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AV Receiver Reviews
Sony STR-ZA5000 ES A/V Receiver Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 20, 2016

Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
CI focus, including eight-port Ethernet hub
9.1 channels for 5.1.4/7.1.2 surround
Redesigned setup mic
Minus
No Bluetooth, AirPlay, Wi-Fi, or DLNA

THE VERDICT
The Sony STR-ZA5000ES combines a hard-kicking amp with custom-install-friendly features.

In Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “Silver Blaze,” from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the great detective has this conversation with a police inspector, who speaks first:

“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”

“To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”

“The dog did nothing in the night-time.”

“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.

Just as the dog that didn’t bark enabled Holmes to identify a killer, the features that the Sony STR-ZA5000ES doesn’t have are clues to its identity. This $2,800 receiver doesn’t have Bluetooth, AirPlay, Wi-Fi, or any other wireless connectivity or network audio option—not even DLNA to work with its Ethernet jacks.

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A/V Veteran
CEDIA 2016: Cutting-Edge Projectors Steal the Show
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 20, 2016
CEDIA stands for the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. Unlike CES in January, which covers virtually everything in consumer electronics from cameras, to flat screen televisions. to audio, and to wearables (body décor with chips in them!), CEDIA caters to the large group of professionals who custom install and service electronics, mostly for the home. If you want a high-end home theater like the one shown above, but haven’t a clue as to how to do it, they’re there for you...
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Signals
House on Fire? Crank Up the Bass
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Sep 20, 2016
Unfortunately, your house is on fire. Which of the following should you do?
(a) Call 911.
(b) Grab your fire extinguisher.
(c) Grab your garden hose.
(d) Crank up the bass.
The answer, of course, is (d).

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Pioneer Previews its First 11-Channel AV Receiver
SV Staff  |  Sep 20, 2016
Pioneer introduced its first 11.2-channel AV receiver last week at CEDIA 2016.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Yamaha Adds MusicCast-Enabled Speaker & More
SV Staff  |  Sep 20, 2016
Yamaha has expanded its lineup of products that support its MusicCast wireless multiroom-audio platform, bringing the total number of models to 36.

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Audio Video News
Protecting Outdoor AV from Power Surges
SV Staff  |  Sep 19, 2016
A recent post by outdoor speaker specialist Terra addresses the question of whether you should install surge suppressors in an outdoor AV installation.
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Ask S&V
Can I Move Recordings Between DVRs?
Al Griffin  |  Sep 19, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Can recorded programs be transferred from one DVR to another? —Joe Nagy / via e-mail

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CEDIA 2016
Niles Updates to Auriel 2.0 with Home Control
John Sciacca  |  Sep 18, 2016
Niles Audio, a member of Core Brands, released a major update to its MRC-6430 (Auriel) audio distribution platform with the roll-out of Auriel 2.0. The new upgrade is will include a lot of performance enhancements such as streaming audio, climate and lighting control, plus remote access features and will be available for free to all existing system owners.

A single MRC-6430 chassis can deliver audio to six zones through seven input sources, and two chassis can be linked together to create a 12-zone system. With the 2.0 update, the chassis now natively supports streaming from Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn “and other popular Internet radio services.”

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CEDIA 2016
Teenage Engineering Synthesizes a Speaker
Al Griffin  |  Sep 18, 2016
I first learned of Teenage Engineering when I read about its cool, affordable pocket synthesizers . What a surprise it was, then, to bump into them during my final few minutes at CEDIA, where the company was showing its new OD-11 wireless speaker on a quiet strip at the far end of the convention center.
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CEDIA 2016
Monitor Audio Previews Extreme Weather Speakers
John Sciacca  |  Sep 18, 2016
You’d expect the British to know a thing or two about inclement weather, which is maybe why it took England-based Monitor Audio so long to come up with a right proper speaker designed to handle the elements with a stiff upper lip. The company proved it was more than ready to take on Mother Nature with the launch of its new All Weather in-ceiling speaker series.

The new line-up will feature four models, both a 6-inch and 8-inch version in stereo and single stereo-summing options. All speakers incorporate Monitor’s C-CAM (Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium) driver system which has been ported from the company’s critically acclaimed loudspeakers, utilizing 1-inch C-CAM Gold dome tweeters.

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