LATEST ADDITIONS

Audio Video News
Make Your TV Disappear
SV Staff  |  Feb 08, 2017
Inca won’t win any awards for the pedestrian name it has bestowed upon its latest TV concealment system, but the “Vertical Step Back & Rise” mechanism (900806-VSR) is sure to elicit oohs and aahs from unsuspecting bystanders.
Continue Reading »
Portable Player Reviews
HiFiMan SuperMini Music Player Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 08, 2017

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $399

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Balanced and unbalanced output
Drives moderately demanding headphones
Hi-res capable, including DSD
Minus
No album art
No fancy DAC chip
No user-accessible internal RAM

THE VERDICT
The HiFiMan SuperMini combines the sonics of a gentle top end and luscious mids with light weight, long battery life, and enough power to drive slightly less efficient headphones.

HiFiMan was founded in New York by Dr. Fang Bian. The company now operates from China but does not outsource either manufacturing or design. Headphones come from a factory in Dongguan. Music players come from another factory in Kunshan. R&D runs in Shanghai, software is developed in Shenzhen, and headquarters are in Tianjin. Unlike so many storied audio brands that have cut loose from their original motivation, 11-year-old HiFiMan continues to reflect the vision of Dr. Fang.

Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
B&W Applies 800 Series Knowhow to In-Walls
SV Staff  |  Feb 08, 2017
Bowers & Wilkins is applying knowledge gleaned from nearly 40 years of refining its iconic 800 series of floorstanding speakers to a new line of in-wall speakers.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Vizio to Pay $2 Million in FTC “Spy” Settlement
SV Staff  |  Feb 07, 2017
Vizio has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and New Jersey’s Office of The Attorney General that it installed software to collect viewing data on 11 million smart TVs without consumers’ knowledge or consent.
Continue Reading »
A/V Veteran
Sneak Peek: What We Know About HDMI 2.1
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 07, 2017
HDMI is about to get a major upgrade. Here's why you should care.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
Amphion Announces Argon 7LS Speaker
SV Staff  |  Feb 07, 2017
Amphion Loudspeakers of Finland has announced a replacement for its Argon 7L floorstanding speaker.
Continue Reading »
New ProductsPremiere Design
Play Me a Tune: Meet Yamaha's Amazing Disklavier Enspire Wholehouse Piano
Bob Ankosko  |  Feb 07, 2017
I’ve been fascinated with player pianos ever since I visited the Alamo Saloon in Old Abilene Town years ago as a kid. The reenactment of Wild Bill Hickok’s famous gunfight was a hoot, but watching those cancan girls dance to an upright piano that was playing itself was downright mesmerizing. I recently visited the Yamaha Artist Services facility in New York to experience a modern, super-charged version of that old player piano—the Disklavier Enspire.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sonus faber Announces High-End Speaker Series
SV Staff  |  Feb 07, 2017
Italian speaker maker Sonus faber has announced the Homage Tradition collection featuring revamped versions of the company’s Amati and Guarneri speakers and the new Serafino, a scaled down version of the floorstanding Amati.
Continue Reading »
Signals
Hello, Alexa. Are You There?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Feb 07, 2017
OK. First we need to talk about the picture. His name is Graham. Don’t get too creeped out. He’s not a real guy. He’s just a rendering. You’ve probably already seen Graham. His picture has been floating around the web-o-sphere for a while. He is what a guy might look like if he’s evolved to survive car crashes. But I’m pretty sure it’s also what you would look like, after Alexa has her way with you.
Continue Reading »
Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Ears On Test: Do Custom Tips Make a Difference?
Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 06, 2017
Nothing steps up your game like a pair of custom earphones. They’re usually priced so high that customs were reserved for only the most devoted audiophiles. Snugs, a company out of London, England is making them accessible to the masses by creating custom ear tips, and partnering with Echobox to match them to the Nomad Titanium Earphones(MSRP $399).

Continue Reading »

Pages

X