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Audio Video News
SweetVinyl Aces Crowdfunding Goal for New Vinyl Recording Platform
SV Staff  |  Dec 16, 2016
In yet another wrinkle to the ongoing vinyl resurgence, Silicon Valley-based SweetVinyl launched a highly successful crowdfunding campaign on Monday to fund the initial production of a new vinyl processing and recording platform featuring click and pop removal.
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Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews
AudioQuest DragonFly Red and DragonFly Black Amp/DACs Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 15, 2016

RED
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

BLACK
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $199 (Red), $99 (Black)

AT A GLANCE (RED)
Plus
Step-up USB amp/DAC
For computers and smartphones
Digital volume control on chip
Minus
No bit rates above 96 kHz
No DSD

AT A GLANCE (BLACK)
Plus
Affordable USB amp/DAC
For computers and smartphones
Analog volume control
Minus
No bit rates above 96 kHz
No DSD

THE VERDICT
Among AudioQuest’s latest round of compact USB amplifier/DACs for headphones, the Red has more fine-grained premium sound, while the Black is a superb under-$100 hi-res entry point.

Having made tons of money as one of the pioneers of the premium cable industry, AudioQuest has little left to prove. So it came as a surprise four years ago when the company turned its attention to signal sources and developed the compact DragonFly USB headphone amplifier/DAC with respected audio designer Gordon Rankin. But the move made sense for AudioQuest, whose very existence rides on the proposition that sweating the details can make an audible difference.

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Ask S&V
Help! Get Me Out of HDMI Hell!
Al Griffin  |  Dec 15, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Al Griffin helps out an early adopter caught in the crossfire of emerging technologies—in this case, HDMI.

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SmartStream
Hands On: Netgear's Crazy Fast Nighthawk X10 Router/Media Server
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 14, 2016
Netgear’s new Nighthawk X10 AD7200 router is a great choice for streaming 4K HDR content and VR games. Read on to find out why.
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Music Reviews
ELP Reissue Series: Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Tarkus; Pictures at an Exhibition
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 14, 2016
Welcome back, my friends… well, you know the rest. That opening line—made famous in “Karn Evil 9 – 1st Impression, Part 2” from 1973’s Brain Salad Surgery—certainly applies to the re-emergence of the remastered catalog for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the groundbreaking British progressive trio that defined adventurous recording and outrageous live performance during their 1970s heyday. Actually, ELP vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Greg Lake prefers using the word original instead of progressive to describe the band’s signature sound—and the man does have a point.
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Audio Video News
Want Your Dish Skinny?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 14, 2016
The latest pay-TV operator to offer a reduced-priced “skinny” bundle is the Dish Network. The Flex Pack offers more than 50 channels including AMC, CNN, and other favorites for $29.99/month. The base price includes dish, receiver, free installation, and a two-year price guarantee for new subscribers. For another $4 to $10 a month, you can also get one of eight themed packages, which include local, regional, national, or kids’ channels. Another $10 a month will get you an upgrade to the Hopper 3 DVR with ad-skipping AutoHop (partly disabled to settle a lawsuit from the TV networks).
Audio Video News
Dolby Atmos Coming to Xbox One in 2017
SV Staff  |  Dec 14, 2016
Dolby today announced that Dolby Atmos is coming to Xbox One in 2017, making it the first game console to support the object-based surround-sound format for games.
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Audio Video News
Get Ready for Drone Deliveries
SV Staff  |  Dec 14, 2016
In case you haven’t heard, Amazon carried out the first successful test of its Prime Air drone delivery system in England last week.
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3D Projector ReviewsProjector Reviews
Optoma HD142X 3D DLP Projector Review
Al Griffin  |  Dec 13, 2016

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $579

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Great value
Good overall performance
Backlit remote control
Minus
Limited installation features
So-so contrast

THE VERDICT
Good overall performance, ample adjustments, and a low price make Optoma’s HD142X a great entry-level projector.

You might not be aware of it, but there’s a new war going on. No, it’s not between countries, ideologies, or individuals; it’s between DLP projector manufacturers. A handful of companies are battling to provide a single-chip model that delivers the best-looking, brightest picture at the lowest price. Over the past few months, I’ve reported on two such projectors, the ViewSonic LightStream Pro7827HD ($890, Sound & Vision, September) and the InFocus ScreenPlay SP1080 ($549, see review at soundandvision.com). Next up: Optoma’s HD142X ($579), another affordable model aimed at the casual home theater fan and gamer.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Korg’s New Recording System Turns Vinyl into DSD
SV Staff  |  Dec 13, 2016
Korg, world-renowned maker of keyboards and synthesizers, has introduced a DSD recording system that turns vinyl recordings into high-resolution files.

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