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Ask S&V
Can I Use Wireless Ceiling Speakers for Dolby Atmos?
Al Griffin  |  Dec 22, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I’m ready to upgrade my surround sound system to a 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos configuration. My current 5.1 system uses GoldenEar Technology speakers, which I want to keep. Here’s my problem: I have no way to run wires through the ceiling to mount in-ceiling speakers, and I don’t want to deal with the unsightly wires that an on-ceiling speaker installation would require. Here’s my question: Are there any wireless speakers I could use for my Atmos upgrade? —Michael Henn

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The S&V Interview
Rainbow “Since You Been Gone” Vocalist Graham Bonnet Opens a New Book
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 21, 2016
Rainbow was looking for a hit, as bandleader/guitarist Richie Blackmore wanted to hear his songs on the radio. After scores of vocal auditions in 1979, they finally hit upon Graham Bonnet, who sang lead on Rainbow's breakout track, “Since You Been Gone.” Bonnet got on the horn to discuss his new solo album The Book, where he likes to hear his vocals in a mix, how he transformed “Since You Been Gone” from a pop song into a rock hit, and coming to grips with living in the streaming universe.
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HDTV Buying Tips
How To Buy An Ultra HDTV
Al Griffin  |  Dec 21, 2016
If you’re considering buying a new TV, you can be forgiven for having questions, possibly many of them. Several big-screen TV technologies—Ultra HDTV, high dynamic range (HDR), OLED—have been introduced over the past few years. At the same time, some older ones, including 3D and plasma, have faded from prominence. There have also been changes on the connectivity front, with new versions of the HDMI standard added to sets to accommodate new, higher-bandwidth signal formats.
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Audio Video News
Ditch That HDMI Dongle
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 21, 2016
Phones, tablets, computers, and cameras using the up-and-coming USB Type-C port won’t need a dongle or dock to convert the new standard’s DisplayPort video signals to HDMI.
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Audio Video News
Study: Voice Control Tops List of 2017 iOT Trends
SV Staff  |  Dec 21, 2016
Voice control tops a list of 10 top consumer technology trends recently released by Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates.
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Audio Video News
Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a…7-Eleven Drone
SV Staff  |  Dec 21, 2016
If you had any doubts, drone delivers are on the path to becoming a real thing.
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Surround Sound System ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Emotiva Airmotiv 5CH Speaker System Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Dec 20, 2016

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $1,177

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Neutral balance with fine imaging
Very good center-channel performance, integration
Superb value
Minus
Towers may require substantial tilt-back

THE VERDICT
Emotiva’s new passive loudspeakers combine serious audio design and refinement with sufficient construction and finish quality to establish unprecedented value.

There’s been plenty of ink spilled, print and digital, in Sound & Vision and elsewhere, about Tennessee’s direct-to-consumer brand Emotiva and the disruptive pricing the company has brought to various audio categories. To date, this has been mostly focused on electronics, where power amps, preamps, pre/pros, and DACs have been offered up for surprisingly small sums that seem to belie their inherent engineering and build quality. Corner company founder Dan Laufman about how he does it, and he’ll enthusiastically share his prior life as an OEM for other audio brands (many of which you know well) and how he’s learned a few tricks about where and how to stretch raw material costs in the most meaningful ways.

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Audio Video News
Dirac Branches Out into Augmented/Virtual Reality
SV Staff  |  Dec 20, 2016
Dirac Research, the Sweden-based developer of the digital sound optimization technology—including the Dirac Live room-correction system used in pro and consumer gear from Arcam, Emotiva, Harman, Pioneer, Oppo, Theta Digital and others—says it will demonstrate a “breakthrough” in 3D audio for augmented and virtual reality at CES, which opens in Las Vegas in two weeks.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
LG to Unveil Portable Laser Projector at CES
SV Staff  |  Dec 20, 2016
LG has announced that it will unveil its first portable laser projector at CES, which opens in Las Vegas in two weeks.
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Signals
The Best Christmas Present Ever
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 20, 2016
It's here. That most special time of the year. You know—when people judge you by the presents you give them. In the 5 seconds it takes them to tear away the gift wrapping, all their apprehensions about your character are raised to the surface, and then suddenly revealed to be correct, or not. In other words, finding the perfect gift is extremely stressful, as well as terrifying.

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