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The Bigger Wow: Atmos/DTS:X or 4K/HDR Video?
Al Griffin  |  Jul 25, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q About five years ago, I got serious (at least by my tightly budgeted standards) about home theater and purchased a 50-inch Panasonic plasma TV, a Yamaha 7.1-channel AV receiver, and Klipsch speakers. This setup has provided me with a great in-home listening/viewing experience, but I wonder which upgrade could better take things to the next level: Atmos/DTS:X audio or 4K/HDR video? Both would require a new receiver. For audio, I could easily add Klipsch Reference Premiere Dolby Atmos elevation speakers to my current system and be ready for Atmos/DTS:X. That option would be quite a bit cheaper than buying a new receiver plus a 60-inch or larger high dynamic range (HDR)-capable 4K TV. Which upgrade do you think would provide the biggest wow factor?—Adam Head / via email

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Tech2
What Ghostbusters says About Hollywood and Us as an Audience
Lauren Dragan  |  Jul 22, 2016
Over the last few weeks, there’s been intense discussion around the remake/re-imagining of the Ghostbusters franchise starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. The scrutiny started immediately upon the release of the trailer, and has surged well beyond opening weekend. Oddly enough, almost none of the conversation is focused on the quality of the actual film itself. What is it about this movie that has created so much hullabaloo?
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Audio Video News
Sharkk Crowdfunds Electrostatic Headphone
SV Staff  |  Jul 22, 2016
Sharkk has launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund Bravo by Sharkk, an affordable over-the-ear hybrid electrostatic headphone that runs on 0.1 volts of internally generated power instead of needing an external power source.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Revenant
David Vaughn  |  Jul 22, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
Leading a fur expedition in the early 1800s, frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is left for dead by one of his companions who is afraid of being attacked by Native Americans. Somehow Glass survives and begins to hobble back toward civilization, facing many obstacles, looking to exact revenge.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Room
Anthony Chiarella  |  Jul 22, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
Jack’s (Jacob Tremblay) fifth birthday is typical: He says good morning to the various objects in his home, brushes his teeth, then exercises with Ma (Brie Larson). Gradually, however, we realize that Ma was kidnapped seven years earlier by a sexual predator, and her son’s knowledge of the world extends no further than the inner walls of the tiny, locked shed he calls “room.”
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Audio Video News
Paramount Releases DTS:X Blu-ray Titles
SV Staff  |  Jul 22, 2016
Paramount has released four Blu-ray Discs featuring the DTS:X object-based surround sound technology DTS announced more than a year ago to compete with Dolby Atmos.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sony Unveils XBR-Z9D TVs, Demos Advanced HDR Processing and Backlighting
Tom Norton  |  Jul 22, 2016
Late this summer, or shortly thereafter, Sony will attempt to upend the way we look at UHD and high dynamic range (HDR) with its new Z9D series of premier Ultra HD. Don’t look for them at Joe’s Video down the street, however, but rather in premier outlets such as Magnolia (located in or adjacent to selected Best Buy stores) and custom installers. They’re also likely to find their way into more than a few professional facilities.
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Apptitude
Exploring Audible, a Different Audio Experience
Michael Antonoff  |  Jul 22, 2016
You’d think that a company that started out in 1998, four years before the iPod, selling a dedicated audio player and a small library of spoken-word books would be out of business by now. Yet thanks to the rise of smartphones and a timely acquisition in 2008 by Amazon, Audible has become the leading provider of digital audio books.

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Throwback Thursday
’70s Flashback: Forgotten Brands A-Z, Part 2
SV Staff  |  Jul 21, 2016
Nakamichi (October 1977), Nikko (December 1974), Optonica (March 1979)

Last week we presented a selection of iconic ’70s-era advertisements from long-forgotten brands with names that fall in the first half of the alphabet (A–M). Our favorites included the Carver ad showing a young Bob Carver hamming it up, Garrard’s “Improve Your Hearing for $200” turntable ad, and the iconic Maxell ad depicting a listener getting “blown away.” Here we pick up where we left off, starting with classics from Nakamichi, Nikko, and Optonica. Watch for Part 3, our final installment, next week.

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Headphone Reviews
Cardas A8 Ear Speakers
Steve Guttenberg  |  Jul 21, 2016

Performance
Features
Comfort
Value
PRICE $299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Driver designed by George Cardas
Accommodates balanced cables
Extraordinary sound quality
Minus
Lacks mic or smartphone controls

THE VERDICT
The Cardas A8 is big on transparency and soundstage and delivers remarkably deep yet tuneful bass.

Cardas Audio is best known as a manufacturer of audiophile cables, but the Bandon, Oregon–based company jumped into headphones a few years ago with its EM 5813 Ear Speakers. Their sound was big and bold, but comfort issues limited my listening times to short bursts because the earpieces were heavy and the cables unwieldy. Now Cardas is back with new in-ears, the A8 Ear Speakers. I’ve known George Cardas for decades, and he’s normally a soft-spoken dude, but he’s really jazzed about what’s going on with headphones.

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