LATEST ADDITIONS

The S&V Interview
Charlie Daniels Explores the Sound Quality Trail on Night Hawk
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 21, 2016
Charlie Daniels is an American treasure. Still going strong on the cusp of his 80th birthday, the man best known for fiddle-driven story songs like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “In America,” and “The Legend of Wooley Swamp” has just released a long-gestating passion project, Night Hawk (CDC Records), which covers all different shades of the authentic cowboy lifestyle. “It was a long time in the making,” Daniels recounts. “Night Hawk is an album I’d always intended to make for many, many years, so I had been collecting songs for it for a long time. I wanted it to be an album with songs about the working cowboy, because that culture still exists.” I got on the line with Daniels, 79, to discuss the changes in recording technology over the years, the art of storytelling, and the many ways his band transforms other people’s material into Charlie Daniels Band (CDB) songs. With Night Hawk, the Long Haired Country Boy finally comes full circle.
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Audio Video News
Denon to Add Alexa Voice to Heos Line
SV Staff  |  Sep 21, 2016
All signs point to voice control playing an increasingly greater role in AV gear in the future. Denon is the latest company to embrace voice control...
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Return of the Iconic Dynaco ST70 Tube Amp
SV Staff  |  Sep 21, 2016
Back in April we reported on the return of two iconic brands—Hafler and Dynaco under the aegis of Radial Engineering. The Canadian company is making good on its promise to reintroduce the legendary Dynaco ST70 tube amplifier.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Sony STR-ZA5000 ES A/V Receiver Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 20, 2016

Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
CI focus, including eight-port Ethernet hub
9.1 channels for 5.1.4/7.1.2 surround
Redesigned setup mic
Minus
No Bluetooth, AirPlay, Wi-Fi, or DLNA

THE VERDICT
The Sony STR-ZA5000ES combines a hard-kicking amp with custom-install-friendly features.

In Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “Silver Blaze,” from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the great detective has this conversation with a police inspector, who speaks first:

“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”

“To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”

“The dog did nothing in the night-time.”

“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.

Just as the dog that didn’t bark enabled Holmes to identify a killer, the features that the Sony STR-ZA5000ES doesn’t have are clues to its identity. This $2,800 receiver doesn’t have Bluetooth, AirPlay, Wi-Fi, or any other wireless connectivity or network audio option—not even DLNA to work with its Ethernet jacks.

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A/V Veteran
CEDIA 2016: Cutting-Edge Projectors Steal the Show
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 20, 2016
CEDIA stands for the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. Unlike CES in January, which covers virtually everything in consumer electronics from cameras, to flat screen televisions. to audio, and to wearables (body décor with chips in them!), CEDIA caters to the large group of professionals who custom install and service electronics, mostly for the home. If you want a high-end home theater like the one shown above, but haven’t a clue as to how to do it, they’re there for you...
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Signals
House on Fire? Crank Up the Bass
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Sep 20, 2016
Unfortunately, your house is on fire. Which of the following should you do?
(a) Call 911.
(b) Grab your fire extinguisher.
(c) Grab your garden hose.
(d) Crank up the bass.
The answer, of course, is (d).

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Pioneer Previews its First 11-Channel AV Receiver
SV Staff  |  Sep 20, 2016
Pioneer introduced its first 11.2-channel AV receiver last week at CEDIA 2016.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Yamaha Adds MusicCast-Enabled Speaker & More
SV Staff  |  Sep 20, 2016
Yamaha has expanded its lineup of products that support its MusicCast wireless multiroom-audio platform, bringing the total number of models to 36.

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Audio Video News
Protecting Outdoor AV from Power Surges
SV Staff  |  Sep 19, 2016
A recent post by outdoor speaker specialist Terra addresses the question of whether you should install surge suppressors in an outdoor AV installation.
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Ask S&V
Can I Move Recordings Between DVRs?
Al Griffin  |  Sep 19, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Can recorded programs be transferred from one DVR to another? —Joe Nagy / via e-mail

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