LATEST ADDITIONS

The S&V Interview
Paul Rodgers and Bad Company Live for the Music
Mike Mettler  |  May 04, 2016
Any band can sound good in the studio, but it’s the live stage where artists really have to prove their mettle night in and night out, especially if they’re interested in a little ol’ thing called longevity. One group that owned the planks from the minute it first stepped onto them is Bad Company, the British blues-rock collective that further legitimized Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label upon the release of its mega-selling self-titled debut in 1974. Even though Bad Company became a hugely successful arena act, they never released a live album to properly chronicle their ’70s heyday — until now, that is, thanks to the double-CD offering Live in Cncert 1977 & 1979 (Swan Song/Rhino). And though he’s always on the run, Bad Company vocalist and co-founder Paul Rodgers, 66, found time in his packed schedule to get on the line with me to discuss the finer aspects of live performing, loving analog, and how to best honor the band's legacy. That Bad Company sound is their claim to fame.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sony Announces Slate of Audio Products
SV Staff  |  May 04, 2016
Sony announced availability and pricing for nine new audio products, including two AV receivers, a Blu-ray player with Hi-Res audio capability, soundbar, and wireless speakers.
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Audio Video News
MQA Announces Partnerships at Munich Show
SV Staff  |  May 04, 2016
MQA is continuing to build partnerships and momentum for its Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) technology, which aims to bring studio quality playback to the home.
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Headphone Reviews
KEF M400 Headphone Review
Steve Guttenberg  |  May 03, 2016

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $250

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Smooth, highly detailed sound
Svelte good looks
User-replaceable cables
Minus
Headband padding is too thin

I really wasn’t expecting this. While I liked KEF’s original M500 headphone when it arrived in 2013, I can’t say I was ever smitten by the sound. But the new M400 was quite the opposite: I loved it from the get-go and immediately connected with it. The newer model is a smidgen less expensive, and it features a cleaner design and deftly executed, mostly aluminum construction, deliciously ample ear pads, and a rich tonal balance.

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A/V Veteran
Disc vs. Streaming: Pros, Cons, and Quality
Thomas J. Norton  |  May 03, 2016
If you’ve been following my writing (I know there’s at least one of you out there somewhere!) you know that I’m a major fan of packaged media. With a Blu-ray or Ultra HD Blu-ray disc I only have to buy it once and it’s always there, on the shelf, ready to access whenever I want it and offering the best of the best in both picture and sound quality. And it won’t vaporize if I want to see it again but the streaming service decides to no longer offer it...
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Audio Video News
Silicon Valley Startup Acquires Bowers & Wilkins
SV Staff  |  May 03, 2016
Bowers & Wilkins, the venerable British speaker brand also known as B&W, has been acquired by EVA Automation, a two-year-old Silicon Valley-based technology company founded by Gideon Yu, a Korean-born high-tech investor and former president and current co-owner of the San Francisco 49ers football team.
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Headphone Amp/DAC ReviewsHeadphone Reviews
Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD Amp/DAC Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 03, 2016

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
384/32 and DSD256
Eight-stage power supply
Doubles as stereo preamp
Minus
Black, boxy styling
Tricky sampling-rate LEDs

THE VERDICT
The Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD is a state-of-the-art headphone amplifier/DAC that has a healthy, and sometimes transformative, effect on whatever headphones you plug into it.

Like the rest of us, headphones have dreams and aspirations. They know they have to start out small with whatever phone, computer, or AVR comes to hand. But they dream of something better—of an amp and DAC tailored just for their needs. In short, they long for their dream home. If you’ve invested in a good pair of headphones, wouldn’t it be cruel to make your cans sleep on a sofabed in a basement when they deserve more headroom, more purity, the freedom to be the best they can be? The Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD just might be the dream home they’re hoping for.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Outdoor TVs Good Between –24° and 122° F
SV Staff  |  May 03, 2016
Peerless-AV has announced the UltraView line of outdoor TVs designed to withstand temperature fluctuations from –24 to 122° F.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Focal Introduces High-End Outdoor Speakers
SV Staff  |  May 03, 2016
Focal, the French speaker manufacturer, has introduced a line of high-end outdoor speakers ranging in price from $349 to $665 apiece.
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Audio Video News
Digital Side Channels Bring More Off-Air Choices
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 02, 2016
Attention, cord cutters: Broadband isn’t the only alternative to cable and satellite operators.
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