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AV Receiver Reviews
Yamaha Aventage CX-A5100 Surround Processor Review
David Vaughn  |  Dec 30, 2015

Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Audiophile sound quality
Best-in-class control for iOS and Android
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support
Built-in MusicCast multiroom audio
Minus
Slow to lock onto HDMI signals
YPAO doesn’t equalize below 31 Hz

THE VERDICT
Yamaha’s Aventage CX-A5100 is an incredible value in the sub-$5,000 pre/pro market, with stellar audio and a suite of usable features to keep an A/V enthusiast happy until the next upgrade cycle comes around.

Amazingly, you can buy a pretty damn good AVR these days that’s Dolby Atmos–enabled for under $500, so why spend more if you don’t have to? Well, there are many reasons: better-quality DAC chips, enhanced features (such as multiple zones for both audio and video), and more channels of audio and associated amplification. You can also usually count on these upgrades when you move into the realm of the preamp/processor (also known as a surround processor), though with pre/pros, you’re left on your own for the amplification. It’s kind of like an impromptu college party that advertises BYOB—except, it’s BYOA: Bring Your Own Amp(s)!

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The S&V InterviewAudio Video News
Meet the Maestro: B&O Tonmeister Geoff Martin
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 30, 2015
I’ve met enough top speaker designers over the years to know that they’re all obsessive. And I mean that in a good way. To design a great speaker, you have to be obsessive. You have to be prepared to spend countless hours in the lab and in listening rooms evaluating and tweaking every conceivable variable to isolate that elusive mix of art and science that yields a speaker capable of fooling listeners into thinking they’re experiencing a live performance. A tall order, to be sure. Geoff Martin is not a designer, but as Bang & Olufsen’s tonmeister, he plays a critical role in the development of every speaker the Danish company makes. What’s a tonmeister? Read on.
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Audio Video News
Samsung to Unveil IoT-Compatible TVs
SV Staff  |  Dec 30, 2015
The decade-long “battle for the living room” will enter a new phase next week at CES when Samsung previews a 2016 smart TV lineup featuring SmartThings sensors and an Internet of Things (IoT) hub for linking all connected devices in a home, according to a report in VentureBeat.
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Audio Video News
1 in 4 Americans Shun Traditional Pay TV
SV Staff  |  Dec 29, 2015
One in seven American adults (15 percent) are “cord cutters” who have abandoned cable or satellite TV service, while another 9 percent have never subscribed to traditional pay TV, according to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center.
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Ask S&V
Making the Move from Discs to Computer Playback
Al Griffin  |  Dec 29, 2015
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have two preschool-aged kids who use my CDs and DVDs as Frisbees and coasters. For that reason alone, I feel a need to make a transition from physical media to computer-based playback. I bought an AppleTV so the kids could watch cartoons on Netflix, which solved some issues. When I used AirPlay to stream music to the Apple TV from my computer and tablet, however, I wasn’t impressed by the sound quality...

Should I retire my circa-1998 Acurus Act 3 preamp and buy a new model with HDMI/USB inputs, or should I spend a few hundred dollars on an add-on solution for my PC and get more mileage out of my current system? I have an unused Dell Vostro 230 computer with a 240-GB SSD drive and a 3-TB backup that I can co-opt for that purpose. — Paul Erickson / via e-mail

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Audio Video News
New Spektral Quartet Album Recorded in Auro-3D
SV Staff  |  Dec 28, 2015
The Chicago-based ensemble Spektral Quarter has recorded its third ablum—Serious Business—in Auro-3D on the Sono Luminus label.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
DarbeeVision Updates Darblet Video Processor
SV Staff  |  Dec 28, 2015
Image-enhancement specialist DarbeeVision is replacing its award-winning Darblet DVP-5000 Visual Presence real-time video enhancer with a new and improved “mass market” processor.
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Audio Video News
Flashback 1999: Digital TV's First Year Report Card
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 24, 2015
Our assessment of Digital TV’s first year was not all rosy as you can see from the Digital TV Report Card published in the December 1999 issue.
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Audio Video News
Merry Christmas from The Beatles
SV Staff  |  Dec 24, 2015
Music of The Beatles is available for streaming here, there and everywhere starting today, Christmas Eve 2015.
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The S&V Interview
Hello, It’s Todd Rundgren. Can We Still Be Hi-Res Friends?
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 23, 2015
Restless creativity, thy name is Todd Rundgren. The always adventurous singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer found time in 2015 to not only release two albums of new music — the electro-melodic Global (Esoteric Antenna) and the even-more EDM-driven Runddans (Smalltown Supersound) — as well as embark on a few legs of a solo tour, but he also managed to write some material for and play on Ringo Starr's Postcards From Paradise (UMe) and be a part of the current touring incarnation of Ringo's All-Starr Band to boot. During a tour break, I called Rundgren, 67, at his Hawaiian homestead to discuss the differences between audience and artist expectations, the merits and demerits of vinyl, and his Beatles listening preferences. He saw the light, alright.
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