 10, 2010  |  0 comments

By now, you've certainly checked out our Sony Google TV and Logitech Revue reviews, but today is the first day DISH subscribers will be able to get their eyeballs on the full google TV experience.

Richard Ames  |  Nov 05, 2010  |  0 comments

The International Ballroom in the Beverly Hilton has been the home to the Golden Globes for the past fifty years. The space is much smaller than it appears on TV. And much colder. Apparently someone heard it was going to be above 72 outside and turned the air conditioner up to cryonic.

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 29, 2010  |  0 comments

To borrow Mick Jagger’s growl from the Rolling Stones’ feisty Tattoo You track “Neighbours”: labels, labels, labels, labels, LABELS! People feel like they have to label just about everything, especially when it comes to music. So whenever I’m asked to describe what Carlos Santana’s music sounds like, my answer is quite simple: “It sounds like Carlos Santana.” In the case of the 63-year-old guitar guru, his name defines his sound. “The majority of the music I play is still African music,” Carlos explains. “I honor that. And it comes through the Delta, and Mississippi.

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