LATEST ADDITIONS

Signals
The Return of Professor Lirpa!
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 01, 2014
Frankly, I thought he was dead. You know—like one of those male Hollywood stars who’s gone through three too many facelifts and goes into seclusion. Then suddenly he reappears in Teen Beat magazine with a photo of him kitesurfing with his 18-year-old supermodel girlfriend who is naked and you say to yourself—"Whoa! I thought he was dead!" Anyway, last night, precisely at midnight, there was a knock on my door. I unwisely opened it, and there stood Professor Lirpa.

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The Connected Life
HRA for the Masses
John Sciacca  |  Apr 01, 2014
Ask virtually any music listener if they own any high-resolution audio files, and they’ll likely give you a blank stare, wait a beat, and then maybe come back with a question like, “You mean like CDs I put on my computer or something?”

For the record, high-resolution refers to music recorded at better than CD’s 44.1-kHz/16-bit quality, usually 96-kHz/24-bit, typically written as “96/24.” (See my high-rez audio audio primer here).

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Audio Video News
Meridian Commemorates 25 Years of Digital Speakers with Live Event Tour
SV Staff  |  Apr 01, 2014
Public Events to Highlight New Special Edition Digital Speakers

On April 8, Meridian is kicking off a year-long series of public events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its first digital speaker, the D600. Each event will feature in-depth demonstrations of new Special Edition versions of the company’s DSP8000 ($80,000), DSP7200, ($46,000), and DSP5200 ($20,000) DSP-controlled digital speakers. Meridian engineers will be on hand at the events to conduct demonstrations and answer questions.

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A/V Veteran
Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On Your Head
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 31, 2014
From a recent article in the Los Angeles Times:

“A South Korean Company aiming to transform the way Americans experience movies at the multiplex is bringing its ‘4-D’ technology to Los Angeles.”

What’s 4-D? The technology is actually called 4DX, and instead of just picture and sound it adds, as needed, moving and vibrating seats, wind, strobe lights, fog, rain, and scents, all of them supporting what’s happening on the screen.

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Audio Video News
McIntosh Introduces High-End Headphone Amp and Audio System
SV Staff  |  Mar 31, 2014
McIntosh Laboratory has announced the imminent arrival of the MHA100, the company’s first dedicated headphone amplifier, and the MXA70 integrated audio system.
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Tech2
SIM Cards Are Awesome
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Mar 28, 2014
There’s something your phone can do (probably) that can not only save you money, but make vacations more enjoyable (maybe).

They’re called SIM cards, and they’re not much discussed in the States, but are commonplace pretty much everywhere else.

To find out why you should care (potentially), read on.

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3D Projector ReviewsProjector Reviews
Sony VPL-VW600ES 3D LCOS 4K Projector
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 28, 2014

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $15,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Smooth, clean detail
Excellent color
Rich, dark blacks
Minus
Occasional iris pumping
Pricey

THE VERDICT
With its compelling reproduction of smooth detail, fine color, and impressive brightness with 2D content, the VPL-VW600ES offers a tantalizing taste of 4K.

In case you haven’t noticed—or have just returned from an extended spring break in Antarctica—the newest thing in home video is Ultra HD, or 4K. 3D is so 2010. 4K is now.

But 4K home projectors are still a rarity, and so far, there haven’t been any true 4K consumer projectors even remotely approaching the price of a good 1080p model. Until now, that is. Sony’s new VPL-VW600ES comes in at an MSRP of $15,000, or just over half the price of the company’s VPL-VW1100ES, a recent update of the VPL-VW1000ES (Sony’s first consumer 4K model). That’s not exactly chicken feed, but it’s a move in the right direction.

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Video Processor Reviews
DVDO Quick6 HDMI Switcher
Kris Deering  |  Mar 28, 2014

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $399

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Full 3D and UHD support
Blazing fast switching
Options for legacy device support
Minus
USB location may be tricky for some

THE VERDICT
DVDO redefines what to expect from an HDMI switcher and lets your older gear play nice with the new stuff.

When I think of a video switcher, my mind’s eye typically sees a boring little box (with some buttons on the front) that does nothing more than link one of its inputs to a common output. DVDO’s Quick6 is entirely different. Not only is it the fastest HDMI switching device I’ve ever come across, but it also has a ton of useful features that can help both new and old systems alike with today’s cutting-edge gear.

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In-Wall Speaker ReviewsSoundbar Reviews
Niles Cynema Soundfield CSF55A In-Wall Soundbar System
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Mar 27, 2014

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,547

AT A GLANCE
Plus
A 55-inch horizontal soundbar that can be installed without modifying the wall studs
Can learn volume and mute IR codes from your TV’s remote
Excellent simulated
surround and music
processing
Minus
Really needs a subwoofer
Only one HDMI input

THE VERDICT
The Niles CSF55A is more expensive than a similarly performing active soundbar, but it’s well worth it for the person who wants the gear to disappear without giving up any sound quality.

It’s either the craziest flippin’ idea ever, or it’s absolutely brilliant. I mean, in-wall speakers are one thing. Soundbars, though, especially active soundbars, are completely different creatures. But somebody at Niles—whether inspired by an offhanded joke, an improbable Frankenstein-like engineering experiment, or an alcohol-infused haze after a tedious sales meeting—decided that what the world needs is an active, in-wall soundbar system to complement wall-mounted flat-panel TVs.

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Music Reviews
Neil Finn: Dizzy Heights
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 27, 2014
Performance
Sound
Neil Finn is a restless soul. Though the New Zealand–bred singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist has long mastered the craft of concocting melodic gems—Split Enz’s “I Got You,” Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” his solo single “She Will Have Her Way”—he continues to search for ways to shake up song arrangements and their ensuing sonic character while still managing to keep everything eminently hummable. By teaming up with longtime Flaming Lips sonic alchemist/producer Dave Fridmann to co-turn the knobs for his third solo album, Dizzy Heights, Finn plants a stylistic flag that whips together a heady mixture of stark minimalism and ethereally dramatic effects.
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