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Signals
What Would Music Sound Like on Mars?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 11, 2022
Congratulations! You are one of the first humans to walk on Mars! That is so awesome! But then you suffer an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction – your helmet comes off and there you are – completely exposed to the Martian atmosphere. As you lose consciousness, you hear the sound of a piano.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Halloween Kills
Roger Kanno  |  Apr 08, 2022
Picture
Sound
Extras
Halloween Kills, the twelfth film in the Halloween franchise, picks up immediately following the events in the 2018 reboot of the original film of the same name. These latest entries were directed by David Gordon Green with a third installment, Halloween Ends, also to be directed by Green, planned for release later in 2022.
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Spatial Audio File
Please Don’t Leave Me, Spatial Audio
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 08, 2022
To certain observers, jazz multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste’s March 2021 passion project We Are was the surprise winner of Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards last weekend. But to these ears, this multi-layered, genre-defiant album displays the best of all musical worlds—as in, everybody can find something to love within the grooves of its wide-ranging sonic palette.
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Audio Video News
Best Subwoofers, Home Theater Speakers of 2021-22
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 07, 2022
Tired of putting up with anemic bass while you miss out on the visceral excitement that comes with owning a bad-ass subwoofer? Or maybe it’s time to replace a lowly soundbar (or, heaven forbid, the speakers built into your TV) with a full-on home theater speaker system. Help has arrived. We present capsule reviews of our Top Picks in subwoofers and home theater speaker systems for all of 2021 and so far in 2022.
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SmartStream
Plex Update Brings Superb Discover and Universal Search
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 06, 2022
Plex continues to improve and reinvent itself with the goal of becoming the one app that you turn to first for all streaming. Its most recent addition is Plex Discover (in public Beta). Plex Discover finds trending and popular shows on all of your subscription services.
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Integrated Amp Reviews
Rotel A14MKII Integrated Amplifier Review
Al Griffin  |  Apr 06, 2022
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Surprisingly powerful amp
Clean, detailed sound
Great build quality for price
Minus
limited feature set compared to competition
Streaming options limited to Bluetooth wireless and direct computer-to-USB input

THE VERDICT
Rotel’s affordable A14MKII integrated is light on features but heavy on performance. A great option for listeners who want to keep their audio system simple.

Back in fall 2021 Sound & Vision reviewed Rotel's RA-1572MKII integrated amplifier, an upgraded version of the company's popular RA-1572. Well, at Rotel the upgrades keep coming fast and furious: Just a few months later, word dropped that the same treatment was coming to products at more affordable price points, with the company's A12 and A14 integrated amps getting bumped up to MKII status.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Devialet Announces Super Sleek Atmos Soundbar
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 05, 2022
Devialet, the Paris-based maker of the utterly unique Phantom line of speakers, has brought its considerable design prowess to bear on its latest creation: a super sleek soundbar designed to deliver an immersive Dolby Atmos experience without the need for a separate subwoofer.
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Signals
To Trinitron and Beyond
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 04, 2022
Man, oh, man. Can this really be happening? Over these many years, I have purchased all manner of excellent Sony products: radios, televisions, tape recorders, receivers, amplifiers, turntables, Betamax video recorders, CD players, DVD players, Blu-ray players, MiniDisc players, headphones, boomboxes, speakers, soundbars, videogame consoles, phones, camcorders, cameras — you name it. But will my next Sony purchase be…a car?
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Encanto
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 01, 2022
Picture
Sound
Extras
As young Alma and Pedro Madrigal flee from war in their native Colombia, Pedro is killed. Alma clutches their children as a magic candle appears, smiting Pedro's killers and promising endless magical gifts for the Madrigal family—as long as the candle burns. Alma and her children settle in a small village where the candle creates an enchanted Casita (home) for them.
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Spatial Audio File
A Little Ditty, About Spatial Audio
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 01, 2022
“Jack & Diane,” the second No. 1 single from John Mellencamp’s multiplatinum breakthrough album, April 1982’s American Fool—which was originally released (and still catalogued) under the gimmicky stage name he never personally liked, John Cougar—cemented the feisty Midwestern rocker as an American songwriter to be reckoned with. The track’s most definitely best-they-can Atmos mix only serves to make this knowing tale of growing up in the heartland and clutching onto the fleeting vibrancy of youth that much sweeter.
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