LATEST ADDITIONS

Tech2
Microsoft Surface: to iPad or not to iPad, that is the Question
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 22, 2012

To a surprising amount of excitement, Microsoft announced the a pair of new tablets this week. Web reactions to the new Surface — as you’d expect — were split down party lines: “It’s not an iPad! It’s stupid!” and “It’s not an iPad! It’s the second coming!”

Reality, as usual, is somewhere in the middle. It’s possible the Surface is a worthy iPad competitor something that, so far, we have not seen.

It all comes down to one, seemingly simple, thing...

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Balanced Output to Unbalanced Input
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 21, 2012
I am very close to pulling the trigger on an Oppo BDP-95 Blu-ray player. Is there any benefit to using the XLR stereo outputs even though my Marantz SR7005 A/V receiver does not have such inputs? Is it worth buying XLR-to-RCA cables to take advantage of those connections?

Emmanuel Margetic

Continue Reading »
The Connected Life
The Last Big Bite
John Sciacca  |  Jun 21, 2012

This is the tale of two companies whose products you likely interact with on a daily basis. Two companies that aim to capture the Holy Grail of the consumer electronics world: your living room. One company has had great success with its mission, while the other one has repeatedly failed.

The companies are Apple and Microsoft.

Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsThe Big Picture
Dolby Atmos Theater Locations
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 20, 2012
As I recount in my coverage of the world premier of Brave, it's the first movie with a soundtrack mixed for the Dolby Atmos sound system, which envelops the audience much more than conventional 5.1 or 7.1. But as a brand new technology, Atmos is currently installed in only 14 theaters around the country.

Do you live near one of them? If so, I strongly recommend seeing Brave there so you can experience the next generation of cinema sound. Here's a list of theaters with Dolby Atmos:

Continue Reading »
Subwoofer Reviews
Review: Sonos Sub
Brent Butterworth  |  Jun 20, 2012

Since my first lengthy experience with Sonos products, I've been recommending them as a simpler, lower-cost alternative to traditional multiroom audio systems. It's just so much easier. Plug in a Sonos component, go through a simple config, and you have great-sounding music and Internet radio in any room (or many rooms) in a matter of minutes, all controlled by your smartphone or computer.

But there's one thing a Sonos system doesn't deliver: bass. Now that's fixed.

Continue Reading »
Subwoofer Reviews
Review: Sonos Sub Page 2
Brent Butterworth  |  Jun 20, 2012

Since my first lengthy experience with Sonos products, I’ve been recommending them as a simpler, lower-cost alternative to traditional multiroom audio systems. It’s just so much easier. Plug in a Sonos component, go through a simple config, and you have great-sounding music and Internet radio in any room (or many rooms) in a matter of minutes, all controlled by your smartphone or computer.

But there’s one thing a Sonos system doesn’t deliver: bass. Now that’s fixed.

Continue Reading »
New Products
New Gear: Definitive Technology SoloCinema XTR Soundbar
Michael Berk  |  Jun 20, 2012

We first heard tell of the new SoloCinema XTR soundbar from Definitive Technology back in January, at the 2012 CES, and the unit impressed us there with the sheer feature set and wattage the Baltimore firm had packed into a 43-inch wide, 2 and 3/8-inch deep profile.

Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsThe Big Picture
Brave World Premier
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 19, 2012
Last night, I was fortunate enough to attend the world premier of Brave, the latest animated feature from Disney and Pixar that will open nationwide on June 22. The star-studded event was held at the newly renamed Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards and Cirque du Soleil's Iris located in the heart of Hollywood, California.
Continue Reading »
Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 116: Tyll Hertsens
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 19, 2012
Tyll Hertsens, editor of our sibling website InnerFidelity.com, responds to Steve Guttenberg's comments on a previous podcast that objective measurements are not useful in predicting a user's preference for one piece of audio gear over another, illustrating his points with graphs from his measurements of various headphones. He also talks about the importance of subjective listening, answers chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:04:41

Continue Reading »
Signals
Audio History
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 19, 2012

It’s easy to think of sound recordings in the present tense. Thanks to modern marketing, we’re fixated on this week’s downloads, who’s doing well on America’s Got Talent, and what Lady Gaga is wearing. (Whatever happened to that meat dress, anyway?) But a very cool thing happens once something is recorded.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X