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Soundbar Reviews
Sony HT-ST5000 Soundbar System
Daniel Kumin  |  Dec 05, 2017
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Generally neutral sound reproduction
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X spatial enhancement
Ample level for serious listening to both music and movies
Minus
No physical surround-speaker option
Subwoofer-to-soundbar integration is tricky

THE VERDICT
Sony’s high-end soundbar-subwoofer twosome delivers natural, tightly imaged, Atmos/DTS:X-abetted sound along with striking, understated good looks.

Soundbars are marching relentlessly up-market, and Sony is right there with the Dolby Atmos- and DTS:X-capable HT-ST5000, which carries a list price of $1,500 and is being widely promoted this holiday season at $1,298 from the major retailers. It checks all the latest boxes: scarily slim, seriously wireless (including a wireless subwoofer), and no-rear-speakers faux surround sound.

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Signals
Is Elon Musk Completely Crazy?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 05, 2017
Ground control to Major Tom. Ground control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills. And put your helmet on. Your roadster is washed and waxed. Turn your stereo on. That's earth in your rear-view mirror.

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Audio Video News
Funky Sound ’Phones Boast 4G and Wi-Fi
SV Staff  |  Dec 05, 2017
Headphone makers are really stepping up their game lately. A couple months ago it was Sennheiser’s Ambeo, a headset with 360-degree microphones built into its earpieces. Not to be outdone, startup Funky Sound Studio plans to introduce its take on the smart headphone next month at CES 2018.
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4K TV ReviewsTV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Hisense 65H9D Plus LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Dec 04, 2017
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,599

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Friendly ergonomics
Slick remote control
Attractive price
Minus
Poor HDR peak luminance
Weak black level and contrast

THE VERDICT
Hisense’s premier 65-inch TV offers a respectable visual experience, solid ergonomics, and surprisingly good sound, but it has a few nagging video shortcomings.

Chinese TV maker Hisense has chosen the designation ULED for their 2017 Ultra HDTVs. Like most other modern sets, however (apart from OLED TVs), these are still LCD sets; the LEDs merely provide the necessary backlighting. While Hisense’s larger TVs (the 75H9D Plus and the flagship 70- and 75-inch H10D models) offer full-array local dimming (FALD), the 65-inch 65H9D Plus reviewed here is LED edge-lit. While for some consumers its $1,599 MSRP makes it look a little expensive, its discounted street price with major online retailers (as of late October) puts it well under $1,500 and makes it price-friendly—especially when compared with the flagship TVs I’ve reviewed recently.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Baby It's Cold Outside: Sound Huggle's Wireless Headphone Double as Earmuffs
Leslie Shapiro  |  Dec 04, 2017
Days are shorter, snow is on its way, and temperatures are plummeting. It’s getting cold and we’re all looking for ways to stay warm, without giving up our music. Sound Huggles are wireless Bluetooth headphones that double as comfy earmuffs. Okay, so I live in Florida and I’m still in shorts and flip-flops, but I know some of you are bundling up to head to work on frigid mornings or out for your evening jog. Wouldn’t a pair of toasty-warm, snuggly headphones make your ears happy?

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Audio Video News
Best Buy Launches Daily Deals Page
SV Staff  |  Dec 04, 2017
BestBuy kicked off a “deals of the day” page” on Friday to lure holiday shoppers to its website with the promise of the “best deals of the season on items like 4K TVs, laptops, tablets, and more.”
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Audio Video News
November 2017 Top Picks at a Glance
SV Staff  |  Dec 01, 2017
As the holidays draw near, it’s time to start locking down your year-end plan. Which of the products on your upgrade list will make the cut? If a 4K/HDR TV is under consideration but your budget is getting a bit tapped out, we have two recent Top Picks to recommend, along with several other products that got the big Sound & Vision thumbs up in November. Among them an integrated amplifier/streamer audiophiles will love, a soundbar with Virtual DTS:X processing for $300 (no that’s not a typo), a wireless multiroom music system that’s inexpensive and sounds great, and a second-generation Ultra HD Blu-ray player that will take your home theater experience to the next level. All deserve serious consideration.
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Ears On
How Smart Does Your Smartphone Have to Be?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 01, 2017
Normally I use this blog to explain things. In this case, perhaps I need you to explain something to me. Specifically (in Jerry Seinfeld voice) what's the deal with those expensive phones?

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Boss Baby
Thomas J. Norton  |  Dec 01, 2017
Picture
Sound
Extras
When a new baby arrives at the Templeton house, seven-year-old Tim has his world turned upside down. He’s even more flummoxed when he sees that the baby is wearing a suit, carrying a briefcase, and is here on a mission from BabyCorp, where babies come from. Puppy Co., the company that Tim’s parents work for, is threatening BabyCorp’s only market by producing cute, cuddly, “forever puppies” that threaten to eliminate the human passion for babies.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Circle
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 01, 2017
Picture
Sound
Extras
If you do something in your life and there’s no camera around to capture it, did it really happen? In essence, that’s the core conceit of The Circle, director James Ponsoldt’s of-the-moment adaptation of Dave Eggers’ 2013 speculative fiction novel that imagines a fully interconnected world where the life unfilmed is not worth living (well, kinda).
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