LATEST ADDITIONS

Signals
Rock and Roll Can Never Die. (Or Can It?)
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jan 21, 2014
“My my, hey hey. Rock and roll is here to stay. It's better to burn out than to fade away. My my, hey hey. Out of the blue and into the black. They give you this, but you pay for that. And once you're gone, you can never come back. When you're out of the blue, and into the black. Hey hey, my my. Rock and roll can never die.”

Continue Reading »
Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphone
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 20, 2014
The new Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear headphone takes everything I loved about the original Momentum over-ear headphone and puts it in a smaller, infinitely more stylish and affordable package. Coming in a range of colors, and at a lower price, this headphone retains the sound quality and voice of the original but makes it more accessible to more people.

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Does it Make Sense to Salvage an Old CRT Projector?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 20, 2014
Continue Reading »
Soundbar Reviews
Vizio S5430w-C2 Soundbar
Steve Guttenberg  |  Jan 17, 2014

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $300

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Three-channel soundbar
Impressive soundstage width
Excellent price/performance ratio
Minus
May block your TV’s remote sensor
No supplied subwoofer

THE VERDICT
Vizio’s affordable S5430w-C2 sounds great with movies and music, and adding your own sub cranks it up a notch.

The sonics of soundbars have improved steadily over the years. It wasn’t that long ago that even the priciest flagship models were marginal performers, but Vizio’s affordably priced S5430w-C2 can provide a surprisingly satisfying home theater experience. That says a lot about Vizio’s commitment to push the limits of the category without straying too far from the entry-level price point. The all-plastic construction may be the most obvious price concession here, but since you’ll rarely touch the soundbar in use, I’d consider that a cost-effective design choice. Its understated appearance is easy on the eyes.

Continue Reading »
Tech2
The Top 8 Things I Learned at My First CES
Lauren Dragan  |  Jan 16, 2014
This was the first year I made the trek to Las Vegas to experience the CES mayhem. I had heard many things about CES, and while a lot of it was true, there were also some aspects that I never anticipated. Here, in no particular order are the top 8 things I learned at CES.
Continue Reading »
SmartStream
2014 CES Revisited: Streaming and Smart TV Technology Matures
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 16, 2014
Here are a few more tidbits about streaming media players and Smart TVs that were revealed at CES 2014.
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
What’s Expanded Color and Do I Need to Calibrate My TV for It?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 16, 2014
Q Sony has produced some Blu-ray discs that are mastered at 4K resolution and have an expanded color gamut called xvYCC. Is this the same thing as Deep Color or the DCI color space on Panasonic Plasma TVs?  Also, do I need to calibrate my TV for xvYCC, Deep Color, or DCI instead of the Rec. 709 color space to see expanded color with these discs?— William Lee via email
Continue Reading »
A/V Veteran
CES 2014: It's a Wrap
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 16, 2014
The International CES for 2014 is history. But don’t call it the Consumer Electronics Show any longer. Just CES will do. The CEA, which runs the show (I guess it’s still OK to call the CEA the Consumer Electronics Association) wants to drop the long form, probably so we can now call it the CES show without being redundant.

In any case, a consumer electronics show by any other name is still a consumer electronics show. And it continues to be the biggest game in Las Vegas every January. Over the years it has outgrown its roots as an audio/video show to encompass all manner of electronic detritus. Computers and gadgets of all sorts now deck the halls. After the show I heard something about a Bluetooth toothbrush, but I missed out on seeing it. My life is now without meaning.

Continue Reading »
CES 2014
Nanotech Streams 4K
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 15, 2014
Nanotech demonstrated streaming 4K from a 4K server. There were three monitors in use, all of them relatively small, two of them shown here and a Seiki 50-incher off to the right and out of the picture.
Continue Reading »
The S&V Interview
Graham Nash, Harmonic Sound Catcher
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 15, 2014
“Music is astounding, isn’t it?” Graham Nash is genuinely enamored with the wonders of sound. There’s always a special twinkle in his eye whenever we get together to talk about the indelible music he’s made since the early 1960s, the new music he’s planning to make next, and how he plans to have it all, both new and old, sound even better. Nash, 71, and I met at the Broadway HQ of Random House publishing arm Crown Archetype in New York City to dive deep into his quite revelatory autobiography, Wild Tales. In addition to discussing all of the shadows, shades, and sweet sonic details to be found within Tales, we also delved into why he’s been working “under the headphones” on a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young project that may very well become the first official hi-res Pono release. Carry on...
Continue Reading »

Pages

X