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Ears On
Used Vinyl Is the Poor Man's High-Res
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 07, 2014
My moment of immortality in the Pazz & Jop Poll, the annual music critic's poll that runs in The Village Voice, came when I confessed my craving for classical music, not a popular genre at the Voice. I mentioned how much I loved gorging on $2 used LPs at the now-gone Tower Annex in Lower Manhattan, buying "as much dead white boy music as I can carry to the bus." My ballot comment ran in the paper, which was a great honor. That was sometime in the early 1990s, during the golden age of cheap vinyl, before the current vinyl resurgence. Folks were dumping LPs for CDs and even an impecunious collector could make out like a bandit. Today vinyl isn't as cheap as it once was; those 180-gram virgin-vinyl reissues cost a bundle, as do vintage pressings of Beatles and Pink Floyd albums. Yet even today I continue to collect loads of used classical vinyl. Most of it is still cheap and it's one of the few forms of high-res audio an inkstained wretch can afford to buy in large quantities.

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Tech2
What's Your Playlist for the Apocalypse?
Lauren Dragan  |  Mar 07, 2014
Some people are naturally motivated to exercise. They push themselves to the limit with nothing but the sound of their own breathing to guide them, entering a zen-like workout induced euphoria. I kinda hate these people. Don’t get me wrong. I love being in shape, but personally, I dislike “working out”. It’s hard. In fact, the reason that I run is because it’s not something that comes easily to me: I like the sense of accomplishment. But to get through it, I need a little something to distract me from all that muscle-and-lung-burning stuff. I know I’m not alone. Whenever I head out for a longer jog, one of my friends inevitably jokes that the only way that they would run is if they’re being chased. Well, friends, that can be arranged. How’d you like to escape a virtual zombie horde? Motivated yet?
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SmartStream
An HDMI Roku Streaming Stick for Everyone
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 06, 2014
Roku will release the Roku Streaming Stick that will work with any TV. Is a streaming stick right for you?
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Ask S&V
Is it Time to Replace the Lamp in My Old DLP Rear Projector?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 06, 2014
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have a 56-inch Samsung rear-projection DLP TV that I purchased in 2006. The set is installed in a room with low to medium light, and I sit about 12 to 14 feet away. I have never had any problems with the TV and have yet to replace its lamp. I’m now wondering, though, should I wait for the lamp to die, or replace it? Would a lamp replacement improve the picture? I have a two-year-old 40-inch Samsung LCD in another room that I’ve always admired for its crisp picture, though it looks a bit like a daytime soap opera even with the Movie mode selected.—Brian Pridgen / via e-mail

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The World’s End
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 05, 2014
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Magnifying the crisis in midlife crisis, arrested adolescent Gary King (Simon Pegg) coaxes his better-adjusted childhood chums to revisit their hometown and reattempt the feat that conquered them 20 years earlier: drinking their way through all 12 pubs of Newton Haven’s Golden Mile. Last stop: The World’s End. The five friends soon realize that most of the citizenry—including two of their own—have been replaced by alien automatons (“blanks”) and that sleepy Newton Haven is the beachhead for world conquest.
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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Man of Steel
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 05, 2014
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Whenever you dramatize one of the most beloved characters in all of popular culture, you’re going to elicit a lot of strong opinions. Many folks seem to either love or loathe Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder and producer/co-writer Christopher Nolan’s major reboot of the Superman franchise. The basic story is recognizable to even the most casual fans, yet much has changed, so it doesn’t feel like a rehash of any version we’ve seen before.
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Audio Video News
Miller & Kreisel Brand Returns
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 05, 2014
The venerable Miller & Kreisel loudspeaker brand is making a comeback. When a Danish company bought the brand in 2007, it was forced to take the name MK Sound. But new products being released for the 40th anniversary will wear the M&K (as opposed to MK) badge. These THX Ultra2–certified products include the S-300 monitor ($3,500/each), MP-300 on-wall speaker ($3,350/each), and S-300T on-wall tripole speaker ($4,000/pair).
New ProductsPremiere Design
MartinLogan Crescendo Music System
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 05, 2014
Smile If You Like Music
Yep, you read that right. MartinLogan, the 30-year-old Kansas-based company known for elegant, high-performance electrostatic speakers, is branching out. And, no, the Crescendo is not a center-channel speaker.
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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Escape From Planet Earth
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 05, 2014
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Gary Supernova is an ace coordinator at Mission Control on the planet BAAB. His specialty is keeping his lunkheaded brother Scorch, the planet’s superhero-astronaut, from getting himself killed on dangerous missions. But when the most hazardous mission of all comes up—to the Dark Planet from which no one has ever returned—Gary doesn’t want his brother to risk it. Scorch takes the assignment anyway, and Gary refuses to help. But when Scorch gets captured on the Dark Planet and imprisoned in Area 51 along with other alien life forms, Gary comes to the rescue.
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Audio Video News
TCL to Sell 48-inch HDTV for $449 at Sam’s Club
SV Staff  |  Mar 05, 2014
Chinese consumer electronics giant TCL (The Creative Life) yesterday introduced a 48-inch 1080p LED-backlit LCD HDTV that will be sold exclusively through Sam’s Club stores nationwide and online at SamsClub.com for $449 starting in early March. The model is the first in a 2014 lineup of TVs with screen sizes ranging from 23 to 55 inches due out later this spring.
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