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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Gravity
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 28, 2014
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Gravity doesn’t waste a single second: After a brief text reminds us of how utterly dangerous space is, disaster strikes a shuttle crew in the midst of a Hubble telescope upgrade. With the help of veteran spaceman Matt Kowalski (the ever-affable George Clooney), scientist Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock, ditching her blatant sass in favor of genuine emotion) must find a way to survive her first mission and return home alive somehow. But with one unfortunate twist after another, her ordeal is relentless.
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Portable Player ReviewsGrace Notes
Review: Bayan Audio Soundbook and Soundbook X3 Jump the Pond
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 28, 2014
It’s possible that you’ve never heard of Bayan Audio. The company is better known in the UK, where it has built a solid reputation. Now, Bayan is bringing two new products to North America. The Soundbook and Soundbook X3 are portable Bluetooth speakers packed with some very cool features in very impressive packages. Can they make the jump over the pond and land with a big enough splash in an already crowded speaker market?

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Audio Video News
Elite Introduces Starling Line of Motorized Projection Screens Starting at $299
SV Staff  |  Apr 28, 2014
Elite Screens has introduced the Starling series of motorized 16:9 format projection screens in a range of sizes, including 100, 120, 135 inches (diagonal), at prices starting at $299.
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Audio Video News
Survey Shows Most Unwanted Phones, Tablets, and MP3 Players Are Not Recycled
SV Staff  |  Apr 27, 2014
Americans are well educated on the benefits of recycling bottles, cans, and paper but when it comes to electronics devices all bets are off. The proliferation of cell phones and tablets has led to a growing glut of "e-waste" piling up in people's homes, as well as a lack of understanding about what to do with broken, unwanted, or outdated devices.
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Headphone Amp/DAC ReviewsMedia Server ReviewsOther Source Component Reviews
Sony HAP-S1 High-Resolution Audio Player
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 25, 2014

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
500-GB hard drive
DSD capable
Serious fun to use
Minus
No live streaming from network devices
Lightweight amp

THE VERDICT
This handsome DSD-capable audio player with built-in storage takes the pesky computer out of computer audio—and it’s way more fun to use.

Sony made waves when they announced their intention to market three high-resolution audio (HRA) products built around the company’s DSD file format. True, there was a nascent HRA movement before Sony made the move, with loads of network audio players and USB DACs flooding the market. But somehow the Sony announcement provided the extra momentum that finally made HRA seem not just promising but inevitable. That the Consumer Electronics Association has also launched an HRA initiative is icing on the cake.

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Headphone ReviewsTech2
Review: Jabra Wants You to Rox Your Next Workout
Lauren Dragan  |  Apr 24, 2014
If you’re like me, you can’t get any kind of workout done without music. A driving beat helps to regulate breathing, encourages you to keep up the pace, and energizes you when you’re ready to call it quits. But sometimes the toughest part of working out isn’t my burning muscles, it’s getting the right pair of headphones that sound good, stay put, and deliver my tunes. There’s a lot out of offerings there these days, and Jabra is entering the fray with their first Bluetooth sport headphone, the Rox. But do they have the fortitude to go the distance?
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Audio Video News
Sony Focuses on High-Rez Audio with New Line of Affordable AV Receivers and Speakers
SV Staff  |  Apr 24, 2014
Sony is aiming to make high-resolution music available to a broader audience with the introduction of high-rez-capable AV receivers, a Blu-ray-based home theater system, and a series of speakers, all due out in May. Two of four new receivers and the Blu-ray system are equipped to handle a variety of audio formats from FLAC to Sony's own Direct Stream Digital (DSD), originally developed for Super Audio CD.
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New Products
New Gear
SV Staff  |  Apr 24, 2014
An inexpensive cleaner for your TV screen, GoldenEar's latest tower speaker, an NFC/Bluetooth adapter, and more.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Cat People
Josef Krebs  |  Apr 24, 2014
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Slightly campy, with oodles of gratuitous nudity and violence, writer-director Paul Schrader’s remake of the 1942 Val Lawton classic tells of Irena (Nastassja Kinski), a beautiful young woman who goes to New Orleans to stay with her sinister minister brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell). Irena represses her sexuality, fearing that animal lust will loose the beast and transform her—into a panther. When she falls in love, though, her desire makes her gradually embrace her nature.
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Gadget Gary
Should I Override My Audyssey Auto-setup?
Al Griffin  |  Apr 24, 2014
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have an Integra DHC-80.3 preamp/processor with Audyssey MultEQ XT32. Reading the manual, I learned that I should set the speaker crossover to 80 Hz because “Audyssey recommends that speakers are ALWAYS set to Small when there is a subwoofer in the system.” This apparently allows for proper bass management and more headroom in the receiver or amplifier.  

So here are my questions. My speaker system is based around full-range B&W CM10 towers (powered by 250-watt mono amps) and includes a single subwoofer. Do I still need to choose an 80 Hz crossover point for my setup? Also, is there a point in upgrading to speakers with more powerful bass if I do cross them over at 80 Hz? —Bill Wong / via email

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