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Projector Reviews
Sony VPL-VW665ES 3D SXRD 4K Projector Review
Kris Deering  |  Mar 21, 2016
2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $14,999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Native 4K imaging chips
HDR10 compatible
Minus
Lacks full HDMI v2.0a capabilities
Less than perfect focus uniformity
Careful setup needed for best results

THE VERDICT
Sony’s mid-cycle refresh of the VPL-VW600ES offers decent bumps in dynamic contrast, brightness, and features. While it still lacks some key future-proofing and has a few niggling issues, its compelling native 4K imagery is some of the best we’ve seen from front projectors on the market today.

Here we are now a full four years beyond Sony’s debut of the VPL-VW1000ES, the first consumer-level native 4K projector. And yet the bounty of 4K content that was promised at that time is really now just coming to fruition with an assortment of streaming options and a new Blu-ray format springing forth. In late 2015, Sony did what I’d call a mid-cycle refresh on one of our previous Top Picks, the VPL-VW600ES (May 2014; review at soundandvision.com), adding a few new features like HDR capabilities and improved contrast and brightness. But is the VPL-VW665ES the projector to buy as we head into the land of Ultra HD and all its promises?

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Headphone ReviewsTech2
Audeze Sine Planar-Magnetic Headphone Review
Lauren Dragan  |  Mar 19, 2016  |  First Published: Mar 18, 2016
Over the last few years, Audeze, known for their acclaimed LCD series headphones, have expanded their lineups of entry level enthusiast-grade headphones. In 2015, they released the EL-8, a line of portable planar-magnetic over-ear headphones. This year at CES, Audeze announced the launch of not only their most affordable, but most wearable offering yet: the Sine; lightweight, closed-backed, on-ear, planar magnetic headphones. Additionally, the Sine are available with Cipher: a lightning cable with remote, mic, and, oh yeah... an integrated amp, DSP and DAC. Needless to say, I needed to get these on my noggin as soon as possible.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The End of the Tour
Josef Krebs  |  Mar 18, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
The End of the Tour is like My Dinner with Andre but without the dinner or Andre. Yes, it does consist of one long conversation, but unlike Wallace Shaun and Andre Gregory’s fine feast of fascinating, erudite, intellectual spouting, with ideas crashing one upon another, the characters here are remarkable in their compelling ordinariness and awkwardness. It tells of a five-day interview of celebrated novelist David Foster Wallace by rookie Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky on a road book tour following the 1996 publication of Wallace’s groundbreaking novel, Infinite Jest, which wowed a generation with its brilliant virtuosity.
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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Minions
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 18, 2016
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
We first met the Minions in the Despicable Me films. They were the henchmen of Gru, desperate to be seen as The Greatest Villain of All Time. But the Minions movie begins at the dawn of time when these funny, goggle-wearing creatures, babbling in their unique humina-humina-humina language, emerge from the primordial sea. They’re immediately driven to seek out the greatest villain they can find. But no sooner do they find one than they bumble into eliminating him.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Mr. Holmes
Josef Krebs  |  Mar 18, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
“Human nature was a mystery that logic alone could not illuminate.” In this tale of memory, fiction, and flashbacked facts, Sir Ian McKellen completely transforms into an aging Sherlock Holmes, a real-life person who’s been misrepresented in Dr. Watson’s books and turned into a romanticized creation. Living in retirement for 33 years following a failure that still haunts him, Holmes, who is rapidly losing his memory, is trying to recall the details of the case that derailed him in the hope of writing an account to correct the “myriad misconceptions created by the imaginative license” Watson had embellished his recounting of the investigations with.
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Audio Video News
Crowdfund Watch: Min7 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Speaker
SV Staff  |  Mar 18, 2016
Minfort’s crowdfunded Min7 wireless speaker is off and running, having exceeded its $15,000 goal by nearly $68,000 with two months left on the Kickstarter funding clock.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Pioneer Announces Affordable Network AVRs
SV Staff  |  Mar 18, 2016
Two affordable 7.1-channel network AV receivers will join Pioneer’s Elite series lineup in April.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-RZ900 A/V Receiver Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Mar 17, 2016

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,599

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Equipped with Dolby Atmos, primed for DTS:X
Abundant clean, dynamic power
AirPlay, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi all on board
Versatile, usable, hi-res-ready streaming options
Minus
Only two height channels, whether powered or line
Failed to stream DSD recordings

THE VERDICT
Plenty of performance and features, and solid human factors, with an emphasis on core audio quality, at fair “flagship” pricing.

Producing a test report on a “flagship” A/V receiver is always a bit of a high-wire act. On one hand, the receiver represents the top of the line: Maximum power, maximum features, and maximum performance are all expected—and generally delivered. On the other hand, cruiser-class designs rarely offer much of real importance that a model two or three jumps down any given maker’s line doesn’t also do quite competently—and for roughly half the price, which means it’s the model that most folks eventually buy. This leaves the hapless reviewer with the unenviable choice of either damning with faint praise or condemning excellence for its expense.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Pioneer Headphone Includes Balanced Cable
SV Staff  |  Mar 17, 2016
Pioneer’s latest headphone has an unusual twist. The “Hi-Res-capable” SE-MHR5 ($300) includes a four-pole balanced 2.5mm cable in addition to a standard 3.5mm cable. The cable is designed to provide greater signal separation when used with an amplifier that has a balanced output.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Zvox “Full Metal Jacket” Soundbars Now Available
SV Staff  |  Mar 17, 2016
Soundbar pioneer Zvox has announced that the super-slim SB400 and SB500 soundbars it previewed in January are now available at bestbuy.com, amazon.com, crutchfield.com, and zvox.com.

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