LATEST ADDITIONS

The hardest of hard-core AV enthusiasts live in a world of perpetual upgrades. They love tinkering and being the first on the block with a shiny new piece of gear. They also love showing off those prize possessions, wowing friends, relatives, neighbors—anyone they can get to sit down with their new 4K OLED screen, full-tilt Dolby Atmos surround sound setup—you-name-it.

The era of VR is here, finally, with the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive are leading the charge. I’ve tried several generations the Oculus Rift and while it’s amazing, the Vive goes one step further. Literally.

Using laser tracking, the Vive lets you actually move around a virtual space.

I got my hands (and head) on one. Here’s the first part of a multi-part review series.

When you hear the term wireless speakers, chances are you think of Sonos. There’s good reason for that. Sonos staked out the wireless speaker category early on, establishing a solid product line known for reliable performance, engaging sound, and a user-friendly app that controls speakers in multiple rooms around the home. It also didn’t hurt that Sonos had the marketing budget in recent years for Super Bowl commercials—not exactly something that audio manufacturers are known for doing.

The audiocassette killed the LP. The Compact Disc killed the audiocassette. Downloads have all but killed the CD. And it looks increasingly as if streaming is killing downloads. Yet vinyl resurges, confounding the wing of audio punditry that has long asserted its flaws ought to make it stay dead. Me, I love good analog as much as I love good digital, and I also love the tactile experience of handling LPs. Once in a while I pick one off the shelf and marvel at what a beautiful artifact it is. Following are some of my favorite LP artifacts, with emphasis on unusual design and manufacturing gimmicks that make them especially pleasing as physical art objects.