While April didn’t necessarily shower us with gear goodness, it turned in a lucky seven lineup of Top Pick recommendations. From two mind-blowing speaker systems and the world’s first planar-magnetic in-ear headphones to a spectacular Ultra HD Blu-ray player and a pair of projectors that meet different needs, there’s something here for everyone.
I have never been a fan of soundbars. How can a little row of speakers replace the full-range sound of a true home-theater speaker system? It just can’t. However, soundbars heavy-set cousin, the soundbase, provides an interesting middle ground. I was skeptical of the Fluance AB40 Wide Angle soundbase when it first showed up, but after spending some time getting to know it, my opinion has changed—dramatically.
Back in the days before Blu-ray, companies like ClearPlay and TV Guardian offered parents a way to filter their children’s DVD viewing to screen out material deemed offensive. Some may call it censorship; others, a necessary tool for parents.
Twelve years ago this month, Jawed Karim uploaded the first video to the new YouTube video-sharing website he and his partners Chad Hurley and Steve Chen had just created.
DC Entertainment, home of the iconic superheroes Batman and Superman, is teaming with Warner Bros. to launch a streaming service with Warner Bros. next year.
Q I own an Epson 5040UB projector that is high dynamic range-compatible and has “4K Enhancement Technology.” But it’s my understanding that projectors are unable to deliver all the benefits of HDR. If that’s true, is it worth it for me to upgrade to an Ultra HD Blu-ray player to use with my 5040UB? —Harry Torres
Designed for cord-cutters, Dish’s AirTV combines premium and local channels with online streaming and attempts to mimic the experience of watching cable or satellite. We take it for a test drive.
HiFiMan founder Dr. Fang Bian has been crafting fine headphones for more than a decade, collecting numerous awards along the way. In the past two years alone, five of his designs have been designated Top Picks in these pages. Despite this incredible success, Bian wanted more. He had a lifelong dream to fulfill: To create the “world’s best-sounding headphone.” As he put it, “While HiFiMan has made many good headphones, and people certainly enjoy them, none has ever fully satisfied that dream.”