LATEST ADDITIONS

Audio Video News
NAD Firmware Update Adds MQA Support
SV Staff  |  Jul 11, 2016
NAD Electronics has announced a firmware update that brings MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) support to a handful of its Masters Series components with more to follow in the future.
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Grace NotesAudio Video NewsNew Products
Nativ Adds CD Ripper to High-Res Audio Lineup on Indiegogo
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jul 11, 2016
High-resolution audio has a new champion. This past April we reported that Nativ had launched an Indiegogo campaign to bring a premium high-resolution wireless touchscreen music player and DAC to production. It easily surpassed its funding goal by 316%—that’s $344,000 from its initial goal of $100,000. Well, to sweeten the ask, Nativ just announced they’re adding the Nativ Disc powered by Gracenote, a new CD ripping unit that continues their “bit-perfect” streak. Think no one cares about high-resolution audio? The 356 Indiegogo backers certainly care.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Klipsch Offers Walnut Base Turntable
SV Staff  |  Jul 11, 2016
Klipsch has partnered with Pro-ject Audio to offer its first turntable, expanding yet again beyond the horn-loaded home speakers the iconic brand has been building for 70 years.
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Tech2
With Petcube, You and Your Pets Can Play, Even When You're Away
Lauren Dragan  |  Jul 09, 2016
If your household has a furry family member, you know how hard it is to leave them home alone. Even if you have a caregiver stopping by, summer day-trips and weekends away can make you fret over how they’re doing. If you’ve ever wished you could just peek in and say hello, or maybe play a quick game of chase, you are going to love Petcube.
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Audio Video News
July 2016 New Gear
SV Staff  |  Jul 08, 2016
Dashbon Flicks Boombox Projector
Many of today’s Bluetooth speakers have put a new face on the classic boombox, but Flicks pushes the concept to its logical conclusion: a portable movie theater! Measuring 11.7 x 5.3 x 6.5 inches, this boombox packs an LED-based, 720p DLP projector that can display a 100-inch image from just over 8 feet away, plus the requisite speakers—in this case, two full-range drivers plus a “subwoofer” and bass radiator.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Black Mass
Josef Krebs  |  Jul 08, 2016
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In this Goodfellas-wannabe drama, in order to go after and finally bring down the Mafia in the North End of Boston, the FBI are willing to make an “alliance” with South Side–controlling Irish-American gangster Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger. The Feds, in exchange for information about the Italians, are willing to look the other way on the activities of Whitey’s gang. This free pass, and having his rivals federally eliminated, allows this scary, unblinking, psychopathic monster to go on a murderous crime spree, muscling in on Mafia territory to grow into the biggest kingpin in Boston.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Steve Jobs
Corey Gunnestad  |  Jul 08, 2016
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It’s been said that true genius is never appreciated in its own time. Some of the most brilliant minds in human history have challenged the status quo, pioneered their field, and changed the world with their groundbreaking ideas and their seemingly limitless creativity. But the flip side of that coin almost always meant that their personal eccentricities left a gaping void in their capacity for being likable human beings. The film Steve Jobs explores that theme at great length and begs the question: Just how much leeway should geniuses be allowed before we dismiss them as the douchebags they are?
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Audio Video News
Music Wrap Readies M25, a Clever Alternative to Headphones
SV Staff  |  Jul 08, 2016
In early March, the Music Wrap raised $22,000 on Kickstarter to fund the M25, a wearable Bluetooth audio system that moves sound from your ears to a neck band with tiny speakers to create a “personal sound field.” The device is about to start shipping to backers.
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Audio Video News
Sound & Vision Tech Tidbits July
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 07, 2016
Facebook’s Virtual Reality technology uses dynamic streaming to offer multiple resolutions. It musters the highest quality in the center and lower quality in your peripheral vision...

Ultra HDTVs Occupied 40 percent of U.S. retail shelf space in late 2015, according to Quixel Research—although picture-improving HDR and other technologies are still developing. Shelf share of 1080p TVs dropped to 46 percent, from 71 percent 18 months before...

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The S&V Interview
The Myths and Legends of Rick Wakeman and His 4.0 and 5.1 Mixes
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 07, 2016
Just typing out the name “Rick Wakeman” instantly conjures up indelible images of flowing capes, huge banks of keyboards, synths, and pianos, and a cavalcade of great-sounding organ compositions. Currently, Wakeman is putting the finishing touches on the 5.1 mix for The Myths and Legends of King Arthur 2016 and is also readying for a fall tour with his former Yes bandmates, vocalist Jon Anderson and guitarist Trevor Rabin, as ARW. I called Wakeman, 67, across the Pond to discuss his affinity for surround sound, his unique in-studio game plan, and his thoughts about the passing of his friend and onetime collaborator David Bowie. Ground control to Grand High Wizard Wakeman...
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