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Can I Use My Soundbar as a Center-Channel Speaker?
Al Griffin  |  Apr 11, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Can I use a soundbar like the Yamaha YSP-5600 as a center channel in a traditional 5.1/7.1 or Atmos setup? Would it sound better than a standard center-channel speaker? Also, does it have to be set up on its own first or last to blend in with the rest of the system? —Oliver Johnson / via e-mail

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Gatchaman the Movie
Brandon A. DuHamel  |  Apr 08, 2016
Picture
Sound
Older anime fans in North America will likely remember Gatchaman, the classic 1972 series created by Tatsuo Yoshida, as Battle of the Planets (1978). Battle of the Planets was a tamed-down version of Gatchaman that removed elements of graphic violence and profanity and changed plot points related to the transgenderisim of the villain in order to avoid controversy with parents. It also rode the wave of Star Wars’ success by adding in scenes reminiscent of the space opera to mask deficiencies introduced by the changes and eliminations (only 85 of 105 episodes were used). Slightly younger audiences may be even more familiar with a subsequent mid-’80s adaptation, G-Force: Guardians of Space, which more closely followed the original series.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ted 2
Corey Gunnestad  |  Apr 08, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
Ted, the foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear, has married his longtime human girlfriend, Tami-Lynn, and a beautiful wedding it was. But as with most marriages between stuffed animals and human beings, the honeymoon ends all too soon, and after only a year, the newlyweds are already fighting. Naturally, the best remedy to soothe a decaying marriage and revitalize the spark is to bring a baby into the equation. But since Ted is lacking in the genitalia department, their choices are reduced to either adoption or artificial insemination.
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Audio Video News
Netflix 4K Now Available on Dish’s Hopper 3 DVR
SV Staff  |  Apr 08, 2016
Dish announced today that the Netflix catalog of 4K Ultra HD (UHD) TV shows and movies is now available on its Hopper 3 DVR, which decodes and outputs native 4K at 60 frames per second with 10-bit color.

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Surround Sound System ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
DALI Rubicon 8 Speaker System Review
Tom Norton  |  Apr 08, 2016

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $13,080 as reviewed

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Open, airy highs
Clean, tight bass
Big, generous soundstage
Minus
Setup takes patience for best results
Treble can be unforgiving

THE VERDICT
Careful trial and error with placement, and perhaps the addition of a good subwoofer for movies with crushing bass will be needed for getting the best out of the DALI Rubicons. But the best this system offers is compelling.

DALI (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries) isn’t new to this country, but it’s relatively new as overseas loudspeaker manufacturers go. The somewhat new Rubicon range sits near the top of the company’s U.S. product offerings, topped only by the Epicon series, which it is said to most closely share technology.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Klipsch Announces Limited Edition Heritage Speakers
SV Staff  |  Apr 07, 2016
Klipsch is commemorating its 70th anniversary by issuing limited runs of the iconic Klipschorn and Heresy Heritage series speakers. Special attention has been paid to the details of each new speaker, as they features design enhancements, exotic wood veneer finishes, special edition logos, and unique grille cloths.
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Throwback Thursday
Flashback 1973: First “Mobile Telephone” Call
SV Staff  |  Apr 07, 2016
Back in April of 1973 when Martin Cooper made the first public call on a handheld cellular phone while walking down a New York City street, few could have imagined that the Motorola DynaTAC “brick” phone (shown here in prototype form) would evolve into a super-slim, do-everything pocket computer—a.k.a. the smartphone we take for granted today.
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Special Features
How High Tech Brings the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to Life
Rob Sabin  |  Apr 07, 2016
The I.M. Pei–designed Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, with its soaring glass pyramid atrium, 162-foot tower, and haphazardly attached circular white column, sits at the edge of Lake Erie looking like the hard-won beachhead of some futuristic society risen from the depths. A crown jewel of Cleveland’s cultural scene, it entertains a half-million visitors a year who come to peruse the five levels and 55,000 square feet of exhibit space that house the instruments, personal effects, costumes, stage props, lyric sheets, recording gear, and still imagery that constitute an intricate, embroidered backdrop to countless American teenage lives.
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Ask S&V
Troubleshooting a ‘Strange Sounding’ Speaker
Al Griffin  |  Apr 07, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I’m wondering if my center speaker is damaged. When I watch movies with 5.1 soundtracks, voices sometimes sound strange, as if the actor is speaking with a lisp. I seem to hear it most with movies streamed from Netflix, and occasionally on cable movie channels like HBO. Do you know of any test DVDs or other material I can use to evaluate my system and speaker set up? —Craig A. Childress / Lake Charles, LA

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The S&V Interview
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Surrenders to Cheap Trick
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 06, 2016
Looks like they’re finally wanted enough. This Friday, April 8, Cheap Trick will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Chicago, Deep Purple, Steve Miller, and N.W.A at the 31st Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. “Well, like they say — it’s better than getting a sharp stick in the eye,” jokes Cheap Trick’s ever-jovial guitarist Rick Nielsen. “But, yeah, it’s quite an honor.”Not only that, but Cheap Trick have also just released their 17th studio album, Bang Zoom Crazy... Hello (Big Machine), and, as the saying goes, it’s all killer and no filler. Nielsen, 67, and I got on the horn to discuss the sound design of Bang Zoom, working with George Martin, and how it feels to finally get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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