LATEST ADDITIONS

Signals
A Mission to Mars, Artificial Intelligence, and the End of Civilization as We Know It
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 10, 2024  |  1 comments
Congratulations! Welcome home! That five-year mission to Mars (and back!) must have really been something. While you were gone, honestly, nothing much happened. There was a flu bug of unknown origins, but that’s about it. Well, you might want to look into something called AI. I think it’s going to really shake things up.
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Audio Video News
Lenbrook Media Group Reveals Plans for MQA Labs
SV Staff  |  Jun 07, 2024  |  3 comments
Until now, little has been said about the future direction of MQA since Lenbrook Media Group (LMG) — the Canadian parent company of PSB, NAD, and Bluesound — acquired the assets of MQA Ltd. nine months ago.
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Music Disc Reviews
Deep Purple: Machine Head – Super Deluxe Edition Box
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 07, 2024  |  0 comments
Performances
Sound

Machine Head is one of those perfect storm albums. As Deep Purple entered the 1970s, they undertook a creative shift from the psychedelic blues/pop of their late-’60s origins — embodied by hits like 1968’s perpetually catchy “Hush” and their cover of Neil Diamond’s “Kentucky Woman” — to move into full-on rock overdrive with June 1970’s Deep Purple in Rock and July 1971’s Fireball. With that tableau firmly set, Deep Purple ramped it up yet another notch to construct March 1972’s truly seminal Machine Head, which features enduring hardrock staples like “Smoke on the Water” (ahh, that right-of-passage guitar riff), “Highway Star” (their 8-cylinder vehicular love letter), and “Space Truckin’” (“Come on!”) among them.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Germany’s ELAC Previews Follow-up to Entry-Level Debut Series Speakers
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 06, 2024  |  0 comments
German speaker specialist ELAC today announced plans to add a new seven-model series of entry-level speakers to its popular Debut family in the fall.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Maker of Luxury Beds Teams with KEF to Offer a Novel Product
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 06, 2024  |  4 comments
There’s something magical about the notion of drifting away into a deep sleep while immersed in music. And I’m not talking wearing earbuds to bed.
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Audio Video News
Samsung Adds New Ultra-Large Screen Sizes to its 2024 MicroLED Lineup
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 05, 2024  |  4 comments
Looking for the best of the best in TV? Samsung today announced three new ultra-large screen sizes for its flagship 2024 MicroLED TV lineup.
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New ProductsPremiere Design
McIntosh to Bring Audio Magic to All-Electric 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 05, 2024  |  2 comments
Future owners of Jeep's first all-electric vehicle, the 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S due out this fall, will be richly rewarded with a custom McIntosh sound system guaranteed to turn heads in the showroom — and make driving a more pleasurable experience.
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4K TV ReviewsOLED TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Samsung 32" Odyssey OLED G80SD Monitor Review: Picture Perfect
Mark Henninger  |  Jun 04, 2024  |  0 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superb SDR and HDR picture quality
Low input lag and Game Bar
Attractive design, easy assembly
Extensive and responsive smart TV features
Minus
Peak brightness could be higher
A bit pricey for a 32" display

THE VERDICT
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD is a premium, 32-inch 4K smart monitor that is a feature-packed, state-of-the-art visual powerhouse with a slick, modern design. It looks fantastic, supports a variety of sources, and delivers exceptional picture quality.

Simply calling the G80SD a monitor doesn't do it justice because it offers so much functionality, it is very TV-like. It is also a gamer's dream machine thanks to its support for up to 240Hz refresh rates and VRR (variable refresh rate). It comes with a convenient remote as well as support for Alexa and Bixby voice assistants.

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Audio Video News
xMEMS Labs Unveils ‘Reference Design’ for Wireless Earbuds in Push to Accelerate Adoption of Solid-State Microspeakers
SV Staff  |  Jun 04, 2024  |  0 comments
xMEMS Labs, the Santa Clara-based company that set out on a mission in 2023 to replace the traditional drivers used in many wireless earbuds with a new breed of silicon-based microspeaker, today announced the availability of two new “reference designs” it hopes will accelerate the adoption of its novel technology.
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Editor's Eye
The Even Bigger Picture
Mark Henninger  |  Jun 04, 2024  |  2 comments
Back in February, in a blog I titled "The Big Picture", I discussed the expansion of large TV screens and how CES hinted at future trends. Now, with summer just around the corner, “100-inch-class” TVs are being shipped by all major brands, while 85-inch TVs have become surprisingly affordable and are selling rapidly.
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