LATEST ADDITIONS

The S&V Interview
The Aural Thrills of Electronic Music Manoeuvres in the Dark, Starring OMD
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 20, 2016
It’s an intriguing concept: Get a number of recordings artists who made their initial impact in the 1980s to record new music in the style of that decade for Fly: Songs Inspired by the Film Eddie the Eagle (UMC), an album to accompany a movie directed by Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and starring Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton about the titular, underdog British ski-jumper who gave his all at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Among those up for the challenge were Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys of OMD, a.k.a. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who collaborated with project coordinator Gary Barlow on a vibrant throwback track, “Thrill Me.” McCluskey, 56, called from across The Pond to discuss the genesis of “Thrill Me,” why electronic music continues to thrive and how OMD get modern/retro synth sounds, and wrestling with the concept of streaming. It’s the ultimate discovery.
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Tower Speaker Reviews
Paradigm Prestige 75F Loudspeaker Review
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jul 20, 2016

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $1,499 ea

AT A GLANCE
Plus
2.5-way crossover
Excellent build quality
Amazing soundstage
Minus
Gloss finish needs careful handling

THE VERDICT
Paradigm achieves affordable high-end in the Prestige 75F towers thanks to a beautiful design with furniture-grade finish and reference-quality sound.

With its tall-and-narrow rectangular cabinet, front-mounted drivers, rear-firing port, and cloth grille, Paradigm’s Prestige 75F is the quintessential tower loudspeaker. Fans of new driver types, exotic cabinet designs, the rarest of rare-earth metals, and de rigueur built-in powered woofers might be tempted to pass by (especially when the grille is attached), much as I did figuratively when a pair of the towers arrived.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
An AV Credenza Made of Reclaimed Materials
SV Staff  |  Jul 20, 2016
We sometimes stumble upon interesting things at shows. The Credenza from Richmond, VA-based design house Fern & Roby caught our eye for its originality.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Rega Updates Classic Turntable
SV Staff  |  Jul 20, 2016
U.S. distributor The Sound Organisation has announced the availability of an update of the popular Planar 2 turntable U.K.-based Rega introduced more than 40 years.
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Portable Player Reviews
Questyle QP1R Music Player Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 19, 2016

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $899

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Three gain settings
Heavy build and discrete components
Clickwheel nostalgia
Minus
No touchscreen or apps
No input for DAC use
No Bluetooth

THE VERDICT
Although short on some bells and whistles, the Questyle QP1R is a dedicated music player that offers four-figure sound and build quality at a three-figure price.

If you had chucked me into a time machine a decade ago, freed me today, then handed me the Questyle QP1R, naturally I’d mistake it for an iPod on steroids. With that clickwheel, it’s got to be an iPod, right? You’d have to explain to me that what Questyle calls the steering wheel isn’t identical to Apple’s clickwheel; here, the functions are divided differently among the wheel, its big central button, and the four vibrating touch-sensitive buttons around it.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sharp Announces 75-inch Aquos 4K TV
SV Staff  |  Jul 19, 2016
Sharp, the venerable brand sold under license by Hisense of China under a deal struck in 2015, announced the availability of its first Aquos TV with a 75-inch screen.
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Signals
Apple Doesn't Know Jack, Part 2
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 19, 2016
If the rumors hold true, the next iPhone, iPhone 7 or whatever Apple calls it, will not have a headphone jack. As Chicken Little noted, "The sky is falling!" Or is it? Is it possible, just possible, that losing the headphone jack could net us a nice step forward in audio playback quality?

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Samsung Announces the Stylish Serif TV
SV Staff  |  Jul 19, 2016
Samsung has announced that the Serif TV, designed in collaboration with the acclaimed Parisian design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, is coming to the U.S. in August.
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A/V Veteran
Calibrating HDR10
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 18, 2016
It’s been no secret up to now that calibrating a display for high dynamic range (HDR) is a work in progress. But the recent release of an HDR10 workflow for CalMAN 2016 (the newest software from SpectraCal) promises to change that. CalMAN is widely used by calibrators and reviewers to optimize display setup.

HDR10 is one of the two most prominent HDR formats (though there are others lurking around looking for a niche). Both of these formats require specialized, and different, calibration techniques. A CalMAN workflow for the other format, Dolby Vision, has been around for several months.

But most UHD/HDR sets offer HDR10, as do all UHD Blu-rays to date, making an HDR10 calibration perhaps even more significant...

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Audio Video News
Americans Embrace Alternatives to Cable and Satellite TV
SV Staff  |  Jul 18, 2016
Almost four in 10 homes with an 18-34 year-old resident rely on broadcast-only or Internet-only alternatives to cable or satellite, according to new research from GfK.

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