LATEST ADDITIONS

Smart Speaker Reviews
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Smart Speaker Review
Rob Sabin  |  Mar 30, 2022

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $799

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive Imaging
Excellent timbre
Well-controlled dynamics
Alexa voice-control
Minus
Limited bass output
No wired inputs

THE VERDICT
The Zeppelin remains expensive as always, but the new 4th generation still delivers uncanny imaging and superb timbre from a small desktop speaker design.

The loudspeaker landscape is dotted with so-called classics. Legends like the Klipschorn, the Quad ESL, and the JBL L100 have remained in production for decades or enjoyed successful reboots not just because they appeal to our nostalgia, but because they remain bonafide audiophile-grade products.

Continue Reading »
Stream On
Exploring 3D Audio for Headphones on Amazon Music
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 30, 2022
A new spatial audio option for headphones from Amazon Music Unlimited offers yet another Atmos experience that everyone can wrap their head around.
Continue Reading »
Home Movie Theaters
Media Room Insider: Sedona Paradise
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 29, 2022
If there's a heaven on earth, it might well be Sedona, the town and breathtakingly beautiful region in northern Arizona famous for its reddish-orange sandstone formations— majestic creations that rise up from the desert landscape and glow brilliantly when the sun rises and sets. Sedona is serene, a place of mystical energy—the embodiment of America the Beautiful. It's easy to see why Wisconsin native John Hayward and his wife Bonnie were drawn there, and why they chose to build their dream home there in 2020.
Continue Reading »
A/V Veteran
Dune Redux, On Ultra HD Blu-Ray
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 29, 2022
When I wrote about the new film version of Dune some months back my reaction was positive. I saw it in a movie theater—my first visit to one in two years. There was plenty of social distancing during my visit; with a dozen or so other attendees at a midweek, midafternoon showing I could have swung a cat on a 10 foot rope without hitting anyone (with apologies to cat people). I enjoyed the film, but as I noted in that October 2021 blog, I was disappointed by the quality of much of the cinematography. This was surprising, since it was the Dolby Cinema in my local AMC-plex. Dolby Cinema is by far my favorite way to see a movie in a commercial theater. It wasn't the sort of disappointment the average viewer would feel, and even I could set my concerns aside once I got into the film. But I know Dolby Cinema can do better and the film deserved it.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
Monoprice Adds Mini-Tower Subs to THX Lineup
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 28, 2022
Monoprice is on a roll with the expansion of its upscale Monolith line, this time in the form of two new THX Certified Ultra subwoofers, both of which are rated to reach THX Reference levels with low distortion in rooms as big as 3,000 cubic feet.
Continue Reading »
Spatial Audio File
Hold Me Closer, Spatial Audio
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 25, 2022
Could it really be that Elton John is turning 75 today, March 25? (And here I thought he was on such a timeless flight. . .) Well, in celebration of our favorite pop piano maestro, we’re going to kick off this diamond birthday gala edition of Spatial Audio File with a pair of prime Elton tracks in all their Atmos-ified glory.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Piano
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 25, 2022
Picture
Sound
Extras
One of the most sensual movies I have ever seen, The Piano owes much to Holly Hunter's central depiction of the voluntarily mute Ada, who communicates through her music (she tickled her own ivories for the role), through sign language, and through her remarkably expressive face. A single mother dispatched with her daughter from Scotland to New Zealand for an arranged marriage, Ada soon finds herself the unwitting target of the affections of an unexpected admirer, igniting love, lust, and no small measure of understandable jealous rage.
Continue Reading »
The S&V Interview
Which of the New TV Technologies Will Prevail?
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 24, 2022

15 Minutes with Robert (Bob) O’Brien, Co-Founder, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC)

Advances in TV technology are coming fast and from many directions these days, giving consumers — and home theater enthusiasts, in particular — more reasons than ever to consider upgrading to a new set. Whether we’re talking Mini-LED, MicroLED, or QD-OLED, a new take on OLED technology, there’s a lot to keep up with. We tracked down industry insider Robert (Bob) O’Brien to get his take on what has become a very dynamic space.

Continue Reading »
Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsSurround Sound System Reviews
Elac Uni-Fi Reference UBR62 Surround Speaker System Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 23, 2022

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $3,100 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Clean-sounding dialogue
Silky detail
Big, open presentation
Minus
Limited deep bass (without sub)

THE VERDICT
Elac’s new Uni-Fi Reference series can hang with many far larger and pricier loudspeakers. Just add a subwoofer or two to this system for movies, and you’ll be good to go.

German speaker company Elac has had quite a run over the past few years, with designer Andrew Jones turning out new models on an annual basis after setting the audio world on its ears in 2016 with the Elac Debut. Following the Debut's launch, the company came out with the pricier Uni-Fi. A three-way bookshelf design, the Uni-Fi incorporated a coincident midrange-woofer that positions the tweeter at the apex of the midrange cone where the dust cap usually sits.

Continue Reading »
Music and Soundtrack FeaturesThe S&V Interview
Carlos Santana on Blessings, Miracles, and Full Musical Immersion
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 22, 2022
"I'm just very grateful we're allowed to, by grace, manifest some really, really high-standard, quality music. We do not have to be victims of static."

That's rock legend Carlos Santana, succinctly summarizing two things at once: a) the fine art of making music worth listening to, and b) being able to hear that music as clearly as the artist intended. (To that end, Carlos and I wound up switching phone lines during the front end of our conversation in order to hear each other with a much better-sounding connection, but that's another story.)

Continue Reading »

Pages

X