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The S&V Interview
The Wonder of Elvis and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 18, 2016
Elvis Presley would have loved to have taken advantage of today’s meticulous recording standards. Fact is, The King was very much a stickler in the studio. Elvis also had an affinity for orchestral arrangements, something his estate was able to realize last year with If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RCA/Legacy), which has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide to date. A worthy sequel, The Wonder of You: Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, has just been released. I reached out across The Pond to get album producers Don Reedman and Nick Patrick’s takes on the sonic differences between the two albums, how a certain mantra guided their respective hands and ears, and what aspects of modern recording Elvis would have embraced.
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Audio Video News
AirMode Makes Wired Headphones Wireless
SV Staff  |  Nov 18, 2016
U.K.-based Audio Nation has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a Bluetooth adapter that makes headphones and earphones with detachable cables wireless.
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Audio Video News
Oppo’s Sonica Speaker Now Supports Spotify
SV Staff  |  Nov 18, 2016
Oppo Digital has announced that the Sonica wireless speaker it introduced in May now supports Spotify Connect.
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Audio Video News
Netflix Integrated into Comcast’s X1 Platform
SV Staff  |  Nov 18, 2016
Netflix is being integrated into millions of Comcast X1 devices across the country this week, according to a joint announcement from Comcast and Netflix.
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Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Oppo Sonica Wireless Speaker
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 17, 2016

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Elegant styling
Top-notch build quality
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming up to 192 kHz/24 bit
Remarkably full sound from a compact speaker
Minus
Can sound a tad bright
Not battery-powered
Rudimentary app

THE VERDICT
Oppo’s Sonica is an elegant and versatile wireless speaker whose superb sound belies its small footprint.

As I waited in anticipation for Sonica to arrive, I was reminded of an old ad slogan: “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.” It’s kinda that way with Oppo. Over the past 12 years, the Silicon Valley–based company has built a stellar reputation with its best-in-class Blu-ray players and Top Pick–designated headphones and amp/DACs. I couldn’t wait to see if Oppo had extended its golden touch to wireless speakers—a category with more than its fair share of duds. My expectations were high.

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Ask S&V
Can I Transfer ALAC Files from iTunes to a Portable Player?
Al Griffin  |  Nov 17, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q For years, I used iTunes to rip my CDs in the Apple Lossless Audio Compression (ALAC) format and load them onto a 160-gigabyte iPod classic. Now that iPods are no more, I would like to switch to one of the new hi-res-capable portable players but want to avoid having to rip all of my CDs again. Do any of the new players support ALAC so I can continue using iTunes? Also, is there some way to use iTunes to load files from my computer to a new portable player? —Mark Hoornstra / Maryland

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Audio Video News
CES 2017 Tech Trends to Watch
SV Staff  |  Nov 17, 2016
At a recent CES Unveiled press event in New York, Shawn DuBravac, chief economist for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), singled out five tech trends to keep an eye on at the upcoming CES 2017 show, which opens in Las Vegas on January 5.
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Throwback Thursday
Flashback 1982: Apple Approaches McIntosh Labs
SV Staff  |  Nov 17, 2016
Thirty-four years ago this week, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs asks McIntosh Labs for rights to use “Macintosh” as the brand name of a computer it was developing, a year after settling a trademark infringement suit brought by The Beatles’ holding company Apple Corps.
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Audio Video News
James Unveils Unique Modular Home Theater
SV Staff  |  Nov 16, 2016
The speaker specialists at Napa, CA-based James Loudspeaker have come up with an innovative way to deliver surround sound to any environment in a high-performance, fully custom freestanding form factor.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Teac Turntable Combines Best of Old and New
SV Staff  |  Nov 16, 2016
Teac says its new TN-400S turntable ($400) offers “everything you loved about classic, old-school turntables, along with the advantages of digital technology and attractive, contemporary design.”

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