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Audio Video News
Klipsch intros first Bluetooth speaker
SV Staff  |  May 08, 2013

The KMC 3, Klipsch's first Bluetooth speaker, doesn't look like anything radical, but to our eyes, it's a new paradigm for personal audio. Most of its competitors use Apple's AirPlay wireless audio technology, but the KMC 3 uses Bluetooth, making it compatible with any type of smartphone. Most of its competitors need an AC outlet to operate, but the KMC 3 runs off batteries or AC.

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Audio Video News
Hollywood Special-Effects Pioneer Ray Harryhausen RIP: 1920-2013
HT Staff  |  May 08, 2013
Hollywood special-effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen died May 7 in London. He was 92. While not a household name, Harryhausen is know for his work on such classic films as Mighty Joe Young (1949) and Clash of the Titans (1981). In his memory we present Chris Chiarella's 2008 interview with Harryhausen.
This Week
This Week in Music, May 7, 2013: Natalie Maines - ready to make rock? Page 3
Ken Richardson  |  May 07, 2013

Natalie Maines: Mother

New release (Columbia; tour dates with Dixie Chicks)
Photo by Danny Clinch  © Columbia

"Lots of albums by lead singers might just as well have been made by the band, but I think this is very different from anything the Dixie Chicks could make." So says Natalie Maines about her debut solo album. It's "a new direction," her press release underscores. Most common translation I've seen to date: It's "a rock album."

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This Week
This Week in Music, May 7, 2013: Natalie Maines — ready to make rock?
Ken Richardson  |  May 07, 2013

Natalie Maines: Mother

New release (Columbia; tour dates with Dixie Chicks)
Photo by Danny Clinch  © Columbia

“Lots of albums by lead singers might just as well have been made by the band, but I think this is very different from anything the Dixie Chicks could make.” So says Natalie Maines about her debut solo album. It’s “a new direction,” her press release underscores. Most common translation I’ve seen to date: It’s “a rock album.”

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Grace Notes
Review: Stellé Audio Couture Pillar
Leslie Shapiro  |  May 07, 2013

To cut through the clutter of Bluetooth-enabled wireless speakers on the market these days, one would need a stiletto. Or at least a pair of stiletto heels.  The Stellé Audio Couture Pillar is making its way through the crowd with a difference. The Pillar (in fact, the entire Stellé Audio Couture product line) is being targeted and marketed to women, with a sense of style and fashion blended with good quality products.  

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Vote
Do you use your smartphone or tablet to control A/V gear?
HT Staff  |  May 07, 2013
Until we’re able to use our minds to reliably control our A/V gear, most of us will continue to use a conventional remote handset to operate our equipment. But apps that that can turn a smartphone or tablet into a home theater remote control are becoming popular. Take a moment to respond to this week’s HT Poll and tell us how you control your gear stack. And if you use a remote control app, tell us what you like and don’t like about it in Comments.
Do you use your smartphone or tablet to control A/V gear?
Yes, for my TV only
1% (11 votes)
Yes, for a few A/V components
25% (207 votes)
Yes, for all of my A/V gear
10% (83 votes)
No, but I’m thinking about finding an app and checking it out
12% (102 votes)
No, I don’t see the point
13% (106 votes)
No, I love my pile of manufacturer-supplied remotes
11% (92 votes)
No, I love my programmable universal remote that controls all of my gear
28% (237 votes)
Total votes: 838
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This Week
This Week in Movies & TV, May 7, 2013: Prisoners, Escapees, & Outsiders
Josef Krebs  |  May 07, 2013

Jack Reacher

Reacher (Tom Cruise) is an ex-lifer military police officer living off the grid. He agrees to become lead investigator for attorney Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike) who’s trying to keep a veteran sniper off death row since all evidence points to him having randomly shot five people.

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Tech2
LED vs CFL Bulbs: Color Temp, light spectrum, and more
Geoffrey Morrison  |  May 06, 2013

This is one of the nerdier posts I've done, but since I'm unabashedly a nerd, and I hope many of you are too, I figured it would work.

You see, I love LEDs. I think they're fascinating in how they work, what they can do, and so on. As you'd expect, I'm slowly replacing the CFL bulbs in my house with LEDs.

The thing is, not all LED bulbs are equal, and one of the biggest drawbacks is that not all offer the "warmth" in color temperature most of us love in incandescents.  So I put a few different LEDs on my test bench, measuring them sort of how I measure TVs, to see how they do.

Curious? Well I was, hopefully you will be too.

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Remotely Possible
More Power To the People
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 06, 2013
Power cords. Three-prong adapters. Wall-wart power supplies and USB chargers with their thin, inevitably tangled cords. Running out of available outlets. These are all things I hate. Hell, even polarized plugs annoy the crap out of me. Let’s just say that when wireless power transmission – or power-harvesting devices – ever becomes a reality, I’m going to be a particularly happy individual. (If only Tesla were still alive…) In the meantime, the previously mentioned assortment vexing electrical necessities are things we all have no other choice than to deal with.

Fortunately there are plenty of devices out there that are specifically designed to lessen the pain of dealing with power cords and power supplies...

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New Products
NAD Announces Trio of Digital Audio Products
HT Staff  |  May 06, 2013
As part of its 40th Anniversary celebration, NAD Electronics has announced three compact, “eco-friendly” digital audio products, including an update of the iconic NAD 3020 integrated amplifier, one of the best selling hi-fi products of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
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