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Streaming Device Reviews
Pioneer Elite N-50 Network Audio Player
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 12, 2013
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price $699

At A Glance
Plus: USB DAC built in • AirPlay, optional Bluetooth
Minus: Small font on display • No headphone output

The Verdict
This is a great-sounding way to add network audio features, especially the crucial USB DAC, to an existing system.

Have you watched in dismay as new features have left your old surround receiver or stereo preamp in the dust? Would you like to hang on to your old buddy but give it a new coat of paint? The Pioneer Elite N-50 bids to do just that, bringing a USB DAC, optional wireless connectivity, and other computer audio-related features into a rack-size component. It brings your existing equipment up to date for the second decade of the 21st century.

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Remotely Possible
Et 2.0, HDMI?
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 12, 2013
They could have done it. The folks in the Forum could have chosen, as Brutus did with his one-time friend, Julius, to dig the knife in deep after we’d already been stabbed 1.2, 1.3, even or 1.4 times. That’s why, when the HDMI Forum announced last week that they’d come up with Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification, I prepared myself for the pain of deciphering new nomenclature and figuring out which HDMI cables were good for what features and which gear. And, despite the fact that I know better, I couldn’t help but feel that the IOGEAR Wireless 5x2 HDMI Matrix Switcher I’ve been playing with for the last month or two was already out of date.

Such is the heartache that always comes with the announcement of any new specification or technology...

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
This Week in Movies & TV, September 10, 2013: Explorers, Spies, & Imposters
SV Staff  |  Sep 10, 2013
Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek: Stardate Collection, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Parade’s End, La Cage aux Folles, Marathon Man.
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This Week
This Week in Music, September 10, 2013: The country side of Sheryl Crow
Ken Richardson  |  Sep 10, 2013  |  First Published: Sep 17, 2013
This Week in Music, September 10, 2013: The country side of Sheryl Crow
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Audio Video News
Acoustic Sounds Launches High-Resolution Music Site Featuring DSD Downloads
SV Staff  |  Sep 09, 2013
Acoustic Sounds, the Salina, Kansas-based company that sells audiophile recordings and operates the vinyl reissue label Analogue Productions, has launched a music site that offers music downloads in a variety of high-resolution formats, including Direct Digital Stream (DSD). The company recently signed a deal with Sony Music and has begun making back catalog DSD recordings available.
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Grace Notes
Movie Premiere: Riddick
SV Staff  |  Sep 06, 2013
Riddick is an intergalactic murderous badass. When things start to go south, he’s your best and only hope.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-NR828 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 06, 2013
Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price $1,099

At A Glance
Plus Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth • Audessey Mult EQ Room Correction • THX Select 2 Certification • Excellent video processing
Minus Lean sonic character can be fatiguing

The Verdict
Chock-full of the latest features and connectivity, the TX-NR828’s less-than-warm sound was more suited to movies than music in our auditions.

Onkyo is like that kid in elementary school. You remember: The one whose hand went up first in response to every question from the teacher.

“Who was the first presi–”

“George Washington!”

“Onkyo, I haven’t even finished asking the question.”

When it comes to features, Onkyo aims to be there firstest with the mostest. Name a feature, and Onkyo’s usually got it, typically in a licensed version with a hip logo, and quite often before anyone else. For the consumer who wants the latest features and wants them now, Onkyo is generally an excellent choice.

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Ears On
CD Quality Is Not High-Res Audio
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 06, 2013
It's official. The future of audio hardware and software now has an acronym. It's HRA, or high-resolution audio, trumpets a press release from the Consumer Electronics Association. HRA may well emerge as a key theme of CEA's 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show. So this would be a good time to discuss what is, and is not, high-resolution audio.

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Audio Video News
Panasonic Announces First 4K Ultra HD TV Based on HDMI 2.0 Spec
SV Staff  |  Sep 06, 2013
In October Panasonic will begin selling the first Ultra HD TV based on HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2a specifications. Part of the Smart Viera line, the 65-inch TC-L65WT600 is THX-certified and accepts 4K 60p video signals.
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SmartStream
Want Faster Streaming? Use an AC Bridge and Router
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 05, 2013
If you have a fast Internet connection and are still having trouble streaming high-definition movies and TV shows, you need to consider getting an “AC” bridge and router to connect to your home theater.
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