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Surround Sound System ReviewsBookshelf Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Wharfedale DX-1 HCP Speaker System
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 19, 2012

DX-1 HCP Speaker
Performance
Build Quality
Value
 
DX-1 subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
Price: $799 At A Glance: Sweet but detailed mids • High-gloss finish • Great sats, OK sub

One of your best friends calls up to announce that she is about to wed someone rich and powerful. He owns a shipyard that manufactures exceptionally luxurious yachts. You’re happy for her, but you worry, too. Would living with such a strong personality, a guy with all that money and all that power, be good for her? Would it make her stronger or weaker? A few years later you run into her, and after a few hours of conversation, you conclude that she’s in great shape internally as well as externally. There’s a serenity beneath the tan. Her husband is affectionate and faithful, a child is on the way, and she’s never been happier.

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Streaming Device Reviews
Vizio Co-Star Streaming Player with Google TV
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 19, 2012
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Price: $100 At A Glance: Bluetooth-enabled for pairing with remote control and headphones • Access live TV and streaming sources in one place • Global search includes live TV • Universal remote with touchpad mouse and QWERTY keyboard

Two years ago, the initial launch of Google TV on the Sony TV and Logitech Revue media streamers was a real disappointment. I was excited to try out the first of the new generation of Google TV devices, but found them plagued by a preponderance of blocked content and haphazard navigation. Vizio's Co-Star media streamer is among a couple of products (along with Sony’s NSG-GS7) now taking the lead as the Google TV platform inches closer to Google's goal of pulling together content from online, home media libraries, and live TV in a single device.

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Tech2
Review: Planetside 2 (Beta)
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Oct 19, 2012

Technically, Planetside 2 isn't out yet (the full game launches November 20). So technically, this isn't a review. But I'm having so much fun playing it, I couldn't keep it to myself any longer.

The original Planetside was the first (and still only) MMOFPS. Battles raged, waged over entire continents, with hundreds of players locked in epic sci-fi skirmishes. It was glorious.

Then Sony ruined it. If the beta is any indication, this is one serious mea culpa.

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TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Vizio XVT3D580CM 3D LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 18, 2012
2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $2,000 At A Glance: Wide, wide image on wide, wide movies • Outstanding detail and good color • Bright, punchy 3D • Minor issues need sorting out

It was just a year or so ago when I first noticed that most of the movies I looked forward to experiencing on my home theater projection system were ’Scope films—productions with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 or 2.40:1. Comedies, documentaries, art-house fare, and virtually all HD broadcasts are mainly limited to 1.85:1, 1.78:1 (16:9), or 1.66:1 (European widescreen). Classic films, of course, are 4:3.

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Tech2
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2012 Report: Electronics & Turntables
Brent Butterworth  |  Oct 17, 2012

As I said in Monday’s coverage of headphones and Wednesday’s coverage of speakers, Denver’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest is the biggest, most exciting, and most important of the regional hi-fi shows that have sprung up all over the U.S. and Canada.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Restoration Software: Universal Studios Classics Restored for Blu-ray
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 17, 2012
Going back a few years, the arrival of high definition in general and Blu-ray specifically signaled a new era of entertainment. While home theater has long promised a movie-watching experience that we could enjoy in our pajamas—without getting arrested—the reign of the 1080p optical disc promised us DVD convenience combined with superior cinematic quality. Delivering on that promise wasn’t always so easy, however. Owing to a variety of variables, such as poor film storage, tight budgets, and the simple fact that some studios are more dedicated to the preservation of their libraries than others, many of the most anticipated Blu-ray debuts have been lackluster, frequently mere ports of existing standard-def masters.
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Tech2
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2012 Report: Best Speakers
Brent Butterworth  |  Oct 17, 2012

If you’re looking to hear the latest speakers, there’s no better place to go than Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Last weekend’s show was packed with new speakers, ranging from bookshelf designs to huge towers, budget models to budget-busting models, and ordinary to exotic.

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Headphone Reviews
Review: V-Moda Crossfade M-100 Headphone
Michael Berk  |  Oct 17, 2012

We're not sure about you, but here at Sound+Vision we've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of V-Moda's M-100 since we first glimpsed it at the 2012 CES. It's been a long and interesting road for the company's latest full-sized, audiophile-friendly 'phone, with many changes stemming from the active input from the community of headphone enthusiasts at Head-Fi. And the Crossfade M-100 is finally here.

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This Week
New Blu-rays for October 16, 2012: Oddballs, Revolutionaries, and Avatar 3D at Last
Josef Krebs  |  Oct 16, 2012

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This Week
Music New and Reissued for October 16, 2012: Quad Lives!
Mark Smotroff  |  Oct 16, 2012

We've learned about some cool surround discs coming out (we like to keep an eye on interesting sources such as the great UK magazine Record Collector).  We'll be looking for them soon so we can review them for you.  Included are:

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