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Integrated Amp Reviews
Elac Element EA101EQ-G Integrated Amplifier/DAC Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Feb 22, 2017

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Good power in compact form
Outstanding app-enabled subwoofer auto-setup
Onboard 192/24 USB DAC
Minus
No line outputs for external amp
Small display

THE VERDICT
Elac’s Element EA101EQ-G amp/DAC nails the sweet spot of price, performance, and worthwhile features with surprisingly audiophile sound and the added value of auto-EQ and app-enabled subwoofer crossover/blending.

It’s an amplifier. It’s a USB DAC. It’s a room/subwoofer equalizer. It’s a headphone amp. It’s an app-enabled Bluetooth receiver. It’s all of these, and it’s only $699—and it’s from the revived German brand Elac, whose latest Andrew Jones–designed loudspeakers have won acclaim in these pages and elsewhere. Ultimately, Elac’s Element EA101EQ-G may be best characterized as what the stereo receiver is morphing into for the 21st century.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Bryston Unveils ‘Lightning Fast’ Digital Music Player
SV Staff  |  Feb 22, 2017
Bryston today announced a digital music player/entertainment hub that supports “virtually all” digital file formats and resolutions including DSD 128 and high-resolution PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz.
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Audio Video News
LG Smart TV Platform Certified for Cybersecurity
SV Staff  |  Feb 22, 2017
LG’s webOS has become the first smart TV platform to be cybersecurity-certified by UL, the independent safety testing company.
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A/V Veteran
Evaluating High Frame Rates: Billy Lynn's 60fps Walk
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 21, 2017
Before the era of sound movies the frame rates for silent films varied considerably due to the hand-cranked cameras of the time. When picture and sound became the future of movies in the late 1920s, however, the industry settled on 24Hz (24 frames per second) for both production and display standards. But 24fps alone would have produced significant jitter. For acceptably smooth motion, each film frame was flashed on the screen twice, using a two-bladed shutter in the projector (or, more rarely, three times with a triple blade shutter). This rate was also chosen, rather than an even higher one, to keep film costs manageable.

Even though the digital bits that now convey our films from the studio to the screen are far cheaper than celluloid, 24fps still dominates the films we see in both the multiplex and at home. But occasional efforts have tried to break the mold...

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Como Audio Expands Wireless Speaker Lineup
SV Staff  |  Feb 21, 2017
Como Audio has expanded its line of wireless music systems with a two-way speaker that converts its entry-level Solo into a stereo system.
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Audio Video News
Smartphones: It’s All About Video
SV Staff  |  Feb 21, 2017
The thought of watching video on a smartphone might have seemed crazy a decade ago, yet nearly six in 10 consumers (57 percent) around the world watch videos on their phones every day, according AOL’s annual advertising study—virtually the same as the number of people (58 percent) who watch videos on a laptop or desktop every day.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Elite Unveils Light-Rejecting, Ultra Short-Throw Screen
SV Staff  |  Feb 21, 2017
Elite Prime Vision (EPV) has introduced an ambient-light-rejecting projection screen designed for use with ultra-short-throw projectors that sit against the wall at the base of the screen.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Esoteric ‘Opens New Horizon’ with $27K SACD Player
SV Staff  |  Feb 20, 2017
Sometimes a product name says it all. Like the recently introduced Grandioso K1 SACD player from Toyko-based Esoteric, which sells for a cool 27 grand.
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Audio Video News
Facebook TV Video App Coming Soon
SV Staff  |  Feb 20, 2017
Facebook has announced plans to launch a free app in the coming weeks that will let owners of Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TVs watch Facebook videos on the big screen.
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Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker ReviewsGrace Notes
Ears On: JLab Audio Party Series Wireless Speakers
Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 20, 2017
When JLab Audio launched their new Party Series wireless Bluetooth speakers last month, they quickly created quite a stir. After they won a 2017 CES Innovations award and a 2017 Dealerscope IMPACT! Award, I knew I had to check them out in person. I’m certainly glad I did.

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