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What’s the Best Soundbar Option for an Apartment?
Al Griffin  |  Apr 06, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q After reading soundbar reviews in Sound & Vision, one thing seems clear: to get the best sound, you need to combine a soundbar with a subwoofer. My problem is that I will soon be moving from a house to an apartment. As I’m sure you’re aware, the tenant with a subwoofer in an apartment building is usually the least favorite neighbor.  

My current 5.1 setup includes Definitive Technology ProMonitor 800s, a ProCenter 1000 and ProSub 1000. Everything is hooked up to a Marantz 7701 preamp/processor and matching amp. Do you have any suggestions for replacing my system with a standalone soundbar that won't compromise on bass? I would ideally like to continue using the Marantz amp and preamp. —Brian Morgan

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Audio Video News
Denon, Marantz Launch Audyssey MultEQ Editor App
SV Staff  |  Apr 06, 2017
Denon and Marantz have launched the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app that enables home theater enthusiasts to refine and customize system set-up.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Onkyo Stereo Receiver Embraces Hi-Res, Wireless
SV Staff  |  Apr 06, 2017
The consistent trickle of new receivers in recent weeks continues, this time with a stereo model from Onkyo that offers extensive connectivity and supports high-resolution audio playback and a host of wireless networking features.
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Audio Video News
Chesky Records Announces First MQA-Encoded CDs
SV Staff  |  Apr 06, 2017
Following last month’s release of the first MQA-encoded CD, Chesky Records is bringing more MQA discs to market in May.
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The S&V Interview
Mike + The Mechanics Reach New Sonic Heights With Let Me Fly
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 05, 2017
With Genesis essentially in the rearview mirror save for reissues and other archival material, Mike Rutherford, the consummate songwriter/guitarist/bassist, has focused his energies on ensuring Mike + The Mechanics remains a going concern. To that end, Rutherford and his Mechanics have collectively tinkered under the hood to engineer the quite-fine-indeed-sounding Let Me Fly (The End/BMG), out on April 7. Rutherford, 66, called in to discuss his approach to Fly, how he thinks you should listen to it, and why he no longer sings his own material.
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Headphone Reviews
Audiofly AF1120 Headphones
Steve Guttenberg  |  Apr 05, 2017
Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Six balanced armature drivers
Extreme comfort
Two-year warranty
Minus
They don’t look as expensive as they are

THE VERDICT
The Audiofly AF1120 is super comfortable and sounds effortlessly sweet and transparent.

Audiofly may be a new name to you and me, but they started making headphones in Australia in 2012. The headphone that initially got the ball rolling, the AF78, was a hybrid in-ear with dynamic and balanced armature drivers that gained a following with musicians. Audiophile attraction came a bit later.

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Audio Video News
Amazon Will Stream Thursday Night Football Games
SV Staff  |  Apr 05, 2017
Amazon has signed a one-year deal with the NFL to live-stream 10 Thursday Night Football games but you will have to be an Amazon Prime members to access the streams.
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Audio Video News
How Much Binge-Watching Did You Do This Week?
SV Staff  |  Apr 05, 2017
Credit: Deloitte Digital Democracy Survey, Eleventh Edition.

Binge-watching is reaching epic proportions among millennials and Generation Z, according to a new survey that examines the way Americans consume media across generations.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Rotel’s Bows Home Theater Processor—its Finest Yet
SV Staff  |  Apr 05, 2017
Rotel has introduced a multichannel integrated amplifier with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround processing for enthusiasts who want separates performance but don’t have space for multiple components.
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A/V Veteran
Reviving the Double Feature: 10 Unexpected Pairings
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 04, 2017
In olden times, folks dressed up when they went to the movies. They often did so twice a week since there were no screens in their houses (television or computer) to keep them home. Radio was ubiquitous, but its pictures were hard to see. Those movie visits were almost invariably double features—two for the price of one. Usually, of course, it was a pairing such as an “A” picture like The Fountainhead and a throw-away “B” movie like Ma and Pa Kettle on the Farm.

Ma and Pa Kettle are now on the farm’s back 40, and few B pictures are made today (though some might argue that superhero films are B pictures with A budgets). Today, a visit to the multiplex is a one-shot affair. If two movies are playing that you want to see on the same day, you have to plan carefully to fit them in (and, of course, pay double). You also have to decide which to see first. That’s not a trivial consideration. Recently I was unable combine, on the same day, two movies I wanted to see. But perhaps that was for the best. For those like me, with a wide taste in movies, would you want to view Life (an obvious Alien knock off) before or after Beauty and the Beast?!

But with our home theaters and the selection of discs available we can now create our own double features. They can be related in some way, as in the photo—sometimes they’re sequels, or perhaps they have a common theme, like sports. But it’s more fun to link them up in less obvious or even bizarre ways…

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