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Bookshelf Speaker Reviews
Klipsch The Fives Powered Speaker System Review
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 23, 2020

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $799

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Versatile
Easy to set up
Solid construction
Good sound with powerful bass

Minus
No tone controls

THE VERDICT
The Fives accommodate a variety of audio setups without the need for an outboard amp or receiver and deliver pleasing sound with rich, powerful bass.

I’m all about simplicity so I welcomed The Fives with open arms. A follow-up to The Sixes Klipsch introduced a couple years ago, the new speakers are smaller and take connectivity to the next level with the addition of an ARC (audio return channel)-enabled HDMI port. If I had to pick one word to describe this system, it would be versatile.

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Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer ReviewsSurround Sound System ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Revel PerformaBe Surround Speaker System Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 22, 2020

Speakers
Performance
Build Quality
Value
Subwoofer
Performance
Build Quality
Features
Value
PRICE $20,500 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superb overall performance
Impeccable fit and finish
Relatively compact
Minus
Pricey

THE VERDICT
It may be pricey, but this PerformaBe system offers sublime performance with both music and movies.

I've reviewed many Revel surround speaker packages over time, but it's been six years since my last Revel review, a system centered on the Performa F208 tower speaker. At around 13 grand, that system could still be considered an affordable option compared with a full surround package built around the company's flagship Ultima range. Now, with its PerformaBe line, Revel has a mid-price speaker offering to help bridge the gap.

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SmartStream
NBCUniversal's Peacock Not Ready for Prime Time
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 22, 2020
On July 15, NBCUniversal became the last of the major studios to launch its own streaming service. Unfortunately, it appears that Peacock has not learned from the success of its predecessors.
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New Products
NAD Prepares to Ship M33 Streaming DAC/Amp
Al Griffin  |  Jul 21, 2020
A predictable effect of the pandemic on the A/V world has been a slowdown in shipments of new gear shown at CES that typically would have arrived by spring or early summer. One example: NAD’s M33 Masters BluOS Streaming DAC/Amp, which we had reported on at CES 2020. NAD’s eagerly awaited new $4,999 streaming amp was originally supposed to ship in March/April but is now scheduled to arrive in North America in late August. Better late than never!
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Signals
Superman Builds a Gaming PC
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 20, 2020
Superman obviously reads S&V. Well, at least he reads this Signals column. Why else would he so specifically follow my suggestion, and then post about it on his Instagram page?

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The S&V Interview
Steve Howe, Perpetual Sound Chaser
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 17, 2020
"I'm a Soundist."

Forward-thinking guitar legend Steve Howe, the maestro of many iconic, nimble guitar riffs that have literally defined a generation or two of aurally challenging songs by the likes of Yes and Asia, is describing his raison d'être. "I'm a sound recorder, in a way," he continues. "I'm like Chet Atkins and Les Paul, who were both sound scientists. They were recording engineers and producers as much as I am, or as much as I hope to be."

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Audio Video News
NJ Record Shop Is Home to Many Classic Gems
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 16, 2020
Darren Revilla is an avid collector of vinyl LPs and vintage audio gear. If you’re looking for an album from an obscure band no one (except collectors) has ever heard of, he’s the guy you ask. He’s also the owner of Revilla Grooves and Gear, the retro-cool shop specializing in vinyl LPs and vintage audio gear he opened five years ago in the heart of Milltown, New Jersey, 15 minutes from the main campus of Rutgers University in neighboring New Brunswick.
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Ask S&V
Can a TV’s Built-in Apps Stream True 4K?
Al Griffin  |  Jul 16, 2020
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Can a TV’s built-in apps stream true 4K, or is it a lower resolution video format that the TV just upconverts to 4K? Also, would streaming via Wi-Fi instead of a hardwired Ethernet connection lower video resolution? —Cliff Parrish, via email

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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Hisense 65H8G Quantum LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 15, 2020

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Effective local dimming
Precise HDR tracking
Low price
Minus
Poor off-center viewing
Minor banding artifacts

THE VERDICT
The Hisense 65H8G proves that even budget TVs now offer features enabling a high level of performance that was previously the domain of much pricier sets.

Hisense has joined the ranks of LCD TV makers using quantum dots, a technology that enables sets to more closely approach the wider color gamut promised by Ultra HDTV. (Quantum dots generate red and green light when energized by a blue LED, with the sum total providing the backlighting that LCD TVs require.) Along with the 65-inch 65H8G reviewed here, Hisense's H8G series also includes a 75-inch model, the largest flat-panel the company offers. For larger screen sizes, the company offers a range of ultra short throw laser projectors.

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A/V Veteran
Speaker Placement: Center, Surround, and Overhead
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 14, 2020
My last blog was limited to placement of the left and right speakers in 2-channel system, or just the left and right speakers in a home theater setup. There’s a lot more involved with a full surround sound setup....The remaining speaker channels we haven’t yet discussed are the center, the surrounds, and possibly Dolby Atmos. I’ll limit this discussion to 5.X or 5.X.4 setups, both with and without four Atmos speakers (for newbies, the 0.4 in the 5.2.4 designation describes the number of Atmos speakers, and the X is a stand-in here for the number of subwoofers, most often one or two). There’s a wide range of additional possibilities, including front height speakers, two additional surrounds (7.X.4), more than four Atmos speakers (though we don’t know of any consumer Atmos sources that offer more than four discrete Atmos channels), or only two rather than four Atmos speakers. But I suspect that 5.1.4 or 5.2.4 (five main channels, one or two subs, and four Atmos speakers) will describe most readers’ setups....
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