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Subwoofer Reviews
M&K Sound X12 THX Subwoofer
David Vaughn  |  Mar 19, 2014

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $3,200

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Powerful, deep, and taut bass response
Outstanding build quality
Sealed push-pull design
Minus
No built-in parametric equalizer
Pricey

THE VERDICT
M&K Sound calls the X12 the subwoofer, and I can’t disagree with them. This is one of the best subwoofers I’ve ever heard in my room.

M&K Sound got started when Walter Becker of Steely Dan commissioned Ken Kreisel to design a studio reference subwoofer and monitoring system for the Pretzel Logic mixing sessions. Partnering with a high-end audio dealer, Jonas Miller, Kreisel developed a revolutionary subwoofer that led to the creation of M&K. As time passed, word of mouth spread throughout the music and movie industries, and M&K would go on to create systems for leading studios and in-home installations for producers, actors, and recording artists.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Elysium
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 19, 2014
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to his justly acclaimed District 9 is Elysium, another social commentary set in a strangely relatable future. This time he contrasts the lives of the wealthy against those of the downtrodden, with all of Earth having become a decrepit, overcrowded hellhole. A former criminal (Matt Damon) is trying to stay on the straight and narrow, but when he becomes collateral damage of the rich getting richer, his only hope for survival is to infiltrate that utopian space station of the title.
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Music Reviews
Eric Clapton: Give Me Strength: The ’ 74/ ’ 75 Recordings
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 19, 2014
Performance
Sound
Eric Clapton was at the crossroads of Personal Hell Avenue and Professional Conundrum Street as the calendar turned to 1974. His crippling heroin addiction derailed the creative momentum he achieved with Derek and the Dominos and Layla in 1970, and it took him a few long, painful years to emerge from the haze and return to chasing down his one true muse with guitar (and not needle) in hand. The jam-packed Give Me Strength: The ’74/’75 Recordings box set charts his sonic recovery.
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New Products
New Gear
SV Staff  |  Mar 19, 2014
The latest crop of new gear includes a hi-rez music player and two speakers: one a kick-ass Bluetooth portable, the other a super-thin model that literally disappears.
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Vote
How Do You Get Rid of Your Old AV Gear?
SV Staff  |  Mar 19, 2014
If there’s one truth in living the home entertainment dream, apart from the sheer enjoyment we get from having movies and music come to life in our homes, it’s that we tend to accumulate gear—sometimes lots of gear. John Sciacca offered a number of suggestions for what to do with old equipment in his recent Old Electronics Get New Life column, which left us wondering how Sound & Vision readers get rid of AV treasures that are past their prime. Take a moment to make a choice below and then leave a comment to share your thoughts on the subject.
How Do You Get Rid of Your Old AV Gear?
Move it to the curb with garbage
3% (10 votes)
Bring it to the local recycling center
14% (49 votes)
Donate it to a charity like Good Will or Salvation Army
11% (38 votes)
Give it to a friend or relative
20% (72 votes)
Move it to another room in the house for secondary use
21% (73 votes)
Move it to a basement or attic storage area
12% (42 votes)
Sell it at a garage sale or online through a site like eBay
19% (68 votes)
Total votes: 352
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Audio Video News
Elite Screen Announces Affordable Ambient Light Rejecting Screen
SV Staff  |  Mar 19, 2014
Elite Screens has announced that its CineGrey 5D Ambient Light Rejecting projection screen is now available to the consumer market. The screen, which is compatible with active 3D and 4K projectors, is said to counter the wash-out effect from ambient light while enhancing contrast and color balance.
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The Connected Life
Back to the Future
John Sciacca  |  Mar 18, 2014
Once Cutting-Edge Systems Are Starting to Look like Dinosuars

Having been a custom installer since 1998, I’ve installed more than my share of housewide audio systems. And, as you can imagine, these systems have changed and evolved quite a bit over the years.

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Signals
Pono: It’s Baaaack!
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Mar 18, 2014
It’s been awhile since I’ve heard anything from new from Pono. When it was first unveiled, at least in concept, two years ago, Pono was a bit of a head-scratcher. Brainchild of rocker Neil Young, Pono was his response to the scourge of lo-fi music. Pono was a new music player and/or file format and/or music delivery system that would resurrect recorded music. Stay tuned. So, it was interesting to see Pono surface again at SXSW last week.

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Ask S&V
How Can I Avoid Turning Up the Volume to Hear Movie Dialogue?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 17, 2014
The effects of dynamic volume control are illustrated in this diagram from Audyssey.

Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q When watching a movie, I often have to turn the volume up to hear the dialogue but then find that the action scenes are too loud and have to turn it down again. My speakers are all from the same product line, so I know they are meant to play well together. I also use the automatic room correction on my Pioneer VSX-914-K AV receiver to adjust levels and distances for the speakers. Is the volume issue due to the way movies are mixed these days? —Ricky Meadows / via e-mail Ricky Meadows / via e-mail

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Headphone ReviewsTech2
JBL Syncros S400BT: Close to Syncros-nicity
Lauren Dragan  |  Mar 13, 2014
Ah, Bluetooth. The desire to cut the cord has led to a market flooded with a dozen new wireless headphone options in the last few months. The latest to enter the fray is JBL, with their Synchros S400BT: a touch sensor controlling, LED glowing, aptX encoding, Bluetooth 3.0 stereo over-ear headphone. With all those bells and whistles, I just had to give them a try. How would they measure up?
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